Thunder Magazine | Vol. 3 Issue 1 by Oklahoma City Thunder

UNITED WE RISE

Process shapes Thunder, city it proudly calls home.

PASSION REQUIRED Think being a Thunder Girl is easy? Think again.

FOUNDATION OF HOPE

THUNDER PLAYER CARDS

Kid-friendly Thunder refurbishes once-ignored PAL court

New season, new collectible cards for 2010-11.

here is considerable buzz in our city, so constant it is impossible to ignore. The words commitment, growth and maturity fuel the daily discussion, creating pinch-me excitement for the future, be it near or far. The 2010-11 Thunder? The city of Oklahoma City? Both. Because no matter the story line or directive, neither subject can be told without mentioning the other. The Thunder and Oklahoma City share a vision for sustained excellence, and each is committed to a process to ensure its best chance for long-term success. The country is taking notice. The Thunder is scheduled to appear on national television 25 times this season – twice on ABC, four times on TNT, nine on ESPN and an additional 10 games on NBA-TV – delivering a bright spotlight to the city it proudly calls home. What those cameras and reporters will find, with very little reporting, is a city under construction, literally, with an eye toward the future. The Devon Tower, a 908-foot structure scheduled to be completed in December 2012, is the largest construction project under way in the U.S. But that is the obvious. Big things, exciting things, are happening all around us, from the stateof-the-art Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation tower to the I-40 construction project; from Automobile Alley to the development of Classen Curve; from a high-end 227-unit apartment complex in downtown with shopping to new restaurants and more. Thunder Basketball writer Chris Silva is like all of us. He’s curious. He started connecting the various dots across the city, and was intrigued by one internal thought: Rise Together. Is that a marketing slogan for the team or, by sheer coincidence, the city? He set out to get answers and reached out to a broad cross-section of city leaders and others who are playing a key part in growing our community. Curiosity also played a part in our minds when we charged writer Greg Elwell to report on the making of the 2010-11 Thunder Girls (pages 53-60). Is it really as simple as smiling and dancing? It didn’t take him long to learn the answer: NO! The Thunder Girls put in long hours of work each week, with the sole focus of making the game experience that much better for Thunder fans. Speaking of making experiences better for all, be sure to check out Phil Bacharach’s story on the Thunder Community Foundation (pages 45-51) and its role in refurbishing the outdoor court at the Police Athletic League. The city wouldn’t be where it is today, and where it is going tomorrow, without the Thunder. And the Thunder, players and coaches agree, would not be where it is today without the support of the city and neighboring cities that surround it, and the great fans who calls this state home.

Welcome to Thunder Basketball 2010-11!

26 COVER STORY

The Thunder is bringing a lot of national attention to Oklahoma City. Good thing, too, because while the city’s NBA franchise is working hard to build sustainable success, Oklahoma City itself is calling on the vision of its leaders and pioneering spirit to do the same. And get this: neither side sees a ceiling in sight.

OPENING SHOTS Rumble’s view of the city … Serge Ibaka records one of his game-high six blocks … Hang time in Yukon. Three photos. Six pages. Great stuff.

13 PLAYER CARDS The first in a series of four detachable player cards designed to help you learn more about your 2010-11 Thunder team.

Ron Matthews Director, Digital Media & Publications

19 TEAMMATES From the bus ride to the reception line that awaited them; from the scrimmage to their time on the football field, Thunder players and coaches were overwhelmed by the support they received in Yukon for the annual Blue & White event.

53 PASSION REQUIRED

Volume 3 Issue 1

magazine

THUNDER Professional Basketball Club, LLC Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Think being a Thunder Girl is easy? Think again. In between dance practices and game nights, Thunder Girls have grueling training sessions, appearances and more. Oh yeah, they also have full-time jobs or college requirements to fulfill.

Clayton I. Bennett

Board of Directors

Aubrey K. McClendon G. Jeffrey Records, Jr. Tom L. Ward William M. Cameron Robert E. Howard II Everett R. Dobson Jay Scaramucci

Oklahoma City Thunder

GOLDEN MOMENT 25

211 N. Robinson, Suite 300 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Phone: 405.208.4800

Thunder players Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and their Team USA teammates did what no other American team had accomplished since 1994: win the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship.

THUNDER.NBA.COM

Executive Vice President & General Manager Sam Presti

Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer

TULSA 66ERS 41

Danny Barth

The unique relationship between the Thunder and Tulsa 66ers draws praise from the NBA D-League and better yet, the players themselves.

Senior Vice President, Sales & MARKETING Brian M. Byrnes

Senior Vice President, Guest Relations

THUNDER CARES 45

Pete Winemiller

Vice President, Business Development

The newly refurbished outdoor basketball court at Oklahoma City’s Police Athletic League is the first of its kind for the Oklahoma City Thunder Community Foundation, a key component of the NBA franchise’s commitment to improving the lives of young people.

John Croley

Vice President, Corporate Communications & Community Relations Dan Mahoney

Vice President, Human Resources Katy Semtner

VICE PRESIDENT, TICKET SALES, RETENTION & DATABASE OPERATIONS

SCENE & SEEN 65

Scott Loft

Images from the preseason.

Managing Editor Ron Matthews

PARTING SHOT 68

Business Development

All hands in. Photo by J.P. WILSON

Wayne Guymon, Abby Morgan, Tim Whang, Regan Lynn, Stephanie Parrish, Geoff Sanders, Ryan O’Toole, Whitney Emde, Sean Heusel, Nick Colburn

Editorial Assistance

LOOK INSIDE! … First in a series of four detachable player cards for the 2010-11 Thunder.

Brian Facchini, Michael Ravina, John Read, Phil Bacharach, Vicki Guerra, Roxanne Nguyen

Contributing Writers

Phil Bacharach, Greg Elwell, Chris Silva

Photography

Richard A. Rowe, J.P. Wilson, Paul Wilson, OKC Thunder photos; Dustin Schmidt, Old Hat Creative

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITING Lacey Leach

The information contained in this publication was compiled by the Oklahoma City Thunder and is provided as a courtesy to its fans. Any commercial use of this information is prohibited without the prior written consent of the Oklahoma City Thunder. All NBA and team insignias depicted in this publication are the property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective teams of the NBA Properties Inc. and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © Copyright 2010 Oklahoma City Thunder

Graphic Design & Layout

Old Hat Creative, Norman, OK

Printing

Southwestern Publishing 4500 N. Santa Fe 73118 | P.O. Drawer 18697 Oklahoma City, OK 73154

If the Thunder is your team, we’re your bank.

MidFirst Bank is proud to be the Official Bank of the Oklahoma City Thunder. 888.MIDFIRST (643-3477) Member FDIC

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FSO = Fox Sports Oklahoma TNT = TNT ABC = ABC TV

OKC COX Tulsa COX Dish Network COX HD DIRECTV AT&T U Verse 37 722 27 679 Check guide 754

All games broadcast in HD on Fox Sports Oklahoma and carried live on the statewide Thunder Radio Network. Check local listings.

CALLING THE ACTION The Thunder Broadcast Team (left to right) Brian Davis, Kelly Crull, Grant Long and Matt Pinto bring the action on the court to your TV and radio. Catch Thunder Malik Rose Basketball exclusively on FOX Sports Oklahoma (FSO) and the statewide Thunder Radio Network, led by WWLS, The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM). This season, former Thunder player Malik Rose joins the team, offering in-studio analysis on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

THUNDER INSIDER

PRESENTED BY INTEGRIS HEALTH From game analysis to player features to the Thunder in the community, Thunder Insider is a weekly comprehensive TV look at your Thunder. Presented by INTEGRIS Health and hosted by Kelly Crull, the show also features Thunder broadcasters Brian Davis, Grant Long, Matt Pinto, Thunder Basketball writer Chris Silva and The Sports Animal’s Mike Steely, who offers a unique fan’s perspective. Thunder Insider airs several times each week on FOX Sports Oklahoma. Check thunder. nba.com for air dates and times. It will also be heard Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on WWLS, The Sports Animal and can be viewed on the Internet at thunder. nba.com, newsok.com and thesportsanimal.com.

RUMBLE GOES ‘OVER THE EDGE’ Rumble the Bison takes in the view from atop the SandRidge Energy building. Rumble rappelled down the side of the 30-story building to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics Oklahoma. PHOTO BY J.P. Wilson

IBLOCKA! Serge Ibaka, left, takes flight to support teammate Russell Westbrook as CSKA Moscow’s Jamont Gordon attempts to drive to the basket. Ibaka recorded six of the Thunder’s seven blocked shots in a 97-89 preseason victory at the Oklahoma City Arena. He also had 15 points and six rebounds. PHOTO BY J.P. WILSON

UNIQUELY YUKON High school championship banners hang in the background as Eric Maynor (6) and Russell Westbrook (0) hang in the air during the Thunder’s Blue & White Scrimmage in Yukon. More than 3,500 fans turned out, and those without a seat found a great view from the rails behind the basket. PHOTO BY J.P. WILSON

PhYSICIaN

•

PatIeNt

•

teChNOlOGY

•

PrOCeDure

•

COMMuNItY BeNefIt

•

awareNeSS

More Care for More Oklahomans

MIND, BODY,

COMMuNItY-CeNtereD Care, StatewIDe At INTEGRIS Health, being the state’s largest healthcare provider is more than just a statement about our size. It’s a statement about our commitment to the communities – from the largest and busiest to the smallest and most rural – that are home to the great people of Oklahoma. That’s why the services of our 11 different Centers of excellence are offered statewide, based on the unique needs of its surrounding community – from weekly clinic visits by an INTEGRIS Heart specialist to 13 full-service hospitals. In fact, approximately six out of every 10 Oklahomans live within 30 miles of an INteGrIS facility or physician.

the CeNterS Of exCelleNCe At INTEGRIS Health, we believe in caring for the whole person, not just treating a condition. Our team of more than 2,500 physicians adds the healing human touch to each Center of Excellence; coming together to provide a full scope of care that includes specialization in cardiac care, fertility, physical rehabilitation, neuromuscular diseases, mental health, transplants, all types of cancer, burns, sleep disorders, stroke, and women’s and children’s services.

integrisOK.com 405-951-2277

ROYAL IVEY

NICK COLLISON

THABO SEFOLOSHA

POSITION

Guard

Forward / Center

Guard / Forward

HEIGHT / WEIGHT

6-4, 215 pounds

6-10, 255 pounds

6-7, 215 pounds

DATE OF BIRTH

12/20/1981

DATE OF BIRTH

10/26/1980

NBA EXPERIENCE

Seventh NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I get proper rest, drink at least eight glasses of water a day and at least 30 minutes a day of exercise.”

