Latest news with #FinalFours
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
Kansas political skirmish emerges regarding Chiefs vs. Royals
Kansas wants to lure the Chiefs and the Royals across the border with Missouri. But what if it comes down to one or the other? A skirmish has emerged in Kansas regarding whether the powers-that-be have a preference. Via Matthew Kelly of the Kansas City Star, Senate President Ty Masterson (a Republican) has repeatedly accused Governor Laura Kelly (a Democrat) of favoring the Royals. 'It is political,' Masterson recently told reporters. 'And I think most Kansans know there's a little bit of a disconnect. I think the administration tends to favor the Royals over the Chiefs, and I think most everyone else in the conversation would say the inverse. But it would be great to have both of them.' Some argue that the Royals get the edge because they host many more games — 81 at home, every season. The Chiefs host 10. (Obviously, both can host more in the postseason — and the Chiefs annually do.) A domed Chiefs stadium brings benefits beyond a bunch of baseball games. 'If you build a dome, you're talking Super Bowls, Final Fours, major concerts, lots of development around it,' Masterson said. It remains to be seen where it goes from here. But it could be that, in the end, Kansas focuses on the Royals. Giving Missouri the ability to keep the Chiefs.
USA Today
23-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Gator Alijah Martin among college hoops coaches' 2025 NBA draft sleepers
The 2025 NBA draft is just a few days away, and while the Gator Nation feels confident that at least one of the members of this season's men's basketball national championship team — guard Walter Clayton Jr. — will be among those selected, there is another who lurks in the shadows who should be selected as well. Florida's guard Alijah Martin, who transferred to UF from the Florida Atlantic Owls during the previous offseason, is the other former member of the program expected to be picked at the end of this week after Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon decided to return to school. There is also fellow backcourt swingman Will Richard who is hoping to hear his name called, but Martin appears to be a better bet. Well, at least according to a handful of college basketball coaches surveyed by The Athletic's CJ Moore, who suggested that the title-winning Gators guard could go at No. 43 in the draft. However, the overall outlook for Martin is not terribly optimistic. Florida guard Alijah Martin (No. 43) "He's going to be a G-League guy. He's a 6-2 small forward, and I just don't think that really translates in the NBA," Moore offers. "The one thing that could be said about him is that he's a winner. He's been to two Final Fours, won a national championship, and so he impacts winning on both ends of the floor." Alijah Martin's 2024-25 campaign highlights Martin was a key member of Florida's roster during his lone season in Gainesville, averaging a career-high 14.4 points per game along with 4.5 rebounds, 82 assists and 79 3-point field goals. He started 36 of his 38 appearances with the Orange and Blue, and his 546 points rank 17th in Florida history in a single season and the third-most by a transfer. His efforts helped him become the first player to start in a Final Four for two different teams. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Los Angeles Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: Max Muncy is back
From Jack Harris: Upstaging Shohei Ohtani, especially on a day he pitches, is no easy feat. But at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon, teammate Max Muncy did it twice — hitting two home runs and matching a career high with seven RBIs to lift the Dodgers to a 13-7 defeat of the Washington Nationals, and make Ohtani more of the sideshow in his second pitching start of the season. Despite two strikeouts over a scoreless first inning from Ohtani to begin the day, Dodger Stadium had sat in relative silence for the next five innings. Ben Casparius, who replaced the still workload-restricted Ohtani on the mound in the second, gave up a three-run home run in the third, when a flyball deflected off Hyeseong Kim's glove at the wall before hitting a fan reaching over the barrier. Michael Soroka, the former All-Star turned inconsistent journeyman, held the Dodgers hitless into the fifth, racking up a career-high 10 strikeouts while protecting the 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, however, an opportunity for the Dodgers finally arose. Continue reading here Dodgers box score MLB scores MLB standings Mauricio Dubón homered twice and Josh Hader stayed perfect in 19 save chances this season by getting Mike Trout to line out to center field with a runner on second as the Houston Astros held off the Angels 8-7 in the rubber game of their series Sunday. Dubón's second career multihomer game began with a leadoff shot against starter Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning for the Astros' first run. Dubón added a two-run drive off Hunter Strickland for a 6-5 lead in the sixth. Continue reading here Angels box score MLB scores MLB standings From Ben Bolch: Ben Howland planned it like this. Of course he did. This was a coach so engrossed in details that he would