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Although it is expected and sad that Isaac is leaving, we should all be proud of how he represented himself, our Lord, and the University in his time here. AND...he walks away with a diploma! Isaac coming to ORU was a divine move in his life. He was meant to be here at this stage in his life and he will go and do great things - overseas and in his ultimate profession. We all should be grateful for what he did for our University as he should be grateful for what the University has done for him, too. God speed, Mackey! You'll always have a place here at ORU.

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

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.

This situation has to be exactly the opposite of what Tim Johnson, Billy Wison and financial donors expected when they renovated the MC and built the MCAC. It has to be hard. In my life I have had to learn the difference between REACTING and RESPONDING to difficult situations. Reacting is an emotional response that often shows itself in fear or worry. Responding is thoughtful, and seeks to understand the situation, asks informed questions, and takes positive steps to resolve a problem. I hope and pray that the Golden Eagle leadership is able to respond to the disappointing season and mass migration and regroup. The present situation has to be tough to swallow. But at ORU we believe in what God is doing, even in the middle of the storm. Winning is really important, no doubt. Championships are always our goal. And we love to brag on ORU to our friends and co-workers when they win, for sure. But in the end, this university is more concerned with what God is doing and our response to it than W's and L's. I know this may sound a little corny, but this is an opportunity to find out if we really believe what is written on the baseline of the MC hardwood: "Expect A Miracle." Coach Springmann, you are the man God has placed in the position to lead this program. Respond to this moment you have been called, follow the path the Lord has set before you, continue to be a leader of young men and know you have our prayers and support. Press on!

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."

All of these points are fine, but I think the main issue is running an offensive & defensive system that fits your roster. Hypothetically speaking, you don't run out a bunch of big/slow guys and try to full-court press. Or, you don't have a bunch of athletic slashers and put them in an offense that is based on creating perimeter jump shots. It seems to me that the coach had a system he wanted to play but didn't have the personnel to do it. As a coach you have to realize what your players strengths are and adjust your "system" accordingly.

Yes, This has been a tough year so far, but take a look at LSU, they aren’t doing too well either. There is still a chance, the averages have to balance out. The big positive is we get to play each team in our conference 6 times, so if the guys can sweep South Dakota State, and win the series against North Dakota State, and Omaha, they could get into the league tournament. Pitching has struggled, but is getting better, some of the arms that were hurt are getting healthy! Yes, the defense is not as athletic as last year, but they are playing well and improving… Hitting is challenging, but if the guys can adjust to off speed pitches they will be fine. Remember, we have a great coaching staff, and from what I see they will bring these players along. what a great opportunity for these young men to learn how make positive adjustments and never give up. In my old high school team room there was a quote…” winners, never quit, and quitters never win!” The Scriptures tell us that a Righteous man rises up 7 times.. . that means they had to have fallen or lost. my prayer for these guys is that they will be remembered for the comeback not for the defeat!

I am shocked that ANY combination of players averaged 8 rebounds per game last season.

seems like a really great pick up. 3 star forward who averaged double digit rebounds. Read that he broke Blake Griffins career record for points and rebounds at OCS. Welcome to ORU!

...and absolutely no truth at all to the rumor that, in response to OU's "PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY" locker room sign, OSU's football locker room sign says "DON'T FORGET YOUR HELMET".

All 13 TU fans are livid

I will NEVER disparage a player with remaining eligibilty that transfers AFTER getting his diploma, ala Kevin Obanor, Max, Connor and now Issac (if he actually leaves). Let's face it: most males playing a revenue sport at major colleges these days are merely giving lip-service to the term "student athlete". They live off-campus, they take all their classes online with tutors for every assignment, they can bounce from school-to-school without any (apparant) academic consequences and with no loss of eligibilty when they do so, and they're getting paid to perform. They could theoretically play multiple seasons for multiple suitors without ever stepping on a college campus, much less earning a degree. The fact that some (most?) revenue-sport guys at low-to-mid-majors are actually still GRADUATING (with COVID eligibility to spare in this case) is yet another selling point to Mom and Dad when trying to get Junior to sign at ORU: "Look, we're a different kind of NCAA school: we actually care about your son GETTING AN EDUCATION while he's here."

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.

ORU Shocks the Shockers in Wichita, 8-3! Looks like we are headed to Omaha afterall!

What pressure? Based on what ORU has returning, all he needs to do is the lead the team in rebounding and scoring while playing 38 minutes a game and avoiding foul trouble.

