OSU memorial notebook: Sherri Coale addresses Cowgirls

 
BY BERRY TRAMEL, JENNI CARLSON AND JOHN HELSLEY, Staff Writers | Published: November 21, 2011    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Sherri Coale did more than bring her entire team to the memorial service for OSU coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna, who died Thursday in a plane crash.

photo - Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale, right, sits with Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, left, and members of her team, at rear, during a memorial service in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Oklahoma State women's basketball Kurt Budke and assistant women's basketball coach Miranda Serna were killed along with pilot Orlin Branstetter and his wife, Paula Branstetter, in a plane crash last Thursday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) ORG XMIT: OKSO119
Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale, right, sits with Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, left, and members of her team, at rear, during a memorial service in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Oklahoma State women's basketball Kurt Budke and assistant women's basketball coach Miranda Serna were killed along with pilot Orlin Branstetter and his wife, Paula Branstetter, in a plane crash last Thursday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) ORG XMIT: OKSO119

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The OU women's basketball coach requested that her players and coaches have a chance to meet with the OSU players and coaches. After the memorial, the Sooners joined the Cowgirls in their locker room, and there were hugs and tears aplenty.

“We wanted to go in and give them a hug,” Coale said, “tell them we love them and our support wouldn't stop with today.”

Said OSU women's basketball publicist Ryan Cameron, “she’s first class.”

Sooner players have been posting messages of support on Twitter since news of the plane crash surfaced Friday morning. The team is also wearing black bands on their uniforms in honor of the victims.

“I think Jim's doing a super job with 'em, really taking care of them," Coale said of interim coach Jim Littell. “More than anything, we wanted to be here to show them our support.”

COWBOY UP

The OSU men’s basketball team left following the memorial service for New York and the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

Yet the Cowboys left with heavy hearts.

“It has been a tough week on everybody obviously,” said coach Travis Ford. “I probably wish we weren’t leaving (so soon), so we could spend time with the girls.”

Ford addressed the Cowgirls in their locker room before leaving Gallagher-Iba Arena. Saturday night, he rented out the local bowling alley, just for the two teams to be together and escape the tragedy, if only for a while.

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