Friday, April 21, 2023

Friday, April 21, 2023

A selfless legacy for OSU

‘NeoTalks’ share inspiration through athletes’ stories

for being part of the university inspired him to use it as a tool to make an impact.

Luisa Clausen News & Lifestyle Editor

In Iba Hall, Neo KalunguBanda brainstormed ways to leave a legacy. Kalungu-Banda was born in Zambia and moved to England when he was 1. When he was 20 studying psychology at the University of Leicester, he decided to go on an exchange year to the U.S, with intent of inspiring people and telling their stories.

Kalungu-Banda made it to Stillwater in August and noticed the love Americans have for sports. The happiness and pride his peers showed

The idea for “NeoTalks” was born during a FaceTime call between Kalungu-Banda and his childhood friend, Champhe Pelekamoyo. The two were thinking about how Kalunga-Banda could make the most of his time in the U.S. and after a few exchanged ideas, they thought about the possibility of creating a talk show with OSU athletes.

“That day I told Neo he should connect with some athletes because of how big sports are in America,” Pelekamoyo said. “I told him people over in the UK would want to see that. I came up with “NeoTalks” as an Instagram name and Neo liked that.”

Kalungu-Banda said he wanted to find a way to turn his interactions with OSU athletes into reality, and decided he wanted a show where there was entertainment and also inspirational conversations.

Judge dismisses recent First Amendment lawsuit against OSU

Brylee Smith Staff Reporter

A free speech organization is not entitled to sue Oklahoma State University for First Amendment violations because it failed to name the student members on whose behalf it was suing, a federal trial judge ruled recently.

In dismissing Speech First’s lawsuit on April 10, District Judge Bernard M. Jones did not address the constitutionality of the OSU policies that the Washington, D.C.based organization was challenging.

In a statement, OSU said it is pleased with Jones’ ruling.

“Freedom of expression and exchange of ideas are the bedrock of what we believe at OSU,” the university said.

In a court filing, OSU said its bias response team “has received only 29 reports of alleged bias, a majority of those relating to ‘perceived offensive speech.’”

“No speech-related incident or any other incident for that matter reported to the (bias response team) has ever ‘resulted in the initiation of disciplinary proceedings or sanctions’ against a student,” the university said.

Speech First Executive Director Cherise Trump said in an email Wednesday the organization has appealed the Oklahoma City judge’s ruling to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Three other federal circuits have ruled in the organization’s favor. Six universities – the University of Central Florida, University of Houston, University of Michigan, University of Texas, University of Illinois and Iowa State University – settled lawsuits filed by Speech First. bound by those circuit decisions

addressed the issue of whether an association such as Speech First has standing to sue when it uses anonymous members in the lawsuit.

In its lawsuit filed on Jan. 10, Speech First identified its members only as Student A, Student B and Student C.

Speech First challenged the constitutionality of OSU’s Code of Conduct and Harassment Policy, Computer Appropriate Use Policy and Bias-Related Incidents Policy.

“Oklahoma State and its officials have created a series of rules and regulations that deter, suppress and punish speech about the political and social issues of the day,” the lawsuit alleged. “These restrictions disregard decades of precedent.”

The lawsuit contended the policies include vague language and could “chill” student speech. For example, Speech First said, the harassment policy “gives students no details about what the University considers ‘abusive’ or ‘intimidating’ and covers a wide swath of protected speech.”

In February 2021, Speech

First challenged the constitutionality of the University of Central Florida’s harassment policy, computer use policy and Just Knights Response Team. In September, the university agreed to discontinue the Just Knights Response Team. It also paid $35,000 to Speech First.

In February 2022, Speech

First launched a case against the University of Houston. It argued the school’s harassment policy created an environment in which students were scared to voice their beliefs. The university settled the lawsuit in June by dropping “creat[ing] an intimidating, hostile,

In the first season of the show, released last fall, Kalungu-Banda invited athletes to meet

By Ben Holieway

Contributor

The orange hue seen in early October reflects not only the changing leaves of fall, but monarch butterflies on their way south. Often with a stopover in Stillwater. Each fall, North American monarchs travel from their summer breeding grounds to overwintering locations. East of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs travel as far as 3,000

miles to central Mexico, while those west of the Rockies head for the California coast.

Those bound for Mexico can take a break at OSU, where the university has been designated as a waystation for monarchs.

“Monarchs, to me, symbolize change,” said Melissa Shields, a youth pastor from Kiowa. “They start out their lives as these little caterpillars that people tend to overlook but turn into these beautiful butterflies that people

admire.”

Some who follow the monarch flight talk about the great migration to Mexico every year, but a big piece is missing from the story. Monarchs typically live for two to six weeks while the migration can take up to two months. So, what happens then? Do the numbers decline, or do they repopulate? They repopulate, but only in certain sufficient places like Stillwater.

See Butterflies on 4A

Courtesy of OSU

Each fall, North American monarchs travel from their summer breeding grounds to overwintering locations.

him at the

Colvin Recreational Center and participate in competitions against him while he interviewed them.

Courtesy of Neo Kalungu-Banda Cory Read, ice hockey player, was the first athlete to feature on “NeoTalks” Season two.

Kirstyn Santino O’Colly

Editorial board

Editor-in-Chief Adam Engel editorinchief@ocolly.com

Sports editor Gabriel Trevino sports.ed@ocolly.com

Assistant sports editor Braden Bush sports.ed@ocolly.com

Design editor design.ed@ocolly.com

News & Life editor Luisa Clausen news.ed@ocolly.com entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Assistant News & Life editor Kennedy Thomason news.ed@ocolly.com entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Photo editor Jaiden Daughty photo.ed@ocolly.com

Adviser John Helsley john.helsley@okstate.edu

News & Lifestyle reporters:

Jaden Besteda

Payton Little

Baylor Bryant

Michael Clark

Rebekah Cleary

Micah McKamie

Jaycee Hampton

Isaac Terry

Bella Casey

Taylor Carroll

Madison Melton

Olivia Lane

Stephanie Landaverde

J.R. Churchill

Emi Norton

Sports reporters: Photographers & Designers:

Sam Hutchens

Braden Bush

Davis Cordova

Ashton Slaughter

Daniel Allen

Rowdy Baribeau

Payton Little

PJ Tikalsky

Parker Gerl

Gina Foster

Calif Poncy

Ben Hutchens

Tessa Dorrell

The O’Colly Staff Newsroom

Ben Holieway

Rebekah Cleary

Kendall McGhee

Molly Jolliff

Michael Clark

Karlie Boothe

Ethan Hilbert

Paul Houston

Carson Toulouse

Jaycee Hampton

Cassius Davis

Ava Whistler

Luke Tolbert

All photos by Andy Crown and Chase Davis

Drew Blake

Evan O’Toole

David Mendham

Chase Adkison

Tyler Wulfert

Chase Adkison

OSU professor discusses the Dalai Lama incident

Second Chance Prom

Giving LGBTQ+ students another shot

Olivia Lane Staff Reporter

Twenty years ago, Larry Burns couldn’t go to prom with his boyfriend.

This year, he is helping students who went through the same thing get a second chance.

Oklahoma State Queers and Allies will host the Second Chance Prom. The event is for people in the LGBTQ+ community and will allow them to bring who they really want.

Burns, the Chair of the Employee Queers and Allies League, said he believes this event is a great chance for students to experience prom in an open and accepting environment. He wishes that he could have had the same.

“Being able to live a life free from the judgment of bigots is a great thing,” Burns said.

High school can be a difficult time for many. Going through adolescence can cause confusion and insecurity, along with juggling the many tasks that school brings. For those who struggle with their sexual or gender identity, things can be even more difficult. For this reason, many students prom experiences were uncomfortable, if they went.

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, remembers how their family made them feel about the LGBTQ+ community.

“I didn’t really get to have any kind of self-discovery or really question

and explore how I felt until college,” the student said. “My family has always demonized the LGBTQ+ community.”

Being in college has allowed this student to embrace their true self, which is the intention of LGBTQ+ resources on campus. This student identifies as gender fluid currently, though they are still exploring their identity. They are excited to dress how they want to at the event.

“When I saw the event, I immediately started looking for a suit or a more gender-neutral formal set,” the student said.

One of the aims of the event is to show support for LGBTQ+ students, as is the goal of all other LGBTQ+ resources and events on campus. Burns wants to advocate for as many people as possible.

“The lives of many queers are greatly expanded when they are fully accepted for who they love or how they present,” Burns said.

The excitement of the students’ planning to attend illustrates the importance of events like these.

“With everything going on right now, people need to be reminded that staying true to their fullest self and having pride in who they are is, and always will be, a good thing,” the student said.

The Second Chance Prom will take place on April 28 at Old Central. It will be from 7-9 p.m. LGBTQ+ and allies are welcome to attend and make new memories.

The Dalai Lama caught the public’s attention with a disturbing video circulating the internet.

On Feb. 28, a young boy asked his Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug, prompting the boy to come up to the platform where he sat. After leaning heads in to pay his respects, the Dalai Lama proceeded to kiss the boy and ask the child to suck his tongue. This incident received a ton of backlash.