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."

If you watched the games at the field, I think you would notice the fielding. They aren't usually scored an error, but plays that could be made. Of course, we were very spoiled last year!!

What strikes me as odd; and my apologies as I'm just an old guy that is an outsider looking in, but if the reason for our poor performance last season wasn't talent or coaching but as you state chemistry, and your prior posts imply we are better without Bedford, Smith & Cam, it appears you're saying they hurt our chemistry? Why wasn't that addressed? Suspend one or all of them, bench Bedford, boot one or all of them off the team. IMHO a coach/leader has to build chemistry not just hope it develops somehow, but even more importantly has to remove any obstacles to it. A coach isn't a spectator and cannot allow a disgruntled player to ruin a season, the player(s) need to get on board or get down the road! On the bright side, HCRS has the opportunity for a lot of improvement going into his 2nd season!

Sounds like my 18th birthday party! BOLD PREDICTION 4/8/24: Currently last-place ORU will play in the championship game of the 2024 Summit League baseball tournament for a berth in the NCAA Field of 64.

Grant Nelson earned national recognition & respect and made himself a lot of money in this tournament. He had a great game against the tar heels and then has 19 points and 15 rebounds against UCONN in the final four! Like him or not, you have to give him his due, he played his best against the best on the biggest stage.

I watched the ORU Coaches Show from Wednesday this morning, and was (once again) very impressed with Coach Folmar. He wasn't panicking, but was also very aware of his team's performance so far this year, and was attempting to instill a sense of urgency within the squad. But, as he said, this team has some talent, and he trusts in the process that the coaches and players go through over the course of the season. Sometimes, it just takes time, and if you try to change too many things at once, it can spiral in the wrong direction. So, they're going to stick to the process and just keep working at it. Hopefully, today's game was a turning point for this season, with a 16-3 8 inning run rule victory. To hold the Bears to three runs with the wind blowing out is quite a feat, as UNC scored 64 runs in a sweep of South Dakota State on the road last weekend. Weather will be cool for the Saturday and Sunday games, with the wind expected to be a steady 35-40 mph, more than DOUBLE today's 17 mph wind. Not good baseball conditions, which normally levels the competition on the field.

Jakob is co-POTW sharing the accolade with Omaha LHP Caleb Riedel. You really have to give the league office tremendous credit for their creativity. By having co-POTW recipients, neither of who are from the Dakotas, they can claim two awards went outside of the Dakotas without taking any future opportunities away from Dakota based pitchers. It is really genius if you think about it. If I'm objective, and I am admittedly biased, the tie is defensible but geez, after back to back dominating performances, doesn't the dude deserve to win the award outright? Hall: 8 shutout innings, 4 hits, 8 Ks Riedel: 7 shutout innings, 3 hits, 8 Ks.

Losing is for LOSERS....and ORU is not a place where losing is ever acceptable. Those of us who knew OR know how he would respond to losing....we need to recruit only players who have a winner mentality...end of discussion...then coach them up....let's do that....

I agree with most of what you say, @theeagleman5, but I take one exception that is bolded above. With the exception of a few P4 schools, athletics is a drain on a university's budget. Athletics is a "cost center" - plain and simple. It is usually not a "profit center" that is throwing off dollars for academics, operations, and endowment. It brings an intangible of school pride for the university community and alumni, but there is nothing that you can buy at the grocery store with "school pride". Student athletes should be able to monetize their name, image, and likeness, just like any other person that is recognized for their skills and talents in all industries; however, to sell these kids a bill of goods that their promotion of goods or services is going to substantially drive an economic gain for a large segment of the population because they are sitting the bench on a P4 school's athletic team or scoring 10 points per game for the Bryant Bears in the northeast is a far cry from how the world works to make a living. Student-athletes should be investing themselves in the classroom and in their field of play rather than on social media (in my humble opinion, of course!).

This is good feedback. I'm just hopeful that our women's teams will not be forced to play against biological men. I'm thankful that ORU protects our girls, including one of mine currently attending!

Our ministry will be in Paris this summer during the Olympics doing street performances and outreach! (We've been in Europe every summer for the last 10 years except 20/21 Covid years)

Heard this third-to-fourth hand, so take it for what it's worth: ORU is apparently VERY high on Bradyn's list. Stay tuned...

OK, this one is worth noting: physically developed man-child from Oklahoma Christian School, MVP of the 3A state tournament. Could be a game-changer, even as a freshman. Think Caleb Green...

