Hurricane Elite Winter 2014-2015 by Austin Chadwick

Cover Photo By Brandy Moton

HURRICANE ELITE

WINTER 2014-2015

HURRICANE ELITE

WINTER 2014-2015

for all the sports you play, we’re on your team. at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center, we’ve been caring for athletes just like you for many years. that means, when you’re seen by one of our sports medicine specialists, you’re seeing the same doctors who care for the elite athletes of the University of tulsa, Oral roberts University, and many other college and high school teams. from physicals to physical therapy and beyond, our team is here to help you be the best athlete you can be. call the sports medicine experts at eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic center at (800) 283-3662 today.

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8 | Basketball Preview The Golden Hurricane look to take their game to another level on the men’s side of things while the women are approaching the season with a new philosophy.

12 | Keevan Lucas’ Story

You think you may have a bad day every now and then? Take a look at TU’s stellar receiver and what he had to overcome be one of the nationa’s best.

16 | Cross Country Champs

Annual Subscription includes three publications: • ANNUAL FOOTBALL AND FALL SPORTS PREVIEW (AUGUST) • ANNUAL BASKETBALL PREVIEW (NOVEMBER) • ANNUAL RECRUITING ISSUE (FEBRUARY) For all the best in the highest quality publication covering The University of Tulsa Athletic Programs, get it all with Hurricane Elite. Go to HurricaneElite.com

It was a clean sweep at the American Conference Championships with both the men’s and women’s claiming titles in their first season competing in conference.

32 | Soccer Champions

Just like cross country, the men’s soccer program was crowned champion with a dramatic win in conference through penalty kicks.

Trinity Media Group, LLC 12330 E. 60th St. Ste. A. • Tulsa, OK 74146 All rights reserved. Publisher Austin Chadwick Senior Writer/Recruiting Chris Harmon Writerr Kyle Kendrick, Austin Chadwick, Staphanie Hall Feature Photographer Brandy Moton, Brad Heath, The University of Tulsa Sports Information Office Contact Information Website: www.VYPEOK.com • Phone: 918.495.1771 • Fax: 918.495.1787 Hurricane Elite is published tri-annually by Trinity Media Group, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. Hurricane Elite is not responsible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography or manuscripts and will not be responsible for holding fees or similar charges.

WHERE TULSA FANS GO FOR DAILY COVERAGE OF GOLDEN HURRICANE FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND RECRUITING • Daily exclusive information on Tulsa athletics and recruits, including feature articles, team and player notes, recruiting updates and video you won’t find anywhere else. • Access to the most in-depth Tulsa recruiting coverage available for football and basketball. • Hurricane Alley access, where you’ll find breaking news, team and player notes, the latest recruiting tidbits and more. Plus, a Tulsa-fans-only spot to discuss hot topics.

DON’T MISS OUT! GET A 30-DAY FREE TRIAL! Use the promo code HURRICANE30 for a 30-day free trial of all the premium information. Just go to: InsideTulsaSports.com/subscribe.asp Code expires January 31, 2015. Part of

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3905 S Memorial Dr Tulsa, OK 74145 9186654294 jaguartulsa.com

Winter is almost here...

Time to Hit the Hardwood

There is a massive amount of excitement in the TU men’s basketball team is mirrored with the success of cross country and men’s soccer.

AUSTIN CHADWICK -H U R R I C A N E E L I T E PUBLISHER

As the bitter cold of winter rolls through our area, it brings the excitement and passion of The University of Tulsa basketball programs with it. Let’s face it, the level of interest, excitement and jubilation was restored to all of us who love our men’s basketball program. With a conference championship before departing C-USA, and a bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Golden Hurricane was back on the map and have eagerly awaited the new adventure in the American Athletic Conference.

The second installment of Hurricane Elite brings an - R A D I O H O S T 9 7 . 1 F M unprecedented preview of the men’s and women’s TU T H E S P O RT S A N I M A L basketball teams. We dive headfirst into the stories, players, coaches and expectations of 2014-15. With a group of what we have dubbed “Super Juniors,” the men’s team returns just about everyone from a team that reached the high level of success in 2014. Frank Haith takes over a program that has reemerged on the national landscape and the cupboard is hardly bare. In fact, it is loaded. With Haith’s philosophy, the athleticism of James Woodard, Shaq Harrison and Rashad Ray will be on full display. Even after a 1-1 start, the team is already looking to improve on last year’s 21 wins.

On the women’s side, Maltida Mossman returns for her fourth year and a stable of women from the state of Oklahoma litter the roster. A season opening win showed the versatility this team possesses, when one player has an off day, another steps up as witnessed by Kadan Brady’s 23 points in the win vs. Lamar. Look for the TU women to rack up the wins even though the new American Athletic Conference will pose a serious test. A few of programs that are representing TU extremely well in the new conference are the men’s and women’s cross country teams and the men’s soccer team., all three claiming conference titles. Tulsa has captured three of the first four American Athletic Conference Championship events already this fall. Something we have added to the magazine is our “Cane-did Camera” section where we take photos of festivities in and around athletic events and we publish as many images as we can. See if you can find yourself as we put more than 500 faces in Cane-did Camera.

Lastly, a story that needs to be told about one of the most like-able athletes at TU. Keevan Lucas has been lighting up the competition and ranks in the Top 10 in just about every receiving category. The sophomore from Abilene, Texas, has overcome some adversities that would make a bad day for you and me seem like a walk in the park. He opens up about his journey and how proud he is to compete for the Golden Hurricane. As always, send us your feedback at Austin. Chadwick@VYPE.com.

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THE University of Tulsa

“CANE”-DID CAMERA Photos Provided by The University of Tulsa - TulsaHurricane.com

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THE University of Tulsa

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THE University of Tulsa

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THE University of Tulsa

A NEW ERA OF TULSA BASKETBALL By Chris Harmon, Publisher of InsideTulsaSports.com

games heading into the NCAA Tournament, including a Conference USA tournament title and an automatic bid to the tournament, where they fell to UCLA in the Round of 64. That was under former coach Danny Manning, who used the successful season as a springboard. He left after just two seasons to take the Wake Forest job. TU made a splash in hiring Haith away from Missouri, and the program is now poised for a run through the higher-profile AAC, where the competition will be much tougher with the likes of Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis and SMU. Haith retained former TU great Shea Seals as Director of Player Development and hired an experienced

Frank Haith

Tulsa basketball ventures into a new league with a new leader, and there is much excitement surrounding the 2014-15 season for the Golden Hurricane. TU returns a lot of talent on the court, but there are still major changes in the program with new head coach Frank Haith leading the squad into the American Athletic Conference. Last year, Tulsa won 11 straight 11/15/14 11/17/14 11/19/14

at Oral Roberts Mabee Center Tulsa, OK vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Reynolds Center vs. Abilene Christian Reynolds Center

MGM Grand Main Event 11/24/14 vs. Auburn Las Vegas, Nev. 11/26/14 Oklahoma State/Oregon State Las Vegas, Nev. 11/29/14 12/03/14 12/07/14 12/10/14 12/13/14 12/17/14 12/22/14 12/31/14 01/04/15 01/10/15 14

at Wichita State vs. Creighton at UALR vs. SE Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma vs. Missouri State vs. Incarnate Word at UCF * vs. Houston * at Temple *

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Wichita, Kan. Reynolds Center Little Rock, Ark. Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Orlando, Fla. Reynolds Center Philadelphia, Pa.

