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In contrast, read between the lines of this tweet today from ORU reserve Braeden Moore:

I think our frontcourt is decent. Jones can hopefully make a sophomore leap, Herron and Moore are both pretty reliable IMO, and Gray has the potential to be very good. As for the guards, hopefully McBride comes back. Pair him with Miller in the backcourt and it should be decent. Miller is one of my favorite players on the team. The 3 spot is where there isn’t anyone from last year, or who’s currently committed, to replace Kareem. Obviously, we need more guys. But I don’t hate the makeup of the group that is on the roster right now. They all seem to be high character guys who are all in on ORU.

During my 2 years in Grand Forks and 14 years in Minot, my wife and kids came to love the warmth, friendliness, and heartiness of the people. However, we experienced snow at least once in every month except in July. When out-of-state friends came to visit, we knew they wanted to see us. When we lived in Florida 30 minutes from Disney World, we suddenly had lots of "friends" wanting to come and stay with us a few days. Now, when asked about life in the Dakotas, I reply with a modified cliche: "It's a great place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit there."

I very badly want this kid to have a long, fruitful career at ORU. He appears to represent everything the school stands for, and is just the kind of high school prospect that men's basketball needs to be signing in this strange, turbulent time.

Pablo Navarro has not received much attention, but I think he has the potential to be a solid contributor next season. I wish he would have redshirted his first year. He reminds me of Chad Wilkerson, who actually planned on redshirting his freshman year, but was put into action and ultimately did not play many minutes that year. His senior year he was the conference player of the year. Go Pablo!!!

Ah....Planes Trains and Automobiles is one of TheEagleman's favorites....and Shocking news that it's going to be cold in North Dakota....after all it's only mid April......it could still snow at any time.....

What sold Luke Gray on signing with Oral Roberts basketball? OCS star explains Jordan Davis The Oklahoman EDMOND — Luke Gray envisioned a greater purpose when posed with a decision early in the season. The Oklahoma Christian School forward elected to bet on himself and bypass the early signing period in November. He spent weeks talking with family, friends and coaches while mulling numerous options before remaining uncommitted. Now, after choosing to play collegiately at Oral Roberts months later, Gray views the Tulsa school as the "perfect spot" for him. "Their mission is a lot like OCS, and I was very drawn to it," Gray said. "I just had a lot to do with the support system there. I want to have a lot of people who support me and what I want to do, and I feel like at ORU, that's their mission for sure." He officially signed on the dotted line of his letter of intent on Wednesday in front of his family, coaches and peers after committing to Oral Roberts on March 30. Gray, who is rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports, chose to play for the Golden Eagles over Cal Poly, Liberty, UNC Greensboro, South Carolina State and Toledo, among others. He also held a host of Division-I offers in football as he was a standout tight end for the Saints. The 6-foot-8 big man was a force down low all season long, averaging 21.8 points and 11.4 rebounds to lead OCS to its first Class 3A state championship since 2007. "I feel like I can play anywhere in the country," Gray said. "This senior season showed that to many of these other college coaches. My main focus really was winning a state championship and then figuring out college later." Gray exits OCS as the program's all-time scoring and rebounding leader after passing OU great Blake Griffin in both categories in February. He embarked on a dominant state title run, which he rounded off with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds in the state championship game. Gray was named the Class 3A state tournament's most valuable player after averaging 22.3 points and 17 rebounds over three games. Gray was named to The Oklahoman's Super 5 first team after his historic final high school season. "I've coached some other really talented athletes and usually they come with a little bit of baggage — Luke doesn't," Saints head coach Brandon Weaver said. "He's humble, coachable and a great teammate. Luke wants success for those around him, so he also wants to be a great role model. Young kids in our community and my kids look up to him, and I'm thankful for that. His impact at OCS goes beyond just athletics." While Gray is eager to make an impact early in his tenure with Oral Roberts, he has yet to allow himself to forget his journey. He endured a turbulent childhood, bouncing between foster homes before being introduced to a better life as a 7-year-old. Gray's dad, Matthew, and his mom, Rachel Davis, adopted him and his siblings while assuming the role of Luke's parents before enrolling him at OCS in the third grade. Gray says he will never forget his parents' gesture. He's now driven to use his career to show other children that they should not put a cap on their dreams. "I had a really tough childhood," Gray said. "So to be able to have other young people who have had that type of childhood see me succeed and be able to get to the next level, I want to show them that love and grace. You really can do it if you pursue your dreams. That's going to be my main drive at ORU for sure."

This explains why I got a softball game when I started the stream a few minutes ago. Ugh!

For anyone still under the delusion that the transfer portal and NIL represent a harmless and natural evolution of employment compensation, I offer the following graphic graphic (not a typo): We Are All Witnesses...to the genocide of low-to-mid-major competitiveness in college basketball.

The consistent problems with playing late fall and spring sports in the Dakotas. It's a great place in June/July though.

Bradyn is rated #34 on the Juco basketball top 100 list. He seems to be flying under the radar and I am surprised more teams are not after him. They must be too focused on the portal! Not only are his numbers like video game stats but his team just ran over most of their opponents this year. He is also from Tulsa and went to Memorial, so Bradyn may want to come home and play in front of his friends and family! He would make a great fit and might replace Kareem or DJ at one of the forward positions.

I’ve noticed a theme with the current and potential signing…they can all rebound the ball. Even Chase Martin averaged like 8 boards a game in HS as a guard.