Glen Fairen, a teaching assistant in religious studies at OSU, is not a religious man, but holds a wide range of knowledge on differing religions.

Fairen explained the Dalai Lama is the key figure for Tibetan Buddhism, which isn’t necessarily the biggest sect of Buddhism.

“It’s sort of like Christianity, there is various protestant denominations and he is of a denomination that just happens to be based out of Tibet,” Fairen said. “His role in the ‘50s was when

he was coordinated. He was both the leader of their tradition, but also their ruler, the monarch of Tibet. They were overthrown by the Chinese government, he went into exile. And the idea is the Dalai Lama’s are reincarnated as both the spiritual and temporal rulers of Tibet or the Tibetan people so his role is actually very significant for people in Tibet.”

A common practice in Tibetan culture is tongue greetings, which is where the believer stick out their tongue to show respect or agreement. It can be argued that this is what the Dalai Lama was doing, instead of being inappropriate toward the boy. Having knowledge of this tradition puts the incident in a new perspective for certain individuals.

“It is really weird because he is very playful in his interviews,” Fairen said.

“He is weirdly funny and kind of this goof and there’s something quite human about him that way. And I wonder if it was a playful gesture that just was incredibly inappropriate, just had a brain fart or something. I don’t know, because he doesn’t have a history of this kind of thing.”

The Catholic church has been under heat for a while in regards to abusing children, and ignoring themes of pedophillia in an incident like this could be dangerous.

Fairen said that some people who are Buddhists might feel like they need to defend the actions of the Dalai Lama because it is reflective on them in some way, but that is not the case.

“Without getting into the academic weeds, I can’t define religion,” Fairen said.

“I can’t tell you what it is. Because it’s not that there isn’t such a thing as religion, but there are things that are religious. I think for some people, it can bring good motivations for things and it can also do bad. I think there is something very comforting for people with religion. Like I’ve seen folks who are sick, who find comfort in that and I think that’s lovely.”

The Dalai Lama’s office published an apology saying only that the boy, who was not identified, had asked the spiritual leader if he could give him a hug, making no reference to the kiss or the extended tongue. It said that the Dalai Lama’s actions were lighthearted.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in McLeod Ganj on April 5.

Courtesy of Oklahoma State Queers and Allies. Oklahoma State Queers and Allies will host the Second Chance Prom on April 28.

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Parables in the modern day ‘Godspell’

Chapman Shields, a senior in theatre and the scenic designer, said this musical is interesting because almost every other story created names a location. Not “Godspell.”

Stephanie Landaverde Staff Reporter

For Eric Frei, assistant professor of professional music and music director of “Godspell,” picking a favorite song from the musical is like picking a favorite child.

“Godspell,” a musical about the parables and teachings of Jesus, debuts Thursday evening at Vivia Locke Theatre in the Seretean Center. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28 and April 29 as well as a 2 p.m. show on April 30. Tickets can be purchased online, via phone or at the door and will cost $12 for the general public; $8 for seniors and $7 for students.

Butterflies...

Continued from 1A

In May 2022, OSU’s Oklahoma Native Plant Corridor became a certified Monarch Waystation. Waystations are sites that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. As of February, there were more than 42,000 habitats registered with Monarch Watch, a nonprofit dedicated to helping grow the number of butterflies.

Not every place can become certified, which requires six categories of criteria to be a fit: size, sun and moisture exposure, shelter, milkweed plants, nectar plants and management plans. The OSU Facilities Management website was integral in getting the university certified.

The Oklahoma Native Plant Corridor was established in 2016 and Phase Two was completed in 2018. A biodiversity garden is being installed south of Physical Sciences South and is planned to be completed before spring graduation.

Phase One is undergoing some remodeling as Engineering South sees similar adjustments.

A Student Government Association Sustainability

Green Student Initiative

Grant funded both phases and students installed the second.

While the list of plants in Phase One is changing, Phase Two is home to many plants that are right not only for monarchs but other insects. The Biodiversity Garden will feature plants native to Oklahoma, along with a butterfly topiary.

“It has no setting, no time, no place,” Shields said. “I work closely with the director, and we worked together to figure out what setting could best help us tell the story here.”

OSU’s version of “Godspell” is set in modern day downtown New York City, where a diverse group of people come together, find an old abandoned orphanage, revitalize and restore it to its former glory, Shields said.

The show will feature students singing, dancing and acting simultaneously along with a live student orchestra. Jason Estala, assistant professor of costume design and the costume designer, said it’s surprising people don’t know it takes a large backstage crew to pull off any show.

“When you look at all the dif-

The Plant Corridor is not the only place on campus that is vital for monarchs. Old Central Garden houses Prairie Zinnia, a species of flower that is an important late-season nectar source.

OSU could be vital to the population of the monarch, which is considered endangered.

The population has declined 85% in the past two decades, putting the monarch on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as endangered. There are many factors for the decline, including pollution and habitat destruction.

As fields are destroyed, often for building projects, many native plants vital to monarchs are being wiped out. In addition, pollution has killed species of plants that offer nectar.

There are efforts to help rebuild the monarch population, including OSU’s waystations. Citizens can help too, with the easiest way involving the planting of flowers and milkweed.

There are 26 types of milkweeds native to Oklahoma, four of which are still in bloom during the migration. Many flowers that are attractive to monarchs also attract hummingbirds.

Other than their beauty, monarchs are important pollinators. Without them, many flowers and foods would not have migrated. Monarch butterflies are also a food source for birds, other insects and small animals.

“Something as simple as planting a few species of flowers is something anyone can do,” said Zoe Boatright, a former college student. “Monarchs are just as important as every other insect and animal.”

ferent elements: costuming, scenic lighting, music, choreography, the acting, the directing, the management, the stage managers, it all has to come together,” Estala said. “There are twice as many people backstage as there are onstage to make the show happen.”

There are only two named roles: Thess Holloway, playing Judas/ John the Baptist, and Dakota Norman, playing Jesus. The rest of the cast plays themselves; there is significant room for ad-libbing. The actors can decide how they would react to the situations as themselves.

“I’m excited about getting to be myself on stage,” said Abbey Steelhammer, an animal science freshman. “Most of the time you’re playing a character and you have to be the character, but in this situation, I get to be myself. I get to determine my own journey.”

Steelhammer said everyone, regardless of major, can find a place

in theatre.

“If you’re thinking about being in theatre, you don’t have to be a theatre major,” Steelhammer said. “You can just put yourself out there. And if you do put yourself out there, you get this awesome family that you get to be a part of forever.”

Devon Hunt, assistant professor of theatre and the director of “Godspell,” said this musical has universal concepts everyone can resonate with regardless of religious background, such as community, caring for and loving one another.

“It presents a learning opportunity for the students, and it gives the community a chance to engage with different stories,” Hunt said. “ I think that’s really powerful. Kind of where we are in the world, it’s so easy to put people in boxes and label them as ‘other.’ I think one of the biggest and most important things of theatre is that it reminds us of the humanity of people who are different than we are.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Firing up for summer at Smokin’ Joes

2012, and he quickly fell in love with the town. Wanting to contribute to the community in someway, Stedman brought a new attraction to Stillwater.

Jaycee Hampton Staff Reporter

Smokin’ Joes’ Stilly and The Pit Volleybar is a barbecue restaurant and sand volleyball court, certain to satisfy students’ hunger and boredom.

Ethan Stedman, co-owner of Smokin’ Joes, has a lot of pride when it comes to the restaurant. Stedman opened for business in 2021 with his father, Scott, and since, Smokin’ Joes has grown into one of the coolest restaurants in Stillwater. As of February 2023, Stedman and his business partner, Edgar Rodriguez, have taken ownership. Stedman earned an engineering degree at OSU in

“I think my favorite part about working here is just the pride that I get from seeing people enjoying the food and having a good time,” Stedman said. “Just the bar and the volleyball pits as a whole are unique. It gives me a sense of accomplishment seeing people enjoy our products.”

Open five days a week, Smokin’ Joes offers a menu with barbecue, cold beer and good vibes. Whether people are looking for a chill night with friends or fun competition with family, Smokin’ Joes offers an environment that is enjoyable for all.

“It’s $250 for an eight week league, per team,” Stedman said. “You can have as many on your team as you want, but play with six at a time. We have two leagues,

competitive and non-competitive. Competitively there are some really good teams, non-competitive is just people coming out to play and have a good time.”

Players can call the store and have an employee sign you up, or visit https://smokinjoesstilly.com/ to register for a league. There is a spring, summer and fall league, and it is growing in size each year. Specific time slots are also available to reserve online or customers can wait until a court is unoccupied.

“Don’t be dissuaded by our prices,” Stedman said. “I know they may seem high, but when you get your plate, you’re gonna realize there’s more food on there than you can probably put away. So you definitely get your bang for your buck out here. It’s not it’s not super expensive for the price and the amount of food you get.”

Courtesy of Harley Roche

Jaycee Hampton

Open five days a week, Smokin’ Joes offers a menu with barbecue, cold beer and good vibes.

