Anybody not going?

'Not a B.S. guy': What kind of recruiter will Derek Mason be for Oklahoma State?​

Scott Wright
Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Jordan Watkins was preparing for basketball practice at Woodward High School in Decatur, Georgia, when Derek Mason showed up.

It was 2011 and Mason had just been promoted to defensive coordinator at Stanford when he made the cross-country trip to the Atlanta suburb to recruit Watkins.

“I could just see how excited he was to be there and meet me and introduce himself,” Watkins recalled. “It was one of those things where you could see and sense his passion and how much he loved what he was doing.“But it wasn’t just part of his recruiting pitch. One time when we went to the campus for a visit, even when you saw him around the other players who were already on the team, you still felt it.”

It’s been more than a decade since Watkins first met Mason, yet the former Stanford defensive lineman still talks about his coach with reverence.

And it all started with the foundation the two formed in that first meeting outside the basketball gym at Woodward High.

Mason, who on Jan. 26 was named the new defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, has been a successful recruiter at each of his previous stops, particularly at Stanford from 2010-13 and as the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014-20.

Mason dives deep into the lives of the players he recruits. He learns about them. He gets to know their families. He shows them he cares about them as a person, not just a football player.

“I still sensed that after he left,” Watkins said. “We had a game in Arizona, and I guess he was just at home, or maybe he was out there recruiting. He knew where we were staying, so he stopped by.

“He was talking to parents. It’s not like he had anything to sell them on anymore. But he took the time out of his day to speak with my parents and I’m sure with others, too, which shows that it wasn’t just the recruiting pitch when he’s in your living room or at your school. He genuinely meant what he said.”

Relationships with parents can be a key piece of the recruiting puzzle, but Mason treats those interactions the same way he treats those with players — he shoots straight.

“He cuts to the chase,” said Allan George, who was recruited to Vanderbilt as a defensive back in 2017. “One thing he stressed while he was at Vanderbilt was getting to know the parents of the recruit, and he would always make a promise to them that they’d be getting a better product back than the one they gave him after four years.

“He harps on that and transforms young men into being something that’s not just a football player whenever the pads and the helmet are put down for the rest of your life.”

George, who is from Andalusia, Alabama, didn’t get approached by Vanderbilt until late in the recruiting process.

“I met Coach Mason for the first time on my official visit, and it was instantaneous,” George said. “He just electrified the room. He brings a lot of volume, not with how loud he speaks, but he carries himself in a way that you feel his presence in the room, whether he’s talking or not.

“He energized me on my official and he implemented a system within my head of how he knew things were gonna work once I got to Vanderbilt, and it just rolled from there to the point that I committed.”



More than anything, Mason’s up-front honesty, and his consistency in following through on those recruiting pitches, make him a strong recruiter.

“He knows what he’s doing in recruiting,” George said. “He knows how to get talent, but he recruits the person more than the player, and I feel like that’s something that a lot of people respect about him. It’s not really any B.S. or any coach talk.”

Randy Hart was the defensive line coach at Stanford during Mason’s three years as defensive coordinator, so Hart got to see Mason’s recruiting style in action with a variety of different personality types and life situations.

“Coach Mason’s not a B.S. guy,” Hart said. “He’s not out there and gonna promise the world and not be able to come through.

“He’s thorough in his recruiting, and he’s believable. Parents like him. He’s gonna tell them the way it is, and if that’s not what the kid’s looking for, he’s OK with it.”

Triple double in last night's upset win over Cleveland.

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NEVADA.
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Just underway.

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She doesn't task it serious, so why should we?

Time to stop torturing kids.

'Just go be you': How Kalib Boone sparked OSU to Bedlam win over OU with guidance from twin Keylan​

Jacob Unruh
Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Two days ago, Keylan Boone approached his twin brother, Kalib, like they have so many times in their lives with encouragement.

