ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR!!

The Sixth Annual Bracket Challenge is upon us. Unlike last year there is no prize. I work for the federal Government and will not know if I have a job come tournament time. I wasn’t going to do this but against my better judgement I am. I didn’t want to break the streak so here you go. Even there is nothing of value I still have rules and they will be adhered to. If you don’t make your bracket name your board name I will comment one time that you need to change it to your board name. If come the Thursday of the tournament and you haven’t changed it then I will remove it. There are rules for a reason. This is for fun strictly and that is all. You don’t want to participate then you are not hurting my feelings.

Rules: (These are strictly adhered to)

1. You are only allowed one bracket entry.
2. Your bracket name must be your handle on ITS. IF I cannot find the (@name) then your bracket is ineligible.
3. I will lock entries at 10 am on the first day of the round of 64.


This is a private group for board members.

The Group Name is Hurricane Alley 2025

The password is ReignCane2025 and yes it is case sensitive

https://fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?...&joinKey=22979deb-620d-3f86-b010-aaf487d8a2e7

If the first hundred days of a new presidency are critical to setting priorities and getting key issues addressed. It is informative to look at what Trump is initially focusing on. While he stated what he would do, seeing how he did it offered even more information. For example, he did say he would pardon the patriots who tried to overthrow the government on Jan 6, but few thought he would pardon everyone, including those who had assaulted police. So what does that tell us that we didn't already know? A clear statement that no matter what you do, as long as you do what Trump wants, he will protect you. The perfect message is you want members of you administration to ignore the law, and just do as you say.

With that established, firing inspector generals in almost all the government departments reinforces the message. Curiously many of those IGs were hired by Trump's previous time in office, but four years of adherence to the law under the Biden administration means a new set is required.

While some of Trumps EOs are unconstitutional and illegal, it will take time to reverse them. Meanwhile Trump' has sent the message to his administration to not worry about breaking the law, he'll pardon you no matter what. And by the way with the IG's gone, illegal actions may not come to light anyway.

Will our institutions withstand this approach? We'll find out.

It now looks like we will be throwing tens (maybe hundreds) of billions into Ukraine. What is the plan here? Simply out spend and out last Russia? Give Putin those eastern areas and rebuild the rest of the country? Haven’t seen any sort of strategy outlined.

I guess we have to have one. And it will start with the same question. Why do we start no- offense McWright when we need scoring?

Isaiah Barnes led four Tulsa players in double-figures, but the Hurricane fell to Tulane 79-77 on Saturday.

Isaiah Barnes led four Tulsa players in double-figures, but the Hurricane fell to Tulane 79-77 on Saturday.

Champ Week Has started today. This will be the only champ week post except for the AAC tournament as that will be separate.

The Atlantic Sun starts everything off with two play in games at the campus of the number 1 and 2 teams as that is who they will play tomorrow. Stetson and Central Arkansas are playing at Lipscomb. Austin Peay and North Florida are at North Alabama. Winners will play the site hosts tomorrow.

TU up 13-8, about 4 minutes left first quarter.

Game thread on free board started well into the 2nd half

Enough said.

Assume most of us believe an audit of our over $6T spending is long overdue. I also assume my friends on the left hate the fact that it’s being undertaken by President Musk.

Seems like one of the more consequential things to occur in federal government in years…for better or worse.

Thoughts?

Mary Beth over at Buck Atom’s on 11th is selling a coffee table style book called Lost Restaurants of Tulsa.

There’s a photo of Pennington’s Drive In on the cover.

So I thought it might make a good thread topic, since our discussions on what the current best burger inevitably drift into debate about what was once the best burger years ago.

I’ll start with St. Michael’s Alley.

Loved that place when I was in school.

For those unfamiliar or forgetful, it was in the Ranch Acres Shopping Center at 31st and Harvard.

It’s where I took “nice” girls before we got naughty for the first time. It was kind of a hidden gem. Close to TU with really good food. But unless you she was a snooty WASPy chick that went to Cascia or Edison for high school, they had never heard of it.

Stellar grilled chicken. Burger was solid. They had like a roast beef/prime rib thing that wasn’t always on the menu or on special, but when they had it it was Top 10 meals in Tulsa for under $20.

There aren’t that many nice places in Tulsa anymore where you can take a date, or enjoy an open mic, or drink box wine at home then head over there, order food then puke on the floor, ask for the food to go and not really feel too bad about it.

It was perfect.