Bigfoot sighting in Stillwater

But how exactly did these gargantuan forest dwellers come to roam nearby Stillwater locations?

A book club and a bit of booze.

special spots.”

For centuries, people have aimed to capture the legendary creature known as Bigfoot.

However, what people do not know is that there are multiple Bigfoots - and they’re all ladies in Oklahoma.

The Stilly Bigfoot project is an activity geared around introducing new and visiting faces of Stillwater toward familiar sights across the city, as well as to get college students and families off the couch and into the community. Clues are posted to www. stillybigfoot.com, each of them leading to a different spot in Stillwater. At the end of these clues, lie one-foot-tall statues of a lady Bigfoot. There are 11 total lady Bigfoots to find, adding for much variety in the search to track down the beasts.

“So, there we were drinking wine because that’s what book clubs do, and somebody was like, ‘Let’s go hunt for Bigfoot,’” said Kristine Waits, one of the founders of the Stilly Bigfoot project. “And they were like, ‘Remember when we used to geocache?’ It just started coming together.”

Through the “Vibrant Stillwater Grant” this wine wish soon became a reality, and the Stilly Bigfoot project was on its way.

Each of the lady Bigfoot creatures has its own personality, loosely modeled after a few of the members of the book club. Also, each member of the nine-woman book club chose a spot they found special to them, creating a little preview to life between the pages of “Women with Spines.”

“We just kind of went around the room and found what meant something to us,” Waits said. “Like, what we would want to show off if there were visitors in town and get them all spread out. We all kind of have these

North American settlers started reporting sightings of Bigfoot during the late 1800s and into the 1900s with the occasional finding of footprints, sporadic encounters and even a few grainy photos and videos adding to the mystery.

Court date set for former OSU wrestler

A.J. Ferrari

Former Oklahoma State University wrestler

A.J. Ferrari is set to appear before a Payne County jury Sept. 26 on a sexual battery charge.

Ferrari, 21, pleaded not guilty during his initial appearance on Aug. 11.

He was released from the OSU wrestling team in July after a protective order was filed against him. The protective order was dismissed on Aug. 3.

The sexual battery charge was filed Aug. 3.

Ferrari is accused of touching a Stillwater woman’s breasts “under her clothing, attempting to pull down her shorts and underwear, forcibly kissing her mouth,” exposing her breasts and then ejaculating onto her chest, according to the charges and arrest warrant affidavit.

Ferrari faces up to 10 years in state prison if convicted.

Ferrari won a national championship at 197 pounds as an OSU freshman in 2021. He became OSU’s

third true freshman to win a title and first since 1990. His 2022 season ended in late January when Ferrari was injured in a traffic accident. He later pleaded nolo contendere to passing in a no passing zone. The Cowboys finished the season without its lone returning national champion fourth in the Big 12, snapping their nineyear win streak. The Cowboys later finished 14th at the NCAA Championships. OSU finished 18th at last month’s NCAA Championships, the program’s worst finish.

His younger brother, Anthony Ferrari, 19, received a deferred one-year sentence on April 11 after pleading nolo contendere to two counts of assault and battery stemming from an incident on July 21.

Anthony won a state wrestling title for Stillwater High School during the 2021 season. He originally committed to OSU and was projected to start but never joined the team. Anthony, who MatScouts ranked the No. 23 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, recently committed to Iowa.

The biggest emphasis the women wanted to have on the project is to not take it all too seriously. Life is full of the rush of competition, with people striving to climb up the ladder. But with these Bigfoots?

Nope. Rather, the lady Bigfoots strive for the adventure to be the ultimate goal, not necessarily the destination.

“That’s what makes this fun,” Waits said. “It’s a hodgepodge of silliness. It’s a reason to stop being serious and just have some fun.”

Perhaps the biggest factor of all, especially in a college town, is the challenge is free to partake in. Visitors can give it a Google search, hop in a car and go cruising for the creatures.

What started out as a joking idea amongst friends turned into a city-wide hunt for the mythical creatures. Whether people are looking for a way to kill time, land the perfect first date, or get the kids out of the house, the Stilly Bigfoot project is looking to meet those ends.

For more information, visit stillybigfoot.com to join the hunt, or follow them on Instagram @stillybigfoot, as they are always looking for new hunters to join in and post on social media.

“We absolutely want people to post whenever they find them because that generates more interest and fun,” Waits said.

Just be sure to get hunting quickly. These sassy women hit hiber- nation soon in the summer.

NeoTalks...

Continued from 1A

During the first five episodes of season one, the creator did not have professional equipment, so he improvised.

“We recorded the show using voice memos from an iPhone,” Kalungu-Banda said. “All of it was just extremely raw at the beginning. It was very basic, we used as minimal money needed to start the project as we could.”

After a couple months, Kalungu-Banda shared his project idea with peers who joined his team and were able to contribute to the show’s progress. He got in contact with photography students who helped him improve the video quality and give the show a professional feeling.

“It’s incredible to see the progress,” Kalungu-Banda said. “To know we started really simple and now there is a production behind it is really cool.”

Kalungu-Banda did his research on OSU athletes and walked around campus trying to locate one. When he did, the show creator would approach them and explain the project he was working on.

Kalungu-Banda put time and effort behind the scenes, waiting at sports events so he could speak to the right people and put himself in an advantageous position.

“It was difficult to get ahold of them,” Kalungu-Banda said. “Their schedules change all the time and it was hard to get a response from them.”

Despite the busy schedule, Mason Cobb, a former player for OSU’s football team, found time to work with Kalungu-Banda. The athlete allowed the creator to tell his story and left a mark on the show.

For Kulunga-Banda, it was a privilege to have Cobb on the show and he said they created a friendship.

“Neo gave me an opportunity to share my story outstide of football,” Cobb said. “He does a great job of getting to know athletes on the show and our hobbies outside our sport. He is a great interviewer.”

For Pelekamoyo, who is the co-creator, executive producer and editor of “NeoTalks,” it’s not easy to help the show come to life when he is not physically there since he does all the work from Banbury Town, in the South East of England. Pelekamoyo said he would not change this experience for anything else and “NeoTalks” is the project he is most proud of.

“Sometimes it’s hard to pass my point of view, some things get delayed, sometimes it’s hard to tell someone exactly how you want things to be unless physically being there,” Pelekamoyo said. “But even though I am not there I am really connected to the show and watching what everyone involved is doing is really special, it’s worth it.”

With his co-creator in a different country, Kalungu-Banda started talking to his international friends at Iba Hall about the project and shared the goals he had for the show with Raquel Ferreira Ribeiro. An exchange student from Portugal who attends Loughborough University in England, Ribeiro chose to spend a year in the U.S. like Kalungu-Banda.

Ribeiro was struggling to adapt to the U.S. and make good use of her time. At home, she is involved with mental health projects and focuses on helping people in her free time, but during her first few months in the U.S., she felt like she had no purpose and wasn’t truly making use of her time the way she wanted.

“When Neo said I could be a part of the team, I thought, ‘I finally have something to hang on to and

something productive to do with my life here,’” Ribeiro said.

“Instead of existing for myself, I could do something for others too.”

Ribeiro and Kalungu-Banda bonded over their passion for inspiring others. Kalungu-Banda wrote a book called “Inspired: The stories within and around us,” which focuses on inspiring people to live a fulfilled life through the personal stories of other people. The book impressed Ribeiro and the two knew they could work well together.

“I felt aimless and the project inspired me,” Ribeiro said. “I like to show people that the great also go through difficult times, and they too had to overcome them because it’s very easy to put people on a pedestal and think that they’re not human.”

Kalungu-Banda and Ribeiro go back to their universities in May, but the two don’t rule out the idea of continuing the show with a different angle. The team is recording new episodes as much as they can before leaving, and the last episode of the show is airing at the end of July.

“There are a lot of athletes in my university, one of them went to the Olympics,” Ribeiro said. “I can get Neo in touch with a few people.”

Kalungu-Banda said he is proud of the work done and the impact he hopes to leave behind.

Season one and two of “NeoTalks” is available on Youtube.

“I want to leave OSU and feel like I’ve done something,” KalunguBanda said. “Everyone will have their own perceptions and views of how they see me, but hopefully just to be viewed as somebody who tried to bring something different and tried to contribute to the school and in any way that I can as well as my team, you know, just somebody that tried to uplift the school and bring something to contribute.”

Jaiden Daughty

The “Women with Spines” book club have created a local hunt for Bigfoot in Stillwater.

Brylee Smith Staff Reporter

Payton Little Staff Reporter

File Photo

Kalungu-Banda with track and field athlete, Johnna Orange.

Creativity, personality on display at 2023 Stillwater Arts Festival News

Emi Norton Staff Reporter

Appreciate regional artists and their work with two days of live music, food trucks and a chance to create your own masterpieces.

The Prairie Arts Center is hosting the annual Stillwater Arts Festival, which brings nearly 50 national and regional artists to showcase their talents. The festival will be at the Prairie Arts Center in Stillwater on Friday from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Prairie Arts staff and its community have taken great measures to make sure the artists are warmly welcomed with an environment where they can feel comfortable. The festival has been a juried event for more than 40 years and will offer awards totaling $3,000 this year.

