My response to OU Daily article

Here is a response I wrote to this article that was in the OU Daily yesterday: http://oudaily.com/news/2013/feb/12/rushing_court_column/?c=17060

I sent in a “letter to the editor” and I am hoping they will publish it!

Why court-storm was warranted 

Mason Morgan has received much backlash for the column, “Basketball bum rush leaves bad taste in mouth”. I am one of those people who disagrees with what Morgan wrote, and I do not understand why you would disgrace your fans like that.

From reading this article, I also don’t think Morgan really knows much about college basketball. Granted, he is a freshman, so how can he truly understand basketball at OU?

I am a junior at OU, and a huge basketball fan. Being from Kansas, I have grown up around college basketball my whole life. The state of Kansas has been called “basketball country” because its three Division I teams– Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State are basketball schools. The three schools’ records combined have had only seven losses earlier in the season. Growing up around college hoops, it has become one of my favorite sports. I don’t just follow my favorite teams — Wichita State and Oklahoma — I follow all the top 25 teams and most of the other Division I teams. I truly immerse myself in this sport.

So now, please let me explain to you what went wrong in your article.

First of all, the emotion was clearly there, as I was in the midst of it. The students were definitely feeling it. It was written all over everyone’s faces. Yes, I may have been feeling it more than some students, as I have grown up hating KU basketball, but I truly know what it means to beat a team like KU.

In my opinion, I believe a court-storming is valid when an unranked team beats a top 15 team. A buzzer-beater thriller is a valid reason, too. In the KU game, OU, an unranked team whose basketball program has been suffering in the past years, definitely had that upset win over a top 15 team (KU was ranked No. 5).

These moments don’t come along often (though this year one may argue this).  It can be a once-in-a-lifetime moment. You’re not a student forever, so enjoy it while it’s happening.

Second, Kansas is one of college basketball’s most successful programs, with several National Championship titles under their belt. They are a team who has most always dominated the Big 12, so when we beat them it is a big deal.  So the fact that Morgan thinks Kansas is an “average” team is appalling. Yeah, maybe they had a stretch of a few bad games, but they whipped up on K-State Monday night in front of their home crowd, so they are still a primetime team.

And just because OU isn’t a basketball school, doesn’t mean there aren’t die-hard basketball fans who go here, or just die-hard sports fans who love the thrill of a big-time game. It’s insulting for Morgan to imply that only football is deserving of the rush-the-field mentality.

Lon Kruger has turned this program around in the last two years, and he is bringing OU basketball back into the spotlight. Beating a top 5 team is a huge step in the right direction for our program.

Also, do you know how many courts have been rushed in the last month, or even in that day (Feb. 9) alone? Four of the top five teams lost that week. Two on that Saturday (No. 3 Michigan and No. 5 Kansas). Three courts were rushed that day (Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Notre Dame all stormed). Beating a top five team warrants enough of a reason to storm a court when the fans are feeling it.

During the final minute of the OU-KU game there was still the possibility that Kansas could come back. The game is not over until the final buzzer sounds. Kansas could have come back, like they had at home against Iowa State and Texas, to win in the final seconds of the game. Just because we were up by five points in the final minute does not mean you write a team like Kansas off. Not to mention the Sooners have struggled to win close games in the past, including several this year.

Note this statement from Morgan’s article, “Secondly, Kansas is now out of the top 10. Did OU fans rush the court after defeating OSU ranked just three spots higher? Of course not.”

Morgan said OSU was ranked three spots higher and that OU did not rush the court after beating them. “Of course not.”

Yes, of course we did not storm the court. Oklahoma State was not even in the AP Top 25 rankings the week of Jan. 7 (Week 10). Oklahoma State played OU in Norman on Saturday, Jan. 12. Clearly, a stormed court was by no means warranted because we weren’t even playing a ranked team. Next time, fact check. (Visit espn.go.com to view rankings by week.)

Finally, the implications Morgan speaks of for storming the court are not well thought out. The voters in the polls are not concerned with how fans and students react or don’t react after the game. That does not affect or penalize us in the polls. The only implications for rushing a court could be personal injury or if our conference fined schools for storming like the SEC does.

Overall, I think Morgan overreacted. OU fans have always been sports fanatics, and will continue to be. It’s not a crime to be passionate about your team, no matter what sport. Show some respect to a team that overcame everyone’s expectations and beat a powerhouse. Come to games, scream and cheer, and rush the court again if a spectacular game (like the OU-KU game) warrants it.