Honorable mention: The Taste-E-Freeze across from Owasso High School where they filmed part of The Outsiders. When I was playing U16s and classic, my dad would spring for burgers and shakes there after road games if I didnt get a yellow card for dissent. (He didn’t mind my dirty play. He hated my dirty mouth).

Anybody else have a favorite that is long gone?

Off to the usual start.

Tulsa Football’s 2025 The American Schedule Announced

TULSA, Okla. –– The American Athletic Conference announced its 2025 football slate on Friday afternoon, completing the first Golden Hurricane schedule of the Tre Lamb era.

Tulsa’s 12-game regular season schedule will feature six games at H.A. Chapman Stadium – two nonconference and four games against The American opponents. For the first time since 2004, all of Tulsa’s regular season home games are scheduled for a Saturday kickoff. The six road contests include two nonconference matchups.

Of the eight conference games, three are against teams the Hurricane did not play last season, while five are repeats with the hosting assignments swapped from the previous matchup. Tulsa will play against every team who finished in the top five of the league standings in 2024, facing two at home and three on the road.

The Hurricane opens its season in front of the home crowd on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Abilene Christian. Tulsa goes on the road for the first time for a Sept. 6 meeting with New Mexico State. It’s the first meeting against the Aggies since 2001 in a series Tulsa leads 15-4.

TU and OSU play the next iteration of the Gateway First Bank Turnpike Classic in Stillwater on Sept. 20. The Golden Hurricane will also host Oregon State in a nonconference matchup on Saturday, Nov. 15. The contest is Tulsa’s first-ever meeting with the Beavers.

TU hosts the Naval Academy on Sept. 13 to open The American play, when the Hurricane will seek its first home win against the Midshipmen. Following the Oklahoma State game, Tulsa welcomes last season’s runner-up Tulane to H.A. Chapman on Sept. 27. The Hurricane is 13-7 all-time against the Green Wave.

October opens at Memphis for the first conference road trip of the season. Tulsa is 5-9 in the Liberty Bowl against the Tigers. Oct. 11 is the first open date of the season.

A Thursday contest on Oct. 16 at East Carolina awaits Tulsa out of the bye. The Pirates and Hurricane met last season in a Thursday night contest that went down to the wire. TU’s lone home game in October comes against Temple on Oct. 25. This will be the 10th meeting between the schools in a series Tulsa leads 5-4. Nov. 1 is the second open week of the season. Then, Tulsa will play at Florida Atlantic on Nov. 8 before the home contest with Oregon State on the 15th.

TU’s final road contest will see the Hurricane travel to West Point on Nov. 22 to face Army, the defending American Athletic Conference champions. This is Tulsa’s second trip to Michie Stadium. The Hurricane knocked off the Black Knights 49-39 in the other meeting on Nov. 17, 2007.

The Hurricane hosts UAB on Nov. 29 to complete the 2025 regular season. The last time the Blazers visited H.A. Chapman, Tulsa rolled to a 37-20 victory. TU leads the overall series 4-1 and is 2-0 at home against UAB.

The 2025 American Athletic Conference Football Championship will be either Friday, Dec. 5 or Saturday, Dec. 6. More information regarding the date of the game will release in later months. The conference championship is played at the home site of the top team in the conference based on league standings.

Tulsa 2025 Football Schedule

Anyone familiar with the Sheffield United local club. They are looking to start a team for “2013 youth”. My son has been approached about his son signing up?
Should 6 year olds really be in a competitive club like Sheffield?

Placed on administrative leave by BTW High School. Very few facts and lots of rumors only so far.

Anyone notice that almost all of the marketing materials and social media content now refers to TU as UTulsa? Not sure how I feel about it.

Thoughts ? I think it’s a terrible hire

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Just as I feared... January 6th is going to become a Beerhall Putsch for Trump and his insane followers.

This is exactly why Trump should have been convicted when he was impeached.

TU has led by as much as 7. Lots of disruption by us in defending so far.

From a USF publication...


Temple Owls

New coach: K.C. Keeler from Sam Houston State

Outlook: The Owls have finished with 3-9 records in each of the last four seasons, but Keeler could be the home-run hire that gets them moving in the right direction. He won FCS national titles at Delaware and Sam Houston State. In xx years as a head coach, Keeler is 271-112-1. The cupboard may be bare at Temple, but it probably won’t be for long. Give Temple an “A” for this hire.

Charlotte 49ers

New coach: Tim Albin from Ohio University

Outlook: The administration at Charlotte hasn’t shown that it knows what it’s doing, but that could changing with Albin taking over after the failed Biff Poggi experiment. Albin has only been a head coach for three years (all at Ohio U) but he guided the Bobcats to 10 wins in each season. It may take a season or two, but it looks like Charlotte has its man. Give the school an “A” for this move.