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Tulsa Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Up Close Coach: Frank Haith (1st year) 2013-14 Record: 21-13 Conference Titles: 10 (2013, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1995, 1994, 1987, 1985, 1984, 1955) Conference Tournament Titles: 6 (2013, 2003, 1996, 1986, 1984, 1982) NCAA Appearances: 15 Final Four: None

Coaches Frank Haith - Head Coach Tom Abatemarco - Assistant Coach Dennis Felton - Assistant Coach Dave Leitao - Assistant Coach Brett Burman - Director of Basketball Operations Shea Seals - Director of Player Development Team Manager Toby Lane - Video Coordinator Todor Pandov - Strength & Conditioning Coordinator Ricky Bolton - Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Baba Diallo - Graduate Manager Will Martin - Graduate Manager

01/13/15 vs. Connecticut * Reynolds Center 01/17/15 at USF * Tampa, Fla. 01/21/15 vs. Memphis * Reynolds Center 01/24/15 at East Carolina * Greenville, N.C. 01/27/15 at Tulane * New Orleans, La. 01/31/15 vs. USF * Reynolds Center 02/05/15 at Houston * Houston, Texas 02/07/15 vs. SMU * Reynolds Center 02/12/15 at Connecticut * Hartford, Conn. 02/18/15 vs. East Carolina * Reynolds Center 02/22/15 vs. Temple * Reynolds Center 02/25/15 vs. Tulane * Reynolds Center 02/28/15 at Memphis * Memphis, Tenn. 03/04/15 vs. Cincinnati * Reynolds Center 03/08/15 at SMU * Dallas, Texas * - Denotes Conference Games American Athletic Conference Championship 03/12/15 March 12-15 Hartford, Conn. TBA

Photos By Brandy Moton

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THE University of Tulsa staff, including former head coaches Tom Abatemarco, Dennis Felton and Dave Leitao. Then he hit the ground running. “As soon as I got the job, I started organizing myself and evaluating the team and evaluating our personnel,” said Haith. “I had edits put together on all those guys the good, the bad, the ugly - that’s what I call them. Their good moments, bad moments, tough moments. It helped me really evaluate our personnel and get a good feel for them. “My intention when I took the job was to be able to play a way that is winning basketball, and that I felt would give our players a chance to be successful. Not to come in here and say, hey we’re just going to play the way I want to play. I want to play the way that gives us the best chance to win. “Do they play a style and a tempo that we want to play? Absolutely. We have quickness and speed and athleticism to play the way we want to play.” Tulsa loses only one full-time starter, Tim Peete, from a team that finished 21-13 overall and 13-3 in Conference USA last season. Peete was a versatile No.-Name HT 1-Rashad Smith 6-7 2-Corey Haith 5-11 3-Shaquille Harrison 6-4 5-Rashad Ray 5-10 10-James Woodard 6-3 11-Micah Littlejohn 6-6 14-TK Edogi 6-8 15-Marquel Curtis 6-3 22-Nick Wood 6-1 23-Stevie Repichowski 6-5 35-Keondre Dew 6-8 40-D’Andre Wright 6-9 44-Brandon Swannegan 6-9 55-Emmanuel Ezechinonso 6-11 16

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wing that averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Pat Swilling is also gone, but TU played without him during its impressive February and March run. The Hurricane also lost forward Lew Evans, who transferred to Utah State. The bulk of last season’s team returns, bolstered by a junior class that includes eight James Woodard scholarship players and four returning starters. The returnees have shown improvement, and needless to say, his range a little bit, and I think expectations are high. he has worked hard at doing that, putting time in the gym and work“I think they all have improved. I ing on that. Fundamentally, James don’t think I could say anybody Woodard has continued to work hasn’t improved,” said Haith. on his ball handling and being “They all have made some imaggressive off the dribble. I think provements in certain areas. every guy has really had their moThere were certain things we ments and shown great signs of wanted guys to show signs of improvement.” working on -- things we thought would be important. Two quality players join the squad from the 2014 recruiting class. “Shaquille Harrison, for example -- he’s a guy we wanted to increase Micah Littlejohn, a 6-foot-6 wing from Mansfield (Texas), signed WT 205 175 182 172 189 193 222 205 168 195 210 245 209 267

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POS G G G G G G F G G G G F F C

CL JR-2L JR-TR JR-2L JR-2L JR-2L FR-HS SO-1L JR-RS JR-SQ SO-1L FR-HS JR-2L JR-2L JR-RS

Hometown (Previous School) Plano, Texas (Plano HS) Miami, Fla. (Univ. of Missouri) Kansas City, Missouri (Lee’s Summit) New Orleans, La. (O.P. Walker HS) Arcadia, Okla. (Edmond Memorial HS) Mansfield, Texas (Mansfield HS) Surprise, Ariz. (Westwind Prep) Plymouth, Minn. (Williston State College (N.D.)) Tulsa, Okla. (Cascia Hall) Lansing, Mich. (Kingdom Prep (Iowa)) San Bernardino, Calif. (Elev8 Sports Institute) Lawton, Okla. (Eisenhower HS) Houston, Texas (Cy-Ridge HS) Lagos, Nigeria (Covenant Christian Academy)

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THE University of Tulsa last November when Manning was coach, and Haith was able to keep him in the fold. Littlejohn is very athletic, has a great work ethic and the ability to score in a variety of ways. In late August, Haith signed 6-foot8 forward Keondre Dew, a native of San Bernardino, Calif., that spent the last two years at Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, Fla. “Keondre Dew is a great addition to our basketball program,” Haith said. “He is a long forward who works very hard in the gym. He is a great young man, and we look forward to him immediately contributing to our team.” As a high school senior, Dew averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 assists, leading his team to the quarterfinals of the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association. He also played two years at Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas. Tulsa opened preseason practice on October 4 and has come a long way over the past six weeks. “We had some good prep work with our guys this fall, in terms of being on the floor with them and seeing how they work,” Haith explained. “Our guys have been great. They have attacked practice with great focus, paying attention to detail. We do a lot of tape work, in terms of evaluating ourselves after practice. I think the guys have really taken well to that. They’ve been sponges. It’s been a really good start.” The Hurricane’s non-conference slate begins with a season-opening road game against crosstown rival ORU. TU will play in the MGM Grand Main Event over Thanksgiving Break, facing Auburn and then either Oklahoma State or Oregon State. Tulsa also faces Oklahoma, Creighton, Wichita State and Missouri State in a tough out-of-conference portion of the schedule. “I’m just kind of wondering what 18

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I did. Really, how stupid was I, right,” Haith joked. “Starting on the road in a rivalry game, first game. Second game against a team that has a guy in the middle that’s a pro prospect, in the Ragin’ Cajuns. Then, obviously we all know what we have in late Novemeber, Thanksgiving week in Vegas. Then coming back home to Oklahoma and Creighton and Wichita State. “But, hey, it’s great. We get ourselves ready for (conference play). We’re going to know a lot about our team going into league play. It prepares us for the rigors of The American. That’s what our goal was.” Coach Haith believes the strong early schedule has several benefits. “Number one, I think if you have a chance to get an at-large bid, the strength of schedule is extremely important, non-league,” he described. “Then, number two, there’s no question you want to prepare your guys for getting ready to compete in a league that is extremely competitive, one of the better leagues in the country. So, there’s no question it’s twofold what you try to get accomplished with your non-league schedule.”

