Opinion: Executing prisoners isn’t a laughing matter (Page 3)

L&A: Filmmaker to screen short films at OU (Page 2)

Sports: Find out about OU’s second all-time leading

scorer (Page 4)

W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M

T U E S D A Y , M A R C H 2 5 , 2 0 14

� e University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916 2 0 14 S I L V E R C R O W N W I N N E R

VOL. 99, NO. 122© 2014 OU Publications BoardFREE — Additional copies 25¢

WEATHER CONTACT US

A mainly sunny sky. High 57F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

INDEX

C a m p u s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

C l a s s i f i e d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

L i f e & A r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

S p o r t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4@OUDaily theoklahomadaily OUDaily

STOLEN ART

OU may face lawsuits in futureA state representative indicates OU may possess more stolen artALEX NIBLETTAssistant Campus Editor@alex_niblett

At a House Government and Modernization committee meeting Wednesday, state Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Okla., in-dicated OU might face future lawsuits regarding art stolen by Nazis that OU has acquired over time.

Reynolds’ claim follows a lawsuit against OU by Leone Meyer. Meyer is suing OU for the painting “Shepherdess Bringing In Sheep,” currently displayed at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, where it has been since 2000 when its former

owners, Aaron and Clara Weitzenhoffer, died.Though Clara Weitzenhoffer purchased the painting from a

New York gallery in 1956, Meyer wants the artwork that once belonged to her family before Nazis stole it during World War II.

Reynolds said there are possibly eight or nine other paint-ings at the university’s art museum that may have been stolen or taken in Nazi looting.

University spokesperson Michael Nash said the university is unaware of any independent claims regarding artwork at the university.

When The Daily contacted Reynolds on Monday, he wouldn’t elaborate on his statement from the meeting saying he didn’t have documentation for the individual paintings at the time.

Though he refused to comment on the paintings he men-tioned, Reynolds said certain reports art collectors are sup-posed to file do not appear to be available regarding the art-work at the university’s art museum.

Reynolds also wouldn’t share how he learned of the alleged additional paintings looted by Nazis.

Joining Reynolds at Wednesday’s meeting was OU attor-ney Shawnae Robey, who addressed the university’s current stance on “Shepherdess Bringing In Sheep.”

“We don’t want to give away property to a portion of po-tential rightful owners, and we also don’t want to give away properties until we know that it’s our property to give away, or to whom it should be given,” Robey said.

Alex Niblett, alexandra.g.niblett@ou.edu

HOME STRETCH

Spring is in the air

JESSICA WOODS/THE DAILY

International and area studies junior Robin Rainey catches up on her emails Monday afternoon by Bizzell Memorial Library. Rainey and many other students were outside Monday enjoying the warm weather and preparing for the last stretch of the spring semester.

HEALTH

Huff to host Diabetes Alert daySocial media to spread awareness

MIKE BRESTOVANSKYCampus Reporter@BrestovanskyM

The Huston Huffman Fitness Center will hold its Diabetes

Alert Day on Tuesday to raise awareness about dia-betes and its connection to fitness.

Diabetes Alert Day is part of a month-long campaign to improve diabetes aware-ness throughout the cam-pus. The Huff will provide online resources through social media, the National D i a b e t e s E d u c a t i o n Program and OU’s Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, said Amy Davenport, director of Fitness and Recreation.

PLANNING

Organizations, community to discuss revitalization of Norman

OU given executive position for program

IAS

University named Secretariat for a national State Department program

AMBER FRIENDCampus Reporter@amberthefriend

On Wednesday, city of Norman offi-cials, OU officials and representatives from several urban community-build-ing companies will meet with the pub-lic to discuss what citizens of Norman want the city to look like in the future.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church located at 235 W Duffy St. and is open to the public, ac-cording to the city of Norman’s website.

The meeting will kick off the Center City Vision project, a program to gather public opinions and goals for Norman’s center city so that they can be taken into account when develop-ing new city designs and regulations, Norman revitalization planner Susan Atkinson said.