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“No fast food, I try to eat small meals every few hours. I also cut out sweets and I get a lot of exercise.”

DATE OF BIRTH

5/2/1984 NBA EXPERIENCE

Fifth NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I exercise every day.”

ERIC MAYNOR

D.J. WHITE

RUSSELL WESTBROOK

POSITION

Guard

Forward

Guard

HEIGHT / WEIGHT

6-3, 175 pounds

6-9, 251 pounds

6-3, 187 pounds

DATE OF BIRTH

6/11/1987 NBA EXPERIENCE

Second NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“Get a good lift in and working out on the court.”

DATE OF BIRTH

8/31/1986

DATE OF BIRTH

11/12/1988

NBA EXPERIENCE

Third NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I eat the right foods, cut back on sugars and sweets, and drink a lot of water.”

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“Work out throughout the week, get three meals a day and watch what I eat.”

MORRIS PETERSON

BYRON MULLENS

JAMES HARDEN

POSITION

Guard

Center

Guard

HEIGHT / WEIGHT

6-7, 220 pounds

7-0, 275 pounds

6-5, 220 pounds

DATE OF BIRTH

8/26/1977 NBA EXPERIENCE

Eleventh NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“Take care of my body, eat the right foods and get plenty of exercise daily.”

DATE OF BIRTH

2/14/1989 NBA EXPERIENCE

Second NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I take care of my body, I run and am spiritually strong.”

DATE OF BIRTH

8/26/1989 NBA EXPERIENCE

Second NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I’m in the gym all the time. I get proper rest and try not to eat too much junk food.”

COLE ALDRICH

JEFF GREEN

NENAD KRSTIC

POSITION

Center

Forward

Center

HEIGHT / WEIGHT

6-11, 245 pounds

6-9, 235 pounds

7-0, 240 pounds

DATE OF BIRTH

10/31/1988 NBA EXPERIENCE

Rookie season

DATE OF BIRTH

8/28/1986 NBA EXPERIENCE

Fourth NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I have a lot of people that make me! No, I’m kidding. I play a lot of sports and try to eat right.”

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I run … a lot!”

DATE OF BIRTH

7/25/1983 NBA EXPERIENCE

Seventh NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“A lot of conditioning, weight training and playing basketball games.”

KEVIN DURANT

DAEQUAN COOK

SERGE IBAKA

POSITION

Forward / Guard

Guard

Forward

HEIGHT / WEIGHT

6-9, 235 pounds

6-5, 210 pounds

6-10, 235 pounds

DATE OF BIRTH

9/29/1988 NBA EXPERIENCE

Fourth NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“I try to eat right and I ride my bike a lot.”

DATE OF BIRTH

4/28/1987 NBA EXPERIENCE

Fourth NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“Eating the right foods, drinking the right liquids and taking care of my body by getting plenty of rest.”

DATE OF BIRTH

9/18/1989 NBA EXPERIENCE

Second NBA season

How I stay Thunder Fit:

“Working hard on the court and in the gym, and eating right.”

2010-2011 Thunder BaskeTBall corporate & group experiences corporate experiences EMPLOYEE’S NIGhT OUT

BOARD ROOM SPECIAL

Food and entertainment packages — reward your employees with a night out at a Thunder game. • Includes your choice of catering • Use of a reserved banquet area pregame

Have a company meeting before the game. Conduct a meeting in a board room at the arena. Once your meeting is over, enjoy the game from your seats on the Cox Club Level. • Includes your choice of catering • Board Room setting with a projector and flat-screen • Board Room access beginning pregame and ending at the conclusion of halftime

ALL-INCLUSIvE BUSINESS SPECIAL Send your employees or clients to a Thunder game. Treat your guests to an exciting night of Thunder basketball and access to an all-inclusive buffet.

group experiences hIGh-FIvE ThUNDER PLAYERS AS ThEY ENTER ThE COURT

WATCh ThE PLAYERS PREPARE FOR ThE GAME FROM ThE BEST SEATS IN ThE hOUSE

Sixteen members of your group line up at the players’ entrance to the court to high-five the team as they make their way to the floor for pregame warm-ups or halftime. Complimentary t-shirts are included.

Sixteen members of your group will have the opportunity to si t o n the Thunde r bench and watch the players warm-up pregame.

STAND ON ThE COURT AS ThE PLAYERS ARE BEING INTRODUCED Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being on the floor with the Thunder players for pregame introductions.

GIvE YOUR GROUP ThE MEMORY OF A LIFETIME Have the opportunity to perform or play basketball on the court b e fo re a Th u n d e r h o m e g a me i n fro n t o f t h e crowd .

PLAY WhERE ThE NBA PROS PLAY Enjoy the experience of playing basketball or hosting an event on the court on game day.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR GROUP EXPERIENCE To ensure you have a first-class experience, you will have a dedicated Thunder Account representative who will gui de yo u thro ugh the process from start to finish. We will provide yo u wi th the suppo rt ne cess ary to make your group night unforgettable. Call us to customize an event that will fit your group’s expectations.

* All experiences are subject to availability, reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and require a minimum number of tickets.

FOR GROUP TICKETS CALL 405.208.hOOP(4667) OR GROUPTIX@ThUNDER-NBA.COM

SENSE OF

COMMUNITY Yukon residents turned out in impressive numbers for the Thunder’s annual Blue & White Scrimmage.

Yukon community unites to show its support for the Thunder and create a memorable, ‘overwhelming’ night for all

The long lines of fans told the story. Sort of. The Thunder was coming to Yukon for its Blue and White Scrimmage game, but that wasn’t the story. No, the story was the multitude of lines – on the side of the high school, where students with signs waited to highfive the Thunder players as they exited the bus; at the gymnasium entrance, where lines formed to the left and right, creating a circle around the school and its tennis courts. The Thunder — players, coaches, front-office staff; everybody in the Thunder family — was taken aback by the show support on Oct.1. “More than I ever expected,” Head Coach Scott Brooks said. “I’ve been in 21 of these type of situations where an

Thunder players huddle up before taking the court to face their teammates in the white jerseys.

“

I’ll tell you what, the city of Yukon, the school district and Yukon High are just amazing. Just another great example of the support we get in this state. And it’s overwhelming. Our players were just fired up. .

”

— Scott Brooks

NBA team will come out to a city and play in front of a crowd. “But I’ll tell you what, the city of Yukon, the school district and Yukon High are just amazing. Just another great example of the support we get in this state. And it’s overwhelming. Our players were just fired up. Getting off the bus and seeing the marching band and the hundreds and hundreds of kids lining up and high-fiving them, it was just a treat for them and a treat for our players. You never get tired of people coming out and supporting you the way we get supported in this state. It’s terrific.”

Clockwise, starting at top: Hand-painted signs were seen throughout the overflow crowd; free T-shirts were awaiting fans who stood in the long lines; Jeff Green meets with the media following the scrimmage; Rumble has some love for Yukon students.

Where Thunder Happens © Copyright 2010, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores (and design) is a registered trademark of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Any other logos are property of their respective owners.

Welcome to Love’s Loud City

Population: 7,631 Screaming Fans From Ada to Watonga your loyalty has made Love’s what it is today. For us it’s about community and what better way to bring it together. Your passion makes this arena one of the loudest in the NBA. Our mission is to make this THE loudest, craziest and most feared houses on any schedule. Not everybody can sit up here. It takes a certain kind of fan to become a Love’s Loud City citizen. This is the place where you bring the loud and maybe some earplugs too. Citizenship entitles you to special offers and giveaways not available elsewhere. Prepare to leave the rest of the world behind. This is the hometown of Loud. If your not yellin’ you better bring a doctor’s note. Get on your feet and prepare for the loudest 48 minutes of your life. It begins NOW.

Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, is the Proud Sponsor and Official Convenience Store of the Oklahoma City THUNDER.

Following their Blue & White Scrimmage game, Thunder players walked down to the Yukon football field for the pre-game introductions and coin-flip featuring the captains from Yukon and Norman North.

(1) D.J. White and James Harden

(2) Russell Westbrook (3) Players take the field. (4) Kevin Durant tosses the coin. (5) Eric Maynor and Russell Westbrook (6) Jeff Green

3 6 5

What is the thunder Kids Club? A unique way for kids, ages 4-14, to be part of the Thunder experience 2010-11 MeMbership benefits • 2010-11 edition Rumble bobblehead • The Story of Rumble the Bison • Rumble hat • Thunder lunch bag • Membership card • Kids Club lanyard • Complimentary Thunder home game ticket • Invitation to the Thunder Kids Club spring event with player appearances

additional benefits • 20% on Rumble appearances, Thunder dance clinic and youth basketball camps • 10% discount on regularly priced youth merchandise at the Thunder Shop • Discounted admission at White Water Bay and Frontier City • Free admission at Science Museum Oklahoma EVERY Tuesday (*with a paid adult admission)

Send an e-mail to

kidsclub@thunder-nba.com for more information on purchasing your membership.

Limited memberships available.

thunder.nba.CoM

GOLDEN MOMENT

Thunder players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each played significant roles as Team USA accomplished in Instanbul, Turkey, what no other American team had done since 1994: bring home the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship. Durant was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring a team-high 22.8 points and grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game. Westbrook proved to be Team USA’s spark plug off the bench on both ends of the court.

