Latest news with #RobWright
NZ Herald
10-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Netball: Mystics coach warns of roughness amid ANZ Premiership's rising injury toll
Northern Mystics assistant coach Rob Wright claims netball has become rougher amid rising injury tolls in the ANZ Premiership. Silver Fern Parris Mason is the latest casualty, being hospitalised after suffering a neck injury when Stars attacker Crystal Maro fell on her in round nine. The defender has been cleared
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS Sports Names BYU National Championship Contender Next Year
CBS Sports Names BYU National Championship Contender Next Year originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Money is changing the Big 12. Texas Tech and BYU aren't just flush with cash, they're redefining the conference's elite teams. As the league tries to close the gap on the SEC and Big Ten, an influx of elite talent is making the Big 12's top tier as competitive as it's ever been, according to CBS Sports. Advertisement Eight of the top 20 recruits in the Class of 2025 are headed to Big 12 schools, and headliners like Kansas' Darryn Peterson and BYU's AJ Dybantsa could be No. 1 picks in next year's NBA Draft. It's a new era and winning the conference will take six straight wins in March. BYU enters 2025-26 with its most anticipated roster ever. New head coach Kevin Young brings an NBA approach to Provo, and the Cougars are loaded. Dybantsa, who is the top overall recruit, is an explosive wing who could dominate college basketball. He'll be surrounded by a perfect supporting cast, including Baylor five-star transfer Rob Wright. Sharpshooter Richie Saunders returns and could flirt with a 50-40-90 season. Keba Keita provides toughness and rim protection in the post. Southern Illinois transfer Kennard Davis and 6-foot-10 forward Mihailo Boskovic give BYU even more firepower. With depth and athleticism that BYU teams of the past couldn't match, the Cougars have the flexibility and talent to make a real title push. Ahead of them in the Big 12 are Houston and Texas Tech, according to CBS Sports. Two programs built for deep runs come tournament time. Advertisement Houston returns Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler. Three key players who posted a +32 net rating together in Quad 1 games last year. Add in elite freshmen Isiah Harwell and Chris Cenac, and Kelvin Sampson's team is once again built to contend for a national championship. Related: Big 12 Official Makes Final Decision on Controversial Penalty From BYU-Utah Texas Tech is led by Grant McCasland going into the upcoming season. The Red Raiders bring back Christian Anderson and JT Toppin and add Washington State forward LeJuan Watts, along with multiple mid-major standouts. VCU transfer Luke Bamgboye brings elite rim protection, giving McCasland plenty of lineup flexibility. Related: BYU Officials Send Clear Message About Jake Retzlaff's Future in Provo The Big 12 may be shifting in power, but it's only getting stronger. BYU is surging into the national spotlight, along with Houston and Texas Tech, who present an interesting case to carry the conference deep into March. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
RNZ News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: How the Mystics undid the Pulse
The Mystics celebrate. Photo: Marty Melville / Photosport The Pulse were on a roll and the Mystics were missing two key personnel, but in stepped an apprentice training partner and a solid game plan. The Mystics brought speed and composure to dominate the Pulse for a 64-51 win in Wellington on Sunday. It pushed the defending champions up to second spot on the ANZ Premiership ladder at the halfway point of the regular season, ahead of the Pulse, and just behind the Tactix. Mystics assistant coach Rob Wright said they knew that footing it with the vastly experienced Pulse midcourt would be key. "We knew coming here that the midcourt was probably our only really experienced area so if they held up we thought 'it gives ourselves a little bit of a shot' and I thought they did a terrific job. So did the ends but I thought that the midcourt really did a great job," Wright said. Peta Toeava, Tayla Earle, and Katie Te Ao were able to negate Pulse midcourters Whitney Souness, Maddy Gordon, and Fa'amu Ioane. Wright said Souness and Gordon in particular form the Pulse engine room and slowing them down would in turn make life difficult for their shooters. "They're pretty scary because they just keep going and they can just keep reworking it and they've got speed to burn so it's about trying to slow them down and then try and build some pressure and I thought we did that pretty well." The Mystics experienced their first loss of the season when they were beaten by 11 goals to the Tactix in the previous round and Wright said there was a lot of determination to bounce back from that. "The Tactix did a terrific job last week but I thought we let ourselves down and I thought we probably learnt a lot from last week and put it into this week." Mystics Peta Toeava (L) with Pulse's Fa'amu Ioane. Photo: Marty Melville / Photosport The Mystics were without import shooter Donnell Wallam for the game against the Tactix, with the Australian Diamond injuring her wrist near the end of their round three game. There were doubts about how the Mystics would fair without their strike shooter again. They were also without defender Holly Rae on Sunday, due to illness. "Sometimes you've got nothing to lose right, I'm not sure if people would have expected us to even win this game so sometimes you play with a bit more freedom." The Mystics led 15-11 after the first quarter and were able to block out the noise generated by the Pulse home crowd. Wright said the Pulse have done a lot of