The project will focus on commercial and residential areas near Downtown’s West Main Street and Campus Corner, according to the city’s website.

Developing this area has caused

Focus meeting to include a survey for residents to voice opinions

KATE BERGUMCampus Reporter@kateclaire_b

OU will be Secretariat for a new program launched by the U.S. Department of State meant to engage students and fac-ulty in policy-making while contributing research to aid the department.

As Secretariat, OU offcials will coordinate all colleges and universities participating in the Diplomacy Lab program, a program where select colleges and universities around the country can participate in research projects starting in the fall, accord-ing to a press release.

Secretary of State John Kerry announced OU’s position in the Diplomacy Lab program March 18 at a town hall meeting with college students and interns, according to the press release.

OU’s College of International and Area Studies and College of Law are currently involved in a pilot program for the Diplomacy Labs, according to the press re-lease. In these courses, students are researching topics that will be submitted to the State Department.

Suzette Grillot, dean of the College of International Studies, said the two colleges have been involved with the

SEE HEALTH PAGE 2

SEE IAS PAGE 2

confusion for builders because of land use requests that can’t be processed under 60-year-old zoning regulations, Atkinson said.

The Norman City Council, mayor and involved citizens met earlier this year and decided to deal with the root of the problem instead of handling

issues on a case-by-case basis, as well as put an emphasis on public opinion, Atkinson said.

The meeting will start by random-ly grouping attendees, who will then participate in discussions, surveys and

SEE PLANNING PAGE 2

TONY RAGLE/THE DAILY

A focus group meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Fellowship Hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church. The meeting’s focus will be about the future of Norman’s Center City and is open to the public. JOHN KERRY

SECRETARY OF STATE

Sports: Find out about OU’s second all-time leading

scorer (Page 4)

W W W . O U D A I L Y . C O MW W W . O U D A I L Y . C O M

STOLEN ART

pilot program for the spring 2014 se-mester and the courses are still in progress.

Grillot said the College of International and Area Studies will help manage and staff the Diplomacy Lab.

Though students may be involved in projects in-tegrated into their courses, they will not be involved with the work or duties of the Secretariat, Grillot said.

In addition to serving as Secretariat, Grillot said OU officials

will be able to submit proposals and project ideas to the Diplomacy Lab, like all other schools interested in working with the program.

Grillot said the new program will help students gain expe-rience while helping the State Department gain insight and new ideas.

“The Diplomacy Lab is an exciting opportu-nity for students to get involved by working on real-world problems and contributing much need-ed research and infor-mation for the U.S. State Department,” Grillot said.

OU students who want to be involved in the program can work

with faculty and submit project ideas to the Diplomacy Lab Secretariat web-site May 1.

The website will not be available until May 1, when OU begins its duties as Secretariat, according to the press release.

Schools interested in being in-volved in the lab can apply from May 1 to May 30, according to the State Department’s website. As Secretariat, OU will accept their applications.

State Department officials will se-lect 20 universities to participate in the program, according to the depart-ment’s website.

Kate Bergumkate.c.bergum-1@ou.edu

LIFE&ARTS Tony Beaulieu, life & arts editorLuke Reynolds, assistant editor

dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/life&arts • Twitter: @OUDailyArts

FILM

Native artist brings work to OU

PHOTO PROVIDED

Apache filmmaker Dustinn Craig holds a camera on location at the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona. Craig’s films will be screened from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

SARAH PITTSLife & Arts Reporter@s_spitts

The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art will screen short films by Apache filmmaker Dustinn Craig from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday as part of a current exhibit on the work of Apache artist Allan Houser.

Craig is an established filmmaker whose art represents a generation influenced by many historic artists, such as Houser.

“We were looking for examples of contemporary Apache artists, and Dustinn Craig’s work is exemplary of an art-ist who examines the Apache culture both historically and in the present,” said Susan Baley, the museum’s director of education.