UNITED WE RISE

By CHRIS SILVA | THUNDER.NBA.COM

The Thunder is bringing a lot of national attention to Oklahoma City. Good thing, too, because while the city’s N BA franchise is working hard to build sustainable success, Oklahoma City itself is calling on the vision of its leaders and pioneering spirit to do the same. And get this: neither side sees a ceiling in sight.

H A

e likes to talk about the process. He’s got one and he’s been sticking to it for years. It’s funny because these days, all anyone ever wants to talk about is the end result, the finish line, the big prize. People want to skip past the hard times, criticize the checks and balances and question the decisionmaking. But all of those things are part of the process.

interesting and vibrant place. It makes better restaurants. It makes better music venues. It keeps cascading. So that makes it a better place for them, so that makes it easier for me to recruit people that I’m competing with.”

Alzheimer’s Disease research. Prescott acknowledges he’s not a huge sports fan. Even so, he can’t help himself from using sports analogies to explain the happenings over at OMRF. He’s been to Thunder games, sure, and he considers former NBA coach Don Nelson a friend – Prescott took care of the longtime NBA coach’s prostate cancer when Prescott was the head of the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City – but he’s a Texas boy through and through, which means football and baseball dotted his childhood. It wasn’t until he was 25 when he found out that basketball teams actually used playbooks. “That’s a fact,” Prescott says. Another fact: Prescott doesn’t lack in humility. “If you were to say, what are the five most important things that could happen here in Oklahoma City, I’m not sure if I would put a professional basketball team in the top five -- and I’d be wrong,” he says. “The attention it gets at the national level helps us recruit people. Why would scientists care if there was a professional basketball team here or not? In fact, many of them probably don’t care, personally. They may or may not go to some games. It’s not something for them to do on a weekday – that’s not why. “It’s because the Thunder makes it a more

FORTY-ONE NIGHTS A YEAR, the NBA

nd this guy is all about process. Sure, he sees what some of the most competitive organizations around are doing and he’s taking note. In fact, he tries to know just about everything there is to know about the competition. He knows what he’s up against – bigmarketorganizationswithdeeppocketsand round-the-clock nightlife. But what he has to offer here in Oklahoma City is something sustainable. And when he’s targeting specific talent, he keeps the big picture in focus: what can the talent bring to the team? And possibly an even more important question he asks himself: what type of effect will the acquisition have on others on the team? “You’ve got to be more focused,” he says. “If you go for the best athlete in the draft you might wind up with players who might not play well with each other. You don’t get any synergy. They won’t talk to each other in the way that really accelerates the staff. It’s a team game versus an individual game and we believe in a team game.” If this all sounds familiar, it’s probably because it is – and it isn’t. For all the times you might have heard Thunder General Manager Sam Presti talk about the process of building a sustainable, successful team, this actually isn’t him we’re talking about, at least not right now. Instead, those words and that philosophy belong to Dr. Stephen Prescott. If you’re not tuned into the world of medical research, his name might not ring a bell. Prescott is president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and this is his process, which he’s explaining in detail as he makes his way through the construction site of the new, state-of-theart, first-of-its-kind research tower on N.E. 14th Street just off Lincoln Avenue in Oklahoma City. The research tower, set to open in early January, will create 200 new jobs. Prescott is in the process of bringing in new scientists and researchers. He knows he’s going up against the Harvards and Stanfords of the research world, but he’s confident he’ll add the right people to an already world-renowned team of specialists who have made headway in lupus, cancer and

“

The Thunder makes it a more interesting and vibrant place. It makes better restaurants. It makes better music venues. It keeps cascading. So that makes it a better place for them, so that makes it easier for me to recruit people that I’m competing with.” — Dr. Stephen Prescott, president, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

highlight reels, the ones that get played on a continuouslooponESPN’s“SportsCenter,” show clips of the Thunder’s road games. On them, the Thunder players are wearing their blue away jerseys, the ones that have “Oklahoma City” emblazoned across their chests. The game might only get a few seconds of airtime, but it’s small moments like those that add up to the big picture. Those “SportsCenter” broadcasts reach about three million or so viewers on a nightly basis. During the regular season, the exposure for the Thunder is constant, whether its games are nationally televised – like 25 games will be this season, including two Sunday matinees on ABC – or only draw a 30-second highlight. And hearing the name “Oklahoma City” has a different ring to it when it comes from the mouth of a broadcaster who is a couple thousand miles away. You couldn’t watch a USA or Serbia game in the FIBA World Championship in Turkey without the Oklahoma City Thunder being mentioned. What the Thunder’s got going here has drawn interest from across the world. During last season, national sports writers from USA Today, The Sporting News, CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

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Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty, like others, credits MAPS and taxpayers for the dramatic change that has taken place in the city since he first joined the force 33 years ago.

Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, CBSSports.com, NBA.com, French newspapers and Swiss papers came here to write about Oklahoma City, the Thunder and the bond between both. Of course, it wasn’t always this way.

BILL CITTY pulls up in a white Chevy Impala to begin the driving tour, a stroll through memory lane that spans his 33 years as an Oklahoma City police officer. Citty followed in his father’s path, joining the force at age 21 and working his way up to Police Chief, a position he holds today. A lifelong Oklahoma City resident, Citty has seen his hometown transition from one phase to another, from the earliest years of his childhood when Deep Deuce was a bustling haven for jazz music and nightlife, to his preteen years when he would hop the bus from his family’s northwest Oklahoma City home to meet his mother downtown for lunch or to shop for clothes at one of several department stores. But by the time Citty joined the force in 1978, the Bricktown area as we now know it was more like a ghost town. Over the years it had just died. There was no reason to go to Bricktown because there literally was nothing there. And if you were heading to Deep Deuce, you were probably looking for drugs, a place to gamble and more. “There was nothing nice about this area at all,” Citty says as he drives up the Walnut Street Bridge. “I probably worked a stabbing or a shooting every week down in

this area. We had quite a few homicides.” Citty turns right onto N.E. 2nd Street, a street that, if you were an Oklahoma City police officer in the ‘70s and ‘80s and you were a thrill-seeker, was the place to be. Crime was everywhere. The Masters Club, now a parking lot, was the hot spot to throw dice and hustle money. Things usually got chippy at the pool hall up the street. A whorehouse operated out of the old Luster House on the corner of Central Avenue and N.E. 3rd Street. Yes, the real action happened on 2nd Street, which, looking back on it now, Citty says is one of the largest transformations this city has seen as a result of the MAPS downtown revitalization projects. “If we had not had the MAPS projects and the taxpayers willing to support those projects back in the early ‘90s, none of this would be here,” Citty says, peering at Bricktown. “We wouldn’t have been as progressive. Billions of dollars wouldn’t have come in private funding and I know it wouldn’t have been as attractive for an NBA team.” But when you’re entrenched in such a downtrodden environment on a daily basis, like Citty was, all of this was unimaginable. He didn’t envision the end run because he was right in the middle of the process that helped clean up that part of the city.

vacant for some time now. It’s prime real estate property. And a team of developers, investors and designers are set to make it a 227-unit apartment complex. The project is expected to help quench urbanites’ thirst for housing. A lot of people want to live downtown nowadays, and the market is demanding more rental properties. If all goes according to schedule, the planned housing at 2nd and Walnut should break ground in January. Richard McKown is heading the project. Born and raised in southeast Norman, McKown grew up going to Lake Thunderbird and raising show cattle. He lived a farmer’s life although he never learned how to drive a tractor. After stops in Kansas City, Boston and central France, he returned home. Now he’s the president for Ideal Homes, which caters to folks in the suburbs. So while he’s very much an urbanite, this project is certainly a break from the norm. It’s his first foray into urban development for a rental property. But McKown saw this downtown project as a unique, one-time opportunity – the right opportunity. It’s an irreplaceable location and a different form of building that has a protected place in the market for a certain

THIRTY-SOME ODD YEARS LATER, present

— Richard McKown, president of development, Ideal Homes

day, there is a parcel of land at the corner of N.E. 2nd Street and Walnut that has been

“

I think the Thunder is the piece of the equation that no one could quite put their finger on.”

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4500 N. Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118 Phone: 405.525.9411 • Toll Free: 800.356.9005 • 24-Hour Fax: 405.556.9000 www.SouthwesternOK.com

period of time. And he thinks the Thunder has something to do with that. McKown sees the revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City and the gradual growth of the Thunder and it reminds him of the early ’90s in Chicago, when Michael Jordan was leading the Bulls. Not long before Jordan’s arrival, Chicago was in the middle of a crack epidemic and among the dredges of society. Then came Mayor Richard Daley, who helped push the resurgence of tourism by redeveloping the North Side. Sound familiar? “I feel like that’s going on right now, right here in Oklahoma City,” McKown said. “I feel that the involvement with Coach (Scott) Brooks in the community and with all the Thunder players and the image they project to Oklahoma, we’re the friendliest place in the world. What I think is so exciting is the Thunder carries that. You don’t see any of the Thunder players in the public appearances that don’t extend that hospitality and friendliness. And so I see this kind of welcoming back into the downtown, into the urban fabric, I think the Thunder is the piece of the equation that no one could quite put their finger on.”

CITTY CONTINUES THE TOUR by crossing

over Reno Avenue, past a line of orange construction cones and barrels to the left and over the Byers Bridge. The Oklahoma River sparkles in the sun. The water is calm, the river desolate right now. But the fact that there is a fully-functioning, flowing river is a remarkable thing. Back in the day, none of this was here. It was insignificant, obsolete. More like a creek than a river. “You probably had maybe a 12-foot-wide trickle of water that you could usually wade through,” Citty says. “They had to mow the river. That was always the joke: we mow our river in Oklahoma.” The Oklahoma River is now the hub for world-class competitive and recreational rowing, canoeing and kayaking. It’s home to the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation and is the training site for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, the University of Central Oklahoma row teams, Oklahoma City University row teams, the dozens of high school row teams in the area and the U.S. Canoe/Kayak Association. Soon one day, the sport of rowing could become synonymous with Oklahoma City. James Harden and Eric Maynor probably

The passion of Thunder fans has been well documented across the country, making OKC synonymous with NBA.