The schedule only gets tougher when league play arrives. TU plays the conference’s top three teams -- UConn, Memphis and SMU -- both home and away. There’s also a home contest against Cincinnati, long road trips to UCF and USF, as well as home and away series with both Houston and Temple. In early November, TU was able to prep for live competi-

tion with a closed scrimmage and an exhibition game against Southwest Oklahoma State, in which the Hurricane prevailed 74-50. Haith came away pleased. “We were excited about playing someone other than ourselves,” he said. “I thought our guys, from an exhibition standpoint, playing for the first time in front of people, was what you expect sometimes the first time you play in front of people. We missed a lot of layups and free throws, but for the most part I was really encouraged with how hard we competed, and I thought it was a good outing for us. “I think we have a good pulse of our team, in terms of what we are and who we are. I don’t know if there is anything that really stood out in those two games that I didn’t have some type of feel for. Our personnel -- we’re still trying to figure out our rotation and how we’re going to use it. We started two different lineups in both of those (games), and trying to figure out the best lineup, the best

Shaq Harrison

THE University of Tulsa

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THE University of Tulsa

D’Andre Wright bench, in terms of being able to get the most out of our guys. We’re still learning that. I don’t know that we quite know that just yet. I think we have a good pulse of who we are, and those kids.” One thing is certain, Tulsa will play with pace and push the ball. “We do pass the ball well, so our offensive efficiency, I think, will be good,” said Haith. “We’re not a great shooting team, but I do think our strength is our speed, and we’ll play in tempo. The ball movement, player movement is very critical to that. Sometimes the ball stuck a little bit and we slowed down a little bit there in the second half (of the exhibition game). We’ve got to continue to be who we are and utilize those gifts we have, in terms of our quickness and our speed.”

BACKCOURT

The junior trio of James Woodard, Shaq Harrison and Rashad Ray return as the core of the backcourt, and they are joined in the rotation by fellow junior Marquel Curtis, who is returning from injury. The 6-foot-3 Woodard was the team’s leading scorer last season, averaging 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. As a sophomore last year, he was named to the All-Conference USA 2nd-team and scored in double figures in 30 games, including 27 in a row. Woodard was also a go-to-player as a freshman when he averaged 12.0 points and made the Conference-USA All-Freshman team. 20

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Shaquille Harrison did a little bit of everything last season, averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. A superior athlete, the 6-4 guard has started every game in his first two years with the program. Rashad Ray has been a sparkplug off the bench in his first two seasons and will likely fill a starting role under Haith. He is often the fastest player on the court, and despite his small stature, he routinely makes plays with drives to the bucket. Ray averaged 6.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season. Marquel Curtis transferred from Williston State College prior to the 2013-14 season after earning Second-Team NJCAA All-America honors. He was hampered with injuries last year and received a medical redshirt. Now at full strength, the 6-foot-3 and 205-pounder expects to play a major role for Haith. “Now that I’m 100-percent healthy, I’m just looking forward to playing, helping the guys win and make another run like we did last year,” said Curtis. “I’ve been working on my shot to get it off quicker and be more consistent. But everybody else has been doing the same thing. Everybody’s been working on their shot, getting in the gym and working on free throws.” True freshman Micah Littlejohn and sophomore Stevie Repichowski could also contribute. Repichowski was a role player last year, coming in to provide instant offense behind the three-point line.

FRONTCOURT

Tulsa doesn’t have a ton of height, but they make up for it with versatility. 6-foot-7 Rashad Smith and 6-foot-9 D’Andre Wright are returning starters. Smith was the Hurricane’s second leading scorer last season at 12 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds. He has been working to improve his outside shot and his athleticism can give opponents problems.

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Wright is more of an actual big man and had a bit of a sophomore slump last season. After earning a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman team two years ago with averages of 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds, his numbers dropped to 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds last year. If he can maintain consistency and stay aggressive, he could have a breakout season. “My shot is feeling pretty good,” said Wright. “I’ve still got a couple things to work on, and as a group we’ve still got some things to work on. But I’m feeling good, my body’s feeling good and I’m looking forward to it. “We’re ready to start playing. We’ve been preparing hard, so we’re just ready to go. Playing some of the top teams and playing great competition -- we’re not going to back down. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be big for us.” The options off the bench include 6-foot-9 junior Brandon Swannegan, 6-11 junior Emmanuel Ezechinonso, 6-8 sophomore TK Edogi and 6-8 freshman Keondre Dew. Swannegan is an accomplished shot-blocker that averaged 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.3 minutes off the bench last year, but experience is thin after that. Edogi played in just 13 games in his freshman season and Ezechinonso is looking for his first regular season minutes. Dew could make an immediate impact on the wing. “You have more responsibilities (in college),” said Dew. “You’ve got to be more of a man and grow up. Practice is going good. Everybody’s competing. We’re just getting after it and getting ready for the season. I’m looking forward to competing with the older guys and taking it all in. Taking time and maturing as a young man. I’ve been working on ball-handling, shooting, refining my skills and trying to polish my game.”

D’Andre Wright

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Shaq Harrison

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THE University of Tulsa

NEW YEAR - NEW CONFER nine letterwinners, in39.0 points per game, scoring 91.5 cluding four starters, and ppg in the two contests. Tulsa had welcomes four newcom- solid shooting with 51.9-percent ers this year. The roster from the field, 32.4-percent from features two seniors – behind the arc and 65.3-percent Kadan Brady and Mariah from the free throw line. Turner; four juniors – Ashley Clark, Kelsee Grovey, Antoinet Webster Coach: Matilda Mossman (4th year) and Te’era WilOverall Record: 42-47 liams; five sopho2013-2014 Record: 12-16 mores – Autura Campbell, Ashley C-USA Titles: 1 (2006) Hughes, Rickae NCAA Appearances: 2 (2013, 2006) Jinks, Teanna NIT Appearances: 2 (2005, 2004) Reid and Liesl Spoerl; and two freshmen – Jordyn Holmes and Matilda Mossman - Head Women’s Coach Erika Wakefield. Shane Coffey - Associate Head Coach Williams and Britney Brown - Recruiting Coordinator Spoerl will miss the 201415 season due to medical Megan Robbins - Assistant Coach reasons. Amanda Sorrier - Director of Operations The TU women played two Chelsea Turner - Director of Player Development/ preseason contests, capTeam Manager turing a 102-61 win over Christine Elliott - Video Coordinator Southern Nazarene and an Logan Froese - Graduate Manager 81-44 victory over Rogers State. The Golden Hurricane won it’s two exhibition games by an average of

Up Close

Matilda Mossman

Coaches

By Stephanie Hall, The Univeristy of Tulsa

As The University of Tulsa moves into the American Athletic Conference in 2014-15, the Golden Hurricane enters the league with a new team motto “Team Matters”. The new philosophy for the upcoming season focuses on team chemistry and playing as one unit. The Golden Hurricane, which is coached by Matilda Mossman who is in her fourth season, returns 11/14/14 11/17/14 11/21/14 11/25/14 11/28/14 11/29/14 12/3/14 12/6/14 12/14/14 12/18/14 12/21/14 12/31/14 1/3/15 1/7/15 1/10/15 1/14/15 1/17/15 1/20/15 24

vs. Northern Iowa L, 69-66 vs. Lamar at Oral Roberts at Texas Southern vs. Buffalo Coral at Miami/vs. Illinois State vs. Saint Louis at Valparaiso vs. Arkansas TV vs. New Orleans vs. UALR vs. Cincinnati * TV at UCF * at UConn * TV vs. Memphis * TV vs. East Carolina * TV vs. Houston * at Tulane * TV

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Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Tulsa, OK (at ORU) Houston, Texas Gables, Fla. Coral Gables, Fla. Reynolds Center Valparaiso, Ind. Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Orlando, Fla. Storrs, Conn. Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Reynolds Center New Orleans, La.

