OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University has named Tommy Wade its head men’s basketball coach following the resignation of coach Ray Harper.

Wade aided the Stars’ run to three consecutive NAIA Division I championship games and the past two national championships. Wade was associate head coach last season and assistant coach to Harper for the past nine years.

With Wade’s assistance, Harper guided OCU to a 95-17 record, three NAIA national title games, three Sooner Athletic Conference championships and two SAC Tournament titles. The Stars had six all-Americans the past three seasons, including NAIA player of the year Ollie Bailey and two-time NAIA Tournament most valuable player Kameron Gray.

Oklahoma City athletic director Jim Abbott confirmed that Harper had resigned and said "he has more than one opportunity to go to another school.''

"What I know is he is resigning as our head coach to kind of further his career,'' Abbott said.

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KANSAS CITY, MO. Tuesday, April 9, 2008--- McCarthy Sports, Inc. is proud to announce the 65 players who will compete in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Wadsworth, Ohio, April 24-26. Below is a listing of the players by team name (Team Sponsor), Head Coach, Assistant Coaches and Host Family.

The Collegiate Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a major national basketball event that will gather the finest 65 senior men's basketball players from all of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The event will take place at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and will consist of eight teams of eight players (one team with nine players) in an eight-team tournament. Each team will play a total of three games that will be played Thursday and Friday, culminating with the championship game being played Friday night at 8 p.m. The CBI will conclude with an all-star game Saturday evening in front of a live, ESPNU audience as 20 players will be selected to play in the game.

"I sincerely congratulate the 65 players that have been selected to compete in this prestigious event," said CBI Founder John McCarthy. "I am very excited about these 65 players and I am proud and honored to welcome them to Wadsworth for the Collegiate Basketball Invitational. I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels."

WGEM Sports hasconfirmed Western Illinois has cut it's list of candidates to fill the men's basketball head coaching vacancy toa pair of finalists.

As wgem.com first reported, former Bradley head coach and current Ball Stateassistant coachJim Molinariwill be in Macomb this week to interviewfor the job.Also scheduled totalk with Western's athletic brass is Oklahoma City (NAIA) head coach and formerKentucky Wesleyan leader Ray Harper.

A source also tells WGEM Sports a new head coach should be named by later this week or early next week.

WGEM's request to talk with WIU athletic director Tim Van Alstine was not granted.

For more on this developing story visit The Sports Stew blog at http://www.wgem.com/Blogs/sports_blog.php

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma City University won its national championship with a 75-72 victory Tuesday against Mountain State University (W.Va.) in the title game of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

The Stars added to their NAIA record with their sixth national championship and became the first team since Life University (Ga.) in 1999 and 2000 to claim back-to-back NAIA Division I titles with its win on Tuesday. Oklahoma City also became the first No. 7 seed since seeding information was first recorded in 1957 to earn the crown. The Stars won their last 15 games to close out the season with an overall record of 31-7.

Senior forward Willie Irick led Oklahoma City with 22 points, while senior guard Kameron Gray, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year, added 20 points and four assists in the winning effort. Forward Ollie Bailey registered a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Stars.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma City University is in position to defend its NAIA national championship from last season following a 78-64 victory Monday against Campbellsville University (Ky.) in the semifinal round of the 2008 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship at Municipal Auditorium.

Oklahoma City becomes the first team since Kentucky State University in 1970-72 to advance to the NAIA title game three consecutive years, and is seeking the first NAIA Division I back-to-back championships since Life University (Ga.) accomplished the feat in 1999 and 200. The No. 7-seeded Stars are now 30-7 overall and will face No. 5 seed Mountain State University (W.Va.) in Tuesday's NAIA national championship contest. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CDT. Oklahoma City defeated Concordia University (Calif.) in the 2007 NAIA championship game, 79-71.

As a team, Oklahoma City shot 54 percent for the game (27-of-50) while holding Campbellsville to just 37.5 percent from the floor (24-of-64). Monday's win was the 14^th in a row for the Stars, who now hold the longest active win streak in NAIA Division I. The victory also helped Oklahoma City avenge a 76-57 loss at Campbellsville back on Nov. 24.