“

I think that’s what we’re seeing in Oklahoma City, is real team play. Everybody rooting for everyone else, really working together in such a way that it’s for the benefit for all of us. And that’s fantastic.”

weren’t thinking about that back in March, when the Thunder players paid a visit to the Chesapeake Boathouse. And they probably had no clue that two of the Thunder’s founding partners were prominent figures with the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation; Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon is president of the Foundation while Clay Bennett is secretary. Two days after Harden and Maynor’s visit, workers installed the first support beam for the Devon Boathouse on the other side of Lincoln Ave. That boathouse opened in October while construction on the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower is under way.

LIGHT, NEEDLE-THIN AND FAST is the way

RandElliottwoulddescribetheChesapeake Boathouse to a stranger. That’s what a rowing shell is to him. It’s also a sculpture. It’s what he envisioned before he designed it. In fact, each time Elliott sets forth on a

— Rand Elliott, Elliott + Associates Architects project, the Oklahoma City architect first puts it into words before it becomes an actual sketch. Elliott explains his process while sitting at a white acrylic table in a room divided by solar mesh shades on the first floor of his Elliott+AssociatesArchitectsheadquarters, which is tucked neatly inside a flat ironshaped building on the corner of Harrison Ave. and 5th Street, just up the block from the downtown YMCA. The building, on the National Register for Historic Places, had been burned to a crisp when he purchased it in 1991. Elliott has turned it from char and ashes into what could be mistaken for a design museum of sorts. More than 40 prints of his nationally honored AIA projects hang from the walls of the first floor. It’s between these walls where Elliott and his team have designed some of the most recognizable places throughout Oklahoma City: Classen Curve, Beacon of Hope, Lyric Theater at the Plaza, POPS and now the Chesapeake Boathouse, Devon Boathouse and Chesapeake Finish Line Tower.

BY THE NUMBERS

Classen Curve started in the sketchbook of Rand Elliott. It has become a popular shopping and dining destination as well as an example showing the city’s growth.

Listen to Elliott talk about his projects, and about the developments going on in Oklahoma City, and you can sense his pioneering spirit. He probably gets that from his grandmother who took part in the Land Run of 1889. Elliott always believed that Oklahoma City could thrive as an innovative place. Bruce Goff, one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, lived and practiced here; he had faith in the city, too. Elliott never hoped that this city would achieve greatness; he only wished that it would become a respectable city, a place that people would admire for certain characteristics. The sculptures and buildings that make up Elliott’s portfolio rank among them, his work having made a global impact in the world of architecture. On the table before him is a 5x7 black, hardbound sketchbook with a black

24.3

Thunder games scheduled for national television this season (two on ABC, four on TNT, nine on ESPN and 10 on NBA-TV)

Percentage of Thunder Season Ticket Members who renewed for the 2010-11 season.

Number of Thunder players – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Nenad Krstic – who garnered global attention while competing at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Thunder’s average age of its Opening Night roster.

22,000plus Number of registrants for the 2010 Memorial Marathon, up from 5,000 in its inaugural year (2000).

rubber band around it. This is where all of his design ideas were first put to paper, where the boathouses and Classen Curve came to life. About half of the book’s contents are words, the other half drawings of all kinds and shapes and geometric figures. He’ll sketch on the white paper but he also has sketches on napkins and Post-it notes taped to the pages as well. He’ll fill a page or two at lunch, maybe while sitting on barstool No. 1 at VZDs, or in his office, late in the evening after everyone has left. It takes him anywhere from six months to a year to fill a sketchbook. He’s been in practice for 33 years now and he probably has about 30 books. He keeps them all in a safety deposit box. Those sketchbooks are a big part of Elliott’s process, which centers on the mantra of creating something every day. He tries to devote at least one hour a day to that book. “The process is very important,” Elliott says. “Sometimes the process is as important as the end product … because that’s the part where you grow, during that time.” And the process that brought us a cutting-edge, seven-mile waterway on the southern edge of town, well, Elliott sees it as something much larger than that, something more than just a river. He sees it as a microcosm of all the great things happening in Oklahoma City today, from the Thunder to the river development to the construction of the Devon Tower to the Project 180 that will line our streets with sidewalks and trees.

500,000 200,000 75 Number of visitors each year to the outdoor symbolic Memorial.

Visits per year to the Memorial Museum.

Number of countries from which people have visited the Memorial since April.

8 millionplus Number of visitors to Oklahoma City per year.

“

To me, I think the Thunder is the core of this thing and I think we’ll see a lot more energy talking about the city. That’s really the first thing people talk about.” — Keith Paul, co-owner of A Good Egg Dining Group

Elliott even goes as far as to compare this time in Oklahoma City to the Land Run, given the city’s incredible current level of enthusiasm. “We’re not running for land today; we’re kind of running for respect,” he explains. “We’re running forward and moving forward because we are at this very special time.” Elliott later adds, “We’ve had great leadership go forward starting with Ron (Norick) and the group of mayors we’ve had most recently. Then you add Aubrey and Clay and (Devon CEO) Larry Nichols and (Sandridge CEO) Tom Ward and you add our leadership into that and it’s just all really gurgling, all the things are really starting to happen just like the team is. And I think that’s what we’re seeing in Oklahoma City, is real team play. Everybody rooting for everyone else, really working together in such a way that it’s for the benefit for all of us. And that’s fantastic.”

The Chesapeake Boathouse, on the Oklahoma River, is home for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic rowing teams as well as a number of collegiate and high school teams.

THE THUNDER WAS IN A BIND. Keith Paul thought he could help. A little more than two years ago, maybe a day or two after the team relocated here, director of athletic performance Dwight Daub paid Paul a visit. The Thunder wanted to have catered food for the team at its practice facility. There were a lot of hungry mouths to feed on a daily basis. This was all new for Daub. Paul,

the co-owner of A Good Egg Dining Group, got right to work. “We said, ‘let us take care of this for you,’” Paul recalls. “This is what we can do. We’re on call 24 hours a day for you. Our deal there was, let’s make this easy for Dwight because this whole moving process and their practice facility is in a roller rink. We showed up the first day and it’s a great relationship ever since. Those guys are great to work with. To me, it’s not what you expect from a professional sports team.” Like so many other restaurateurs, A Good Egg Dining Group has seen positive effects from the Thunder’s presence here. Red Prime Steakhouse is hopping before and after games. So is Iron Starr. And Paul boasts that, outside of being in the arena, RePUBlic Gastropub is the best place to see a Thunder game. So it’s been easy for Paul to see parallels between the rise of the Thunder and

Oklahoma City, which he thinks dates back to day that it was announced the team would be coming here. There already was a considerable buzz throughout the city, Paul says. Downtown was booming. The urban lifestyle was still fresh. “Then the Thunder show up and unfortunately we had a setback in the economy, which was no good for anybody,” Paul says. “But you know what? The silver lining in that thing was the Thunder was keeping everyone alive. Downtown construction stopped. But the parallels I do see are it seems to me that the Thunder is the core right now and that things are just happening around. Starting with the Thunder and new construction and everyone’s talking about what they can do to get downtown now. They know it might be a few years but at some point it’s going to be the place to be. The Core to Shore is a big conversation.

$6.1 billion

12.2 million

$25.6 million

Amount of money Oklahoma’s tourism industry generated in direct traveler expenditures in 2008. (Note: report issued every two years).

Number of people who have visited Oklahoma state parks this year.

Economic impact for the state from film projects initiated and supported by the Oklahoma Film and Music Office in the 2009 Fiscal Year.

National ranking in population growth from 2008 to 2009, when Oklahoma’s population was estimated to be 3,687,050.

Oklahoma City’s rank among the strongest economies in America by Business Week.

Forbes’ ranking for Oklahoma City as America’s Best Bang-For-TheBuck Cities.

USA Today’s ranking for Oklahoma City as the Most Cost Effective Large City in the U.S.

Where Oklahoma City ranks as the Most Cost Effective Large City in U.S. by Foreign Direct Investment Magazine.

Where Oklahoma ranks in home value appreciation, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

uniforms would look like, he responded that what’s inside the jerseys is what counts, which in one way is parallel to why Dr. Prescott stresses the quality of his research team is key to success, not the aura of the new research tower. Presti said his expectations for the inaugural season were to continue to improve as a team, very much how the daily expectation of the new Devon Tower or SandRidge Commons is for construction to progress one layer, one level at a time. The inherent challenges that Presti and the Thunder faced that day were shared by the city. Now more than ever, Presti says the Thunder understands its role in the community and how the two help one another. “We understand that the real difference makers in our community are our educators, police force, fire departments and medical community. However, we feel a responsibility to play our part and add value to the community through identity and approach of our business as well as our efforts to give back through our community service efforts,” he said. The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation tower started construction in March. When completed, it will be home to 800 scientists and rearchers.

IT’S LIKE WE’RE ALL one big support

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for Sam Presti to understandtheimportanceoftheThunder’s arrival in Oklahoma City. He immediately sensed the feeling of “community.” “What we know about Oklahoma City is that it is a city with great values, hard workers, persistence and resiliency,” Presti said at his introductory press conference on July 12, 2008. “When we sit back as a staff and look at our methodology and the type

of players we want to put in a uniform, they run very parallel. We are invigorated by the prospect of our team growing with this community as they seem so closely linked. I think this is one of the unique opportunities in pro sports.” It was unique in the sense that both the city and team could grow together. And the questions he faced that day two years ago paralleled the transition the city was going through as well. When Presti was questioned about how he would attract top talent to Oklahoma City, it was akin to how Oklahoma City would bring in more businesses, create more jobs and keep the next generation of Oklahomans in state borders. When Presti was asked what the team’s

Where Oklahoma City ranks as the Most Affordable Large Metro in the U.S. according to Business Week.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Home Value Gains in the Nation, according to the U.S. Government.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Lowest Cost of Doing Business in the U.S., according to KPMG Business Cost Survey.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Large Metro in the Nation to Launch a Business, according to Money & Fortune.