Festival attendee Regina Bowling from Edmond has been creating art for as long as she can remember. She attended the arts festival in Edmond last year and said how excited she is to return to the Stillwater Arts Festival.

“Meeting people, talking about the paintings, talking to students about techniques, the energy was terribly exciting and fun,” Bowling said. “It was quite successful and encouraging. I’ve always loved Stillwater and was thrilled to be accepted to have a booth for this festival.”

Besides viewing and purchasing artwork from the featured artists that will be attending the arts festival, you can expect to experience local and traveling bands playing live music while indulging in the plentitude of food trucks.

Bowling expressed her enthusiasm to be part of the energy.

“First, the energy is fantastic,” Bowling said. “Being outdoors, enjoying the results

of multiple artists’ creative work in art, music and foods with other like-minded people is simply fun.”

Attendees will also have the option to create familyfriendly crafts. Examples include tote printmaking, raku firing, henna tattoos, paper marbling as well as other activities that are to be determined.

Opportunities for aspiring and seasonal artists to get inspired and creative is one of Stillwater Arts Festival’s main goals this year.

Newcoming festival attendee Kayann Ausherman of Kansas took her creativity and inspirations and brought them to life when she established herself in her own business, Victory Road. Through her life experiences, she developed her own style of art in which she hopes to connect with her audience on an emotional level.

“Rather than focus on realistic replication of subject matter, I prefer a more whimsical, and intriguing representation,” Ausherman said. “I feel the creative process is about experimentation and exploration of new ways to express the familiar, hopefully evoking an emotional connection.”

Ausherman expresses her talents through sustainability and taking advantage of reusable materials.

“I often use repurposed and unusual materials in her artwork like wrappers, envelopes, postage stamps and ‘found papers.’” Ausherman said.

Ausherman’s drive to help create a personal connection between the art and an audience is the same drive the “I Made Art” exhibit, which showcases artwork from students from Stillwater elementary schools, is working to create. Conceptual artist On Kawara’s decade-long postcard series, “I GOT UP,” inspires the students. You can view

Stillwater’s grade school students’ artwork and appreciate each of their personal relationships with art making. You can support small businesses and connect with artists from far and wide, even having the chance to share personal input, which is appreciated at the Stillwater Arts

Festival.

“By attending the festival, people are showing support for the arts monetarily of course, but also with their presence and their interest,” Ausherman said. “Not only that, it is a great way to feel the pulse of the art being created, add your own input and ideas,

and train the next generation to appreciate art which is a vital part of what makes us human.” For more information visit the Prairie Arts Center website.

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File Photo

The Stillwater Arts Festival will also feature live music, food trucks and several other craft opportunities.

File Photo

The Stillwater Arts Festival began more than 40 years ago and attracts about 50 regional and national artists to town each year.

Lifestyle

Why you should watch ‘Succession’ right now

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

This is a public service announcement urging any and all readers to watch HBO’s “Succession” right this instant. You will catch the swan song of one of the greatest shows of the decade. 2023 has been a smash hit for television. “The Last of Us,” “Barry,” “Succession” and “The Mandalorian” have pulled no punches for the past few months. In such a stacked year, the clear winner has to be “Succession,” a show Jesse Armstrong wrote with a deceptively simple premise: Logan Roy, an esteemed yet hateful billionaire, is dying and must choose one of his children to succeed him.

The problem is, he hates all of his kids. This is the format the show followed for most of its four-season run. The show can best be described as a tragicomedy, equal parts depressing and hilarious.

“Succession” is incredible because it has some of the most complex characters ever put to screen. There are characters like Kendal Roy, who struggles with his mental health in engaging and heartbreaking ways. Roman Roy, who hides his trauma and pain under a deep layer of sarcasm. Then there is Greg Hirsch, who may be the funniest character ever conceived in a TV show. These characters and their ridiculous antics provide some of the funniest scenarios in a TV show in a long time. Almost every single episode is downright hilarious.

However, what makes “Succession” truly shine isn’t just its farcical mockery of the upper class, but the way it masterfully balances its satire of the rich while also telling human stories about these laughing stocks.

Every character on “Succession” is an objectively awful person, but they are all so easy to sympathize with. Logan Roy can feel like a monster in one scene and a broken human in others. This is because “Succession” knows that

everyone is broken in their own way, even the top of the top.

The reason “Succession” is worth watching now is because of its newer episodes, “Connor’s Wedding.” Without spoilers, it makes one of the boldest story choices that a show made in a long time. An idea that sounds awful on paper, yet the execution is so good it has earned its rank among some of the best episodes of television ever conceived. It has become exceedingly obvious that the rest of the season will only be better from here. The magic is clear when a show about rich, privileged adults yelling at each other over meaningless financial choices can be more engaging than a high budget action-packed fantasy show such as “Rings of Power.”

Because of that, I must urge you to watch this show before it ends. Watching reactions online, engaging with the community and seeing each twist and turn play out in real time has been one of the most fulfilling television experiences since “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

‘Air: Courting A Legend’ Review A movie to inspire

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

As the lights slowly brought my theater back to life, an upbeat 80’s montage closed out the movie “Air: Courting A Legend,” the only thing I could think about was how unlikely it was for this film to be good.

Despite the odds, “Air” is not just a good but a great film, and easily one of the best of 2023 so far.

“Air” is the surprisingly inspirational story behind the creation of the Air Jordan shoe, which might be the most boring idea ever conceived for a film. Despite this, “Air” proves that any concept can be great as long as it is backed by a decent execution.

Ben Affleck wrote, produced and directed the film, showing his excellence in the role. The stylish montages, great cinematography and strong sense of personality made the two-hour runtime of this film go by without a hitch.

What really sells “Air” is the excellent cast. There isn’t a weak link among the star-studded cast.

Matt Damon, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis bounce off each other without a hitch and make for some truly captivating performances. David Falk steals the show over a brief, heated phone call that makes for one of

the funniest scenes of the year. Damon delivers a monologue that feels cheesy in hindsight but was truly stirring at the moment. Davis really sells that she is Michael Jordan’s mom.

There are hardly any issues to be had with “Air,” but it does drag a bit toward the end and the concept of the film is inherently ridiculous. Thankfully, it doesn’t worry too much about taking itself seriously, yet knows how to get the audience going.

I left the theater feeling relatively happy about things despite the unbelievable amount of work on my plate. If a movie can inspire me, it can inspire anyone. This point is difficult to communicate over the written word, but “Air” feels like a movie dads will love. I can imagine walking in on my father turning this on and knocking out within the first 15 minutes, yet still saying it’s “one of the greatest.”

“Air” might just be one of the best films of the year and one of the most pleasant surprises. Damon and Affleck prove once again that they are one of the best duos in Hollywood if there was still any doubt about that. Even if you despise the shoe industry, this film is still worth checking out just to appreciate the excellent acting and tight direction.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

In HBO’s “Succession” Logan Roy (Brian Cox), a billionaire, is dying and needs to pick one of his children to succeed him. But he hates his kids.

Courtesy of Tribune

Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in “Air.”

‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Review Lifestyle

Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter

SPOILER ALERT

I can now confidently say that “Star Wars: The Mandalorian” is not following the armor-clad Mandalorian’s favorite mantra, “This is the way.”

Season three, like the Mando himself, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), fell from the way before a quick recovery in the final two episodes.

Season three began with a promising start with the introduction to a more Mandalorian focus, finally peering into the culture and lore of Mandalore.

Djarin and Grogu explore the ruins of Mandalore to redeem Djarin for removing his helmet in the previous season. Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), the fallen Mandalorian leader, joins them. Fighting the horrors of the ruined Mandalore, bathing in the Living Waters, and seeing a Mythosur, the symbol of Mandalorians everywhere, alive and well. Sounds fun, and it was.

For five minutes.

Episode three of “The Mandalorian” took a sharp turn from the main storyline, creating an unnecessary disruption. Instead of following Djarin, Grogu and Kryze as they established themselves as the subjects in the opening sequence, the episode did a fu1l 180. Instead, the audience followed Penn Pershing (Omid Abtahi) from season one, episode one, for 40 minutes as he navigated being a New Republic Refugee.

I understand the point of episodes three, five and six

were to allude to and build the reasoning behind the First Order’s rise to power, but it didn’t work for me. Episode three could have worked if it ran with the Mandalorian storyline. It didn’t work. I love the concept of bridging the gap between the New Republic and the beginnings of the First Order, but it could have been handled better. A more interwoven, evenly-paced storyline that balances the Mandalorian and First Order subplot would have worked better. There is still hope because director and producer

Dave Filoni is helming a new movie to close out “The Mandalorian” and bring all the story threads covering the rise of the First Order within the galaxy. Filoni is no stranger to filling in the Star Wars timeline with excellent production and storytelling. Filoni’s animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is among the highest-rated “Star Wars” series.