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1/24/15 at East Carolina * TV 1/28/15 vs. SMU * 1/31/15 vs. UCF * TV 2/7/15 at Houston * TV 2/10/15 vs. Temple * 2/14/15 at SMU * TV 2/18/15 at USF * TV 2/21/15 vs. UConn * TV 2/24/15 at Memphis * TV 2/28/15 vs. Tulane * 3/2/15 at Cincinnati * TV * - Denotes Conference Game 3/6-9/15

Greenville, N.C. Reynolds Center Reynolds Center Houston, Texas Reynolds Center Dallas, Texas Tampa, Fla. Reynolds Center Memphis, Tenn. Reynolds Center Cincinnati, Ohio

vs. The American Championship Uncasville, Conn.

THE University of Tulsa

ENCE - NEW PHILOSOPHY

Ashley Clark, Kelsee Grovey, Mariah Turner , Kadan Brady

Photo By Brandy Moton

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THE University of Tulsa Five players averaged double-digit points, including a team-best 15.0 ppg by Clark, followed by Reid (14.0 ppg), Grovey (12.5), Jinks (10.5) and Turner (10.0). Newcomers Wakefield and Holmes each pulled down a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game. Reid also tallied a triple-double in the game against Southern Nazarene, posting 14 points, 11 assists and 11 steals. “Teanna played really, really well against SNU,” Mossman said. “She came off the bench and was everywhere defensively, handing out assists, getting steals and scoring as well.” “We’ve had a really good offensively flow in the preseason, and I think most of that has been initiated by our defense. We’ve really stressed being a better defensive team because we weren’t a year ago. We have some added quickness on our team as our new guys give us some speed and athleticism. Our defense is forcing turnovers, we are getting layup opportunities and we are shooting a really high percentage. If we can continue to play hard and with energy, I think we can be a really good offensive team, but it will be because of our defense.” No.-Name 00-Kelsee Grovey 1-Jordyn Holmes 3-Erika Wakefield 4-Teanna Reid 11-Rickae Jinks 13-Ashley Hughes 15-Antoinet Webster 21-Te’era Williams 23-Ashley Clark 24-Autura Campbell 25-Liesl Spoerl 32-Mariah Turner 35-Kadan Brady

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HT 5-8 5-11 5-4 5-6 6-2 5-7 5-9 5-11 5-11 6-2 6-1 6-2 5-9

TU will play a 29game regular season schedule, which features defending NCAA Champion UConn in a home-and-home series. Seven other opponents played in the WNIT last year, including East Carolina, Lamar, Miami, SMU, Texas Southern, Tulane and USF. “It is an exciting, as well as historic year, as we move into the American Athletic Conference,” Mossman said. “This puts Ashley Clark our program into the national spotlight, playing in the same women’s basketball the road.” conference as the defending Na“When we get into conference actional Champion.” tion there are only four teams that “I like the diversity of the teams we haven’t played before – Cincinwe play in non-conference and it’s nati, Temple, UConn and USF – so the type of schedule that will give we are looking forward to renewus a good feel for what to expect ing rivalries with some of our in conference play. I like the idea former conference members and that we have Arkansas coming to beginning new series’ with those Tulsa because it is a regional confour teams.” test and they’re an SEC team. We have a good balance of teams we play at home and teams we play on POS G G G G C G G F G C F F G

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CL JR-2L FR-HS FR-HS SO-TR SO-1L SO-1L JR-2L JR-TR JR-2L SO-1L SO-1L SR-3L SR-3L

Hometown (Previous School) Shawnee, Okla. (Shawnee) Austin, Texas (Crockett) Moore, Okla. (Heritage Hall) Oklahoma City, Okla. (Butler CC) Miramar, Fla. (Miramar) Sulphur, Okla. (Sulphur) Oklahoma City, Okla. (Western Heights) Oklahoma City, Okla. (Butler CC) Midwest City, Okla. (Midwest City) Topeka, Kan. (Topeka West) Tulsa, Okla. (Cascia Hall) Norman, Okla. (Norman North) Healdton, Okla. (Healdton)

Teanna Reid

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THE University of Tulsa Backcourt TU has seven guards on the roster, including returners Kadan Brady, Ashley Clark, Kelsee Grovey, Ashley Hughes and Antoinet Webster. The newcomers to the guard position are Teanna Reid and Erika Wakefield. “We feel like the point guard position is one where we have a lot of depth,” Mossman said. “From Teanna, Erika and Ashley, and then adding Kelsee into that mix, gives us the opportunity to have more than one “point guard” on the floor at the same time. We really like the idea of having more than one for outlet purposes and running the offense against certain defenses. We expect them all to contribute.” Hughes is a returning letterwinner who played in 17 games as a true freshman. She averaged just 1.1 points and 0.6 rebounds per game, but had season-bests of nine points, four assists and three steals against Abilene Christian, and three rebounds vs. Old Dominion. “Ashley has a year of experience,” Mossman said. “She didn’t get a lot of playing time, but she is without question the hardest working player on our team. She puts in a lot of hours in the gym, does a lot of her own individual workouts with pace – she doesn’t just go through the motions. She is also someone we are looking to play on the wing because she shoots the ball well.” A sophomore transfer from Butler Community College, Reid led BCC to a 34-3 record last year. She averaged 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while posting 160 assists and 87 steals. Reid was also a four-year letterwinner at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City, earning first-team all-conference and all-state honors, as well as being tabbed as a McDonald’s All-America nominee as a senior. Wakefield was a four-year letterwinner at Heritage Hall High School where she tallied 1,831 28

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points, 406 rebounds, 416 steals, 309 assists and 56 blocks. She was tabbed to the OBCA all-state, OGBCA allstate, all-city and all-state tournament teams, and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee as a senior. “Teanna and Erika are very similar in the way they can push the ball in transition and in the way they can Kadan Brady lock people up defensively,” Mossman said. “We don’t want to get bogged down into only having one point guard play at a time because they can play together, and defensively we get better when they are on the court together.” A two-year letterwinner and starter, Clark averaged a team-best 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and posted a team-leading 97 assists and 46 steals as a sophomore. She had 23 double-figure scoring games and five double-digit rebounding contests. Clark posted a personal-best 26 points against East Carolina, 13 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts, eight assists against UAB and six steals vs. Abilene Christian a year ago. “Ashley is our returning leader in scoring and will look to build on the year that she had last season,” Mossman said. “She and Kelsee have each scored over 600 points in their two seasons so they are on track to be part of our 1,000-point

club and we are going to give them every opportunity to do that.” Grovey is a two-year letterwinner and starter, who has career averages of 11.4 points and 2.4 rebounds. She has 38 double-figure scoring games and ranks seventh on Tulsa’s career top-10 list in three-point field goals made (114), three-point field goal percentage (.366) and free throw percentage (.818). Grovey has personal-bests of 24 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and six steals. “Hopefully, having Erika and Teanna here will take some of the point guard responsibilities away from Kelsee and allow her to be more of a scorer,” Mossman said. “It is reassuring however, to know that she can play that position if we need her to.” A three-year letterwinner, Brady has tallied 23 double-figure scoring games in her career. Last