Baley said Craig’s films will provide a more expansive vi-sion of the present Apache culture, in addition to the historic vision provided by the Houser drawings.

The Houser exhibition will be at the art museum until May 18 in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday. Accordingly, the exhibition features 100 of Houser’s draw-ings, which encompass a variety of subjects.

Baley and the Houser exhibition curator, W. Jackson Rushing III, worked to bring Craig to OU to create another opportunity to reach out into the community.

“We wanted to celebrate Houser as someone who has an influence on contemporary artists,” Rushing said. “Dustinn

Craig has achieved some re-nown at a rather young age for the quality of his work.”

O n e o f C ra i g ’s f i l m s, “Geronimo,” especially re-lates to the exhibition be-cause Houser was the first member of the Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache tribe to be born outside captivity after Geronimo’s surrender and tribe imprisonment in 1886, Baley said.

Craig has also been very involved with the promotion and depiction of modern Apache skateboard culture as a way of bringing mod-ern Apache art to life. Some of his work in this subject is

currently a part of the “Ramp It Up” exhibition at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.

“I think he brings another contemporary voice to the exhi-bition in another form of native expression,” said Dan Swan, curator at the natural history museum.

The inclusion of Craig’s films and involvement in youth culture will bring understanding of the history of the Apache tribe and how its culture continues today to the Houser exhibition.

The film-screening event with Craig is free and open to the public.

Sarah Pitts, s.elizabethpitts@ou.edu

GO AND DODustinn Craig shorts screeningWhen: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art

Price: Free

Info: The screening is part of the museum’s current exhibit on Apache artist Allan Houser.

Dustinn Craig’s work is exemplary of an

artist who examines the Apache culture both historically and

in the present.”SUSAN BALEY,

FRED JONES JR. MUSEUM OF ART DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

‘‘

Acclaimed Apache filmmaker to screen short films at Fred Jones Jr. Museum

Paighten Harkins, campus editor Alex Niblett, assistant editor

dailynews@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com • Twitter: @OUDaily

2 • Tuesday, March 25, 2014

CAMPUS

This year’s campaign focuses on pre-diabetes and its risks, as well as possibly preventing or delaying diabetes through exercise, Davenport said.

“It may be that someone is aware of diabetes and risk fac-tors but needs to review as our bodies change,” Davenport said.

While diabetes is not necessarily debilitating, the condi-tion forces its sufferers to make drastic alterations to their life and habits to remain healthy, said Liz Hodgson, an ar-chitectural engineering sophomore, who has had Type 1 di-abetes since she was 8.

“It can be extremely detrimental if left untreated or poorly treated,” Hodgson said.

In the short term, the disease will affect your mood, abili-ties, mental focus and motor skills, Hodgson said.

In the long term, mismanaged diabetes could damage a person’s eyes, teeth, nerves, toes, brain cells and memory, Hodgson said.

“It’s scary when you think about what you could lose,” Hodgson said.

Diabetes comes in two types: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is more commonly found in young people, and it means the pancreas has completely stopped producing insulin, forc-ing the sufferer to regularly take synthetic insulin, Hodgson said.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, meaning the body’s cells do not react properly to insulin, leading to higher blood sugar as well as an overproduction of insulin, Hodgson said.

“The two types are different and most people don’t un-derstand that,” Hodgson said. “Even some health articles

give tips for diabetics but don’t specify which type.”Hodgson said better understanding for the condition is

vital for college students, particularly for those undiagnosed with diabetes.

“Diabetes is definitely important to be aware of, partic-ularly if you have a family history or someone close to you with diabetes,” Hodgson said.

However, despite the risks and considerations that come with diabetes, it is possible to live a full and rewarding life, Hodgson said.

“If people see my insulin pump on my arm they... say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ which has always baffled me,” Hodgson said. “I’ve struggled, but who can say they haven’t?”