damage to teams in the first quarter and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen. "They've ripped people apart early and we knew that if we could hang with them you at least give yourself a shot and I thought we did a nice job in the first quarter." After getting 17 minutes against the Tactix in her first ANZ Premiership game, rookie Sophia Lafaiali'i started the game against the Pulse and put up an incredible 45 shots at 98 percent accuracy. Lafaiali'i is one of the Mystics apprentice training partners, who generally come to training once a week. "It's just straight out amazing isn't it, she did a great job and sometimes I think you've got no fear, you come out and you just play ... because we weren't sure how it was going to go and she did a terrific job and hence why we left her out there," Wright said. At over 6 foot, Lafaiali'i was a great target and never wavered from her holding game, despite coming up against Silver Ferns goal keep Kelly Jackson. Donnell Wallam Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Mystics Goal keep Catherine Hall put plenty of pressure on Amelia Walmsley, who shot 38 goals at 100 percent. The Mystics were so solid across the entire court that no substitutions were made at all, which is quite a rare thing now. The Mystics won the second quarter by a whopping 21-13, thanks in part to Filda Vui nailing three super shots. The experienced goal attack proved a handful for the Pulse and has fast become one of the most dangerous two-point shooters in the competition. Lafaiali'i then put the icing on the cake with a Super Shot on the buzzer and the Mystics led 36-24 at half-time. The Pulse would chip back a few goals in the second half but the Mystics always responded with a run of their own. The Mystics now have a four-game winning streak over the Pulse, including of course last year's grand final when they pipped them by one goal. Wright said Wallam was likely to be a couple of weeks off a return. "She's back doing some modified training so probably at least another couple of weeks I would suggest." The Mystics are hoping Rae will be back next week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBS Sports analyst drops bold prediction for BYU Basketball next season
BYU Basketball is getting national hype going into the next season. After top recruit AJ Dybantsa arrived on campus the feeling around the program has intensified. This comes months after Kevin Young's first year with the Cougars ended in a Sweet 16 loss to Alabama. Most analysts have BYU as a top 10 team going into the 2025-26 college basketball season. Jon Rothstein believes this could be a historic year for Young's team and sees a deep tournament run on the horizon. "I think if you're a BYU fan now and you went to the Sweet 16 without a talent like [AJ Dybantsa], the goal and the realistic expectations for BYU should be to go to a Final Four. And I don't even think that's anything that should blink at," Rothstein said on his podcast. BYU not only has Dybantsa, but Baylor transfer Rob Wright will be one of the best guards in the nation. Richie Saunders is a proven All-Big 12 talent and put off the NBA to "run it back" in Provo. While Dybantsa already said he's out after the upcoming season, he'll be a leader on this team and a likely candidate to be the top overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Advertisement Related: BYU Basketball players are turning heads for unexpected choice If BYU can reach the final phase of March Madness, it would be unprecedented. The Cougars have only experienced one Elite Eight run under the current NCAA tournament format. Danny Ainge led the Cougars to the best result in 1981. Since then, the 2011 team came close with a 83-74 Sweet 16 overtime loss to No. 2 seeded Florida. Related: AJ Dybantsa admits BYU wasn't top school, blown away by NBA ready program Needless to say, the expectations are high for BYU this year. If they come together and play outstanding basketball, the sky's the limit. It's not unrealistic to say the Cougars could be the team to beat in the Big 12.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Richie Saunders makes announcement about his future at BYU
Richie Saunders announced he'll return to BYU for his senior season on Saturday. The Cougars standout tested the NBA waters but decided to run it back one more time. After leading BYU in scoring last season and earning All-Big 12 First-Team honors, Saunders' decision gives BYU a real shot at a special 2025-26 campaign. Kevin Young and his staff have built an incredible starting five around top recruit AJ Dybantsa. Saunders was sensational throughout the year, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting an efficient 52% from the field and 43% from three-point range. His all-around impact helped push BYU to the Sweet 16 for the first time in over a decade. Advertisement Related: BYU Basketball lands top four-star transfer guard With Saunders returning, the rest of BYU's roster looks loaded. He'll join forces Dybansta and two high-level scorers in Rob Wright and Kennard Davis Jr., who transferred this past week. All three are capable of putting up double figures, and Dybansta could be the best scorer on the team. For Saunders, it's a dream setup after carrying a major burden last season. He'll now find himself surrounded by elite offensive talent, allowing him to play free and more efficiently. Related: BYU's AJ Dybantsa reveals all-time NBA starting five BYU will likely enter the season as a preseason favorite in Big 12, and it could be the most anticipated year in the history of Cougar basketball. Saunders already helped lead BYU to one Sweet 16. Now he has a chance to do something no BYU player ever has, which is to make it twice. Young's Cougars will be a force with all eyes on Provo next year.