Photos By Brandy Moton

Mariah Turner

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THE University Tulsa THE University ofof Tulsa year, she averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while netting personal-bests of 19 points against North Texas, nine rebounds against UTEP, six assists against Marshall and Southern Miss, and five steals against Valparaiso. “This is Kadan’s senior year and she has worked very hard over the summer to put herself in a position to be successful and to really help our team,” Mossman said. A two-year letterwinner, Webster has played in 49 career games, while averaging 2.1 points. She has two double-digit scoring contests, including a personal-best 10 points against Abilene Christian and East Carolina last season. “Net gives us a scoring threat and now that she has been here for a couple of years she knows what the expectations are and how she has to compete every day,” Mossman said.

FRONTCOURT

TU has six forwards on the roster, including returners Autura Campbell, Rickae Jinks, Liesl Spoerl and Mariah Turner, and newcomers Jordyn Holmes and Te’era Williams. Spoerl and Williams are out for the season due to medical reasons. A three-year letterwinner, Turner has earned playing time in 88 games and has 23 starts. She has one double-double, 24 doublefigure scoring games and one double-digit rebounding contest. Turner has career averages of 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and currently ranks first on Tulsa’s career top-10 list with a .574 field goal percentage. “Mariah is our only post player with experience and we are going to rely heavily on her,” Mossman said. “As a senior, we know she wants to go out in a certain way and she has worked very hard this summer to put herself in a position to be successful.” A returning letterwinner, Jinks 30

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played in 12 games and had two “Jordan is going to have an imstarts a year ago. She had nine pact as a freshman,” Mossman points, 14 rebounds and six blocks said. “We recruited her as a wing on the year. She had season-bests player, but with our lack of depth of four points against UTEP, three at the ‘four’ position with Liesl and rebounds vs. Tulane and two Te’era being out this season, we blocks against North Texas. are asking Jordan to play the ‘four’ position this year.” “The biggest surprise in the preseason is the play of Rickae,” Spoerl played in 28 games and had Mossman said. “As a freshman seven starts as a true freshman, last year, she had a concussion and averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 early and missed a lot of things as rebounds. She scored 12 points we were implementing them, and against UTEP and FIU, had nine therefore got behind. She came on rebounds verse North Texas and towards the end of the year, but it picked up two steals on three occais tough when you aren’t getting sions a year ago. repetitions in October as a freshA junior transfer from Butler man. She has had a great summer Community College, Williams was and has been a great addition to a 2013-14 NJCAA All-America our post position.” second team selection. She helped Campbell played in 16 games and BCC post a 34-3 overall record, earned one start as a true freshwhile averaging 19.4 points and man, while posting 15 points, 21 9.9 rebounds, and posting 67 rebounds and five blocks. She steals, 62 assists and 34 blocks. had a personal-best seven points Focusing on their “Team Matters” against Tulane and six rebounds philosophy can translate into a vs. East Carolina. cohesive Golden Hurricane bas“Autura had surgery in the sumketball team that can lead to a mer and really hasn’t been able to successful inaugural season in the come back full speed yet,” MossAmerican Athletic Conference. man said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get her back in the mix soon and give us a third person in that position.” Holmes was a twoyear letterwinner at Crockett High School where she was a two-time alldistrict performer and picked up all-state honors as a senior. She averaged 25.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 6.7 steals and 4.3 assists during her senior season, and was one of 43 finalists competing for 12 spots on the Matilda Mossman USA Basketball U16 Women’s National Basketball team.

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8922 S. Memorial Drive Suite H Tulsa, OK 74133

THE University of Tulsa

KEEVAN LUCAS:

A TRIUMPHANT STORY 32

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THE University of Tulsa

The Tulsa receiver had to grow up fast, but he’s not complaining.

By Kyle Kendrick, VYPE Oklahoma Editor Watch Keevan Lucas play and you are likely to see a few Top 10 plays. Currently, Lucas is seventh in the country in receptions with 81 and 12th in yards with 1,037 yards. Lucas has found the endzone 11 times, which puts him in the Top 5 in all of FBS football. Unfortunately, those numbers haven’t equaled many wins for the Golden Hurricane with Tulsa holding just a 2-8 overall record and a 2-4 record in American Athletic Conference play. When you ask Lucas about his amazing season and the team’s overall record he will tell you he has mixed feelings. “It has kind of been both good and bad because the good thing is I have been playing well but I mean we have still been losing and I feel like I take responsibility for that so I feel like next year I need to do more,” Lucas said. “I need to work even harder to contribute because our season reflects that and we are 2-8 so obviously I’m not doing enough so going into the offseason I just need to work that much harder on being a game-changer so we can get some more wins.” Looking at this season just gives fans a small glimpse at the person Lucas really is though. To get to really know Keevan Lucas you have to go back to his childhood in Abilene, Texas. Start with the fact Lucas has never really known his biological father because he has been in-and-out of the correctional system. Raised by his mother Kimberly White and his grandmother Bernice Ware, Keevan quickly became the man of his house.

“My mom always said she was our mother and my father and it was just my mother, little brother and me so I took a lot of pride in being the man of the house and making sure all the doors were locked; just little things like that,” Lucas said. “She taught me everything I know. Because of her it wasn’t really a bad deal because she was so independent we really didn’t need a father around. She definitely prepared me and my little brother for life. She raised us right. She disciplined us and made decisions that she knew were going to help us be better people.” That situation alone can be a lot to overcome, but at 14 Lucas was forced to overcome even more. Within the span of a week’s time both Keevan’s mother and grandmother passed away, leaving Keevan without the only parental figures he had ever known. “It was definitely a humbling experience. I was a freshman, 14 years old and I lost my mom on a Tuesday and my granny on Friday. It was real rough at first because I was really spoiled by my grandmother especially. I mean I was a mamma’s boy but I was really a grandmother’s boy,” Lucas said. “But both of them were the head of my life because my real father has never been in my life really. He’s always been in and out of the prison system. It was a really humbling experience because I had two choices. Either fit the statistics and go be a thug or I could use football as my way out.” Keevan’s uncle and aunt Felix and Michelle Ware, quickly stepped in to help and guide Keevan down the path that eventually led him to Tulsa. Despite having three children of their own Felix and Michelle took in Keevan and

younger brother Keylon, letting Keevan finish high school in Abilene and avoid the foster care system. Felix, who Keevan calls “Pops”, has been such an important figure for Keevan and Keylon “Even before that he was like my father figure I didn’t have. He was like my best friend in a way but he taught me so much. They did a good job raising me even with the circumstances because they already had three kids of their own. They had to take in me and my little brother and it was hard on them because now there were five of us and there were some nights we didn’t know what we were going to do,” Lucas said. “It was really good to have them come into my life like that and to this day they come to my games. I call him my Pops because that’s the guy who raised me. ” Lucas went on to say the biggest impact his uncle has had on his life is teaching him how to be a man and stand up for your family. “He made a big impact. We were just blessed to have him take us in. He made sacrifices for his family to help us eat as well. He showed me what it really takes to be a man,” Lucas said. “That sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Sometimes you have to step up sometimes even if no one else will because if you don’t things can get a whole lot worse.” Even with the presence of his uncle Lucas admits he struggled and became bitter after tragedy struck his family. “It was good when it first happened because everyone was telling me we are here for you and all that, but then nobody was around later on during my sophomore year when I really did need