Mike Brestovanskymcbrestov@gmail.com

SUZETTE GRILLOTDEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL AND AREA

STUDIES

activities about what they value about Norman now and what their vision of the city’s future involves, Atkinson said.

Bill Lennertz, meeting facilitator and executive director of the National Charrette Institute, said he hopes the exer-cises will bring out the different values of the community, such as health, sustainability and business.

At the meeting, attendees will select which design they prefer from different photos, write down their visions on post-it notes and find which ideas are the most common through verbal and visual polling and small and large group discussions, Atkinson said.

TONY RAGLE/THE DAILY

Economics Junior Neil Pruthi excercises in the Huston Huffman Fitness Center on Monday afternoon. Today is prediabetes awareness day and 30 minutes of exercise five days a week can prevent or delay diabetes.

AT A GLANCEThings to know about Diabetes• About 1.9 million people 20 years old or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the U.S.

• About 215,000 people under 20 had Type 1 or Type 2 in 2010 in the U.S.

• Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

• Diabetes affects 25.8 million people, 8.3 percent of the U.S. population

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet

HEALTH: Campaign to focus on preventing diabetes through exerciseContinued from page 1

IAS: Program ‘exciting opportunity’ for studentsContinued from page 1

PLANNING: Students encouraged to attendContinued from page 1

More online at OUDaily.com

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CLASSIFIEDS

PLACE A PAID AD

FREE AD WITH OU.EDU EMAIL ADDRESS

Phone: 405-325-2521E-mail: classifi eds@ou.edu

Fax: 405-325-7517Campus Address: COH 149A

Line Ad ..................................................................................3 days priorPlace line ad by 9:00 a.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

Display Ad ............................................................................3 days priorClassifi ed Display or Classifi ed Card AdPlace your display, classifi ed display or classifi ed card ads by 5:00 p.m. 3 business days prior to publication.

DEADLINES

Anyone with an ou.edu email address can place their ad in the Classified section of The Oklahoma Daily at no cost. Simply email your ad copy to classifieds@ou.edu, along with name, address and phone contact information. Maximum 5 lines and 10-issue run per listing.

Sell Your StuffIn The Classifieds!

HOROSCOPE By Bernice Bede Osol

Copyright 2014, Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014

You will be rewarded for your humanitarian acts and unselfi sh assistance. You will fi nd personal fulfi llment, providing you maintain your high-spirited nature as well as your determination and stamina. Collaborating with an interesting party will lead to a meaningful venture.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- You shouldn’t assume that everyone is as honest as you are. Do your homework before accepting a tempting offer. An exciting new prospect may come with strings attached.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- There is no need to be envious. Devote your energy to your goals, and you will be successful. Precious time will be wasted if you get caught up making comparisons.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Consider the consequences before rushing into a situation, or you may end up repeating past errors. Make sure to take a long look at any proposition that comes your way.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- Don’t sell yourself short. Be proud of all you have experienced and accomplished. Expanding your social circle will provide you with infl uential new associations. Put your assets front and center.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- Don’t be reluctant to act quickly if an opportunity arises. The offer may be revoked if you are too slow to accept, and you could lose a chance to advance your position.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Get

involved with those who have similar ambitions to yours. You have made great strides, but a little extra help never hurts. A team effort will be benefi cial to your current situation.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- While your professional profi le may be strong, a personal relationship may be weakening. Allot some time to take care of your home, family, friendships and any other connection you deem important.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Maximize the positive energy that currently surrounds you. It’s likely that your current colleagues will play a key role in your future plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- It’s fi ne to follow your dreams, but be honest about your intentions. Don’t make any false promises if you want to continue to get the necessary help to reach your goals.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- Romance is highlighted. Take a chance and get involved in a project that interests you. A sudden change of plans will take you by surprise and bring you a tasty reward.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Refuse to be bullied into something that you don’t agree with. Be fl exible, and try to arrange a compromise that will suit everyone. Don’t say something you may regret later.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Keep abreast of what’s going on around you. Focus on collaborating with infl uential people. Consider the past before renewing contact with an old friend or lover.

