Happy Hump Day, friends and fans!

On Wednesday, Lon Kruger and his Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team signed a pair of 2021 prospects in four-star shooting guard C.J. Noland and three-star point guard Bijan Cortes.

Noland signs with the Sooners out of Waxahachie, Texas and chose OU over offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, where his father once starred. At 6’3, 215, he already possesses college-ready size with the ability to use his strength to out-muscle opposing guards. He’s someone whose stock skyrocketed over the final months of his recruitment, and its easy to see why.

Cortes is a Sooner State native from Kingfisher, Okla. The 6’1 guard isn’t shy about letting it fly, especially from beyond the arc. Under Kruger, he’ll certainly have plenty of chances to showcase his talents as a scorer and distributor.

With the Sooners missing out on five-star big man Daimion Collins, Oklahoma’s attention now turns To funding an interior presence to finish out the class.

OU’s 2020-21 season tips off on Wednesday, Nov. 25 against Steve Henson’s UTSA Roadrunners.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Baker is back, ‘Big Canada’ makes his presence felt in ‘Big D’, OKC finally names its next head coach and more!

OU Links

• Sophomore WR Jadon Haselwood made his 2020 debut on Saturday against the Kansas Jayhawks after coming off a knee injury he sustained in April. After hauling in a 33-yard pass in the second half, the former five-star recruit reflected on his journey back to the field.

• SI Sooners’ John Hoover relays Lincoln Riley’s thoughts on how Oklahoma is approaching this off-week compared to earlier in the season. With the dangers of COVID-19 still looming over college football, it’s especially important for OU to navigate cautiously with so much still left to play for.
• On Wednesday, Baker Mayfield was reactivated from the Cleveland Browns’ reserve/COVID list following standard contract tracing protocol. He’ll be back behind center this Sunday to lead his team against the Houston Texans.

• Kyler Murray is doing things statistically that literally no other player has ever done in NFL history. Also, he’s making the Arizona Cardinals relevant again, which is a feat on its own.

• Dallas Cowboys rookie DT Neville Gallimore turned in the best performance of his young career in last Sunday’s narrow loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Afterward, head coach Mike McCarthy took notice of the former Sooner’s strong play in the middle.
• Happy Veterans Day to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our nation’s military. Thank you all for your sacrifices. Also, shout out to my parents for the pledge they made to protect us and the liberties we have the privilege of enjoying.

Around the Sports World

• After months of not naming a replacement for Billy Donovan, on Wednesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder have officially promoted 35-year-old assistant Mark Daigneault as the team’s next head coach.

• Due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases, the LSU Tigers’ home game against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide has been postponed. So far, a make-up date has not yet been determined.
• Speaking of postponements around the SEC, the No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies’ road game versus the Tennessee Volunteers has also been nixed from this weekend’s slate and has since been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12.
• After some serious allegations of physical and verbal abuse, the Wichita State Shockers have reportedly parted ways with Gregg Marshall — the program’s winningest head coach in school history.

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