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THE University of Tulsa things,” Lucas said. “That was the hardest thing because you had all these people in your face when it happened but then they weren’t anywhere when it was over with. It was something I really kept close to my heart and it made me a little bitter.” Talk to Lucas and you will quickly discover that he refuses to be defined or held back by the obstacles he has had to overcome in his past though. “Of course I still think about them all the time but there is somebody out there that has it worse than me that, has had something worse happen to them, so I can’t really sit around and mope and complain about

things I can’t control. It’s about what you can control and that’s something I couldn’t control,” Lucas said. Honoring his family with his work in the classroom, his play on the field and his character off of it Lucas said that eventually he would love to be able to help others by sharing his story. “I feel like you grow through what you go through. A lot of people have to overcome obstacles in life and it’s really how you respond to them. I think the biggest thing as a man is finding out what your purpose is and I honestly think my purpose is sharing my story with other people because I didn’t have any-

Keevan Lucas

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one to look up to that had gone through things like me,” Lucas said. “There are people out there that feel like giving up all the time and they just need someone to tell them it won’t always be like this. Just keep your head up and keep pushing because you will get through this. So if I ever get a chance and get on a big stage I would love to help people like that because I think that’s what some people need to hear.” With an attitude and ambitions like Lucas showcases it is truly no surprise he has been successful on the field. Because once you walk the path Keevan Lucas has been forced to walk how hard is running a route and catching a pass?

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THE University of Tulsa

HURRICANE SPOTLIGHT: ABE MATAMOROS By Kyle Kendrick Ab’e Matamoros, a senior midfielder from Houston was recently selected as a second team All-Conference player after starting in 16 of 17 games this season. Matamoros scored a goal against Oral Roberts and registered an assist versus SIUE for three points. Matamoros has attempted 12 shots, seven of which were on goal, for a .583 shots-ongoal percentage. If you ask Ab’e’s coaches about his attitude they will rave about his competitive spirit. “Abé is a true competitor. He wants to win everything he does, so if we do a fitness test he wants to finish first, if we are playing a game he wants to win,” head coach Tom McIntosh said. “He wants to do whatever he can to help his team win. His competitive nature is one that enables him to play so many positions. In his time here he has probably played every position except goalkeeper and center back. It doesn’t matter where we play him, he competes and wants to win.” Like most other people with the competitive drive that Matamoros has, A’be hates to lose or tie games. He doesn’t see it as acceptable. Losses stick with him and bother him in the way coaches like to see. Almost as much as he hates to lose Matamoros also loves to win and is always happy for the team when the Golden Hurricane win no matter what role he played in that win. McIntosh also praises Matamoros for his relationship with his 36

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teammates and coaches. “Abé is certainly a captain. He is one that any player can go talk to for guidance. He is a very mature kid. People respect him immensely for his maturity. He a real sounding board for young players, or any players, that need guidance,” McIntosh said. “The amount of respect is equaled by the coaches. If we need to get a feel for the team, we go to Abé. If there is an issue with the team, Abé is one of the first ones to deal with it. It can be a real burden for Abé, but he doesn’t look at it that way. He always has to do more than just Ab’e Matamoros play the game to the best of his ability. Sometimes he sacrifices his own performance because he’s and Emergency Infant Services. dealing with other issues within the team. He is very unIn the classroom Matamoros selfish in his leadership.” is also a star. In 2012 A’be was voted as the Collins College of Off the field Matamoros is inBusiness Student of the Year. volved in various activities including the TU Catholic Newman Matamoros was also named to the Tulsa President’s List and Center, the men’s soccer SAAC was a Conference USA Academic representative and organizing Medal Winner as a freshman, the Golden ‘Cane Awards Gala, the university’s all-sports annual sophomore and junior. He was also selected to the Capital One banquet. CoSIDA Academic All-District VII It doesn’t stop there for Matfirst team member the last three amoros though, he also has his seasons. own business, an LLC called InspireVive that rewards community service volunteers for their efforts. He built software for charities and schools to track volunteer hours and gave it to them for free, including Bishop Kelley, Will Rogers High School

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Audi Tulsa 4208 S. Memorial Dr., Tulsa, OK 74145 918-712-2834 www.auditulsa.com *Starting MSRP for a 2015 Audi A3 1.8T Premium. Limited availability, available for factory order. Model shown is a 2015 Audi A3 2.0T Prestige, 19" wheels (delayed availability) and Sport pkg., starting MSRP $42,950. Prices exclude destination, taxes, title, other options and dealer charges. Dealer sets actual price. “Audi,” “MMI,” “quattro,” “Truth in Engineering,” all model names, and the four rings logo are registered trademarks of AUDI AG. ©2014 Audi of America, Inc.

Ab’e Matamoros

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THE University of Tulsa

TU CROSS COUNTRY SWEEPS AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS By TulsaHurricane.com TULSA, Okla. - Junior Marc Scott won the men’s individual title, and the Tulsa men’s and women’s cross country teams swept the American Athletic Cross Country Championships on October 31st at the Mohawk Sports Complex. The TU men’s team placed the top three runners, and secured its fifth consecutive conference championship, while the women’s team won its second straight. All seven Golden Hurricane men’s runners finished in the top-16 of the 8K race, while all seven women’s runners placed among the top-14 in the 6K run. Scott completed the race in 24:43, while senior Brandi Krieg paced the women with a time of 21:02. “It was an awesome day. I was very proud,” Tulsa Head Coach Steve Gulley said. “The girls started it off, and that was big, big win for us. They weren’t expected to win, but they stepped up and had a great race. I think that really motivated some of the boys. We had three seniors that had a chance to finish (a run of) five conference championships, and I think that really got the teams going.”