Rice Owls

New coach: Scott Abell from Davidson

Outlook: Rice was feisty at times under previous coach Mike Bloomgren but not consistent. USF can testify to the feisty part; the Owls upset the Bulls in the final game of the 2024 regular season under interim coach Pete Alamar. Abell comes to Rice after three straight trips to the FCS playoffs. Davidson only had seven wins or more four times since 1970 before Abell arrived in 2018. He accomplished that four times in his first six seasons. Fun fact: Abell fancies the triple option and his teams consistently led FCS programs in rushing. Give the Owls an “A-“ minus for this one.

East Carolina Pirates

New coach: Blake Harrell

Outlook: Harrell forced the school’s hand after winning five of six games after taking over as the interim head coach when Mike Houston was fired. The run included a 26-21 win over North Carolina State in the Military Bowl. One caveat: three of the wins were against Temple, Florida Atlantic, and Tulsa, so it wasn’t exactly murderers row. Still, never apologize for wins and give East Carolina a solid “B” for this move.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

New coach: Tre Lamb from East Tennessee State

Outlook: Tulsa was kind enough to give former coach Kevin Wilson a ride home from Tampa after Bulls ripped the Golden Hurricane 63-30 (it wasn’t that close). Wilson was on his own upon arrival, joining the fired football coaches club. Lamb did good work at Gardner-Webb before going to ETSU, where he stayed only one season and went 7-5. He must have been impressive in the interviews. Give this one a “C”.

Florida Atlantic Owls

New coach: Zach Kittley from Texas Tech, where he was the offensive coordinator

Outlook: The Tom Herman era ended with a splat as the former Texas and Houston coach went 6-16 in less than two seasons in Boca Raton. There is a lot of work to do at FAU and this is another situation that looks like a multi-year rebuild. Kittley, 33, is the youngest FBS head coach but this looks like a job that could age him rapidly. His offenses weren’t overwhelming at Texas Tech, so let’s call this one a reach and give FAU a “D” for this hire.

This is a thread where we’ll list new offers from Coach Konkol and his staff. We’ll also keep a running list of offers for the 2023, 2024, 2025 and beyond classes.

Offer List - Updated 4/27/24


2023 -
PG 6-1 Tyshawn Archie, Spire Academy, OH, signed with Tulsa
PG 6-1 Sebastian Perry, OKC, committed to Omaha
PG 6-1 Edgerrin James JR, Orlando, FL, committed to Cincinnati
SG 6-4 Parker Friedrichsen, Tulsa, OK, committed to Wake Forest
SG 6-3 Jamari McDowell, Manvel, TX, committed to Kansas
SG 6-5 Alex Cotton, Carrollton, TX, committed to North Texas
SG 6-5 Aaron Franklin, Hutchinson CC
SF 6-8 Trent Pierce, Tulsa, OK, committed to Missouri
SF 6-6 Malik Presley, San Marcos, TX, committed to Vanderbilt
SF 6-8 Apolosa Buru Naivalurua, Garden City CC, KS, committed to Oakland
SF 6-8 Justin Johnson, Miami, FL
SF 6-7 Jadrian Tracey, Fla SW CC, committed to Oregon
SF 6-9 Keyondre Young, Triton CC, IL, committed to DePaul
SF 6-6 Carlous Williams, Pearl River CC, MS, committed to Tulsa
SF 6-6 Jordan Burks, Kissimmee, FL, committed to Ole Miss
PF 6-8 Joseph (Jojo) Tugler, Houston TX, committed to Houston
PF 6-9 Jaydn Toppin, Dallas, TX, committed to New Mexico
PF 6-8 Jarred Hall, Lebanon, TN, committed to Tulsa
PF 6-10 Drayton (Diesel) Jones, Oak Hill Academy, VA, committed to South Carolina State
PF 6-9 Yaxel Lindeborg, Arizona Western CC
PF 6-9 Okechukwu Okeke, Tallahassee, CC, committed to FIU
PF 6-9 Matthew Reed, Lewisville, TX, committed to Tulsa
PF 6-8 Jaquan Scott, Salt Lake CC, UT, committed to Mississippi State
C 6-9 Samson Aleton, Dallas, committed to Yale
C 7-0 Babacar Mbengue, Williamstown, NJ, committed to DePaul
C 6-10 Brock Vice, Germantown, TN, committed to Creighton
C 6-10 Joshua Jones, Austin, TX, committed to ORU
C 6-10 Larry Olayinka, Garden City CC, committed to Utah Tech