It looks like an excellent class of young ladies. Looking forward to seeing how these ladies mesh together and pull on the rope in the same direction.

Luke seems like a great guy and good pickup, but we may need to pump the brakes on even mentioning his name in the same sentence with an ORU legend like Caleb. I’m excited to have him at ORU(welcome Luke if you see this!!) but let’s give him the chance to create his own path and name.

Man Luke looks like a college senior! Seems like a great fit for us. Looking forward to news on a couple of really good point guards and shooting guards. While we are at it how about a skilled 7 footer, Am I asking for too much?!

Despite the o-fer, it was still a beautiful weekend for baseball. Friday night was particularly perfect weather. Hot dogs taste even better when they're only a dollar on Friday nights. Baseball beats the pants off basketball for the opportunity to chew the fat with ol' Titans and younger Golden Eagles alike. Still the best popcorn around, for baseball and basketball both. Saw Issac McBride sitting front and center Friday night, with some classmates in general and a pretty girl in particular. Make of that what you will...

Fixed ^^^^^

Scott Drew turns down Kentucky today. I cannot say I blame him because if you don't go to a Final Four right away, the Wildcat fanbase has you for lunch. Yes you can make a ton of money but is the pressure really worth it at Kentucky. A coach would have to have a mega personality and tough skin to handle all that hate from their fans. It is one of those jobs where, unless you win a title, no matter what you do it is never good enough.

To me, this post does not put HCRS in a good light! If our problem last season wasn't talent, it must have been coaching. If Bedford was some sort of problem, why was he starting? The only reason to start him after the point the season was essentially over was to try and get him to return, if you wanted him to leave for whatever reason or change his behavior- bench him. What's the coaching point starting a (now that he's leaving) problem player, doesn't make any sense to me. To this simple non-insider, it sounds more like CYA excuses for the number of departures.

Enjoyable afternoon eating lunch in the backyard, trying to blow out my Airpods with Pink Floyd's "Dark SIde of the Moon" while watching the eclipse. Wondering if this an international day of mourning for the flat-earthers out there?

The true slap in the face was Ashton never getting a legitimate chance to prove/improve his skills in game situations at ORU (for whatever reason). I wish him all the best wherever he lands.

I thought the same thing about that bunt; never seen anything like it in that situation (down two runs in the [presumed] final inning, one out, man on second). I'm wondering if LaLiberte did it on his own trying to get a hit; maybe thought the pitcher wasn't coming off the mound in a good defensive position? Remains to be seen whether that tie will help or hurt in the final analysis. HUGE series this weekend hosting St. Thomas. Really need a sweep!

LOL! Well, Ken Trickey had given me a full athletic scholarship to attend ORU (another story for another day) and to work in the athletic department as the SID. What I didn't know is that Oral had cut the SID staff completely out of the budget that summer in an attempt to cut costs, but Trickey had me on "basketball scholarship" due to the fact that going to the NAIA there were no scholarship limitations and honestly, Ken did pretty much whatever he wanted to anyway. HA! So, I had been at ORU for about a week and was working full time in the athletic department as (student) SID before the school year began. One day I was talking to Trickey about the roster & schedule and Oral walked in. Being the brash (and dumb) 18 year old, I step right up to Oral, extend my hand, and confidently declare...my name is ____ and I am your new Sports Information Director, it's nice to meet you! He looked me square in the eye and said, "I don't know who told you that you are my SID, but you are terribly mistaken. I cut that out of the budget, along with many other things, to save this university, so you need to get your facts straight before you start talking about things you know nothing about. And, I'm not shaking your hand". That isn't exactly verbatim and not ALL that he said, but it's pretty close. I shrank back and quietly went back to my office and he went in with Trickey and shut the door. Then, a few days later I'm standing in the west entry way to the Mabee Center floor (down in front of where the band now sits) watching practice and taking notes. All of the sudden I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see Oral with a big smile and he says, "Hi Mike. How's my team looking"? For one of the few times in my life, I was speechless. I cobbled together something to the effect of "looking good, lots of talent". He replied that's what he liked to hear and we spent the next couple of minutes talking about the team and the university. After the initial shock, it really was like having a conversation with your fun Uncle. From that day on, every single time our paths crossed, he always greeted me using my first name, asked me how I was, and was the nicest guy. Even a few years after he had retired, he came back for a home game (I want to say late 90's), when his health was beginning to decline, I was walking past press row and he caught my eye and waived me over for a handshake and even remembered my name. He always made this kid feel special. Now, if you want to hear some bad stories, maybe I can share some encounters with Richard & Lindsey back in the day! One in particular in the Mabee Center bathroom! LOL!!