College basketball at its best

I’m changing course here. Since I never write on this thing. It’s been like a year since I last posted. I’m going to bring you everything college basketball starting with the epic end to today. 3 huge games! One of them only just ended after 5 OTs!! Crazy! No. 25 Notre Dame hung with No. 11 Louisville to pull off the upset! COURT STORM. And that was the third one of the day. Here we go. Today college basketball was at its finest. Upset insanity. February 9th, 2013 was a crazy day for college basketball.

This is unedited, because I didn’t feel like going over it and whipped this out while watching the Notre Dame – Louisville game. So I apologize in advance. Not to mention my writing may be a bit rusty, it’s been awhile.

This day will go down in my book as THE best day ever. OU against KU in Norman. Showdown. Let’s flashback to the beginning of last week. Then No. 2 KU having lost their last two games. First at home to Oklahoma State. Ending their 18 game win streak and their 30 some home win streak. Then going on the road at TCU. This should be a cake walk for the hawks. I mean TCU is 0-8 in the Big 12 and it’s KU they’re fifth in the country. But what happens? Kansas plays one of their worst games EVER, and the Horned Frogs pull off the upset. Are you kidding me? is this for real? KU losing two games in a row for the first time since 2006. Now they have to go on the road to Norman. At Oklahoma, who themselves have lost 2 games in a row. First to Kansas State at home 52-50. Yeah, that was a tough one. Then getting beat down on the road at Iowa State. Both teams, Oklahoma and Kansas, looking to bounce back with a win and end their two-game losing streak; thus, setting up one of the greatest games of the season.

You might ask since Kansas basketball as been so pristine under Bill Self, when was the last time KU lost three games in a row? Well here’s one for the books. The last time Kansas lost three straight games was in 2005. Coincidentally in Norman. To Oklahoma. Therefore, was the last team to hand KU three losses in a row. Could this day be Deja Vu for the Jayhawks?

I could not wait for this game, I’ve been looking forward to hit all year. Of course at the beginning of the season I expected it to be a Kansas shut down. But OU has shown that they have definitely turned it around this year under Lon Kruger in his second year at OU. I was also looking forward to seeing one of the best teams in the country play. Yeah, I hate KU, but they’re good….or were. After Kansas’ loss to TCU this game in Norman was becoming more and more possible to win. I predicted a Sooner victory, and that’s saying a lot when it’s Kansas. Yes, they may be struggling but they have pulled out some close ones in the final seconds with ‘lucky’ baskets.

Waking up realizing today is the day–so many emotions. I had to make the perfect poster. After all I have been on ESPN twice already this year for college basketball. And obviously I would not show up to a game against KU without a poster. While searching stats I found the lovely article that showed me when KU last lost three in a row. My sign reads: Deja Vu HAWKS? Remember ’05? WHO handed U your LAST 3rd straight LOSS THEN?

The perfect sign. If we could pull out the upset. I got to the game when the doors opened. Of course before I left I caught the last six minutes of the No. 3 Michigan vs. unranked Wisconsin game. The game had been close the whole time. 2:27 left on the clock and the game is tied. Neither team scores until about 10 seconds left in the game. Tim Hardaway Jr. sinks a 3 ball for Michigan to put them up. 2.4 seconds left on the clock. Wisconsin ball. Ben Brust dribbles up the court. He hits half court and thrusts up a desperation shot. HE SINKS IT. We are going into overtime folks! Obviously I couldn’t leave yet. This game was unbelievable. Wisconsin ended up pulling off the upset and storming the court on No. 3 Michigan. No. 1 Indiana lost earlier this week. No. 3 just lost. Did that mean No. 5 Kansas was next? I sure hoped so.

I’m at the game. Second row to the left of the basket. Prime seating to get my face time and 10 seconds of fame. Sitting with my best friends Danielle and Jessica. This game was going to be great. I just had that feeling.

Tip-off time. Pretty sure the Lloyd Noble Center was half blue with all the Kansas fans who had traveled to see the game. It was time to get loud, get rowdy, and go crazy! The student section had arrived and was everything I could have hoped for in this matchup. Cheering on our Sooners to a four-point half-time lead. This was legit. We were on our game. We were hitting most everything. 60% from the field was a far cry from how we’ve shot the ball the last two games. 100% from the line, granted we’d only had a few shots. Tied with Kansas in rebounds. That desire to win was more possible.