Oklahoma City’s rank as the Most Affordable Housing Market, according to Bizjournals.

Oklahoma City’s rank as the least stressful metro, according to Bizjournals in 2008.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Cleanest City, according to Forbes.com.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Best Markets for Young Adults, according to Portfolio.com.

Where Oklahoma City ranks in Best City for Job Growth, according to New Geography.

“To me, I think the Thunder is the core of this thing and I think we’ll see a lot more energy talking about the city. That’s really the first thing people talk about.”

system, this Oklahoma City. It dates back to the most horrific time in the city’s history, the 1995 federal building bombing, when people came together to help those whose lives were changed forever. That type of help, that sense of community, has transcended times of tragedy and remains prevalent during these years, which has been seen from a global perspective as a sort of modern-day pioneering movement. It’s evident with what’s happening at the OMRF, to the taxpayers to the restaurants and nightlife to the crane operators and construction companies that are adding to the aesthetics of the city, all the way to CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

*Statistics provided by Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department; Oklahoma City National Memorial

Kevin Durant made national headlines when he signed a five-year contract extension to remain in Oklahoma City. “This is the only place for me,” he said.

“

We are invigorated by the prospect of our team growing with this community as they seem so closely linked. I think this is one of the unique opportunities in pro sports.”

— Sam Presti, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager

what’s transpiring with the Thunder. Everyone’s helping everyone. Oklahoma City and the Thunder are, in fact, rising together. There might not be a better marketing slogan out there that defines what a professional sports team and the city it inhabits are going through. “Rise Together” was born toward the end of the Thunder’s inaugural season in Oklahoma City and it’s continued to stick because, really, neither the team nor the city believes it’s anywhere close to hitting a ceiling. Mayor Mick Cornett describes this time in Oklahoma City as a cultural shift. “It’s a huge shift from my generation,” he says. He explains that when an athlete and

player of Kevin Durant’s caliber decides that Oklahoma City is the place he wants to live and play for the next five years, that kind of statement will resonate in the minds of the younger generation that’s already flooding downtown Oklahoma City. But this all goes back to what Prescott said. There’s no way we all rise together without a process in place. There’s no way that the new research tower will be of any use without the right collection of talent filling its space. Of course, he didn’t invent that notion. Presti lives by it. Cornett lives by it. So many others do, too. The movers and shakers, the realists and civic leaders, are obsessed with the process. And the fascinating part of it all isn’t the end results,

mainly because we can’t see them or perfectly project them. The fascinating part is how unique each process is and how, in every way, it adds the concept of Rise Together. “You see people really care about this city and the people that live in it,” Citty says toward the end of the driving tour. “It’s just got that feel to it that I’ve always … you always kind of take it for granted and you always hear that from people coming from the outside that when things happen – like what’s going on here – and when things happen – like during the Murrah Bombing – when people came together, it was a horrific event. But the things that I remember are this community and the volunteers and the public coming down to help you through it, because something as large as that takes a community. And as a result of this community coming together, it makes things happen like the Thunder coming in. Because I don’t think the Thunder would be here if a lot of this hadn’t happened.” Chris Silva writes about Thunder Basketball for thunder.nba.com. Contact Chris at csilva@thunder-nba.com.

Latavious Williams made headlines by becoming the first player in D-League history to be selected straight from high school. This year, he was a second-round NBA pick whose rights are owned by the Thunder.

INTEGRATION, SYNERGY

KEYS TO SUSTAINABILITY The unique relationship between the Thunder and Tulsa 66ers draws praise from the NBA D-League and better yet, the players themselves.

By CHRIS SILVA

THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER owns the Tulsa 66ers for the benefit of players like Byron Mullens, a first-round draft pick in 2009 who can go to the Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate to continue his development. The Thunder owns the 66ers for players like forward D.J. White, who spent time in Tulsa in each of his first two NBA seasons to rehabilitate various injuries. And the Thunder owns the 66ers for players like Shaun Livingston, who used it as a road to recovery that eventually brought him back to the NBA, and for players like Mustafa Shakur, who, after having success overseas, decided to play

FOR TICKETS CALL 918.585.8444 OR EMAIL TO info@tulsa66ers.com for the 66ers in an attempt to land on the radar of an NBA team. Development, rehabilitation, career advancement – the Thunder-66ers relationship serves several purposes. As one of two NBA teams to have complete ownership of its D-League affiliate, the Thunder made such an investment in hopes of integrating its core values, building a training ground for future NBA players and having a place that will aid in its players’ growth. “I think the Thunder have used their affiliation with the 66ers in a very positive way on the basketball front,” D-League President Dan Reed said. “The biggest thing that stands out is its importance at the highest level of the organization, starting with Clay Bennett and Sam Presti. They have a very intelligent approach to the way they integrate the two organizations. Both Clay and Sam are passionate not only about the 66ers, but also the NBA D-League as a whole, and how we can continue to improve. I value this tremendously and it has been beneficial not only for the team and its players, coaches, and fans, but the league as a whole.” Much like the Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League models, the NBA Development League’s ultimate goal is to create a farm system for its NBA teams, Thunder Executive Vice President/ General Manager Sam Presti said. “At the same time, the executive team at the D-League office really sees the league as one that is totally geared toward developing players, and not just creating emergencyoptions for NBA teams,” Presti said. “All of these things appealed to the organization; organic development is very much part of building a sustainable model in today’s NBA and the synergy we have established with Tulsa is looked at as an organizational strength by our entire staff.” THE INTEGRATION AND SYNERGY between the Thunder and 66ers runs deeper than sharing the same playbook or using the same terminology. To get to the root of

it, you must start at the top. Presti said it begins with the people the organization has in place to make decisions: 66ers Manager of Minor League Operations Brandon Barnett, Head Coach Nate Tibbetts, Assistant Coach Dale Osbourne, Minor League Athletic Trainer Tony Katzenmeier and Minor League Athletic Performance Coordinator Bryce Daub each have a strong understanding and commitment to the Thunder organization’s philosophy. The Tulsa staff spends the summer months living in Oklahoma City and working out of the INTEGRIS Health Thunder Training Center. Head Coach Nate Tibbetts and Osbourne were a Tibbetts, right, and Assistant Coach Dale part of the Thunder’s Summer Osbourne spend the League coaching staff that summer in Oklahoma regularly visited and worked City, and are part of out with Thunder players as part the Thunder’s Summer League coaching staff. of their offseason development program. During the NBA benefit to our players in Tulsa as well as the D-League regular season, they’re in regular contact with the Thunder players from our NBA roster that we assign front office regarding player development for development assignments in Tulsa.” or rehabilitation. They each report to Whether he was sitting behind the bench someone in Oklahoma City on a daily basis, during the NBA Playoffs or helping conduct which Presti says has allowed the Thunder training camp, Tibbetts said he’s always to continue to build its basketball identity trying to learn the nuances of the Thunder staff’s coaching style. Tibbetts takes mental in Tulsa. There’s always at least one member of notes of plays that Head Coach Scott Brooks the Thunder’s front office at 66ers home draws up coming out of timeouts and pays games. On some nights, Thunder coaches attention to how Brooks addresses the team and basketball operations staff members before, during and after a game. Tibbetts filled two or three rows inside the Tulsa even uses the Thunder’s practice plan and Convention Center. Before and after games, drills with the 66ers. He’s considered an they could be seen talking to players extension of the Thunder coaching staff. “I think it just simplifies everything and coaches. “They are as much a part of the Thunder for everyone,” Tibbetts said. “There are as anyone else that wears the Thunder logo; times where players get assigned (to the their work toward the development of the D-League) and they’ve never met the head franchise just has them stationed 100 miles coach or assistant coach, so it takes time northeast,” Presti says. “Having consistency to get used to. Me being around, hopefully to our processes and measures both on I build enough relationships and respect court and off court is a real developmental from these guys so they know that I know

tulsa66ers.com the expectations in Oklahoma City and they’re going to be the exact same in Tulsa.” THE PAYOFF OF PLAYING for the 66ers from a player’s end can be measured in various degrees of success. Forward Latavious Williams, who the 66ers made the first player to be drafted directly from high school to the D-League, was selected in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft and has his rights owned by the Thunder. Forward Marcus Lewis was found at a 66ers’ open tryout, stuck with the team throughout the season, was a part of its D-League Finals’ run and earned a spot on the Thunder’s Summer League roster. Forward Larry Owens, one of the 66ers’ most consistent players last season, found pay dirt with a club in Turkey. Center Steven Hill earned an invite to the Portland Trail Blazers training camp, while Zabian Dowdell, also a 66er last season, landed in camp with the Phoenix Suns. Shakur, a D-League All-Star last season, said that playing for the 66ers helped him take the next step in his career; after earning a spot with the Thunder during the NBA Playoffs and playing for its Summer League team, he was invited to training camp with the New Orleans Hornets. “It was the best decision that I’ve made in a while,” Shakur told the website ridiculousupside.com. “Because you’re running all the NBA sets. You’re doing the same exact things that mirror your NBA

affiliate team. Our Tulsa team was owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Overseas, you can play well but sometimes it gets overlooked because NBA scouts aren’t at every game.” Mullens has been the epitome of how the D-League can aid a player’s development. Acquired by the Thunder in a trade with Dallas on the night of the 2009 NBA Draft, Mullens played 27 Thunder center Byron Mullens credits his time in Tulsa. “It’s given me a lot of confidence,” he said. games in two stints with the 66ers, and credited his time in The distance between Tulsa and Tulsa with helping him develop skills he otherwise wouldn’t have been able as the Oklahoma City allowed for easy travel for players like Mullens, who could be playing 15th man on the Thunder roster. “Coming back from NBA All-Star break, with the 66ers one night and participating I wasn’t getting as much playing time,” in a Thunder practice the next day. No Mullens said. “My agent and I talked to matter the distance, the 66ers are a Sam last year to see if I could go back to conduit to having sustained success in Tulsa for a little bit to get more time and Oklahoma City. more experience. The D-League is great, the “The 66ers are part of the vision we have coaches are great, they took the extra time for the Thunder in that they initiate and out after practices to help me with stuff. I support many of the development efforts with players as well as staff,” Presti said. made a lot of new friends with Tulsa.” Mullens said his time with the 66ers “With that said, it cannot be over-looked that helped him develop physically, hone his this is just the third season for the Thunder, skills and mature both on and off the court. so the organization as a whole is continuing “It’s given me a lot of confidence,” he said. its development in all facets. Tulsa is a part of “It’s helped me in working on my post game, this and as our roots in Oklahoma City grow working on my outside shots. Just knowing stronger, those of the 66ers should benefit that if I make a mistake everything’s going as well.” to be alright because I can make up for it. It was great there. I learned a lot and I took a lot from it.”