Instructions:Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Previous Solution

Monday- Very EasyTuesday-EasyWednesday- EasyThursday- MediumFriday - Hard

ACROSS 1 Milky-white

gem 5 Current

measures 9 Abnormal

breathing sounds

14 Baby doll’s word

15 Empty truck’s weight

16 Leave out in pronun-ciation

17 Skillet material

18 “Put a lid ___!”

19 Icy forecast 20 Consider

carefully 23 Pricey 24 Unconscious 25 Tries

to buy time 29 Brown brew 30 Speed,

to a DJ 33 Attractive

one 34 Agra

garment 36 Like desert

growth 37 Makeup

swab 40 Ball-___

hammer 41 They may

be wild or sown

42 Had the nerve

43 Stat that concerns pitchers

44 Shipboard direction

45 Old computer accessories

46 Keebler character

47 College exam type

49 Have birthdays pile up

57 Insect’s final stage

58 Casa kitchen crock

59 Oratorio piece

60 Stable female

61 Flow gradually through cracks

62 Honeycomb compart-ment

63 Classic Kilmer poem

64 “In ___” (actually)

65 Visibly healthy

DOWN 1 Give off 2 Introduction

to psych- ology?

3 Crazed way to run

4 Country road 5 Redeems

wrongs 6 Tropical ray 7 Earlier in

time (with “to”)

8 Words before fire or price

9 Come to one’s aid

10 Divvy up 11 In ___ of

(replacing) 12 Paradise

lost 13 Paving

block 21 Good-for-

nothing 22 Baby’s

complaint 25 “Land” or

“sea” ending 26 Edible root 27 Not docked 28 MGM

mascot 29 Fine and

liberal things 30 Vintage 31 Introduction

or preface 32 Uses a

darning egg 34 Airline

availability 35 Aardvark’s

quarry 36 Galaxy

component

38 Variety headline

39 In an uncon-ventional manner

44 Metallic mixtures

45 Cheese on a cracker

46 Aerie inhabitant

47 Gawks at 48 Makes angry 49 Package

under the Christmas tree

50 Arabian chieftain

51 Account of incidents

52 Victory margin, at times

53 Made for ___ other

54 Vicinity 55 Junior brook 56 Store event

Universal CrosswordEdited by Timothy E. Parker March 25, 2014

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2014 Universal Uclickwww.upuzzles.com

WELL-RECEIVED By Mary Jersey3/25

3/24

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Part-Time Administrative Assistant. Answers phones and does light clerical. Will work around schedule. M-F only.Please respond to: Charles.R.Warren-1@ou.edu

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If you are interested in any of these posi-tions, please access our website to find out the minimum qualifications. Selected applicants must pass background inves-tigation, physical exam, and drug screen. A complete job announcement and ap-plication are available at www.norma-nok.gov/hr/hr-job-postings. To request an application, call (405) 366-5482, or visit us at 201-C West Gray, Human Resources Dept., City of Norman. EOE

Personal Assistant needed to organize and help. Basic computer skills needed good with organization. We are ready to pay $300 per week. Interested person Should contact: hiring.manager@outlook.com

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ROOMMATES WANTEDRommates Wanted - Nice House Near OU, walking distance to OU & Campus Corner. Perfect for dedicated student looking for quiet lifestyle. Two bedrooms available in this 3 bd/2 bth house with granite counters in kitchen, large living area with gas fireplace, washer/dryer in separate laundry room, fenced backyard & attached garage. Main living areas fur-nished. $515 per person/per month, in-cludes utilities. Available May 1. No pets. No smoking.Inquiries to theresa-green@ouhsc.edu

HELP WANTED

Our View: The death penalty should be taken seriously and regulated stringently, not joked about as Oklahoma officials have recently done.