Lost mentally and physically the past month on the court, Kalib was almost at a breaking point after Oklahoma State’s loss at Kansas State.

He needed to hear from Keylan.

This time, it finally clicked.

“Just go be you,” Keylan said. “Regardless if you’re scoring or rebounding, just go be the KB that everybody knows.”

And that brought out the best in both twins when the Cowboys needed it most during a huge 64-55 victory over rival OU at Gallagher-Iba Arena in the first Bedlam matchup of the season, ending a four-game losing streak.

On a day the Cowboys dominated the interior with the Boones and Moussa Cisse, the twin duo from Tulsa Memorial High School combined for 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. They fulfilled — at least for one day — the vision OSU coach Mike Boynton had after he first started recruiting the twins when they were just 15 years old.

“For these kids, I thought by time they were juniors they’d be guys that we can count on and count on consistently,” Boynton said. “Haven’t got there yet, but I got all the faith in the world that with our staff and the character that they’ll keep making progress.”


OSU is back at .500 entering Tuesday’s game at TCU. The Cowboys also have four straight wins over their Bedlam rival, with the rematch in Norman three weeks away.

The Cowboys forced 11 second-half turnovers and held the Sooners to just 37.7% shooting. But OSU also thrived with its big men.

Combine the Boones with Cisse — who had 12 points, three rebounds and a block — and the Cowboys dominated from the inside.

OSU blocked eight shots and scored 34 points in the paint, just days after Kalib, Cisse, Tyreek Smith and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe scored two combined points in the loss at Kansas State.



“It was the major, major emphasis of the game,” Boynton said. “We can’t have games like we had the other day. They can’t get basically nothing out of that position from a production standpoint.

“And to their credit, they didn’t pout about that. They took it as a challenge. They were all very, very productive today.”

Especially the Boones.

Throughout the season, Keylan has been a spark for the Cowboys off the bench, either with his 3-point shooting or energy.

He was in the first half Saturday, scoring eight of his 10 points in the opening half while making two 3s.

Kalib, meanwhile, was still frustrated offensively. He had scored just 22 points in Big 12 play as his playing time dwindled. His post-up shots were wild against OU in the opening half. He went to the bench frustrated, even unaccepting of encouragement from Boynton.

But the message then was simple from the fifth-year coach: Do you believe you belong here in this moment right now?

Kalib hung tough.

He scored all of his 12 points in the second half, clicking with his smooth post-up moves against the combination of OU’s Tanner Groves and Ethan Chargois.

In a stretch of more than 5 minutes, Kalib scored all nine of OSU’s points, helping OSU maintain a lead it would not relent after Avery Anderson III made a go-ahead layup with 15:14 remaining.

With each play Kalib made, his energy improved. So did his teammates. They encouraged OSU coaches to continue running the offense through Kalib.

“He seemed to play with more joy today,” Boynton said.

And the Cowboys finally broke out of their skid.

So did Kalib Boone. It was perfectly timed.

“I was just so happy,” Kalib said. “I was happy for my guys. Bro, this is a game we don’t lose, plus it was ‘Remember the 10.’

“I never want to lose again like that kind of game in this jersey. Every time we play that, that just means everything oughta be turned up a notch.”

All Time Record most jobs ever created first yr prez--during pandemic too!!!!

Will they never wear suit and tie again I guess.

I thought it was Republicans that were winning/cheating at the gerrymandering sweepstakes.

Or
Establishment. Or sellout our country - take your pick

Graham, McConnel, Cornyn, et al- I'd say most on Congress/senate.

Oklahoma State football: Examining move of Joe Bob Clements to linebackers coach​

Scott Wright
Oklahoman

STILLWATER — In one of his first and most important moves as OSU’s defensive coordinator, Derek Mason has shifted Joe Bob Clements to linebackers coach, as first reported by PokesReport.com.

Clements had spent the previous nine seasons at OSU coaching defensive linemen, but with the hiring of Mason, the Cowboys’ defensive staff was left with a hole to fill.