grumble about the room temperature at news conferences and call a timeout when his team was in the middle of a big run just so that he could set up his defense. So it should come as no surprise that before his 10-year run as UCLA's basketball coach ended in 2013, Howland had schemed for his dream retirement. In 2011, he bought a four-bedroom, ranch-style house in his native Santa Barbara close to so many old friends and family, knowing the full remodel job would take years. The Howlands moved in three years ago, after the coach's final season at Mississippi State. The home is now his departure point for frequent trips to see another old friend — the program he guided to back-to-back-to-back Final Fours from 2006-08. Howland likes to leave many hours before tipoff, arranging his schedule so that he can visit friends or fit in a doctor's appointment. Perhaps nobody at the school can put a smile on his face like the current basketball coach. Mick Cronin and Howland have known one another since the former helped run Sonny Vaccaro's ABCD Camp in the 1990s, going on to forge a friendship rooted in mutual respect. There's so many similarities between the coaches, from their demanding practices to their relentless defenses to their wry senses of humor to their lack of hair to their admiration for things that are difficult but worthwhile. 'Coaching's changed and I can still appreciate Mick because he comes from the old school and what he's doing is no different than what [Bob] Huggins and [Rick] Pitino did as he's working for them and watching these guys, who are both Hall of Famers, two of the greatest coaches ever,' Howland said. Continue reading here From Gary Klein: The Rams returned to Southern California nearly a decade ago intent on capturing the heart of NFL fans in Los Angeles. Now, with two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and a still glistening-like SoFi Stadium, they have their eyes set on a larger territory: the world. The Rams' trip to Maui last week for a minicamp was their latest foray into building a global brand. 'In the journey to growing your brand globally, there's never an 'Aha, this is a perfect moment,'' Rams president Kevin Demoff said as he stood on the field at War Memorial Stadium after a workout attended by several thousand fans. 'But I think this is a great step.' Continue reading here Minjee Lee closed with a two-over 74 but never gave up the lead Sunday in the final round of the Women's PGA Championship to win her third major title. While Lee had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine, she had started the day with a four-stroke lead over Jeeno Thitikul. And the world's No. 2-ranked player, also in that final group, bogeyed both par fives that are among the first three holes on Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. Lee, ranked 24th, finished at four-under 284, three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, the only other players under par. Continue reading here Women's PGA championship leaderboard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walked off the court for the final time this season, collapsed into the arms of coach Mark Daigneault and finally smiled. It was over. The climb is complete. The rebuild is done. The Oklahoma City Thunder are champions. The best team all season was the best team at the end, bringing the NBA title to Oklahoma City for the first time. Gilgeous-Alexander finished off his MVP season with 29 points and 12 assists, and the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers — who lost Tyrese Haliburton to a serious leg injury in the opening minutes — 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. 'It doesn't feel real,' said Gilgeous-Alexander, the Finals MVP. 'So many hours. So many moments. So many emotions. So many nights of disbelief. So many nights of belief. It's crazy to know that we're all here, but this group worked for it. This group put in the hours and we deserve this.' Continue reading here Kevin Durant traded from the Suns to the Rockets in a blockbuster deal NBA FINALS Oklahoma City vs. IndianaIndiana 111, at Oklahoma City 110 (box score, story)at Oklahoma City 123, Indiana 107 (box score, story)at Indiana 116, Oklahoma City 107 (box score, story)Oklahoma City 111, at Indiana 104 (box score, story)at Oklahoma City 120, Indiana 109 (box score, story)at Indiana 108, Oklahoma City 91 (box score, story)at Oklahoma City 103, Indiana 91 (box score, story) 1917 — Molla Bjurstedt win the women's U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title for the third straight year with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Marion Vanderhoef. 1922 — Walter Hagen becomes the first native-born American to win the British Open. Hagen shoots a 300 to beat Jim Barness and George Duncan by one stroke at Royal St. George's Golf Club. 1939 — Former football great Bronko Nagurski beats Lou Thesz to win the National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title in at the Coliseum in Houston. Thesz was largely considered the greatest wrestler of all time. Houston Mayor Holcombe reportedly presents Bronko with a $10,000 diamond studded belt. 1963 — Julius Boros wins a three-way playoff to take the U.S. Open. Boros beats Jacky Cupit by three strokes and Arnold Palmer by six. 1969 — Joe Frazier TKOs Jerry Quarry in 8 for heavyweight boxing title. 