The most glaring example of poor pacing is Djarin, Grogu’s and Kryze’s adventure on Plazir-15, starring Lizzo and Jack Black as the Duchess and Captain Bombardier. I have nothing against these talented individuals, but they don’t fit the tone of “The Mandalorian.” Both could have worked better in different “Star Wars” products, but this was too silly. “The Mandalorian” has always toed the line of goofiness with Grogu, but this is too much. The whole point of the episode was to untie the Mandalorians, and they spent little to no time doing that. In fact, when challenged on the possession of the Dark Saber, Djarin hands it over to Kryze because of a loophole. Luckily, this sad excuse for a claim on the Dark Saber was rectified when Kryze dueled Moff Gideon in the final episode.

A few more glaring issues were the brief throwaway line about the entire mini-season in “The Book

of Boba Fett,” where Djarin takes Grogu back from Luke Skywalker. This season didn’t even feel like their story because the audience spent more time with Kryze than the main characters. The Dark Saber was also effectively destroyed, completely negating the meaning the weapon has been assigned for several shows.

The final two episodes of the show were standout episodes. However, they were at the end. I would be writing a much more positive review had the audience received earlier episodes of the same caliber.

As an avid Star Wars fan, there were a lot of things that I loved about this season. The cinematography was off the charts, and the music from Joseph Shirely carried the show as usual. Mando’s familiar motif never failed to excite.

Episodes seven and eight opened with a 10-minute meeting between Moff Gideon and the remnants of the Empire, namedropped

Admiral Thrawn, introduced the audience to General Hux’s father, and confirmed project necromancer. Multiple Easter eggs for fans then ended with what every “Star Wars” fan has always wanted, an all-out, live-action, Mandalorians flying into battle united. Grogu revealed more of his power and Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) was defeated. It was an epic way to close the season and single-handedly save it overall.

In the end, Kryze relit the forges of Mandalore, and Djarn adopted Grogu. The show closes on Grogu and the Mandalorian working as private contractors for the New Republic, perhaps the start of the Resistance.

“The Mandalorian” started well, lost in the middle, but saved itself in the final stretch. A tighter storyline and better pacing will be the key to a better season four. As always, may the Force be with you.

Courtesy of Tribune News Service

Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) holding Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) in “The Mandalorian” season three.

Cowgirls’ offense in ‘gross’ hitting stretch

gross,” Gajewski said. “We have to figure it out. It happens during the season... in the moment it just feels even worse. We need to get going and somebody to step up and get those big hits.”

College World Series. The four combined runs is the lowestscoring two-game stretch of the season for OSU.

Cowgirl softball coach Kenny Gajewski used an odd, but perhaps apt, word to describe the funk No. 3 OSU’s offense is mired in.

“Offensively right now we are pretty

The 39-5 Cowgirls have dropped two consecutive games, 3-2 to Iowa State in extra innings the past Sunday and 3-1 to No. 23 Wichita State on Tuesday. It is OSU’s first losing streak since the Cowgirls were eliminated in the 2022 Women’s

Offense must pick up slack to save season

lead in the second and hit an important threshold. In games the Cowboys have scored eight or more runs, they are 17-2, including 17 in a row.

Tyler Wulfert, a Midland College transfer, hit his eighth home run of the season in the second inning to get OSU to the threshold.

“I think we need to refocus and regroup,” senior second baseman Rachel Becker said. “We’ve kind of been going through it the last week or so. Losing to teams we shouldn’t be. We need to refocus and take the lessons we learn from this and move forward.”

Seven pitches into Bedlam, it was clear what the Cowboys had to do to win.

OSU pitcher Drew Blake started Tuesday’s game with a five-pitch walk, a hit batter on the next throw, then a home run on the seventh pitch. Five minutes in, the Cowboys already trailed by three runs.

A Nolan Schubart two-RBI double breathed life back into O’Brate Stadium, where the Cowboys lost four of their past five games. Two more hits and a pair of free bases flipped the score, putting OSU two runs up on OU. New ballgame.

The Cowboys found their formula in the first inning: outscore the Sooners instead of holding them to fewer runs.

That’s OSU’s recipe for the season, not just a midweek Bedlam game. Pitching has been solid, even good at times, but the inconsistency and lack of experienced depth has loomed large in the 8-7 start to conference play. For the Cowboys to have success, they must rely on offense to pick up the slack and rejuvenate the season.

OSU extended its

Three more Cowboys added a home run in the 19-8 win, pushing OSU to 71 homers on the season – the most of any team in the Big 12 by more than a dozen. That’s OSU’s bread and butter to success. Relying on pitching has got the Cowboys beat.

OSU is sixth in the conference with a 5.32 ERA, and it’s allowed 42 home runs, third in the conference. Isaac Stebens (4.60) and Juaron WattsBrown (4.88) are the only Cowboys with an ERA lower than 6.0 in conference play. The bullpen is full of young pitchers and pitchers coming off injuries, with no big leadership figure.

“We don’t have any older veteran guys maybe like a Justin Campbell, who’s been an AllAmerican and thrown no-hitters and is a Friday night guy, it’s over before it starts,” OSU pitching coach Rob Walton said.

That puts more pressure on the offense.

Evan O’Toole only allowed two runs in four innings in Bedlam for OSU, but then the bullpen fell back into old habits and allowed three runs in the seventh to make it an 11-8 game.

‘It was a blur’

homa. It all stemmed from a phone call from OSU coach Mike Gundy a couple days earlier.

“It was a blur,” Nardo said.

that call.”

The 20-minute phone call was basic.

Bryan Nardo didn’t think it was real until he held the plane ticket in his hands.

He left Erie, Pennsylvania, in his car at 4 a.m. But he wasn’t headed to a game in Shippensburg or Slippery Rock, home of fellow Pennsylvania State Athletic College teams he coached against as Gannon University’s defensive coordinator. He was headed to a plane bound for Okla-

That phone call and impromptu trip from Cleveland, Ohio, to Oklahoma City landed Nardo, 37, his first coordinator job above the Division II level as OSU’s defensive coordinator. A proposition that almost didn’t seem real.

Gundy reached out to Nardo on a Wednesday afternoon in January. Nardo was in the middle of a recruiting meeting when the phone rang, and the caller ID was an unfamiliar number from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“Most of the time, it’s telemarketers,” Nardo said. “Glad I answered

Gundy was interested in the defense Nardo was running, and he extended an invitation to come to Oklahoma City and meet to talk more about it. Nardo accepted.

Still, it didn’t set in until the flight was booked.

“This is either something really cool or this is a really elaborate prank,” Nardo said. “But when my plane ticket actually came through and had my name on it, I was like, ‘If it’s a prank, that’s a pretty expensive one for the people doing it, so I guess I’ll take a flight.’”

Once in Oklahoma, Gundy and Nardo talked football.

They hit on Nardo’s 3-3-5 scheme Gundy was interested in installing. They talked about Nardo’s defenses, which in 2019 ranked No. 2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association as Emporia State’s defensive coordinator, and his latest stint, Gannon, where he took a defense that surrendered more than 29 points and 400 yards a game into a defense that allowed 21 points and 287 yards per game in just one season – the best at Gannon in decades.

The interview lasted more than six hours.

“I think I had one cup of water, that was it, kept going,” Nardo said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Chase Davis

The Cowgirls have lost two games in a row for the first time this season.

Jaiden Daughty

Bryan Nardo didn’t believe he was talking to OSU coach Mike Gundy when he called him in Janurary.

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

See Stretch on 4B

See Slack on 8B

Braden Bush Assistant Sports Editor

Braden Bush Assistant Sports Editor

Column

Carson Toulouse

OSU has won 17-straight games when it scored eight or more runs.

OSU coach Mike Gundy spoke on OSU’s recruiting budget over the past five years, which was the lowest among all Power Five public schools. SEE

Continued from 1B

Gundy anticipated the interview lasting the typical couple hours.

Instead, the all-day interview sold him on the D-II coach far down his list.

“Afterward, I was like, ‘He’s the guy,’” Gundy said. “’He’s the best guy. Doesn’t matter where he came from, he’s the best guy.’”

Twenty-three hours after leaving to catch his flight, he arrived back in Erie. Ten days after the initial phone call, Nardo was offered the job. It was time to prepare and ready himself for the opportunity.

*****

Nardo called it a “pretty dark time.”

Before his year at Gannon, and after eight seasons at Emporia State, Nardo spent two seasons as the linebackers coach at Youngstown State. There, he coached the first Penguin linebacker to a first-team AllMissouri Valley Football Conference selection in 15 years. But in 2021, he was dismissed.

Now, Nardo looks at that time in a different light. His situation in Youngstown allowed him to call defenses again and set up the chance to coach at OSU.

“The biggest thing was it got me back to being a coordinator,” Nardo said. “It got me back to running my defense and

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being able to have a voice again and impact kids, so that was the biggest transition to get me back believing in myself and believing in what we could do.”

Nardo came to Stillwater two days before the rest of the defensive staff got back to town, and he wanted to be prepared for their arrival.

After Tuesday’s practice, he stood inside the Sherman E. Smith Training Center and pointed south, toward Boone Pickens Stadium.

