Tulsa Students Surprised With Tickets To Thunder Preseason Game

Some Tulsa students were surprised with free tickets to the preseason game Thursday night between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Zealand Breakers.

Before the surprise, students got two hours of one-on-one time with the Thunder's Lead Youth Basketball Coach, Andre Houze Jr.

"You just bring them out of their shell and their confidence will go from the floor to the roof in a matter of two hours,” he said.

The students are all on the basketball teams at Crossover Preparatory Academy, a private school near 36th Street North and Peoria.

"The intensity is actually what surprised me when I stepped into the gym,” Principal John Lepine said. “Because I expected them smiling, excited, happy, but then also just like, locked in. And focused on whatever the drill is."

The 32 students at this Thunder Youth Basketball clinic got to brush up on their skills from a Thunder pro, everything from dribbling, to layups and a scrimmage game.

Ninth grader Arthur Boyd shared his big takeaway:

"Having a backup skill, being able to back up what you do,” he said.

And for all their hard work, a slam dunk surprise.

"You also get tickets to tonight's preseason game against the New Zealand Breakers and OKC Thunder. Let's give that a round of applause,” Houze Jr. said to the group.

"I heard somebody was going so I was like, I wanna go, but I ain't got the money,” Boyd said.

AMY: "Now you're gonna be there."

ARTHUR: "Yes ma'am."

After a day focused on things like attitude, respect and hard work on the court, it was time to head to the BOK for some fun.

"It's a really great way to get the season started off on a high note,” Lepine said.

Lepine said the school has a special relationship with the Thunder. Several high school students have gone through the Thunder's program for data analytics and entrepreneurship.