1972 — President Nixon signs the Higher Education Act of 1972. Title IX of this congressional act bars sex bias in athletics and other activities at colleges receiving federal assistance. 1974 — Sandra Haynie wins the LPGA championship by two strokes over JoAnne Carner. 1980 — West Germany wins European soccer title (2-1 against Belgium). 1985 — Laffit Pincay Jr. rides Greinton to a 1 3/4-length victory over Precisionist in the Hollywood Gold Cup, to join Willie Shoemaker as the only jockeys in history to surpass $100 million in purse earnings. 1988 — Charlotte Hornets & Miami Heat begin their NBA expansion draft. 1991 — A Mazda becomes the first Japanese car to win the Le Mans 24 hours race, overtaking a Mercedes in the last three hours. Bertrand Gachot of Belgium, Johnny Herbert of Britain and Volker Weidler of Germany are the winning drivers of the rotary-powered Mazda. 1996 — Michael Johnson breaks the world record in the 200 meters, running 19.66 seconds at the U.S. track and field trials in Atlanta. The previous mark of 19.72 was set by Italy's Pietro Mennea in 1979 in Mexico City. 1999 — The Hockey Hall of Fame waives the usual three-year waiting period and announces that Wayne Gretzky will be part of the Class of 1999. 2001 — Ilya Kovalchuk is the first player born in Russia to be taken with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft when he's selected by the Atlanta Thrashers. 2005 — Tim Duncan comes up huge in the second half and is chosen finals MVP and Manu Ginobili has another breakthrough performance to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Detroit Pistons 81-74 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. 2011 — NBA Draft: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving first pick Cleveland Cavaliers. 2013 — Courtney Force claims a Funny Car victory against her father at the Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. In their first final-round matchup, Courtney Force earns her second victory of the year and third in her career. She improves to 4-2 against her father, John Force, a 15-time Funny Car world champion. 2015 — The NHL's Board of Governors approve the proposed 3-on-3 overtime change. 2017 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) center Nico Hischier first pick by New Jersey Devils. 1917 — In baseball's greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox came in for Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens. 1932 — Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a New York uniform, equaling Joe Sewell's record with one team (Cleveland). 1950 — Hoot Evers' winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five. 1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New York, hit his 100th career home run and celebrated by running around the bases backward. 1971 — Rick Wise of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds and hit two homers. Wise became the first pitcher to hit two homers while throwing a no-hitter. 1973 — Pitcher Ken Brett of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a home run in the fourth consecutive game that he pitched in June. He beat Montreal 7-2. 1984 — Chicago's Ryne Sandberg hit two late-inning home runs off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce Sutter to tie the game twice as the Cubs went on to win 12-11 in 11 innings. Sandberg led off the ninth inning with a solo home run to tie the game 9-9 then hit a two-run, two-out homer in the 10th to tie the game 11-11. Willie McGee hit for the cycle and drove in six runs for St. Louis. 1993 — Seattle OF Jay Buhner hits for the cycle in the Mariners' 8 - 7, 14-inning win over the Athletics. He is the first Mariner player to ever hit for the cycle.. 2003 — Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases in his career. 2008 — Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, then departed with a sprained ankle before he could qualify for a win in Seattle's 5-2 victory over the New York Mets. The shot to right-center off Johan Santana was the first home run by a pitcher in Mariners history, and the first slam by an AL hurler since Cleveland's Steve Dunning went deep against Oakland's Diego Segui on May 11, 1971. 2013 — David Wright homered, tripled and matched a Mets record with four extra-base hits to back Matt Harvey's splendid start in a lopsided 8-0 victory over Philadelphia. Wright went 4 for 5 with two of New York's season-high seven doubles. 2020 — After the Players Association ratified proposed COVID-19 safety protocols, an abbreviated 60-game season will begin July 23 or 24. Compiled by the Associated Press That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'It was a real blessing': Ben Howland remains grateful long after leaving UCLA