2024 -

PG 6-2 Isaac Williams, Oak Cliff, TX, committed to Texas A&M CC
PG 6-3 Lorenzo Cason, Lakeland, FL, committed to Florida Atlantic
PG 6-1 Jeremiah Wilkinson, Smyrna, GA, committed to California
PG 6-6 Mozae Downing-Rivers, Barton CC, committed to Missouri State
PG 6-4 Bo Aldridge, Topeka, KS, committed to Arizona State
CG 6-3 KJ Windham, Indianapolis, committed to Northwestern
CG 6-3 David Castillo, Bartlesville, OK, committed to Kansas State
CG 6-3 T.O. Barrett, Edmond, OK, committed to Missouri
CG 6-4 Isaiah Brown, Orlando, FL, committed to Florida
CG 6-4 Brooks Bahr, Keller, TX, committed to BYU
CG 6-3 Jonah Hinton, Panola CC, TX
SF 6-7 Braden Hausen, Amarillo,TX, committed to High Point
SG 6-5 Kameren Wright, Gainesville, FL
SF 6-6 Chance Puryear, Dallas, TX, committed to SMU
SF 6-6 Jeff Nwankwo, Cowley CC, KS
SF 6-7 Dink Pate, Dallas, TX, Going G-League
PF 6-7 Josiah Moseley, Round Rock, TX, committed to Villanova
PF 6-9 Nicolas Codie, Carrollton, TX, committed to Texas
PF 6-9 Jamie Vinson, Austin, TX, committed to Vanderbilt
PF 6-8 Malcolm Thomas, Baltimore, eliminated Tulsa
C 6-9 Doryan Onwuchekwa, DeSoto, TX, committed to Colorado
C 6-9 Ian Smikle, Suncoast, FL, committed to Tulsa
C 6-11 Mitchell Holmes, Branson, Mo, committed to SMU
C 7-1 Daniel Jacobson, Legacy Early College, SC, committed to Purdue
C 7-3 Trent Burns, Cypress, TX, committed to Missouri

2025

C 6-9 Alejandro Aviles, Glendale, AZ
SF 6-9 Aleks Alston, Chicago
SG 6-4 King Grace, Waxahachie, TX
PF 6-8 Dakotah Terrell, Pocola, OK
PF 6-8 Kaiden Rayfield, Putnam City
SF 6-6 CJ Nickson, Weatherford, OK
CG 6-4 Jaylon Dean-Vines, Dallas
2026

F 6-9 Jalen Montonati, Owasso, OK
C 6-10 John Fleeman, Kingsville, MO

I figured I would start this thread. My son will be playing for Union (starting JV goalie and varsity backup). I will learn a lot tomorrow about what the season will look like and who the teams to beat after tomorrow's preseason festival in BA. I know Union will be playing BA and Bixby and there may be a 3rd game thrown in. Things kick at BA's Kirkland Complex (between 71st and 81st on Lynn Lane) at 2pm for Union (Union varsity/JV vs BA at 2pm (I would assume main field will be varsity, lower field for JV). Union will then play Bixby at 4:15pm (same set up).

BA has something like 10 seniors on their team this year. Union has 18! And while 18 seems a lot there are about 8 of them that have never appeared in a varsity game...I do think most of them are at least rostered with varsity for the start of the season. Out of the 18, the entire Union defense is seniors and have been starting and playing together for the last 3 years. The back 5 all play for the Blitz 04/05 EA team and the GK plays for the TSC 04/05 ECNL team. Interestingly the primary goal scorer will be a junior...and he's one of the fastest people I've ever seen with the ball at his feet. Union is also working with a 2 HC system this year as 2 of the assistants are basically sharing interim HC duties...Union's HC is dealing with a custody issue in one of the tribal court systems right now and is away from the team. From what I've heard Union will be among the top 4 teams in the state along with BA, Norman North, and maybe one of the Edmond schools (Memorial or North...will learn more about them this Saturday at the Deer Creek tournament). Bixby lost a lot last year but may have the top returning GK in the state in Casey Copenhaver. Owasso also has an excellent GK but the rest of that team lacks speed and technical precision. Jenks will be solid but believe it or not they're still struggling to find a way to replace Will Edwards...they just don't have that dynamic special player to carry them when needed nor enough dynamic pieces to make up the production, a la the Oakland A's moneyball roster.