“I didn’t leave that building very much,” he said.

His wife and two sons wouldn’t get to Stillwater for another five weeks, so it was all football. Nardo said he would arrive at his office around 5:30 a.m. and start watching film. After lunch in the cafeteria, he’d return to his office, where he stayed until 10 p.m. Then it was back to the temporary apartment OSU set up for him.

After coaches were back on campus, it was time for spring football and the installation of the new defense. But Nardo said building relationships with players is just as important. He credited his players at Gannon for being what got him out of his slump after Youngstown State. He added that “if a player doesn’t know you care about them, they don’t care what you know.”

Nardo directly coaches the rovers – a middle safety position. Defensive back Kendal

After injuries, Bray competing

be OSU’s No. 1 wide receiver

Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter

A Mike Gundycoached offense at OSU is known for having a high-flying passing attack and a No. 1 option at wide receiver.

Jaden Bray, one of OSU’s most physically gifted receivers, has been held back from potentially filling that role with several injuries, including a broken left thumb three times.

“He hadn’t been healthy in two years,” Gundy said. “It’s been really unusual, what he went through last year is hard to explain, but it is what it is. He’s one of those guys that we need him to stay healthy. He’s doing good right now, he’ll just get bigger and stronger and faster. But, his competitive nature and his willingness to try and be physical is good. Now, we just need to keep him healthy and let him develop.”

would expect that year to be this year now.”

Last year wasn’t an easy time for Bray. He never managed a major injury. Bray said he kept his optimism. He also said he didn’t want to make his injury about himself and wanted to contribute in any way he could. Bray’s family helped, too.

“My two sisters, they’re great, they’re both nurses,” Bray said. “After the game, even when I would talk to them, they would always just be checking up on me. They would always look at it, especially when it first just happened. I would just tell them, ‘I woke up, my thumb is hurting,’ stuff like that. It was great to have all the support.”

It also helped Bray was not alone in his struggle.

petition in practice. It is a level of competition cornerback Korie Black is glad to have with Bray back in the mix.

“Going against him every day is fun, he’s a real good receiver,” Black said. “He’s a bigger type so it’s a challenge, just playing a bigger receiver. It’s fun, it’s really helped me a lot too. I’m pretty sure he’s getting better, too.”

Daniels is set to play in that role this season, so he has spent plenty of time with his new coordinator.

“We joke around, and I feel like I’ve known him for a really long time,” Daniels said. “He’s a great guy.”

As spring practice winds down, Nardo reflects on the wild past three months all that’s changed. So many dynamics have changed. One time, Nardo spotted a Charleston fullback showing signs of a play-action design they’d seen in film, so he yelled down to the rover, named Fonzie, through the open press box window.

“Play action, Fonzie.”

The press box was so close to the field, Fonzie heard Nardo and have him a thumbs up as he adjusted his positioning.

He won’t have that luxury in Boone Pickens Stadium. And there’s been more adjustments. His staff is larger. There’s a jump in athleticism.

But Nardo thought things would be more different, finally getting a shot at an FBS program, but it hasn’t been as much as he anticipated. And he’s still glad he answered that phone call.

“It has been very life changing in the sense of what it means for my family, and what it means for my boys and our future,” Nardo said.

“Outside of that, it’s been the exact same job that I’ve always done.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

As a freshman, Bray was second on the team in 25-plus-yard catches with six. He finished the year with 13 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Kasey Dunn, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, said he’s glad to have Bray and his high-jumping ability back on the field.

“I don’t know if he can dunk from the free throw line or not, but I’ll bet he’s damn close,” Dunn said. “He can jump, he’s got great speed and he’s fearless. Two years ago, you saw a glimpse of what he could do. That’s what I expected him to do more of and grow into, so I

OSU wide receiver Blaine Green injured his wrist and was out for all of 2022. Green said he and Bray have a close relationship made stronger through their injuries.

“We went to some of the away games together, he’s basically one of my brothers away from home,” Green said. “We lived together for our first semester here, so we’re on the same page. He lives right next to me, so after practice, I’ll go hang with him. We’ll play 2K, I know we watched the national championship for basketball together. He’s just like a brother besides my twin (Bryson) leaving, he sort of takes that role in place along with my other teammates.”

For the defense, Bray’s presence means a higher level of com-

Bray’s 6-foot-2 205-pound frame looked bigger this spring than it did a year ago. Bray said he weighs the same, but he put on more muscle mass. In some cases, athletes will leave their universities if they can’t get on the field because of repeated injuries. With the transfer portal becoming more popular, OSU saw an exodus of receivers. Bryson Green and John Paul Richardson were two starters who left, while Stephon Johnson and Langston Anderson were rotational wideouts who departed as well.

Bray was one of the few who stayed. He said leaving was never on his mind, only getting healthy and playing for OSU.

“I wasn’t really focused on why they were leaving, I could really only focus on what I had going on,” Bray said. “If they feel like they got other goals to reach somewhere else, then go get your goals. My mind wasn’t really worried about them. I was worried about what we have here and what’s all going on here and making that better.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

File Photo

After breaking his left thumb three times, Jaden Bray is healthy for OSU’s spring practice and upcoming 2023 season.

to

Courtesy of Gannon Athletics

Gabriel Trevino Sports Editor

Kasey Dunn has never been through a “normal” year as OSU’s offensive coordinator.

When the offense lost a starting quarterback, three starting receivers and two other freshmen wideouts, a starting running back and a starting offensive lineman to either the transfer portal or eligibility exhaustion, Dunn didn’t panic. He faced challenges in each of his three seasons as offensive coordinator, which has prepared him for his upcoming fourth.

“I’ve sat down and talked to my wife a lot about this stuff and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ But, really it’s like, what’s new?

It’s been three years,” Dunn said.

In 2020, just a month after being promoted, COVID-19 shut down the world. Two months later, social turmoil went throughout the country. In 2021 and ‘22, the team managed NIL and the new transfer

portal, with numerous injuries to key players.

Through the past three years of whirlwind, OSU is the only team in the Big 12 with a winning record in each of those seasons.

“This has been a helluva ride,” Dunn said. “I’m just thrilled to be a part of the culture that (Mike) Gundy has established here for sure and his ability to continue to win in probably one of the strangest times in college football.”

Through seven games in 2022, OSU’s offense averaged 45 points per game and 467 yards per game, and the Cowboys rolled to a 6-1 record. In the final six, they averaged only 14 points and won one game.

The offense struggled in the second half of the season and it had many players to replace.

“Things don’t fix themselves, right?” Gundy said. “You drive down the road, you hear something clunking in the engine in your car, you turn the radio up so you don’t have to listen to it and make you feel better, and two or three days later you’re on the side of the road. We have to figure out what that is. So, that’s really the definition I gave them. This is what we have to do to become a

better offense.”

Enter eight transfers on offense; wide receivers

De’Zhaun Stribling, Arland Bruce IV and Leon Johnson III; quarterback Alan Bowman; running back Elijah Collins; tight ends Ian Edenfield and Josiah Johnson and offensive lineman Dalton Cooper. Players such as Cole Birmingham, Jaden Bray and Blaine Green returned from injury-riddled seasons to aid OSU’s depth.

Gundy, Dunn and the offensive staff also changed their approach in schemes and playcalling. Gundy emphasized the importance of running the ball consistently. The team averaged only 3.4 yards per attempt last season. Second to last in the Big 12. To improve it drastically to where OSU wants it to be, the coaching staff added more counter and power runs to the playbook, similar to modern rush-heavy offenses in the Big 12.

OSU’s offense lost many key players, arising panic for many fans. But in the new age of college football, Dunn highlighted the importance of staying calm and ensuring the

strives the team makes will make it better than before offseason moves. “We lost a bunch, but everybody lost a bunch,” Dunn said. “We’re all trying to figure this thing out. The receiver that you thought you had, or the quarterback that you thought you had, or the offensive lineman you thought you had, or the All-Big 12 tight end you thought you had, maybe he

packed up and went somewhere else. I’m saying that for all teams in the country, not just for Oklahoma State. That’s everybody. So, you just have to take a deep breath every once in a while and say, ‘Hey man, do we continue to get it done?’ We’re getting it done. I’m excited to be at a place that we are.”

OSU had eight hits against the Shockers and seven in its loss against ISU.

The Cowgirls have a key threegame series coming up at Texas — the team responsible for OSU’s losing streak and elimination in the WCWS. Gajewski said his offense has showed signs of life, but needs to improve down the stretch.

Waste-conscious Gundy pushing for increase in Big 12-low recruiting budget

OSU football coach Mike Gundy said his team’s recruiting budget needs to grow. But he wants to avoid an irresponsible pitfall.

“Do we need to increase it? Sure. Are we increasing it? Sure. But I’m not gonna waste money,” Gundy said.

OSU’s $455,689 in recruiting expenditure in the last fiscal year was the least among Power Five teams, according to information obtained by USA Today.