Former UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland stands outside the main entrance to Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus in June 2025. (Ben Bolch / Los Angeles Times) Ben Howland planned it like this. Of course he did. This was a coach so engrossed in details that he would grumble about the room temperature at news conferences and call a timeout when his team was in the middle of a big run just so that he could set up his defense. Advertisement So it should come as no surprise that before his 10-year run as UCLA's basketball coach ended in 2013, Howland had schemed for his dream retirement. In 2011, he bought a four-bedroom, ranch-style house in his native Santa Barbara close to so many old friends and family, knowing the full remodel job would take years. The Howlands moved in three years ago, after the coach's final season at Mississippi State. Read more: 'A huge moment': Martin Jarmond discusses UCLA's plans after House settlement The home is now his departure point for frequent trips to see another old friend — the program he guided to back-to-back-to-back Final Fours from 2006-08. Howland likes to leave many hours before tipoff, arranging his schedule so that he can visit friends or fit in a doctor's appointment. Advertisement He recently learned that he was only one day younger than former Bruins star forward David Greenwood, who died earlier this month from cancer. 'It's sobering, you know? Sixty-eight now seems young,' Howland said between bites of a Tuscan chicken sandwich inside the Luskin Center on the campus that once served as his basketball home. 'But there's always something. You've got to make sure you're on top of your colon and your prostate, and that's one of the reasons I come to UCLA for all my doctor appointments.' The old coach remains close to several retired doctors he's known for many years, including Jean B. DeKernion, the former longtime chair of UCLA's urology department, and Bennett Roth, the gastroenterologist who established the school's endoscopy unit. Perhaps nobody at the school can put a smile on his face like the current basketball coach. Mick Cronin and Howland have known one another since the former helped run Sonny Vaccaro's ABCD Camp in the 1990s, going on to forge a friendship rooted in mutual respect. UCLA coach Ben Howland celebrates after a basket by Malcolm Lee against Michigan State in the 2011 NCAA tournament. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) There's so many similarities between the coaches, from their demanding practices to their relentless defenses to their wry senses of humor to their lack of hair to their admiration for things that are difficult but worthwhile. Advertisement 'Coaching's changed and I can still appreciate Mick because he comes from the old school and what he's doing is no different than what [Bob] Huggins and [Rick] Pitino did as he's working for them and watching these guys, who are both Hall of Famers, two of the greatest coaches ever,' Howland said. 'And because you're demanding — I mean, I think my players always knew at the end of the day that I loved them and was trying to get the most out of them, I'm trying to push them to be their very best, but as long as they know that you really love them and care about them and you want what's best for them most of all, then they respect that and I think he does that.' A regular at UCLA practices and games, Howland sometimes comes alone and other times brings his wife, Kim, and some combination of children Meredith and Adam and grandsons Benjamin, Elijah, Asher and Abraham. 'I really enjoy it,' Howland said of coming to games at Pauley Pavilion. 'I mean, I'm a fan too. I was yelling like crazy during that Wisconsin win. I'm telling you, I was so pumped up; that was such a great win, really, really exciting because they were good and you knew how important that game was. The same thing with the Michigan State win, that was an incredible win.' Advertisement During his first year of retirement, Howland received a standing ovation during a timeout when he stepped onto the court as an honorary captain. Fans who recognize him during games shower him with appreciation, telling him that he did a great job or they really love him or they treasured his decade-long run at UCLA that was the longest by any Bruins coach since John Wooden's 27-year reign ended in 1975. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden, right, sits next to then-UCLA coach Ben Howland during a news conference at Honda Center in December 2006. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times) Howland said he agreed with those who believe the school should honor its Final Four teams with a banner inside Pauley Pavilion alongside those that recognize national championships. 'I mean, in this day and age, it's incredibly difficult to, No. 1, get to the Final Four,' Howland said, 'and we can't be arrogant to where we don't recognize that." Advertisement Maybe the game that gets mentioned most in any conversation with Howland is the comeback from 17 points down against Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 of the 2006 NCAA tournament. In the final seconds, with his team trailing by only one, Howland could be seen in front of the UCLA bench mimicking the defense he wanted his players to apply, waving his arms wildly. Cedric Bozeman and Jordan Farmar complied, trapping J.P. Batista in the backcourt before Bozeman knocked the ball loose. Farmar grabbed the ball and threw a lob to teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, whose layup put UCLA ahead with 9.2 seconds left. In an even more remarkable display, Mbah a Moute tackled the ball at midcourt to force a jump ball, giving the Bruins possession on the way to an eventual 73-71 triumph. 