Chris Silva is a writer for Thunder Basketball. Contact Chris at csilva@thunder-nba.com

2010-11 TULSA 66ERS SEASON SCHEDULE Fri., Nov. 19 Sat., Nov. 20 Fri., Nov. 26 Sat., Nov. 27

NOVEMBER @ Bakersfield @ Bakersfield Iowa Iowa

DECEMBER Thu., Dec. 2 Austin Sat., Dec. 4 @ Texas Sun., Dec. 5 Rio Grande Valley Fri., Dec. 10 @ Sioux Falls Sat., Dec. 11 @ Sioux Falls Tue., Dec. 14 @ Texas Thu., Dec. 16 Fort Wayne Fri., Dec. 17 Fort Wayne Sun., Dec. 19 Iowa

9 PM 9 PM 7 PM 7 PM

7 PM 7 PM 4 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 4 PM

Sun., Dec. 26 Tue., Dec. 28 Thu., Dec. 30

@ Idaho @ Reno @ Austin

8 PM 9 PM 7:30 PM

Sat., Jan. 1 Sun., Jan. 2 Wed., Jan. 5 Fri., Jan. 7 Thu., Jan. 14 Sat., Jan. 8 Mon., Jan. 10

JANUARY @ Texas @ Austin Fort Wayne Fort Wayne Austin @ Texas Sioux Falls

7 PM 5 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 11 AM

South Padre Island Convention Center South Padre Island, TX

Wed., Jan. 12

@ Dakota

4:30 PM

South Padre Island Convention Center South Padre Island, TX

Fri., Jan. 14 Sat., Jan. 15 Thu., Jan. 20 Thu., Jan. 27 Sat., Jan. 22 Sat., Jan. 29 Sun., Jan. 30

@ New Mexico @ New Mexico Reno @ Springfield Texas @ Springfield @ Maine

8:30 PM 8:30 PM 7 PM 6 PM 7 PM 6 PM 4 PM

Fri., Feb.4 Sat., Feb. 5 Fri., Feb. 11 Sat., Feb. 12 Thu., Feb. 24 Sat., Feb. 26 Sun., Feb. 27

FEBRUARY Utah @ Texas Utah Utah Erie Texas Sioux Falls

7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 7 PM 4 PM

Fri., Mar. 4 Sat., Mar. 5 Fri., Mar. 11 Sat., Mar. 12 Mon., Mar. 14 Wed., Mar. 16 Sat., Mar. 19 Tue., Mar. 22 Fri., Mar. 25 Sat., Mar. 26

MARCH @ Erie 6 PM @ Erie 6 PM Sioux Falls 7 PM Sioux Falls 7 PM @ Utah 8 PM @ Idaho 8 PM @ New Mexico 8:30 PM Austin 7 PM Texas 7 PM Rio Grande Valley 7 PM

Fri., Apr. 1 Sat., Apr. 2

APRIL Dakota Dakota

7 PM 7 PM

What acting career hasn’t been boosted by a banana costume? The banana costume. It’s the go-to costume for every shy kid in town. It works hard to free spirits and cure stage fright. It’s seen a few accidents here and there, but it’s had a good run. We at SandRidge are giving scholarships to the Thelma Gaylord Academy so this banana costume, and many others, can continue to make every kid in OKC a star.

w w w. S a n d R i d g e E n e rg y. c o m

Thunder players Jeff Green, James Harden and Eric Maynor join Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the refurbished Police Athletic League court.

FOUNDATION of

By PHIL BACHARACH

HOPE

‘Compassion and generosity’ of Thunder fans leads to restoration of once-ignored PAL court and brings sense of ‘direction’ for neighborhood kids

s a teen growing up in south Oklahoma City, Tomas Daugherty spent many a Saturday afternoon shooting baskets at Capitol Hill Park’s basketball court. It was the mid-1980s, and even then the outdoor court had seen better days. Still, Daugherty didn’t mind the battered goals or cracks in the concrete. “The park has always been a good spot for families,” he said. “There’s a nice ravine where they can sit and picnic. The park itself gave me some good, good memories while growing up. It kept me focused a lot of times.” Now in his 10th year with the Oklahoma City Police Department, Sgt. Daugherty knows how that haven in Capitol Hill

Park can affect kids in the neighborhood. Assigned to the area ever since graduating from the police academy, he is particularly gratified that the Thunder Community Foundation has helped breathe new life in that once-dilapidated basketball court. “I’m excited about what the Thunder is doing for the community,” said the 37year-old Daugherty. “There are a lot of good people there.” On a hot Saturday afternoon in September, Thunder players Jeff Green, James Harden and Eric Maynor joined a throng of neighborhood children to dedicate a fully refurbished outdoor basketball court to the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League, otherwise known as PAL. The restoration

project marked the first of its kind for the Oklahoma City Thunder Community Foundation, a key component of the Thunder’s commitment to improving the lives of young people. The Capitol Hill Park basketball court had languished in disrepair until the Foundation completely resurfaced it, painted it Thunder blue and added new basketball goals, sidewalk and fencing. The Thunder logo now adorns center court and both backboards.

Green was impressed. He surveyed the court after shooting baskets with some of the kids. “That Thunder blue really sticks out. It’s great,” he said. “Just being a part of this is really special.” Prior to the refurbishment, the court had been of little use for PAL, which has operated a community center at the site for the past year. “We hadn’t used the court before because the goals were bent over,” said Capt. Brian Jennings of the Oklahoma City PAL chapter. “It had just been a concrete court with no nets on the basketball goals. They were not in great condition at all.” That’s no longer the case. PAL now uses the court for its programs aimed at preventing juvenile crime by offering educational and sporting activities for at-risk children. “This is a nice area the kids can play on,” Jennings said. The renovation, which was overseen by Atlas General Contractors, is the first of what will be many more for the Thunder Community Foundation. The Foundation’s executive director, Christine Berney, said she was happy that the inaugural capital project involved PAL. “They’ve done a lot of great work in the community and have done so much to help children,” said Berney, who is also the Thunder’s Director of Community

“

I’m excited about what the Thunder is doing for the community. .

”

— Sgt. Daugherty

Relations. “We want to do more of these, and we want to make a difference in the lives of young people. We hope to grow it every year.” The Foundation encapsulates the Thunder’s commitment to giving back to the fans who have lent their fervent support to the team and organization. Established in 2008, the Foundation is built on a simple, but powerful, dynamic. It raises all its funds through in-arena auctions and other Thunder-centric fundraisers. A clipboard used by Head Coach Scott Brooks during the 2009-10 season, for example, fetched $7,500 through auction earlier this year. All

The PAL court before and after the Thunder Community Foundation kicked in needed funds and attention.

money raised by the Foundation, in turn, is directed toward communities where it can have the greatest impact. “The success of the Foundation is directly tied to the compassion and generosity of our fans,” Berney said. The refurbished courts carry implications that transcend the game of basketball. By concentrating resources on low-income neighborhoods, Berney said, the Foundation wants to provide healthy and productive opportunities for at-risk children who might otherwise be hindered by limited options. The Capitol Hill project reflects that belief. Sgt. Daugherty, who works with PAL, said the improved court is a tremendous boost for the Oklahoma City chapter, which last year helped more than 3,000 young people. “We organize sports, activities, anything we can think of to keep the kids off the streets -- and it works. It really works,” he said. “Every weekend we’re having some game or activity going on that reduces tension in the community. It gives kids an outlet, something to do.” Refurbished basketball courts are not the sole focus of the Thunder Community Foundation. For the first time, the Thunder’s various “Holiday Assist” programs -- which include Thanksgiving dinners and shopping sprees for underserved families -- will be funded completely through the Foundation. And there are plans on the horizon to help bolster school library learning centers. “It’s vital that we do what we can to help children in the community,” Berney

said. “They are our future, literally and figuratively.” Responding to natural disasters is another important part of the Thunder Community Foundation, particularly in Oklahoma, a state occasionally rocked by extreme weather patterns. The Foundation has contributed to relief efforts in the wake of ice storms, wildfires and tornadoes. Early last year, it joined other NBA teams to augment recovery efforts stemming from a devastating hurricane in Haiti. But Berney stressed that the work of the Thunder Community Foundation represents only a fraction of Oklahoma’s tireless, dedicated and dynamic grassroots organizations. “This city and state are blessed with many amazing groups that work hard, day in and day out, to brighten the lives of people in need,” she said. “The Thunder Community Foundation doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel. But we do want to help others get that wheel down the road. That’s what we see as our mission. “This really is such a fun and gratifying job -- to be able to give back to the community. That’s something we truly care about, and it’s exciting to be able to help bolster the communities with projects that will make a difference for years to come.” Sgt. Daugherty said that basketball court in Capitol Hill Park is definitely a project that will resonate for a new generation of children. “It’s big time -- it really is,” he said. “Every kid that comes through there kind of reminds me of myself and how I can give back. They’re all just wanting the same thing. They’re wanting direction.” Phil Bacharach is the Director of Corporate Communications for the Thunder.

presented by

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Cole Aldrich and Daequan Cook have fun at a Thunder Youth Camp.