If he got $500K from Memphis i bet he can handle the booing from TU fans next year!:) That conference is a good fit for him as his game is getting in the lane to pick up fouls and get to the line. In the Big 12 or SEC they aren't calling a lot of those as the ref will just look at him and tell him to get up and play. Plus he shot like 27% from 3 last year so no real reason to cover outside 18 ft. Good young player but TU isn't matching that type of $$ and he wasn't getting it from K st or Texas. Not that type of guy.

I'm reminded how last summer/fall, some posters on this very forum were breathlessly proclaiming the previous men's basketball and baseball campaigns as THE GREATEST YEAR IN ORU ATHLETICS HISTORY. Which I stated was arguable, but that I would grant was ORU's most memorable and decorated athletic year ever. Fast forward to this academic year, and barring a Lazarus-esque recovery by ORU Baseball, we will have another hot topic to debate this summer: Worst Year In ORU Athletics History? Or, simply The Most Disappointing?

Thank you for your prayers!!! Astros' Ronel Blanco with the complete game no-hitter against the Blue Jays tonight! If the Astros would not have been swept by the Yankees to start the season, they would totally be undefeated right now!

I watched the first 4 innings or so before I switched over to my beloved Texas Rangers. Have y'all heard they are the defending World Series Champions? I may post about that in the Free For All section. In any event, I started watching at work and then listened on my drive home. Did anyone watch on the SLN network? The Omaha broadcast was pretty funny. First of all, they easily have as much work to do on proper camera work as our crew does. I did see a few catches in the outfield but not many. They had a couple of, what I assume were, undergrads doing the play by play and color commentary. My first thought on the play by play was that I was going to enjoy her broadcast. She has a pleasant voice and an easy going, very conversational style. Then she commented that neither team had scored any "points." After awhile I realized she never identified a pitch. I'll be honest, with my naked eye I'm lucky to correctly identify fast ball vs. breaking ball. Maybe I can distinguish a curve ball from other breaking pitches...maybe. But we were getting none of that and often on called balls we got no description of where the ball missed. Color commentary broadcaster was also pleasant enough to listen to but offered very little insight. When it was tied 0-0 in the third, the play by play person asked color commentary what she thought of the game so far and we got something along the lines of "it's been really close so far. I think it is going to be a close game." Okay. I it isn't my intent to hate on these young women. I'm glad Omaha is giving them some live broadcast experience. Both of them are nice broadcasters but do not bring a lot of baseball knowledge to the table. I have two reasons for this post. It is an attempt to be fair and balanced since I have been very critical of the camera work at JLJ. To appreciate the great Adam Hildebrand who does a fantastic job calling our games. It is Easter weekend, He is Risen!, so I don't know if I will get to watch the next two games at Omaha but if I do, I will do my best to synch up Adam's call to the SLN video stream. Have a great Good Friday friends!

If we have very low expectations, we will get very low results. We should only be looking for players that will take the floor and think that they should have a chance to win every game; otherwise, they shouldn't have a place to play at ORU. #MakeNoLittlePlansHere

SDSU wishes they had a NCAA run….

Funny, I’ve never thought of losing in the first round as a “NCAA tournament run.” I think of that as a NCAA tournament appearance. Maybe it’s just me.

I had been following twitter pretty religiously when the portal opened. ORU probably had 20 to 30 prospects that we were in “contact” with. However, over the last three weeks or so things have gotten very, very quiet. It makes me thing that three possible things are happening, with a possible fusion option of 2 and 3 together. 1.) worst scenario- we are striking out in the portal and with the juco guys so the staff is ready for a rebuild and is looking to build with college freshman for next year. It’s harder to find info about who is recruiting high schoolers with the portal being the rage. 2.) we have slowed down reaching out to portal prospects as we are confident in our ability to sign some of the juco guys and other players we have been pursuing in the portal. 3.) many of the current players are coming back. My hope is that the truth is a fusion of options 2 and 3 . Perhaps we can get McBride and Bedford to return and combine them with a couple of strong juco’s like Hubbard, Lajae Jones, and Brody Robinson and a couple of other solid portal players to create an experienced enough team to make some noise next year. Sounds like we will know more soon.

I was sure you were going to tell us you saw Hall and Oates at a skating rink in 1971.