Like it or not, the death penalty exists in 32 of the 50 states, including Oklahoma and Texas. It is our belief that if our legal system is going to be in the business of taking human lives, those decisions should be taken seriously and carried out as ethi-cally as possible. So we are outraged and saddened that Oklahoma attorney generals joked about trad-ing favors and football tickets to Texas in exchange for Pentobarbital, a drug used to execute prisoners.

Records show Oklahoma Assistant Attorney Generals Seth Branham and Stephan Krise joked in emails in response to a request from Texas officials for help to find scarce lethal injection drugs that Texas should give Oklahoma 50-yard-line tickets to the Red River Rivalry game and the University of Texas should intentionally lose in exchange for Oklahoma’s assistance in locating the drugs, ac-cording to an article in The Colorado Independent.

We are flabbergasted that state officials could be so callous and flippant about taking the lives of other human beings. To equate lethal injec-tion drugs with tickets to a football game is stag-geringly immature and should make all Sooners and Oklahomans concerned about how seriously Oklahoma takes the death penalty.

Unfortunately, Oklahoma government offi-cials’ suspicious attitude toward the death penal-ty doesn’t stop with the egregious emails. Public records also show that Oklahoma has engaged in gray market dealings with unidentified sellers to obtain lethal injection drugs. Under Oklahoma’s 2011 secrecy law, the state has obtained drugs from unnamed suppliers and refuses to say whether the drugs have been tested, according to the Colorado Independent article. States have been scrambling in recent years to obtain enough approved lethal

Editorial

The Our View is the majority opinion of The Daily’s eight-member editorial board

OPINIONTuesday, March 25, 2014 • 3

Kaitlyn Underwood, opinion editorRachael Montgomery, assistant editor

dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/opinion • Twitter: @OUDailyOpinion

injection drugs to carry out planned executions. Oklahoma uses a cocktail of three different drugs to kill prisoners, but has had to delay executions in recent months because of a scarcity of two of the drugs.

We understand that in cer-tain cases death is the punish-ment meted out after a fair trial by a jury of the accused’s peers. However, we aren’t sure if allow-ing Oklahoma to engage in shady dealings and attempt to test new lethal injection drugs is the right course of action. Because of drug

scarcity, it cost 15 times more to legally execute someone in 2012 than it did in 2011, according to a Huffington Post article.

It seems to us that it would be more cost effective and humane to delay executions until a less expen-sive, more readily available alternative to current lethal injection drugs is found and approved.

Death row inmates know their days are num-bered. It would not be a miscarriage of justice to postpone executions pending the acceptance of alternative methods that wouldn’t involve secret sales and jokes about trading favors in exchange for quicker deaths.

Comment on this at oUdaily.com

The AssOciATed Press

This 2008 file photo shows the gurney in Huntsville, Texas, where prisoners are strapped down to receive a lethal dose of drugs. Recently, Oklahoma Assistant Attorney Generals Seth Branham and Stephan Krise joked in emails in response to a request from Texas officials for help to find scarce lethal injection drugs that Texas should give Oklahoma 50-yard-line tickets to the Red River Rivalry game in exchange for Oklahoma’s assistance in locating the drugs.

Execution not a laughing matter

8 pm April 4-5, 10-123 pm April 6, 13

By Anton ChekovSusan Shaughnessy, Director

The CherryOrchard

OU Fine Arts Box Office

(405) 325-4101

UNIVERSITY THEATRE HELMERICH SCHOOL

OF DRAMA

Weitzenhoffer Theatre. Rated G

OU ARTS DISTRICT

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. ou.edu/eoo

With characteristic compassion and humor,Chekhov holds up a magnifying glass to the foibles of being human.

Julia Nelson, sports editorJoe Mussatto, assistant editor

dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports

4 • Tuesday, March 25, 2014

SPORTSOUDaily.com ››Softball star Lauren Chamberlain will be out for six weeks because of a back injury.