2 (1) Rolling Thunder Book Bus, presented by American Fidelity Assurance. (2) Byron Mullens made the day special for Positive Tomorrows children. (3) Smiles were common during Thunder Youth Camps. (4) Daequan Cook is all smiles at the Senior Citizens Gala. (5) D.J. White stops for a photo op during his time at Septemberfest.

4 5

Russell Westbrook has fun with kids during a Thunder Fit Clinic.

(1) Rumble leads the way during a visit at Positive Tomorrows.

Thunder in the Community The Thunder is committed to making a difference in the community, and does so through a variety of programs:

(2) All hands in ... Rumble! (3) Thabo Sefolosha talks shooting fundamentals during a clinic.

American Fidelity Teacher of the Game Outstanding educators are honored at regular-season home games through this recognition, presented by American Fidelity Assurance Company.

(4) Thunder Rallys in Wichita, KS, and Enid, OK, were popular outings for fans. 1

Black History Heroes Challenge An annual contest, presented by Sprite, in which students enter written and visualarts pieces highlighting their favorite black history hero or an inspirational African-American in their life. Winners are recognized during Black History Month. Devon Community Hero Presented by the Thunder, the Devon Community Hero Award honors extraordinary Oklahomans who are making a significant impact in the community through their personal contributions of time, talent and/or finances.

Holiday Assist During November and December, the Thunder reaches out to people in need through its Holiday Assist program. Presented by Cox Communications, the initiative includes various drives (toys, food, etc.) to benefit local community agencies, a shopping spree for grandparents raising grandchildren, and hundreds of turkey meal packages for low-income families. In addition, the entire Thunder team serves a Thanksgiving dinner at the City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City.

Homeland Shopping Sprees Homeland sponsors shopping sprees each year for four underserved families. Each family receives $1,000 to go grocery shopping with the assistance of a Thunder player. NBA Green Week The Thunder’s pro-environment activities during this annual event, which is presented by Hertz, have included park and highway cleanup, recycling campaigns and similar initiatives.

James Harden signs an autograph for a fan following an afternoon of Bingo.

OU / Thunder Scholarship The Thunder works with the University of Oklahoma in awarding five OU / Thunder Scholarships each year based on applicants’ community involvement, leadership experience and academic performance.

Player Appearances / Caravans Throughout the year, Thunder players and coaches make numerous community appearances in support of worthwhile causes. Rolling Thunder Book Bus PresentedbyAmericanFidelityAssurance Company, the Book Bus has distributed more than 28,000 books through yearround appearances at schools, community centers and other sites. Thunder Reading Challenge & Reading Time Outs Part of the Thunder’s “Read to Achieve” program, which is presented by American FidelityAssuranceCompany,theThunder Reading Challenge and Reading Time Outs are designed to help elementary school students improve their skills and develop a lifelong love of reading. The Reading Challenge rewards top readers each month with exciting Thunder prizes. At Reading Time Outs, Thunder players read to children and talk about the importance of reading in their lives.

Students are entertained during an assembly that included a visit from Rumble. 2

Special Olympics Oklahoma The Thunder has helped promote Special Olympics through Thunder Fit Clinics, fundraisers and other activities. Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks, Rumble the Bison, and the Thunder Girls have participated in the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics Oklahoma Summer Games the past two years.

Thunder Fit Clinics Aimed at motivating young people to lead healthier and more active lives, Thunder Fit Clinics concentrate on strength-training, cardio drills, abdominal/core training and nutrition.

Thunder Poetry Slam This annual contest rewards high school students for their self-expression through spoken-word poetry performance. Thunder Spring Community Service Project Each spring, the Thunder works with Rebuilding Together OKC to help make much-needed repairs on a home owned by a low-income senior citizen. This allteam event also includes volunteers from the Thunder’s coaching and Basketball Operations staff. Thunder Youth Basketball The Thunder’s commitment to teaching young people about basketball and the character-building lessons that come from it, the Thunder Youth Basketball initiativeincludescampsandmini-camps presented by Cox Communications. Boys and girls can also compete in the Thunder Youth Basketball League.

(1) A fan in Wichita, KS, joins Thunder Girls Brittany, left, and Jessica during a Thunder Rally.

Kelsey flips pancakes during the United Way kick-off event.

(2) Cole Aldrich and a camper are all smiles. (3) Eric Maynor has a blast playing Bingo with seniors.

Thunder players D.J. White, left, and James Harden read to students during a Reading Time Out.

For Thunder, Reading is Fun-damental

By PHIL BACHARACH

As part of the Thunder’s commitment to young people, Read to Achieve aims to help instill in children a lifelong love of reading. The initiative, presented by American Fidelity Assurance Company, takes a number of approaches -- all of which spotlight the fun to be had from digging into a good book. In Reading Time-Outs, Thunder players head into area schools to read for kids and talk with them about the importance of reading. Nick Collison, James Harden, Eric Maynor, Thabo Sefolosha, Russell Westbrook and D.J. White are among those

Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks runs middle school students through a dribbling drill during a Thunder Fit clinic.

who have taken part in the periodic events. Under the annual Thunder Reading Challenge, elementary school students compete to rack up the highest total of minutes read. Some 9,000 students in 100 area schools registered in last year’s contest, the first of what will be an annual event. The winner of that challenge, an Edmond second-grade student, alone read more than 39,000 minutes. Last but not least is the Rolling Thunder Book Bus, which has distributed more than 28,000 books to kids in more than 340 appearances throughout the Oklahoma City metro.

Community Literacy Centers Executive Director Becky O’Dell is among those who have seen firsthand the impact of the book bus. Over the past two seasons, the bus has been a fixture of the Family Fun Fest, an annual fundraiser for the nonprofit organization, which teaches adults to read. “The kids line up right away,” O’Dell said. “I would guess it’s about the only opportunity kids in this neighborhood have to come and pick out their own book. Some of these kids don’t even have books in their home, so it’s a big, big deal.”

It’s Hip to be Thunder Fit By PHIL BACHARACH

Young people today face a number of impediments to being healthy: junk food, a sedentary lifestyle, a lack of exercise, you name it. In an effort to meet these challenges, Thunder Fit encourages kids to be more active and develop healthy habits. At Thunder Fit Clinics held at schools, community centers and other facilities, Thunder players and coaches work with children on strength-training, cardio/basketball drills, abdominal/core training and nutrition. Thunder center Byron Mullens is among the players who has lent a hand in the campaign. “It’s really fun,” he said, “especially showing the kids what to do to stay in shape. Plus, it’s fun for me because, even though I’m in the NBA, it gets me back to the fundamental stuff.”

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Passion R 54

Required Think being a Thunder Girl is easy? Think again. In between dance practices and game nights, Thunder Girls have grueling training sessions, appearances and more. Oh yeah, they also have full-time jobs or college requirements to fulfill. By GREG ELWELL 55

p early, the girls spent their time getting beautiful. Hair. Makeup. Outfits. Then a three-hour ride from Oklahoma City to Wilburton, OK. At Robbers Cave State Park, they disembarked and found their destination was still a ways off. Just a hike through the dense woods. Off a dirt trail. In their swimsuits. “It was 90 degrees and we’re trudging up either a small mountain or a very big hill and we’re sweating and there are bugs and spiders everywhere,” said first-year Thunder Girl Marisa. “And when we get to the river, there are lights and cameras and it doesn’t matter how gross you feel. You smile.” Ah, the glamorous life of a Thunder Girl.

Thunder Girls are everywhere. On the court, in the stands, visiting fans, signing autographs … and that’s just game nights. Everywhere they go, people are snapping pictures, getting high-fives and smiling. It must be nice, being a Thunder Girl. “LEGS UP!” Steve the trainer is not smiling. Steve the trainer is not snapping pictures. If there are high-fives coming, they will only appear after an hour of grueling physical work. Because Steve the trainer is there to make sure they’re ready. “LEGS DOWN!” At Transformation Fitness Center, the Thunder Girls are all dressed alike in black tops and shorts. Hair that began the workout up or tied back has come loose now, hanging in their faces, being blown aside so they can see what Steve the

Riane, pictured with Haley, Kelsey and Brittany (far left), and her Thunder Girls teammates have one goal: to make game nights as enjoyable as possible for the fans.

Once a week, the Thunder Girls meet with Steve the trainer as a group. And they all come at least one more time each week for another session. And if it sounds hard, you’re right. But it’s far from over.

“

People might think being a Thunder Girl is just about having fun. But it’s hard work in addition to everything else going on in their lives. You have to have passion to do this. .