Second half starts. We’re still in it. Leading Kansas. Clock ticking away. Sooners making several huge three point plays. The fans really getting into it. The noise from the crowd is such a huge lift to a team. I love it when the students really get into it. That’s half of college basketball–the fans. No matter what people say, the fans pump up the players and help them to pull out victories. And this is what the OU fans were doing. Lighting a spark under the Sooners. They were playing with drive. Passion. Nearing the eight minute mark, the Sooners made a huge three-point play forcing Self to call a time-out. The fans, students, went crazy. They played the jump around and we were jumping! Going crazy! Ready to take the hawks down! This was becoming more and more real. I can’t even explain how I felt through the next 6 minutes of the game. So nerve-racking. Intense. Danielle, Jessica and I kept exchanging glances like, “Is this happening?” “Can we win this?”

One minute left in regulation. I remember KU getting within one and the Kansas fans all stood up and were starting to get into the game. NO. This was not happening. If we let them get loud. We’re done. That didn’t happen. OU goes for the play and scores! We were so close. The students began humming the Rock Chalk Chant but replaced it with ‘Boooooomer Sooooooner OOOOOUUUUU’ That was great. Mocking KU. I loved it.

This last minute was killing me. We could feel it. Emotions running high. We were feeling it. WE were storming that court. No. 5 Kansas was going to lose to Oklahoma. We were going to pull of the upset. We were going to hand Kansas their third straight loss, just as it happened in 2005.

Hornbeak sunk 4 of 6 free throws in the final minute to keep the Sooners ahead. A steal with .6 seconds remaining and taking it down for the dunk sealed the deal for us. The basket didn’t count. But that didn’t matter. WE HAD WON! WE BEAT NO. 5 KANSAS!

The scoreboard–OU 72 KU 66. Students running wild. Danielle and I jumping the wall to rush out on the court. THIS was the BEST feeling in the world. I was storming the court. ON KU! We ran out there and got in the middle of the chaos. Bumping into everyone, being sucked into the middle, almost losing Danielle. We were enjoying it! This is what college basketball is all about. The thrill. The unranked team, underdog, pulling off the upset on the unranked team. There’s no other feeling like this. And we were in the midst of it all. Celebrating amongst the players. Screaming at the camera. Partying in the middle of the court with the rest of the students. Ending the night singing our alma mater on the court. This was the best day ever. We were so happy. I really can’t even fully describe how I felt. Though the emotions were magnified by the fact that it was KU and we just sent them home with a loss.

To end the great day Danielle, Jessica and I went for a celebratory dinner at Chili’s. Half way through, one of the players comes in and is seated by us. Of course before we left, we asked to get a picture with him. He may not play, but he is a freshman and the future of OU basketball. Soon enough he will be great.

I just wanted to share my day with you and my love of college basketball. After all, it was a thriller. Buddy’s face says it all.

 

What I’ve been up to this semester

Since clearly I’m really bad at blogging regularly, here are some photos to catch you up on my life!

Tearin’ it up on the slopes with Libby, Abbie, and Natasha for 2 days straight. Got a hug bruise on my thigh too from my binding on my board smacking it. Let me tell ya it hurt like a mofo. But had tons of fun! Can’t wait to board again next year!

Traveling to Creighton to watch the Shockers beat down the Bluejays. Epic win in front of their largest crowd 18,000.

Hanging out at the Prairie Classic with all my horse show buddies, but especially these ladies! Got all dressed up and went out to eat at the Elephant Bar for Natasha’s 18th birthday! Miranda, Abbie, Natasha, and I.

Rockin the Roundhouse one last time with this group of seniors. MVC Conference Champions and at-large NCAA bid. First trip to the Big Dance since 2006. Despite the lost, still proud of my Shox! ….maybe not Stutz though haha

Drove home to Wichita for the Miranda Lambert concert with Chris Young and Jerrod Neimann. Let me say that was an eventful, great night amidst the tornadic weather! But had a lot of fun with Chelsea! Let me add to Miranda was amazing; I loved her stage presence and honesty with the crowd!

what would you give to have it all back?

-If you could go back and change just one thing about your life, would you? and if you did, would that change make your life better? Or would that change ultimately break your heart? or break the heart of another? would you choose an entirely different path? or would you change just one thing? just one moment. one moment that you always wanted back..