THEY CALL HER

BRETT COPPENBARGERWOMEN’S BASKETBALL BEAT REPORTER

Senior guard Aaryn Ellenberg, who was given the nickname Vegas by coach Sherri Coale, started play-ing basketball at the age of 9. Her mom didn’t want

her lying around the house being lazy. Little did she know, the encouragement she received from her mother would eventually turn her into the second-leading scorer at a histo-ry-rich basketball program like OU.

Ellenberg began playing Amateur Athletic Union basketball while

als o playing on her middle school team. When she was a freshman in high school, the recruiting process began for the talented guard, but the jump from Las Vegas to the

Midwest wasn’t as hard of a de-cision for Ellenberg as you might

think.“I ran into OU and really didn’t

k n o w t o o m u c h a b o u t t h e m ,” Ellenberg said. “At that point in time, you can go on as many official visits as you want to, just to check places out. But I ended up coming here, and I fell in love with the place and every-thing they were about, and I made my

decision pretty early.”G ett ing E l lenb erg to

commit early was big for Coale and the Sooners. Ellenberg was expected to visit Big 12 rival Baylor

before she committed to the Sooner state but decided

not to because OU felt right.“It was great, because I thought

she committed for the right reasons. She came here and said it felt right, and

it’s a place where she wanted to become a member of the family and wanted to

make her mark, and she stayed true to that all the way through,” Coale said.Ellenberg had to find her place once she got

to OU. The Sooners were full of upperclassmen and big-time scorers like Danielle Robinson and

Whitney Hand. While it could have been a difficult transition for Ellenberg, she said the older leaders on the team really helped her along.

“When I got here, I was sure that I was in the right place, and everyone was pretty accepting of me. I had the skills and everything I needed, so all I had to do was go out there and prove it to everybody else,” Ellenberg said. “I looked up to D-Rob (Robinson) a lot. She was an All-American at the

time, and it was her senior year, so I soaked up as much as I could while playing with her. Also playing with

Whitney Hand helped a lot, too. The over-all way she just conducted herself as

a person — you really can’t help but to learn from her.”

Ellenberg wasted no time making a name for herself at

OU, but that didn’t stop her from getting ner-

vous. She had to calm her nerves before the tip of her first road game at Ohio State

her freshman year.“I normally don’t work

myself up over things. People say that I’m pretty

relaxed. But in our first road game, it was a different situa-

tion because it was my first one, and we’re on the road against a

top ranked team, but I think I ended having 34 in the game or something like that.”

Ellenberg got her first taste of big-time scoring at the college level, and

she wasn’t going to look back.She went on to average 16 points a

game her freshman year and served as a great role player behind star Danielle

Robinson. When Robinson graduated, Ellenberg knew it was her time to

shine.“My freshman year, the focus

was on D-Rob most of the time, so all I had to do was move and

get open and then make the shot,” Ellenberg said. “Her moving on meant that

it was time for someone to step up and take on some more responsibility.”

Ellenberg was an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 team after her freshman year. With the team now looking to her as its go-to scorer, she put her game in another gear. She averaged 15 points per game her sophomore year before she bumped that total up her junior and senior years scoring an average of more than 18 points per game. She made the All-Big 12 team all three of her final years.

“She’s just a prolific scorer and offensive player that can create her own shots,” Coale said.

With all that scoring, Ellenberg was quickly climbing

the ranks of OU’s scoring list. On a Thursday night game in February in Lloyd Noble Center, Ellenberg scored 18 points, passing Phylesha Whaley (2,187 points) for second on OU’s all-time scoring list, behind only Courtney Paris.

Ellenberg admits she didn’t know much about the pro-gram’s history when she first got on campus, but she start-ed to realize the importance of being a part of it when for-mer players came back and told stories of their playing days.