“Why would I not want more money?” Gundy

said. “That’s like your wife. Like, she goes to the mall and you say, ‘OK, look, you can spend $200. Are we good with that?’ And then you say, ‘Nah, take the $500.’ Then she says, ‘Nah, I don’t want the $500. I want the $200.’ That’s crazy.” The Oklahoma Sooners ($2,632,817) outspent the Cowboys by more than 5-to-1. Even the Big 12’s second-smallest spender, Iowa State, spent $804,942.

The report classified recruiting expenses as costs covering transportation, lodging and meals for recruits, additional personnel for official and unofficial visits, phone charges and postage for pursuing recruits and the value of schools’ vehicles and planes or those used by the school for recruiting.

Gundy said he will

never turn down recruiting money, and his budget has gotten a boost.

“We’re getting more now,” Gundy said. “We’re not going to be in the millions like these other schools. We’re just not. But part of that, you have to take with a grain of salt.”

Gundy said the Cowboys don’t house recruits at the Ritz-Carlton or spend big on extravagant team meals. The Cowboys offer a more realistic (and much cheaper) taste of Stillwater to recruits.

“We put them on campus in the hotel they’re going to be in on gameday so it’s exactly like it’s going to be like when they’re here,” Gundy said. “We don’t take them to a restaurant and spend $18,000 on food. We take them to training table because that’s where they eat when they’re here.”

Gundy said private airfare is a large part of teams’ recruiting expenses. He knows how much it costs to keep a jet ($4,800) and double-prop planes ($2,900) in the air for an hour.

The Cowboys have consistently finished in the Big 12’s top-five recruiting ranking in the previous six season, although they came in at No. 7 in 2022. Gundy has done a decent ability to recruit on a discount, considering his rather extreme disadvantage.

“I’m also a good team player,” Gundy said. “I don’t want to take some money and waste it in areas we don’t need if I can help facilitate girls softball or track or equestrian or something else.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Smith enters transfer portal

Trevino Sports Editor

The number of scholarship athletes who are returning to OSU’s men’s basketball team next season is down to four.

On Wednesday, Tyreek Smith became the fifth Cowboy to enter the transfer portal, per the Stillwater NewsPress’ Jon Walker. Smith is also one of three big-men to leave the program, joining Moussa Cisse and Kalib Boone. Avery Anderson and Woody Newton are the other two who entered the transfer portal.

Smith joined OSU in 2021 after transferring from Texas Tech and redshirting there. He

Players:

Incoming Players:

started 16 games for OSU from 2021-23, including the final seven this season. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 66 games across two seasons.

The four scholarship players who remain from last year are Bryce Thompson, Chris Harris Jr., Quion Williams and JohnMichael Wright. Wright and Williams announced their return for next season.

So far in the offseason, four-star commit Brandon Garrison (6-foot9) will be the only player on next season’s roster taller than 6-7. The incoming freshman will likely play a major role on a newlook Cowboys roster in 2023-24. Smith will have one year of eligibility remaining after graduating in December 2022.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Players Leaving:

“I thought we had some good at-bats (against WSU),” Gajewski said. “It’s not like we’re a complete mess. We just can’t seem to get the big knock. Getting runners on base late, with two outs, not early in the inning. No need to point any fingers here. We’ve just got to get back to work and figure out a way to score more runs.”

Gajewski tinkered with the lineup in the WSU game, trying to find a combination that clicked.

“(Morgan Wynne) has been swing-

ing the bat as hot as anyone,” Gajewski said. “Got her up to the four hole. She had a good day.”

He also got pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, who has done a fantastic job in the circle this season, some at-bats against WSU in search of a spark. Kilfoyl adds some power in the lineup to accompany her 68-70 mph drop balls.

“We got Killfoyl in there to see if she could get something going,” Gajewski said. “She pitched great. She had a good at-bat late in the game and got on base. Had a poor at-bat when Katelynn Carwile doubled… Killfoyl hit the ball right to the only place you can’t.”

Gajewski said he knows his team can do better offensively, to compliment OSU’s sparkling 1.85 ERA.

“I think we need to make some adjustments with hitting, especially,” Becker said. “Our pitchers have been doing a really good job in every game. No matter what our bats are doing.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Cowgirls’ offense last week:

April 14 vs Iowa State: Five runs April 15 vs Iowa State: Three runs April 16 vs Iowa State: Two runs (11 innings) April 17 vs Wichita State: One run (Eight innings)

Team batting average in past four games: .235 (.339 rest of season)

Team slugging percentage in past four games: 0.365 (.519 rest of season)

Cowgirls slumping during stretch: Micaela Wark: 0-10 (.345 season average)

Tallen Edwards: 2-12 (.325 season average)

Taylor Tuck: 1-7 (.235 season average)

Megan Bloodworth: 0-9 (.220 season average)

Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter

Gabriel

Jaiden Daughty

Returning

- Bryce Thompson

- John-Michael Wright

- Chris Harris Jr.

- Brandon Garrison

- Connor Dow

- Justin McBride

- Eric Dailey

- Jamyron Keller

- Avery Anderson III

- Woody Newton

- Caleb Asberry

- Moussa Cisse

- Kalib Boone

- Tyreek Smith

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

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Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (04/21/23). Discover fresh inspiration this year. Coordinate with your team and community for shared strength. Spring epiphanies illuminate your path. Adapt together around summer challenges, before autumn energizes your physical performance. Take extra care of yourself next winter. Private reflection sparks into brilliant ideas.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Monitor cash flow. Allow extra time for travel, transport, payments and collections, with Taurus Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Review financial records and budgets.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — Edit communications carefully over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde in your sign. Consider consequences before speaking. Reaffirm commitments. Upgrade your brand, logo and profiles.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Revise and refine plans. Avoid misunderstandings, with Mercury stationing retrograde for three weeks. Anticipate mechanical or digital delays or breakdowns. Learn from the past.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Nurture old friends and connections. Have patience and humor with communication snafus. Teamwork requires practice over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Repeat the message.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 7 — Misunderstandings could cause delays. Review professional data closely, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Guard against communication breakdowns. Backup hard drives and archives.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Communicate carefully. Expect travel delays. Review and revise educational plans and itineraries, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Keep confidences and secrets. Make your deadlines.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Consider financial strategies with your partner to secure what you’ve gained. Review statements and accounts for errors over the next three weeks, with Mercury retrograde.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Develop shared goals. Support each other. Resolve misunderstandings with your partner, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Adapt around barriers. Regroup and start again.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Keep equipment repaired. Delays, misunderstandings or mistakes could frustrate your work and health over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Slow down to finish faster.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is an 8 — Clarify misunderstandings right away. Find your sense of humor, and reconnect. Abandon outworn habits. Romantic overtures could backfire over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Review papers, photos, heirlooms and possessions. Clean, sort and organize at home over. with Mercury retrograde. Maintain equipment and backup files. Repair household infrastructure

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Review, revise and edit. Take extra care with communications, with Mercury stationing retrograde for the next three weeks. Clarify misunderstandings immediately. Launch creative projects later.

1 Taylor-Joy of “The Menu”

13 Shows the way

15

By David P. Williams

Sudoku By The Mepham Group

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk.

OSU tennis postseason preview

PJ Tikalsky Staff Reporter

The regular season shuttered its doors in the world of college tennis.

What started on frigid January afternoons indoors gave way to spring weather and outdoor courts, soon to find itself on summer’s doorstep with the height of the competitive season around the corner.

With conference tournaments this weekend and NCAA Tournament selection to soon follow, here’s where OSU’s two programs stand heading into the postseason.

Cowgirl tennis team: Homecourt advantage in play?

After opening their schedule with a key win against Texas, the Cowgirls looked as if they could contend for a Big 12 title. In the penultimate weekend of conference play, though, a home loss to Iowa State and a sweep in Norman promptly sent them sitting behind the Sooners and next to the Cyclones. Last weekend, they recovered with wins vs Kansas and Kansas State to close their regular season tied for third.

“I think we put ourselves in a position to win the regular season, and just didn’t perform as well as

Ferguson celebrates senior day, long career from home

PJ Tikalsky Staff Reporter

we’d like to in a couple of situations,” said Cowgirls coach Chris Young. “I think we’ve learned from that; I think we’ve adjusted and done some things with our lineup… now going into the Big 12 Tournament, we have an opportunity to still compete for a championship, and hopefully that’s something that the girls can do and perform well.”

What’s at stake

When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, the Cowgirls are a lock as they are at No. 18 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings. There’s another incentive that lies just barely out of their grasp, too — a combination of positive results at the Big 12 Tournament in Lawrence, Kansas, and matches across the country this weekend could push them into the top 16, making Stillwater eligible to host regional play in early May. Young is excited at the prospect of a homecourt advantage but doesn’t think it’s a given.

“It’s going to really depend on what happens in conference tournaments,” he said. “You know, the SEC conference has several schools that are right there ahead of us. Some of them play each other, so that’ll make for an interesting dynamic… getting a win against Texas Tech would strengthen our resume, then we’d have an opportunity to play Texas again.

“The Big 12

conference is tough… if we had four hosts out of the 16, that would be pretty special for our conference.”

Cowboy tennis teams season on the line in Lawrence:

The back half of the spring has not been kind to the men’s tennis team.