BOOMA SOONA!! GO OU!!

long time no see. so let me catch you up real quick. . had the best summer ever showing charlie and traveling all over. In August I packed up my room and found myself at OU, the then No. 1 ranked Sooners!!! I got my OU football season tickets and my first football game was a great experience, even though I wish the game had been a bit more exciting, but when you’re playing Tulsa, there’s not much excitement to be had. The atmosphere is insane and incredible. I haven’t been to a home game since, as I went home the last two home games.

Class wise I’m in art classes, drawing, 2-D design, art theory, and intro to photography. Three of these are studio classes and three hours long–such long days I have. But on Tuesday/Thursdays I get to sleep in for a while since I don’t start til 1:30! here’s one of my 2-D projects :

 

My friends from the dorms and fellow transfers as well – Danielle, Jessica, Ana, Taylor, and Charity- are super cool. My art buds Megan, Nicole, Chelsea, Abby, Jessica, John, and Natalie are great too. and anyone else I know. haha

I am also a staff photographer of the Sooner Yearbook!  Visit their Facebook page to see my volleyball pics. I am in the Equestrian Club, where I am the PR person. We haven’t done much yet, so not much to say there. YoungLife is super fun! Every Wednesday night is great. And the best part is the spring break trip to Destin, FL is going to be freaking awesome– OCEAN!!! lol

The volleyball games are pretty fun too. Though I must say the crowd the team draws is WEAK. Your team is ranked and you still don’t draw a very good crowd. When they announced that their second largest crowd in OU history was 2,074, I laughed. haha Wichita State averages about 3,000ish per game, and their largest crowd is 6,000 some. Yeah, now that’s impressive. So OU students and Norman, step it up and go support your volleyball team, because those are some exciting games and the Sooners have a pretty good team.

Got my basketball season tickets! Hopefully the team will be good this year, with new head coach. Though one thing I don’t understand is why students get in free to the women’s games when the women have a national championship caliber team. I mean did great in the NCAA tournament last year (not that I follow women’s basketball or anything). But I would expect that students would have to buy season tickets for these games, whatever.

OH! and on Sept. 24th I went and saw Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium with Amy Fruits and Amy Huser and it was amazzzzzing! and two nights before I saw Maroon 5 with Train! That makes for a great weekend!

NOW:

It’s THE biggest game of the year right now. OU v. Texas. No. 3 v. No. 11. Red River Rivalry. To my dismay, I am one of those less fortunate students, who doesn’t have tickets and isn’t down in Dallas right now, but up in my dorm room with my friends.  But no worries, I plan to be at whatever bowl game we make. Though I will be down in Dallas next year no doubt!

so far OU’s defense has had two sacks in a row, resulting in a turnover; however, Landry Jones isn’t doing much for his team right now since he can’t seem to convert under pressure and throw a touchdown pass…..therefore 6-0 OU with two field goals.  and the defense needs to step it up.

score now is 6-3…. and finally landry converted! TOUCHDOWN OU!  13-3.  and OU interception!!! and now 20-3!!

i’ll be back at halftime.

i am so lazy

Really I’m not that lazy of a person, I mean when it’s comes to cleaning my room, yes I’m quite lazy. I just don’t wanna do it. But I feel that ever since I started college, I’ve just become so lazy. I only have class half of the day on two days of the week. Not to mention I have hardly any homework in my classes at Wichita State. I mean this semester I have the occasional paper, some tests, and maybe a project here and there, but really no homework. For real. If I was at any other college I really don’t think I would have become this lazy. Next year is going to be way different, with the equestrian club, yearbook, younglife, and I’ll actually have homework too! omg! Yes, it shall be very different. 

But my conclusion is that Wichita State has made me lazy, because I was not this lazy in high school (occasionally, but never before like this!). hahaha

Right now I’m watching some American Idol. I shall say that James Durbin is by far the best and he should win, but I want Scotty to win; he’s definitely my fav. 

that’s all for now 

He has risen!

Beneath all the Easter egg hunts, candy, money, and family celebration; the true meaning of Easter often becomes forgotten. Yeah, all of that is fun, but people often forget it’s the real reason for Easter. Jesus died and rose again for us. He’s why we’re here today. He was crucified and died on the cross for us so that all our sins would be forgiven.

Matthew 28:5-6; ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

just a short little snippet of the story,