What’s up, everyone?

It appears that the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team has filled its vacant assistant coaching spot with Miami’s Alvin “Pooh” Williamson. Last month, Chris Crutchfield took a job as the associate head coach at Arkansas. The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto has more:

Williamson is an Okmulgee, Okla. native and Tulsa University alum. Over the course of his 23-year coaching career, he’s spent time as an assistant at places like Wichita State, Texas A&M, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Memphis and the aforementioned Miami. Judging from his coaching stops, his recruiting knowledge of the region in and around Oklahoma could be quite useful to the Sooners.

Lon Kruger has had the luxury of having some solid assistants on his staff throughout his tenure at Oklahoma. Several of them have moved on to become head coaches like Lew Hill at UTRGV and Steve Henson at UTSA. Others like Crutchfield and Kevin Kruger moved on to become assistants elsewhere with increased roles.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Oklahoma looks to bounce back against the Bruins, Gerald McCoy picks the Panthers, Mack Brown’s knee replacement surgeon used to play for him and more!

OU Links

• Ouch. Game 1 of the WCWS Championship Finals was not one to remember for Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners, but no matter how ugly it was, it still only counts as one. OU will try to tie up this series against UCLA tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

• Kenneth Murray has manned the middle of Oklahoma’s defense for two seasons, but now he has some serious competition for the MIKE linebacker spot with DaShaun White in the mix. The one and only RJ Young from OU Insider takes a look inside this key position battle.
• After taking a long hard look at a few teams around the league, former Sooners DT Gerald McCoy has decided to sign with the Carolina Panthers. For a while it appeared that Baltimore was the team to beat, with Cleveland also lurking in the mix. I know GK will make that organization better just for having him.

• Oklahoma City natives Blake and Taylor Griffin know how essential it is to have adequate exposure as young basketball players when it comes to being recruited for college. Recently they spoke about their efforts to give back to OKC’s next generation with the resources they’ve acquired ever since. These brothers are doing some great work in the community.
• Former Sooners and current Ravens teammates Tony Jefferson and Marquise Brown are having a grand old time jamming to some Taylor Swift. Appropriate song choice as well, given Hollywood is 22 now. Happy birthday!

• Speaking of the Ravens, another pair of former Sooners recently photobombed a newly married couple at the beach. Check out Orlando Brown Jr. and Mark Andrews with Baltimore teammates Willie Snead and Tyus Bowser. This is awesome.

Around the Sports World

• Kawhi Leonard has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Nike for improperly using a unique logo he designed himself in 2011.
• Nobody has been able to shut down Golden State’s offense consistently throughout these playoffs, but Toronto broke out a defensive method that is normally only seen in middle school. Crazily enough, it actually worked. Should the Raptors continue this unorthodox strategy?
• Over the last handful of seasons, Oregon State has been one of the worst Power Five programs in the nation. Even in the less-than-stellar Pac-12, the Beavers have failed to put forth a winning season in the last five years. So what does Bill Connelly think of their chances to reverse that abysmal trend in 2019?
• Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown recently underwent knee replacement surgery, and the surgeon who performed the surgery was a former player of his. Small world.
• Professional sports gambler James Holzhauer’s incredible run on ‘Jeopardy!’ finally came to an end on Monday’s episode, and while he did not pass up Ken Jennings as the all-time highest earner, his aggressive tactics and quirky personality emphatically won the nation over. Well done, man.

Stick to Sports!

• In 1975, Bob Dylan went on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour through a politically and spiritually divided America. Not only was it an experiential journey for Dylan and the other artists he performed with, it was an opportunity for self-reinvention. Legendary director Martin Scorsese brings you a unique reflection on how it all unfolded, told by the people who lived it. The concert-doc also features Dylan’s first on-screen interview in quite some time. You can find this film streaming on Netflix starting June 12.

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