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Kurt Budke, the head coach of Oklahoma State's women's basketball program, and one of his assistants were killed in a plane crash on Thursday. The two were returning from a recruiting trip in Arkansas.
On Thursday morning, Oklahoma State head women's basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant Miranda Serna, and two others were killed in a plane crash in Arkansas. Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip in a single-engine plane.
Assistant Jim Littell will assume duties as interim head coach and Littell spoke to the video a short while ago for the first time. The video also shows footage of Oklahoma State staff, students and players honoring those who were lost.
Seven year's ago, when we walked through these doors and Coach [Budke] walked to the press conference, his zeal for Oklahoma State was incomparable. He loved this place. He loved coming in here every day...everybody here loved the man. He was far more than a basketball coach. I want people to realize that....talk about a loving husband and tremendous dad. We would sit around and brag about our kids and how much we love our kids and watch them grow up in a great community. This was his dream situation and every day be begin a recruit in, he'd walk to middle court and say, "look at this place, look at this place, I love this place." And he meant it from the heart.
You know, Coach Budke was a ball coach. What he did to turn around this program is unbelievable. That's not important right now. What's important is, he was a father figure to these kids. He had a tremendous knack of taking kids that were maybe struggling in some part of their life and making it better for them. And that was his strongest trait.
Our players are right now totally devastated. They loved Coach Budke, they loved Coach Serna. A lot of the reason that a lot of these kids are here is because of those two people. Coach Serna was a tireless worker and got those kids believing in her. So obviously, they're hurting because we've lost two tremendous people today from the OSU family.
He was a great basketball coach but he was a better husband and a better dad and a better friend. And I think all the people who are in this room and knew Coach Budke, are better off for knowing him. And he will not be forgotten. He will never be replaced and I love the man.
Oklahoma State blog Cowboys Ride For Free has more reaction to the tragic events.
On Thursday morning, Oklahoma State head women's basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant Miranda Serna, and two others were killed in a plane crash in Arkansas. Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip in a single-engine plane. The pilot and the other passenger were not affiliated with the university. The President of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, has released a statement regarding the crash.
On behalf of the NCAA, I want to express my deepest sympathies to the families, friends and colleagues of Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna and the other victims of last night's plane crash. For any coaching community to lose bright stars like Kurt and Miranda is tragic. This is a profound loss for the Oklahoma State women's basketball family, the entire university and future women's basketball players as well. The NCAA stands ready to help Oklahoma State should it need any assistance as it copes with this terrible accident.
The team has already canceled games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Associate head coach Jim Littell has been named as the team's interim head coach.
Kurt Budke was tragically killed in a plane crash on Thursday as the head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys women's basketball program was returning from a recruiting trip in Arkansas. The plane crash also claimed three other people, one of which was assistant coach Miranda Serna.
The university is obviously going to have to endure a long grieving process as they work to get through the second plane crash in just over 10 years that will have affected one of its basketball teams -- 10 players and staff members from the men's program were killed in a plane crash in 2001 -- with the school already canceling a few of its upcoming games.
Mike Holder, the Oklahoma State vice president for athletics, announced on Friday that the Cowgirls will not play games that were scheduled on Saturday and Sunday as counselors and athletic staff offer assistance to the Cowgirl student-athletes and staff.
"We are shocked by this terrible loss. Kurt Budke was an incredibly positive influence on his players and was a tremendous coach," Holder told The Oklahoman. "He quickly turned our program around and put Cowgirl basketball on the map. Miranda was a tireless worker and great recruiter."
Holder also announced that Jim Littell will assume duties as interim head coach. Littell has spent the last seven seasons as the team's associate head coach.
Kurt Budke, the head coach of the Oklahoma St. Cowboys women's basketball program, was killed in a plane crash on Thursday. Budke had been the head coach at Oklahoma State since 2005 after holding the same position at Louisiana Tech since 2002.
Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were on their way back from a recruiting trip in Arkansas when their small plane crashed, according to a report from Oklahoma's News On 6. Two others, not associated with the university, also passed away in the crash.
Coach Budke had led the Oklahoma State women's program to postseason appearances in each of the past five seasons, reaching the second round of the WNIT in 2011. He compiled a 423-104 win-loss record in his coaching career.
The university released the following statement.
"The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims. Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes. He was an outstanding coach and a wonderful person. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shelley, and their children, Sara, Alex and Brett. Coach Budke elevated our women's basketball program to new levels of success. He and his staff raised our profile in the nation's toughest conference. Miranda was an up-and-coming coach and an outstanding role model for our young ladies."
It's a heartbreaking situation for the school as the plane crash comes just over 10 years after a plane crash in January, 2001, killed 10 players and personnel associated with the Oklahoma State men's basketball program.
VIDEO: CBS Halftime Show Debates Effect Of Deaths On BCS
by Jason Kirk
Yep, here we have Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, and Tony Barnhart discussing recent Oklahoma State and Arkansas tragedies in the context of the BCS. Deaths have a context in the BCS? CBS has created one, for some gross reason.
ht Clay Travis
Nov 25 5:24p