Marc Scott

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The five Hurricane men’s scorers finished within 50 seconds of each other, and all among the top-10 finishers. A pair of seniors followed Scott in finishing second and third. Tim Rackers placed second with a time of 24:49, and Danny Thater ran a 24:50, while classmate Dennis Hodapp finished sixth with a time of 25:06. Redshirt freshman Elijah Silva rounded out the scoring with a ninth-place time of 25:33. The five Tulsa women’s scorers ran an even closer pack, finishing within a 34-second span, between fifth and 11th in the race. Sophomore Clara Langley followed Krieg with a sixth-place time of 21:03, and sophomore Stacie Taylor placed eighth with a time of 21:14. Senior Natasha Cockram finished 10th in 21:27, and sophomore Olivia Lopez rounded out the scoring with an 11th-place time of 21:36. Redshirt freshman Adam Roderique and junior Jake McDonnell placed 14th and 16th, respectively in the men’s race. Roderique ran the 8K in 25:48, and McDonnell finished in 25:53. For the women’s squad, true freshmen Anna Bearss and Nicole Lee placed 12th and 14th, respectively. Bearss ran the 6K race in 21:38, and Lee ran a time of 21:40. The top-15 finishers in each race were awarded All-American Athletic Conference honors. All seven TU women’s runners were named to the all-conference team - Brandi Krieg, Clara Langley, Stacie Taylor, Natasha Cockram, Olivia Lopez, Anna Bearss and Nicole Lee. The six TU men’s runners named on the all-conference team were: Marc Scott, Tim Rackers, Danny Thater, Dennis Hodapp, Elijah Silva and Adam Roderique. Tulsa, led by Head Coach Steve Gulley, was named both the men’s and wom-

Brandi Krieg

en’s Coaching Staff of the Year. “It was definitely a surprise having seven of the top-15 on the girls side,” Gulley said. “That’s a full team. We just barely missed, and had six in the top-15 on the guys side. Not only did the girls run great, but they all did it. It wasn’t just one individual, it was the whole team. For the guys (in the top three) - that’s kind of our older punch, those guys have been there. Marc has led us most of the season, but Danny and Tim - they’re seniors. This was their last conference championship, and I think it meant a lot to them.” The Golden Hurricane returned to action at the Midwest Regional Championships in Peoria, Ill where the men and women qualified for the NCAA Championships November 22nd. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane and Facebook at www.facebook. com/TulsaHurricane. Follow Tulsa Cross Country on Twitter at www. Twitter.com/TulsaTrack.

THE University of Tulsa

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THE University of Tulsa

GOLDEN HURRICANE SOCCER CLAIMS TITLE IN DRAMATIC FASHION By TulsaHurricane.com Storrs, Conn. - It ended in a tie, but the Tulsa men’s soccer team claimed the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship over USF on penalty kicks, 6-5, on Sunday afternoon at the Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn. The Golden Hurricane moved to 11-5-3 and claimed the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the Bulls moved to 10-7-3 overall. “Certainly proud of the guys,” Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. “They’ve been through a lot of adversity since losing last year in the conference championship, so I have to give credit to our senior leadership. They have been tremendous at keeping this team together and we’ve grinded it out all year, including today. We are a team that can win a number of different ways and tonight we had to go to PKs.” “We are excited about going back to the NCAAs and having a chance to compete for another trophy, which is our goal. It is great to not have to wait and see if we are in the tour-

Jake McGuire

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nament, only to see who we’ll play and where. Now we can rest up, enjoy the championship today, and then tomorrow start the process of getting ready for the NCAAs.” The first five attempts in the shootout for each team went into the back of the net, including penalty kicks from Akeil Barrett, Geoffrey Dee, Tony Rocha, Ray Saari and Zack Stavrou for Tulsa, and Lucas Baldin, Gabriel Pfeffer, Edwin Moalosi, Marcus Epps Ray Saari and Gerardo Hernandez for USF. After the first five players each team is given kicks. one shot, and after each pair of attempts if one team has an advanFor their efforts in the tournament, tage, they win the shootout. Abé Matamoros and McGuire were Matamoros scored for TU, but Jake selected as the Most Outstanding McGuire came up with a big save Offensive and Defensive Players, reon Eduardo Maceira’s attempt and spectively, while Bradley Bourgeois, Tulsa claimed the title. Quinn Starker, Rocha, Matamoros and McGuire were all tabbed to the The full 110 minutes All-Tournament Team. ticked off the clock scoreless, even though there Tulsa returns to the NCAA Tournawere a combined 14 shots ment after missing it last year. The on goal, to force the game Hurricane has an 8-8-1 mark in the into the shootout. tournament, making quarterfinal appearances in 2004 and 2009. Barrett had a team-best TU’s last appearance came in 2012, five shots, while Rocha added four attempts, Cam- when Tulsa defeated USF (1-0) in overtime after receiving a bye in eron Drackett had two the first round, and then fell to San and Aymar Sigue tallied Diego (2-1) in the third round. one shot. McGuire logged all 110 minutes between the posts and picked up eight saves for his sixth shutout on the season. USF had a 15-12 lead in shots, while TU had an 11-5 advantage in corner

Photo By American Athletic Conference/Ben Solomon

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THE University of Tulsa

Golden Hurricane Support We take a look at few of the people in and around TU who support in many different ways. There are many more within the athletic department who we will be highlighting in each issue of Hurricane Elite.

D.J. Welte

Director of Football Video Services

Dr. Christina Carter

Associate AD for Academic & Student Services

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Russell Hoffman Equipment Manager

Chris Nerio Assistant Athletic Trainer - Football, M/W Golf

Recruiting Spotlight Golden Hurricane Basketball picks up two recuits who will make an impact. 41 percent from the field and just under 39 percent from beyond the arc, starting in 15 games. Birt was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection before transferring to South Plains. By Chris Harmon, Publisher of InsideTulsaSports.com

South Plains in Levelland, Texas, is always one of the top junior college basketball programs in the country. The Texans program feeds Division 1 universities with excellent players on a yearly basis, and it has supplied Tulsa with a standout guard in the 2015 recruiting class. Pat Birt, a former Plano (Texas) East High School star, is a strong 6-foot-5, 205 pound wing player that took an official visit to the Golden Hurricane campus in late October. Once the trip was over, he gave his verbal commitment to TU head coach Frank Haith.

“I knew before heading there on my visit that I was going to commit,” Birt told Rivals.com. “It was a real easy decision. My mother is a Tulsa alum, so that played a factor. Also, I knew a lot of the players already, and I did my research on the program.

“One of the key reasons I picked Tulsa was because of their strength and conditioning coach (Todor Pandov), that was a big deal to me. Coach (Frank) Haith has the type of style that I like in his 4-out-1-in offense.”

“Pat has improved tremendously during his first year of college basketball,” UIC head coach Howard Moore said of Birt in March. “He has a very high ceiling in this league and I am happy for him that he is getting well-deserved recognition.” Birt had eight double-digit scoring games last season and is known as an excellent shooter. Aside from hitting almost 40 percent of his three-point attempts, he also shot 87 percent from the free throw line.

“I think that Pat Birt is a natural scorer,” Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi told InsideTulsaSports.com. “Earlier in his high school days he was a bit more of a point guard, but as he got taller and stronger, he transitioned into being a wing scorer who handled the ball pretty well because he retained some of that point guard sense for the game to go along with his size. “He has gotten a lot stronger and between his year at UIC and a year of junior college, he should be physically ready to play. He was well on his way to a strong career at UIC, making all freshmen in the Horizon, and he is a smart player who can make the mental transition to the AAC as well. Based on the trajectory of his high school career and what he showed as a freshman at UIC, Birt should add value to the Tulsa perimeter as a guy with good size who is a capable scorer.”

In the 2013 recruiting cycle, Birt was a rising high school senior, finishing the year ranked as a Top 50 player in the state of Texas. He eventually signed with Illinois-Chicago.

