How’s it going, friends and fans? If you’ve been following along with Oklahoma Sooners athletics over the past year, you know how special of a year it’s been for OU across a number of sports. The teams have had tremendous success, and the players that make those teams go have had some remarkable campaigns. One of those players is Paige Parker, and now she’s being recognized for her outstanding season by being named the Big 12 Female Sportsperson of the Year.

This is a huge honor for both Paige Parker and the University of Oklahoma. In a field of several incredible athletes, Parker is the cream of the crop. Congratulations, Paige!

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Lincoln Riley’s raise puts him among the upper echelon, Bobby Evans is considered Oklahoma’s most underrated player, the Thunder are the only team to draft MVPs in three straight drafts, and more!

OU Links

• After four years of the College Football Playoff, several head coaches have seen significant pay bumps after taking their respective schools to the their first (the coach’s first, that is) appearance in the sport’s revamped postseason, and Lincoln Riley’s raise aligns with that.
• Lauren Chamberlain, who is one of the athletes featured in the latest ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, hopes her photo shoot will inspire young girls everywhere and allow her to serve as a role model for body image positivity.
• Class of 2019 five-star wide receiver commit Theo Wease also strives to be a role model for kids with how he carries himself and how he gives back to his community. The future of Oklahoma football is in good hands with players like Theo in the fold.

• Spencer Rattler, the four-star (soon to be five-star?) QB commit out of Arizona, stays humble amidst being one of the biggest names in high school football.
• According to ESPN, Bobby Evans is the Sooners’ most underrated player going into 2018, and it’s tough to disagree with that. Evans was one of Oklahoma’s top performers along the offensive line (and in the offense in general) in 2017, so he certainly appears poised for a big year with his new placement at left tackle.

Around the Sports World

• Oh, how the times have changed. Still, after James Harden took home the NBA MVP Award last night, the OKC Thunder became the first franchise in NBA history to draft three consecutive eventual MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. And yes, that fact is painful.

• For a comprehensive list of all the award winners from last night’s NBA Awards ceremony, your one-stop-shop is right here.
• Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is on the cover of the new NBA Live ‘19 video game. I, myself, am more of a 2K fan, but this NBA Live One Edition doesn’t look half bad.

• College Football on television wouldn't have the same resonance without the music that introduces the production. So which are the best lead-in themes in the history of the sport’s programming? What Richard Johnson is really asking is... does it slap?

• For good of for bad, there are some turnover records in the NFL that are virtually unbreakable. Some big names are attached to them, including the legendary Brett Favre.

Stick to Sports!

• The folks at NASA are at it again. Exploring Mars, our neighboring planet in the Solar System, with the help of land-based rovers has led to a number of scientific discoveries that have furthered our knowledge of the red world beyond this pale blue one. Now, NASA is taking its research to new heights — literally. In 2021, NASA’s next rover will land on Mars, only this time it will be capable of flight. The ‘Marscopter’ will be “the first helicopter to ever fly on a planetary body other than Earth.” Technology is cool, man.

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