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STILLWATER, Okla. -- Even factoring in the recent loss of senior Marcell Ateman to injury, Oklahoma State boasts a formidable group of receivers, led by James Washington.Washington had an outstanding sophomore season last year, finishing with 53 receptions -- second on the club -- and team-leading totals of 1,087 yards and 10 touchdowns, and hopes to build on that success as a junior.Everyone wants to perform better than last season, and thats something I want to do and thats something I want to see my team do, Washington said Saturday, after the team completed its first week of practice. I feel like if I just help myself get better, Im helping my team get better -- for myself, just becoming more of a leader to this team and helping us get to a Big 12 championship and hopefully getting to a national championship.The 6-foot, 205-pound Washington possesses considerable speed and an ability to outleap defenders for the ball, serving as quarterback Mason Rudolphs favorite deep threat target. Last season, eight of Washingtons touchdowns came on passes of 40 yards or more, and he averaged 20.5 yards per catch, ranking second in the Big 12 and 10th in the nation.Rudolph, entering his junior year as an experienced starter, has developed strong chemistry, both on and off the field, with Washington.Weve got a good friendship, which helps -- we took a couple of classes together this summer and he did a good job of tutoring me in accounting, said Rudolph, who is completely healthy after a broken foot hobbled him for the final two games last season -- both of which OSU lost en route to a 10-3 record and a No. 19 ranking in the final poll. Hes a good guy, hes a quiet leader, he leads by example. Hes obviously a tremendous athlete and I think hell be a first-round pick one day.But Washington is just one of Oklahoma States receiving weapons. The squad graduated last years senior leaders David Glidden and Brandon Sheperd, and lost Ateman, who was third on the squad last year with 45 receptions and 766 yards, for an indeterminate timeframe with a broken foot, but still has plenty of options.Senior Jhajuan Seales (18 receptions, 321 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore Jalen McCleskey (29 receptions, 253 yards, three TDs) each contributed last season and are expected to take another step forward, while senior Austin Hays (22 receptions, 200 yards, one TD) and junior Chris Lacy (eight receptions, 120 yards, two TDs) are also in the mix.When Marcell got hurt, it was tough to see that happen because he worked so hard in the off-season, but all the receivers have stepped up, said McCleskey, who also returned punts last season, averaging 5.0 yards and scoring a touchdown. He was a big part of our offense, but we feel like we have the depth for everybody to step up and us not slow down.Lacy and Seales, in particular, were singled out by head coach Mike Gundy as players that have stepped up so far in practice and will fill the void, and Rudolph agreed.Weve got plenty of talent there with those outside receivers, Jhajuan Seales and Chris Lacy, two guys that can make plays all over the place, and have game experience, Rudolph said. Theyre the first guys that backed Marcell up and can play both outside positions, have done a great job. I dont think well miss a beat on offense.As for Ateman, who sustained his injury during off-season training and recently underwent surgery to repair the damage, he probably wont be on the field for the Cowboys season opener against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 3. At this point, Gundy isnt sure exactly when hell be available.Theyre going to bring him back by the 14th of September, and theyll start to make a decision on where hes at, Gundy said of Ateman and the teams doctors. The foot injury he has, they have to re-X-ray it. Some guys are four weeks, some guys are six weeks, some guys are 10 weeks and you dont know. It just depends on the injury.China Jerseys Cheap . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Cheap Jerseys From China . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. China Jerseys Wholesale . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. China Jerseys Stitched . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Diana Taurasi has been there, done that, and won literally everything there is to win in womens basketball -- no, really. Everything.NCAA titles at Connecticut. WNBA titles with Phoenix. Three Olympic gold medals (and counting....). Pro and college most valuable player awards and European titles in Russia, where she pulls down a $1 million-plus annual salary. She was actually paid by her Russian team not to play for the Mercury last summer, the better to rest her body for this years overseas run all the way to -- are you kidding? -- a seventh European title. So it was no surprise at all really when Taurasi -- the ultimate winner -- seemed to take it a little personally Tuesday when Serbia, the U.S. teams third-round opponent at the Rio Summer Olympics, had ambitions of muddying this pretty picture. Serbia actually took a one-point lead with eight minutes gone in the first quarter -- a rarity against this U.S. team -- only to see Taurasi answer by scoring 11 of the United States next 15 points.Nine of them came on three consecutive 3-pointers that left her shoving her hands straight down each side of her shorts as if she was putting them back into imaginary holsters by the third one she made.The U.S. jumped back out to a 31-21 lead, and the Americans never looked back on the way to a 110-84 win. Taurasi had 22 of her team-best 25 points in the first half. The six three-pointers she made broke her own Olympic record of five.We knew what was up -- theyre European champions for a reason, Taurasi said of Serbia after the game. Its good for us to be challenged.The U.S. has now won 44 straight Olympic games and is chasing its sixth straight gold medal.Taurasi, now 34, could score in the mid-20s any time she wants, but shes smart enough to realize she doesnt have to do that for this talent-laden team. Like a lot of stars, she knows its often when you score that matters most, not necessarily how much. She keeps a close eye on the emotional temperature of the team, whooping when they make a steal, barking when they miss a screen, keeping everyone engaged.Tuesday, the U.S. hit a little scoring drought after a hot start. Olympic first-timer Elena Delle Donne, the reigning WNBA MVP, picked up two quick fouls almost as soon as she came in the game and went back to the bench when Taurasi -- who has never been timid about shooting, anyway -- seemed to get all Shakespearean and decide: If not noweth, then when?It was mostly about the group we had in the game at that time, she stated. We said, We need to get on a run. And so she shot -- one, two, three 3-pointers in a row. The net barely twiitched.ddddddddddddShe bounced up and down and let out a little woo-hoo after the last of them. She was enjoying this. And her teammates were enjoying it too. If not Serbia.Wheeew, she was hot, wasnt she? swingman Angel McCoughtry said. She just had that look.The way Taurasi is willing to switch between taking this team on her shoulders and deferring to her enormously talented teammates doesnt make her unique on this squad of wall-to-wall stars. But shes still the best at demanding the ball, and shes the most fun to watch, if only because of her swagger and attitude. One of her nicknames is White Mamba, which can sound a little silly until you realize it was Kobe Bryant, the original Mamba, who gave her the name.Taurasi, of course, loved it. She plays like she thinks shes the biggest bad ass on the court. But off the court, say the other players, shes the best teammate you could ever want.Brittney Griner, the 6-foot-8 former Baylor center who now plays year-round with Taurasi in Russia and the WNBA, smiled the other day when asked if Taurasi has drifted away from the surprise motivational phone calls she used to make to her before games, skipping pleasantries like hello and getting right to the point -- Are you going to show up tonight or what? -- then hanging up before Griner could get a word in.She still does it, Griner says, laughing, but now she just says that stuff to my face.Taurasi often seems to be channeling U.S. coach Geno Auriemma, her mentor and alter ego at UConn, when she dissects games the U.S. has just played and nitpicks about what needs to be cleaned up.Much like Auriemma, she got a little impatient after the United States past two games and gave a Geno-esque answer when asked a spin-off of the perennial UConn question: Is the U.S. womens teams dominance in Olympic play bad for the game?When Taurasi was asked this a few days ago after routing Spain, she said, If you dont like watching good basketball, go watch rowing.Tuesday, asked the same bad-for-basketball question again, she laughed wearily and said, I dont even know how to answer it anymore. Would it be better if we lost by 50? ....We have 12 women that dedicate their lives to the game of basketball year-round -- overseas, USA, the WNBA. So theyre knocking us for doing that?Its a bit disrespectful, I would say.The U.S., now 3-0 in Rio, plays Canada Friday, then has one more game before its on to medal-round play. Said Taurasi: We just need to come out of that locker room, and do what we do. ' ' '