“I thought that my recruitment would have been more than it was at the end of my high school career,” he said. “I had Illinois-Chicago and Portland as my two offers. This time around, I had what I was looking for in Tulsa -- a great conference playing against top players from around the country. I had several offers, and plenty of interest, but Tulsa was the opportunity that I didn’t have in the past.” Hank Plona, assistant at South Plains, told Rivals.com that Tulsa targeted Birt in October and came after him swiftly.

“It was the Tuesday after the JUCO Jamboree when Tulsa came in and let it be known that Pat was at the top of their list,” said Plona. “Pat felt optimistic about going to a place that would have a chance on a yearly basis to make it to the NCAA tournament. Tulsa also will utilize him in a way that will best suit his style. Pat is a strong wing that can really handle the ball and knock down shots. Tulsa and Pat are a perfect match.” As a freshman at Illinois-Chicago of the Horizon League, Birt made an immediate impact, averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 29 appearances in 2013-14. He shot 46

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Pat Birt

He scored a school-record 1,877 points at Williamsville North and also set a school record for assists with 371. His 245 career steals were also a school record. As a senior, Taplin averaged 22.6 points, 4.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 steals for the Spartans.

6-foot-1 combo guard Sterling Taplin came into the picture with Tulsa in September, and on October 1, the 3-star prospect committed to the Golden Hurricane. Things moved quickly once TU coaches saw him play at St. Thomas More Prep in Oakdale, Connecticut. “The (Tulsa) coaches are amazing,” Taplin told InsideTulsaSports.com. “I feel I can make an impact on and off the court.”

The 2014 winner of The Buffalo News Allen Wilson Player of the Year Award, Taplin was a three-time firstteam All-Western New York selection for Williamsville North High School and held offers from Sienna, Buffalo, Canisius and others. However, he decided to attend prep school at St. Thomas More and began receiving attention from Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast and several more.

“When I talked to all of the ( Tulsa) coaches, they are really excited about me,” Taplin told the Buffalo News. “It feels like the right decision for me -- how I fit into their offense, just how the coaches are. I felt more comfortable with them than anyone else. It’s a big relief, a huge relief. I’m glad that I picked where I’m going.

“He just sees the game so much faster than anybody else,” Williamsville North coach Chuck Swierski told The Buffalo News. “Things that he just does instinctually, it’s stuff that most of us just can’t understand how he knew to do. It happens every day -- not just in games, but I’ve seen him in practice for five years. He just does things, and you just say, ‘How did he do that? What made him think to do that?’ Special is the word.” Taplin made his official visit to Tulsa on October 18. His season at St. Thomas More Prep begins on November 14. “It’s a rough lifestyle, but it’s going to get be ready for college,” he said of prep school. “I’m excited for the season and for new competition. I’m just really ready. I’ve been working with the team for a while now.

“It’s helping me in not being homesick, being a whole year without parents around all the time and being on my own. I have to go work out on my own and things like that -- so when go to college I’ll be prepared for it.”

“They came to watch me a week and a half ago. I sat down and talked with the coach, and he said he loved how I play. Then I talked to head coach Haith, he called the next day and he told me that he really liked the way I played and really wanted to keep in touch. They said I’d fit in perfectly.” Taplin chose Tulsa over offers from Old Dominion and St. Peters, originally announcing his decision via social media.

“Proud to announce that I will be attending the University of Tulsa next year,” Taplin wrote on his Instagram page. “Glad with my decision proud to be a Golden Hurricane! Thank you to everyone who has supported me.” Taplin put up impressive numbers at Williamsville North, playing 99 games in five varsity seasons. He finished his high school career at No. 23 on Western New York’s all-time scoring list.

Sterling Taplin

“I see the court well and can dribble,” Taplin said of his strengths.

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Hurricane

Hurricane Elite gives TU fans a quick look at the current list of high school athletes who have given their verbal commitment to the Golden Hurricane. By Chris Harmon

Jarion Anderson, Texas High School, Texarkana (TX) 5-9, 167 pounds Athlete Committed on June 8, 2014

Shola Ayinde, George Ranch High School, Richmond (TX) 6-0, 170 pounds Defensive Back Committed on August 14, 2014

Senior Season Highlights: The Tigers stumbled with two early losses, but bounced back to a 7-3 record and a playoff spot. Anderson is the main target in the passing game, hauling in 39 catches for 633 yards and nine touchdowns in the regular season. He is averaging 16.2 yards per catch.

Senior Season Highlights: Ayinde helped George Ranch get nine wins in their first 10 games of the season. The Longhorns head into the playoffs riding an eight game win streak. They picked up a district title with a perfect 5-0 record.

Blake Browning, Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville (TX) 6-0, 281 Offensive Lineman Committed on June 14, 2014 Senior Season Highlights: Browning anchors a solid offensive line for the Hawks, who raced out to a 7-3 record. Hendrickson heads into the playoffs after winning three of its final four games.

Michael Anderson

Michael Anderson, Owasso High School, Owasso (OK) 6-3, 230 pounds Defensive End Committed on July 2, 2014 Senior Season Highlights: Anderson has helped the Rams to an impressive 9-1 record with wins over Jenks and Broken Arrow. Owassoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only loss is to No. 1 ranked Union. In 10 games, Anderson has 52 tackles, seven sacks and one fumble recovery. 48

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Will Hefley, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock (AR) 6-4, 205 pounds Quarterback Committed on June 10, 2014 Senior Season Highlights: Hefley leads a potent Bruins offense, helping Pulaski reel off nine straight wins after losing the season opener. In 10 games, Hefley has completed 210 of 283 passes for 3,305 yards with 46 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He is completing over 74 percent of his passes and averages 330 yards per game.

Will Hefley

Recruiting Jordan Milburn, Ball High School, Galveston (TX) 6-1, 205 pounds Linebacker Committed on October 29, 2014

Senior Season Highlights: Ball High struggled to a 3-7 record this season, but Milburn and the defense kept the Tornadoes close in most games. The Ball defense held opponents to 17 points or less in all but three games.

Tristan Wyatt, Shawnee High School, Shawnee (OK) 6-4, 292 Offensive Lineman Committed on June 25, 2014

David Richardson II, Rockwall-Heath High School, Heath (TX) 5-11, 170 pounds Defensive Back Committed on July 19, 2014

Senior Season Highlights: Wyatt is part of a strong Shawnee offensive line that paves the way for a solid rushing attack. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 7-3 record and have potential for a state championship run.

Senior Season Highlights: The Hawks are heading into the playoffs with an 8-2 record and a six game winning streak. Richardson is having a stellar year with 47 tackles, nine pass deflections, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.

*Verbal commitments are non-binding. High school football recruits may sign national letters of intent in February. Recruiting information provided by InsideTulsaSports.com.

Javon Thomas, Texas High School, Texarkana (TX) 6-2, 210 pounds Running Back Committed on June 11, 2014

Senior Season Highlights: After two losses to start the season, the Tigers won six of their next seven games, earning a playoff spot in the process. During the regular season, Thomas racked up 656 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 135 carries.

McKinley Whitfield, Spiro High School, Spiro (OK) 6-4, 195 Safety Committed on November 11, 2014

Senior Season Highlights: Whitfield has played quarterback, receiver, linebacker, safety and more in helping Spiro to a 7-2 record and a playoff spot. He finished the regular season with approximately 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing on offense, while making 90 tackles on defense.

McKinley Whitfield

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