'That's incredible — I've never seen that,' Howland said of Mbah a Moute's heroic defense. 'The best thing about it was the whole idea that you never stop, you keep fighting the entire time until the clock is at 0:00.' The clock ran out on Howland's time at UCLA after a season in which the Bruins won the Pac-12's regular-season title but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The coach whose admiration for UCLA went back to watching Wooden's first national championship in 1964, held a farewell news conference to convey his gratitude. Advertisement 'It was a real blessing to be here,' Howland said, 'and I wanted to leave taking the high road, doing it the right way.' By that point, a narrative had emerged that Howland had changed his ways, forgoing the sort of grinders such as Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Real who had fueled his early success in favor of more prolific scorers. Howland disagreed, pointing out that he left replacement Steve Alford with five eventual NBA players — Zach LaVine, Norman Powell, Kyle Anderson, Travis Wear and Jordan Adams — upon his departure. UCLA coach Ben Howland prepares to talk to his players during a timeout against Washington in December 2010. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Times) Having been offered a job by a Big Ten school — he won't say which one — during his second-to-last-year at UCLA, Howland remained a coveted coach. He agreed to go to Mississippi State in 2015, ringing a cowbell at his introductory news conference and getting to know quirky football coach Mike Leach. ('He loved the microphone, loved to be on camera, very funny,' Howland said of the late Leach.) Advertisement Yet the recruiting challenges in rural Starkville, Miss., made winning far more difficult than it was in Westwood. 'Kids aren't growing up saying, 'I always wanted to be a Mississippi State Bulldog' like they do a Bruin,' Howland said. The Bulldogs went to one NCAA tournament in Howland's seven seasons, losing in the first round, though they were on the bubble during a COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season that ended after they had secured a double bye in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The school dismissed him in March 2022. The timing proved fortuitous in that it allowed Howland to come home and spend two years with his mother before she passed away. Other family remains nearby. Howland's son, Adam, is a deputy district attorney based in Santa Barbara and his daughter, Meredith, is a nurse who lives in Valencia. A granddaughter is expected to arrive in October. Advertisement Howland said he misses the relationships with his players and assistants, not to mention the practices and games. But old friends abound. He recently went to a Dodgers game with Mata-Real, and several links to his time at UCLA remain on campus. Doug Erickson is the do-everything director of basketball administration, Chris Carlson an associate athletic director, Kenny Donaldson a senior associate athletic director and Alex Timiraos the director of athletic communications. 'I hired Kenny as our academic coordinator,' Howland said. 'Now he's [athletic director] Martin Jarmond's right-hand guy, along with Chris.' The current UCLA players might as well be Howland's given his glowing praise. Consider his takes: On transfer point guard Donovan Dent: 'Boy, to have him coming in here as the point guard next season, it's such a critical element.' Donovan Dent is among the new players on coach Mick Cronin's UCLA roster for the 2025-26 season. (David Richard / Associated Press) On transfer big man Xavier Booker: 'I watched him in our game here [against Michigan State]; I was like, who's that guy? I liked the way he moved, I liked his athleticism. He just needs minutes. I think Mick will get a lot out of him to help his team.' Advertisement On returning forward Eric Dailey Jr.: 'He had big games in big games. He's just got to consistently bring that, but he's only a junior.' Howland acknowledged being 'heartbroken' that center Aday Mara transferred to Michigan on the cusp of a huge season after two years of development under Cronin. 'They had done such a great job of bringing him along,' Howland said, 'and he was finally going to really have the kind of year that he's capable of this year. I think he'll be heartbroken that he's not here come this next season.' One guy who can be counted on to be there at big games for the foreseeable future is a face familiar to a generation of UCLA fans, clapping wildly, his heart full, a Bruin until the end. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wayne High School graduate signs with WNBA team
A former Wayne High School standout has signed with a WNBA team. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Bree Hall has signed with the WNBA expansion team, Golden State Valkyries, according to a social media post. She played four years of college basketball at South Carolina, went to two Final Fours, and won two national championships. Advertisement TRENDING STORIES: Hall was drafted back in April by the Indiana Fever in the second round of the WNBA draft, but got waived before the preseason ended. She was on the bench and watched Golden State beat Indiana, 88-77, on Thursday night. Hall did not play. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