After amassing an 11-3 nonconference record heading into spring break, things were looking up in a significant way for coach Dustin Taylor’s second year with the program.

What followed was the Cowboys going 1-10 in their last 11 matches of the season and 0-5 in conference play for the second year in a row. There were some difficult opponents along the way: USC, Texas and TCU are all top-10 teams, and close losses to perennial contenders UCLA and Tulane showed the thin margins the Cowboys were operating on. Defeats against Tulsa, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Baylor, though, were more deflating. The Cowboys finished last in the Big 12 again and will have to face a 31st-ranked Texas Tech team that’s gaining momentum in the first round of the conference tournament.

What’s at stake: Their entire season. Last year, the Cowboys missed the NCAA Tournament with a 12-12 record and an 0-5 Big 12 record. This year,

with the same records, a loss on Friday vs Texas Tech would place them under the .500 win percentage threshold needed to qualify for selection.

The Big 12, for men and women, is one of the tougher tennis conferences in the country, but this isn’t a situation Taylor is taking lightly. He’s hoping some time away from tennis focused on fitness will reinvigorate the squad in time for Friday morning’s match against the Red Raiders.

Progress is not linear. OSU has been invited to an inaugural NIT Tournament with eight teams not selected for the NCAAs, guaranteeing some sort of postseason tennis beyond this weekend. But if the Cowboys have ever needed to find their groove again, it’s this week, and they shouldn’t be counted entirely out either.

“The hunger, you know, it’s dwindled a little bit over the last few weeks,” Taylor said. “There’s no denying that. This whole team and staff consist of a bunch of winners, and I don’t think any of us have probably lost nine out of 10 at anything, let alone tennis, in life. It certainly takes its toll on you, it takes its toll on your mind, takes its toll on your hunger for sure… I think we’re getting some hunger back just by stepping away from the game for a bit and getting super fit.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Chase Ferguson, the lone graduate from the Cowboy tennis team this year, received a bittersweet send-off. His match was called off in the third set after Baylor clinched a match win. After losing the regular season finale at home, the mood on the courts was disenchanting for the Cowboys tennis team. However, regardless of the match result on the day, Ferguson said he will remember his time at OSU fondly.

“It means a lot to me, to be on the same team as my teammates,” said Ferguson, who also served as this year’s team captain. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do this last year with anyone else.” Hugs were exchanged with coaches and fans at the Greenwood Center rose to their feet in applause. Ferguson stood

before the crowd, his teammates standing behind him, arms interlinked with each other. Surrounded by given and chosen family, the presence of his mother and aunt with him at the ceremony was a welcome moment for the fifth-year senior.

“I haven’t really had a chance to see my family for a long time now, just being in college,” Ferguson said. “This weekend was actually the first time my mom’s seen me play in person in about five years.”

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Ferguson spent the first part of his college career at South Florida.

Last year, Cowboys coach Dustin Taylor reruited him after Ferguson spoke with with Billy Heiser, a fellow tennis coach and mutual contact, about continuing his development. On the court, Ferguson garnered 15 wins in all competitions and wins over opponents from Central Florida and Tulane that may prove to be vital for OSU’s NCAA Tournament chances.

“Today was about Chase Ferguson,” Taylor said.

“He’ll play some pro tennis after this, and hopefully he makes a career out of it.”

Ferguson proves to be a key player on the top courts moving into the postseason, but off the court Ferguson is one of the team’s social catalysts. He’s also not too bad of a roommate, according to fellow teammate Alex Garcia.

“He’s like a joyful personality; it’s a lot of fun to be around him,” Garcia said. “I get along with him pretty well. I live with him. We watch TV together. He’s just one of these guys that I feel no pressure. I’m just happy because I’m playing with him.”

Whether it’s motivating his teammates on the court or reviewing the latest episode of TV from the couch, Ferguson’s tenure in Stillwater will be one long felt by himself, his teammates, and coaches for years to come.

“When I leave college, I’m going to think of these guys always as my close friends,” Ferguson said.

File Photo

If OSU’s men’s tennis team losses to Texas Tech, it will be unable to qualify for postseason.

Mia Ledbetter

Chase Ferguson, from Melbourne, Australia, spent four years at USF.

sports

Nardo’s defense provides confidence to his players

Iowa State runs and has had success with. The scheme counters the air raid attack, which is common in the conference.

HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE

Davis Cordova Staff Reporter

Bryan Nardo doesn’t want recognition for a good play call.

Nardo wants his players to receive all the glory for the play.

That’s just one example representing OSU’s new defensive coordinator’s care for his players and how his scheme works well for the Cowboys.

“I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh my God what a great call by Bryan Nardo,’ I want people to say, ‘What a great play by Oklahoma State’s defense.’ It’s not about me, it’s about our players,” Nardo said.

In January, OSU coach Mike Gundy hired Nardo from Gannon University, a small college in Pennsylvania.

The hire received mixed reactions from fans and media. Some questioned how a defensive gameplan from a Division-II school would transition into the Big 12. That will not be determined until fall, but one thing is certain –Nardo cares about his players.

Nardo brings a defense seen in the Big 12. He runs a 3-3-5, something

Nardo cultivated his defense to the liking of the players. He said his defensive system provides players support to play to the best of their abilities, without the need to do too much.

“What I’ve learned is it allows for players to play with a lot of confidence as long as they know what to do,” Nardo said. “There’s not that perfect check, it doesn’t have to be a perfect defense, it doesn’t have to be a perfect call. It’s not selfcorrecting because that would make it seem like it’s way too easy, it’s not that, but it gives our players a lot of tools to where they are not put into a bad situation.”

Nardo makes sure he and his players are prepared come game day because he doesn’t do much coaching during the game.

Nardo said that coaching happens mostly during practice. When it comes to the game, it’s all about business and executing the game plan.

“I heard someone say that ‘practice is class,’” Nardo said. “If you hear a good teacher, a teacher doesn’t say a word during a test, so I’m very nervous going up to a game because there’s nothing I

can do to affect the outcome. During the game, I’m very calm because the players have already done their preparation. You don’t yell at somebody taking a test, you let them go play. You try and guide them if they ask a question.”

Nardo has made quite the impression and impact on his players. He’s popular among the offensive group, too.

During Monday’s availability, a group of offensive players led by running backs Ollie Gordon and Jaden Nixon hooted and hollered for Nardo. All Nardo could do was smile, laugh and say ‘it’s easy to have fun around good kids.”

Nardo makes sure to respect and care about his players as people because it helps the players and the team succeed.

“If a player doesn’t know you care about them, they won’t care what you know,” Nardo said. “Sometimes I think we miss that as coaches. We think that we have to draw this perfect play. The players make the play, we put them in a position to be successful, but they are the ones in the game on Saturday. If I fail as a coach, then fine. If my players don’t think I care about them, shame on me.”

Jaiden Daughty

sports

Slack...

Continued from 1B

The offense had to fight for more breathing room again. It’s an alltoo-common theme.

At moments, such as the series against Texas where the Cowboys didn’t allow more than five runs in a game, pitching hasn’t been the issue.

But without closer Nolan McLean, who was one of the NCAA leaders in saves before injury, closing games has become a challenge. During OSU’s 2-6 stretch before Bedlam, four times OSU entered the eighth inning in a tight game, then gave up at least four runs. Each were losses. “We’ve had to adjust a little bit, and we will, but it’s been a learning process and at

times hard,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. That’s where OSU must step up at the plate. With pitching still looking to stabilize, the offense needs to put up runs – lots of them – or else the results haven’t been good. OSU scored 10 or less runs in 14 games since the start of conference play and lost 10 of those.

That was the case in each loss of OSU’s early-April skid.

“I haven’t been sleeping much,” Holliday said. “When you lose games as a coach, you shoulder the disappointment, that sense of ‘you’re letting down your team, your people, your fans.’”

Bedlam gave OSU a blueprint. Duh, more runs equal a better chance of winning, but this team is heavily reliant on putting up big numbers to win games. Hence the 17-game winning streak when scoring

eight or more runs. The pitching rotation is a work in progress. But the offense has proved it can be among the most potent in the country, with the seventh-most home runs in Division I. So, the Cowboys can’t have disappointing stretches like they had to begin April, where they failed to hit their magic eightrun mark. When bats are flying, things are fine in Stillwater and an eightrun outing at the mound will do. But the offense must shoulder the load right now and become more consistent or the season is in jeopardy. “You have to be the same. You have to,” Holliday said. “So, that’s what we’re chasing. We’re not there, but (Bedlam) was a step in the right direction.”

sports.ed@ocolly.com

OSU’s offense by the numbers:

Record when scoring eight or more runs: 17-2

Record when scoring 10 or less: 4-10

Conferece record when scoring eight or less: 3-7

Record with multiple home runs: 16-4

Record with one or less home run: 9-9

Chase Davis

With OSU’s pitching still looking for rhythm, the offense has to shoulder more of the load.

Chase Davis

Nolan Schubart is batting .344 with 28 extra base hits as a freshman starting as a DH or outfielder OSU.