The staff had two defensive line coaches in Clements and Greg Richmond, and two defensive backs coaches in Tim Duffie (cornerbacks) and Dan Hammerschmidt (safeties).

When Mason has coached a position, he has been a defensive backs coach as well.

So the move of Clements to linebackers made for the smoothest transition without further personnel changes, and it affords Mason the ability to oversee the defense without being tied to one specific position group.

During defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ four seasons at Oklahoma State, he oversaw linebacker coaching, but primarily left it in the hands of graduate assistants Shane Eachus and Koy McFarland, neither of whom remains with the program.

Cowboys offer Vanderbilt defensive lineman​

The Oklahoma State football program has yet to bring in any transfers, but the Cowboys have an inside track with someone who recently entered the NCAA transfer portal.

On Thursday morning, Vanderbilt senior defensive tackle Raashaan Wilkins Jr. entered the portal, and before the end of the day, he had an OSU offer.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Wilkins will be a super-senior in 2022. He was recruited to Vanderbilt out of junior college by Mason, who was the Commodores’ head coach at the time.


Originally from Chicago, Wilkins played at Monterey Peninsula College in California before transferring to Vanderbilt for the 2020 season.

He started all nine games at Vandy in 2020 — Mason’s last season as head coach — and started 10 of 12 games in 2021. Over the two seasons, he totaled 21 tackles, with two for loss, and a fumble recovery.

Defensive tackle has been a position in need of immediate assistance for OSU with the loss of starter Israel Antwine to the NFL and key backup Jayden Jernigan, who transferred to Missouri.

Russell Brand talks about military propaganda on the mainstream media. How does it feel to know you’ve been played for a fool?


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Klaus Scwhaab is a total Buffoon that has billions of nefarious money to do horrible things to the people. Gates money (much) is spent with the great reset and NWO. These total loser morons want to control us at all levels. And it sure looks like they are going to succeed - so far anyways

The second amendment doesn't grant us the right to bear arms; the second amendment
DENIES the government the right to INFRINGE
on our right to bear arms

JS

59-83 - KU won by 24 and this board is complaining about our coaches and team

To turn away from fighting the 2020
Steal and making it right. People give up and let it be ok and not fight to make 2020 right. Total coup- incumbent DJT wins in a massive landslide and the global left bought the election (Democrat's, China, Soros, big tech et al)then they proceed to invade the US with open borders and jets full of young military age illegals from the Middle East and elsewhere FLOWN DIRECTLY into our country in the middle of the night.

AND BC WE DID NOTHING to stop the prez election- they proceeded to steal the senate- all bc people won't stand. We have to be like Mitch McConnel and say- oh no- don't say anything". Hell this board is what- almost all "well they stole it but nothing we can do" ? Now they will steal the midterms - to think they will stop after they have gotten away with it is so far off. They've been cheating for decades- they won't stop. Yet we stand and accept it and watch our country fall

There is a video at the bottom (just over 8 1/2 minutes) which is well worth watching.

Anyone else able to attend his MMA fight last night in Tulsa. Impressive quick win. I got to visit with him a few minutes this morning at the hotel. There were youngsters running around. Does he have children? Super humble man. You wouldn’t thank of him as a fighter.

I need some suggestions for a CPA to help me with a small LLC my wife and I own. Anyone on here a CPA?

Thanks

Never mind

Anyone watching or going to watch? Opening ceremonies are always great with the music and grandeur.
These athletes have worked their asses off to get there and deserve it.
Leave politics and China out of this.
Go USA.

I know it probably should be on Sutton. Court, but I know everyone in the Corral would love what K.B. said about the Goons.

When asked about the importance of Bedlam he said “when it’s time to play little brother, … it’s time to beat up little brother.”

Yes, sir!

Is another sooner beat down. Goons can't catch a break.

A lot of pain and frustration with the ou fanbase.