“Once you get here, a lot of the alumni start to come back so you get to know them and the history and how special some of those past teams were and individual players, as well,” Ellenberg said. “So being in this position now, I defi-nitely think it’s a great accomplishment because we’ve had so many great players come through this program. We’ve had a lot of capable scorers, so to be second on that list be-hind Courtney (Paris), who is probably the greatest player to ever play here, it’s pretty special.”

Ellenberg said the scoring is nice, but she’s more about team-oriented accomplishments.

“I’m not too big on individual statistics and whatnot, but at the same time, knowing that you’re going to leave some-thing behind and leave a mark in some sort of a way, I think that’s pretty special to me,” she said. “I mean it’s history; you can’t erase that.”

Teammate and senior guard, Morgan Hook, echoed the fact that Ellenberg was a team player.

“She’s just one of those kids who gives you confidence,” Hook said. “She’s so good, and just the way she is, it makes you want to play well for her. When she looks at you and tells you that you need to make an open shot, you do it be-cause you know how much she does for the team.”

Hook gave an example of Ellenberg’s confidence when reflecting on the NCAA tournament last year, when the team was trying to make it to the Sweet 16.

“When we played UCLA last year to go to the Sweet 16, she just told us, ‘Come on guys, I’m taking us to the Sweet 16.’ She showed it that night. She made shots that were ESPN top 10 shots,” Hook said. “From that point on, we knew this girl was going places, and I wanted to hitch my ride with her.”

Ellenberg shared her love for her teammates when asked what her favorite memories were at OU.

“Really, just every moment with my teammates. I don’t think people realize how much we are together from being on the court to off the court, Ellenberg said. They are your life. They are your family now. The only time we aren’t to-gether is when we are going to class or sleeping.”

Vegas even recalls a time where she and her teammates got their golf cart driving privileges revoked after crashing one of the carts on campus.

“We had this activity where we were copying off of the TV show, ‘The Amazing Race,’ so we all got on to teams, and each team got a golf cart. One of the assistant coaches placed some clues around campus that we were supposed to go find to figure out what to do next,” Ellenberg said. “So we were racing like it was ‘Need for Speed,’ or NASCAR or something like that, and we ended up crashing one of the golf carts. Anything turns into a competition for us.”

Ellenberg’s career at Oklahoma is over now. OU received a bid to the NCAA tournament but couldn’t make it past DePaul.

Through it all, Ellenberg said she has no regrets.“I couldn’t have picked a better place to be these last

four years. I’ve grown in so many different ways as a person and as a player as well. That’s due to the people I’ve had around me, and I’ll be grateful for that forever.”

Brett Coppenbarger, Brett.C.Coppenbarger-1@ou.edu

oudaily.com/sports • Twitter: @OUDailySports

THEY CALL HER

BRETT COPPENBARGERWOMEN’S BASKETBALL BEAT REPORTER

enior guard Aaryn Ellenberg, who was given the nickname Vegas by coach Sherri Coale, started play-ing basketball at the age of 9. Her mom didn’t want

her lying around the house being lazy. Little did she know, her lying around the house being lazy. Little did she know, the encouragement she received from her mother would the encouragement she received from her mother would eventually turn her into the second-leading scorer at a histo-eventually turn her into the second-leading scorer at a histo-

the ranks of OU’s scoring list. On a Thursday night game in February in Lloyd Noble Center, Ellenberg scored 18 points, passing Phylesha Whaley (2,187 points) for second on OU’s all-time scoring list, behind only Courtney Paris.

Ellenberg admits she didn’t know much about the pro-gram’s history when she first got on campus, but she start-ed to realize the importance of being a part of it when for-mer players came back and told stories of their playing days.

Las Vegas is known for its flashing lights and fun atmosphere. So, it only makes sense that OU’s flashiest player, Aaryn Ellenberg, came from the entertainment capital of the world.

She’s just one of those kids who gives you confidence. She’s so good, and just the way she is, it

makes you want to play well for her. When she looks at you and tells

you that you need to make an open shot, you do it because you know how much she does for the team.”

MORGAN HOOK, SENIOR GUARD

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