Three nights a week, the girls practice -- including right after that intense training session. And for Thunder Girls manager Carmen Butler, it’s a dream come true. Much like the team she’s training now, Butler knows from hard work and the pressure behind the glamour of cheering and dancing. After all, she was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from 2005 to 2008. And then she spent a year with the Dallas Mavericks, learning the differ— Carmen Butler, ences between dancing for football Thunder Girls Manager and basketball. “All of it has one thing in common: passion,” she said. “People might think “It’s weird,” Ashley said. “It really is ‘in’ being a Thunder Girl is just about having my body. I go out there and it just knows fun. But it’s hard work in addition to what to do.” everything else going on in their lives. You Last year, during the playoffs, when the have to have passion to do this.” arena was so loud, the Thunder Girls went They might work like it’s a full-time out to dance during a time out. Except job, but the Thunder Girls all have other they couldn’t hear the music. And dancing occupations or college commitments. without music can be a challenge – unless Some work with chiropractors or in your body knows what to do on it’s own. business sales. Others are legal assistants, “Everybody was wearing the same color hair stylists, choreographers and full- shirt and the place was just shaking because time students. everybody was on their feet,” Ashley said. Ashley, who is beginning her third year “We went out there and they were drowning on the squad, is a full-time student at the out the music, so we just looked at each University of Oklahoma. other, got on the same count and went.” “I started my first year with the Thunder Butler knows all about those situations. Girls at the same time I was starting my first year of college,” she said. “It’s hard enough trying to get through all the homework everybody else has to do, but then I’m at the gym or at dance practice or at the games.” And she smiles. Because it is hard. But it’s also a lot of fun, even the dance practice, which Butler packs full of complex routines. Hours are spent in a cramped dance studio, lights on bright and legs and arms and bodies going over the same moves time and again. But that’s how you learn a dance. You get it in your body. You learn it in your mind, first. But at some point, you stop thinking about what your body is doing now and you start thinking about what you’re doing next. Sheri has last-minute touches applied during a recent And then, you stop having to think shoot for the upcoming Thunder Girls calendar. about it at all.

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trainer wants them to do next. They might not be on their way up a mountain, but they are sweating again. Sweating hard. Asked about a typical workout, Marisa laughs. There is no typical with Steve. Every workout is different. The only thing that stays the same from one week to the next? They’re all hard. “It’s always changing. He wants a different focus every time,” she says, catching her breath. “One week it’s about building endurance, the next time it’s full-out cardio training. We do intervals. Weights. Arms, legs, alone or in groups.” And Steve the trainer has one goal: push you to the point where you think, “I can’t go any farther.” And then he gets you to go farther anyway. “It’s an intense hour, but when it’s done, you know “you’re better for it,” Marisa says.

She knows how tired the girls get when the fourth quarter rolls around and she knows how hard it can be to keep a smile on your face when you feel that way. “But you do it anyway,” she said. “You do it anyway because we aren’t there for us. We’re there for you. We love to dance and we love to cheer on the team, but the Thunder Girls are there to make the experience better for the fans.” Butlerdrillsitintotheteamevery chance she gets. When you’re a member of an organization like the Thunder, you have been given a responsibility. “Everybody has bad days,” she said. “But when you walk in the building, your day starts with us and you have to be there, be passionate and remember who you represent.” Butler was hired on July 6. Tryouts for this season’s squad started July 10. “I had to get my head around what I wanted straight away, so I honed in on the important things and went to work,” she said. Potential Thunder Girls, take heed. Here’s what you need to make the team:

Shereka high-fives a young fan in Tulsa. Autograph signings with the Thunder Girls are a fan-favorite.

• You’ve got to have the moves. If you can’t dance, you can’t be a Thunder Girl. • You have to be able to learn. Pick up the steps, keep the pace and you might make the team. • Do you work and play well with others? The Thunder Girls are a group that spends a lot of time together. Be friendly, be nice. • Know the game, the team and the city. Thunder Girls have to know when the season starts, who the players are and what Oklahoma City is like. • Passion. The most important quality. Because unless you’re willing to work, you’re not going to work out.

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(Clockwise, left to right) Jessica gets fans in Tulsa in the cheering spirit; Ashley, Jessica, Brittany and Sheri take a photo with a young fan; Jada and Kelsey cheer on the Thunder!

Q & A with Carmen Butler Thunder Girls Dance Team Manager

Carmen Butler joined the Thunder in July and four days later was overseeing auditions for the 2010-11 Thunder Girls. She was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader from 2005 to 2008, and then joined the Dallas Mavericks dance team, where she learned the differences between dancing for the NFL and NBA. Q: First impressions of Oklahoma? A: Oklahoma reminds me of home (Omaha, Neb). It’s not too different; it’s a little bit of the South and a little bit of Midwest. So for me, it’s the perfect location. I love it. Everywhere I go, once they find out I’m new to the area, they always greet me with, “Welcome to Oklahoma City!” It’s like I have my own welcoming committee. Q: What’s one thing in the Sooner State you are looking forward to doing? A: I would really love to go to a Sooners game. I would really like to go when they play Nebraska, since it’s the last time they will be competing in the same conference. I haven’t been to a college football game since ’92, my freshman year. Q: First impressions of the Thunder offices? A: It’s like a happy family. Everyone is so welcoming and so helpful. People have stopped by to say hello and introduce themselves. There is a strong sense of family and a support system. Q: What is the biggest thing you hope to bring to the team this year? A: I hope to bring a little bit of my background and experiences. I also hope to bring my relationships from different organizations. At the same time, I don’t want it to change too much. I want to learn about the city and the organizations, and then take the steps to push it forward. I’m really excited about taking the great foundation already in place and really maximizing that. Q: When did you start dancing? A: Even though I have never taken formal dance-training, dance has always been a part of my life. My mother was a modern dance teacher, but I didn’t officially take my first dance class until I was 27. I had a cheer background (middle through collegiate), but as far as dance training, technique, style -- I didn’t have any of that. When I auditioned for my first professional team, I knew I could dance, but I didn’t have a lot of the other skills that some of the other girls had. But I did have the ability to perform. I didn’t know I had that in me, but I knew I loved performing. That’s why I always tell people never doubt yourself and never limit your opportunities. Q: What is your most captivating professional dancer memory? A: What I absolutely love to do is when I have the opportunity to visit the men and women of our military service. What they do for our country is somewhat breathtaking. You tend to be in awe because of who they are and their character. Q: Where do you pull your inspiration from when you choreograph a routine? A: Sometimes I research and watch what’s new in recent videos, but mostly, it comes from just listening to the music and the movement just seems to come to me. I suppose it’s because dance is so engrained in my body. Many times I will be in the kitchen, listening to music and I just come up with 8-counts and think to myself, “I need to write that down.” Q: How much Thunder blue do you have in your wardrobe? A: Well, where I came from (the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders), I’ve already inherited a lot of blue. So I’m set on that. What I do need is more Thunder gear. Q: Anything you want to share with the Thunder Nation? A: I’m excited to be here and to show the fans what we have in store this season. I love interacting with the fans; it’s my favorite part. I’m very thankful to be here. This is my home and I’m excited to be a part of it. — Vicki Guerra

(Above) Physical workouts are not optional for the Thunder Girls. (right) Krystal strikes a pose for the upcoming Thunder Girls calendar. Is this the shot that will be used? We’re not telling. The calendar will be available for purchase in early November.

“Well, the season hasn’t started yet, but here’s what the last seven days looked like for the girls,” Butler said. “They made 15 appearances, had four calendar shoots all over the state, plus three nights of practice, two nights of intense exercise and some of them had a performance with Hammer at the fairgrounds.” “You have to want it. Nobody else can want it for you.” Marisa knows all about the passion. This is her first year on the team, but it wasn’t her first year to try out. Last summer she auditioned and made it to the finals, but didn’t make the cut. “It’s hard to be up there on stage when they’re announcing who made the team and then you don’t hear your name called,” she said. “I was so close, so I went for it again.” Except she didn’t just show up. She spent hours at the gym. She worked with a dance teacher to get her body ready to learn the moves. And she talked to the girls on the team and figured out what she would need in order to be on the court with them next time. “I was close to the court last year,” Marisa said. “I was a server for the floor seats. Some

of my regulars asked me if I’d be back next year and I told them I hoped so, but in a different capacity.” Trying out isn’t just for rookies, though. Even with two years experience under her belt, Ashley had to go through the same process as everybody else. “You’d think it would get easier, but it’s actually harder every time,” she said. “That’s because the team keeps getting better every year. There’s more competition and you’ve always got to be at your best.” And all that work to get you on the squad just means more work later on. Come January, Ashley said, it’s cold and you’re tired and the last thing you want to do is practice. “But we all go. We all support each other and we get through it,” she said. “And when the season’s over, you start to miss it almost immediately. I miss seeing my friends. I miss the fans and the feel of the arena.” It’s that passion that brought Ashley back.

And the passion that helped Marisa go from almost last year to on the team this year. And it’s the same passion that brought Carmen Butler down from Maryland to Oklahoma to manage them, and teach them and help make every Thunder game better than the last. “When I was out there, it was something I had to do,” she said. “There’s nothing like performing. Nothing. You wait in the tunnel to go out and the hair on your arms stands up.” That’s the kind of passion that makes the Thunder Girls one of the best dance squads in the NBA. And it’s why there’ll be a group of women vying to join the team next year – even if it involves climbing a mountain through the woods in a swimsuit.

THUNDER FANS UNITE IN THUNDERLAND

Kristin chenoweth

Stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth is currently appearing on Broadway in “Promises, Promises,” a hit musical that happens to boast a song titled “She Likes Basketball.” Chenoweth’s character in the show, Fran Kubelik, is a big hoops fan. And so, it turns out, is the actress herself. “I love basketball,” said the Oklahoma native and Oklahoma City University graduate. “So finally a hometown girl has a team to root for!” Despite her 4-foot-11 frame, Chenoweth has stature as one of the Thunder’s most high-profile fans. She recently praised the team in an interview with ESPN. On Twitter, she routinely waxes on her beloved team under the moniker @KChenoweth. Last April, she appeared as a guest on Ellen DeGeneres’ TV talk show, where she made it a point to sport a Kevin Durant Thunder jersey. “Gotta give my team the props,” she explained. “I love Kevin. He’s a great leader and, let’s face it, a star. But remember it takes all the genius players to make a team. And that’s what they are -- a great team!” She knows a thing or two about talent. Chenoweth has been wowing audiences since the late 1990s, when she burst onto the Broadway scene with a Tony Award for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Since then, the celebrated singer/actress has scaled the heights of entertainment, with her successes ranging from the hit stage musical “Wicked” to roles on TV’s “The West Wing” and “Pushing Daisies,” for which she won an Emmy. Because of Chenoweth’s considerable showbiz connections, she admits the first round of last