U.S./World Sports category, Page 172
Gonzaga stars Chet Holmgren, Andrew Nembhard declare for NBA DraftVideo
SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga stars Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard announced Thursday they will enter the NBA Draft. Holmgren is expected to be a top-five pick, and Nembhard is projected as a likely second-rounder. Holmgren arrived at Gonzaga as one of the most lauded recruits in program history, a 7-footer...
2 months after Brittney Griner’s arrest, mystery surrounds her case
For another person in another country at another time, the case might have been a minor matter: an American citizen detained at an airport for allegedly possessing a cannabis derivative legal in much of the world. But the circumstances for Brittney Griner couldn’t have been worse. Griner, a WNBA All-Star...
Jay Wright resigns as Villanova coach; Kyle Neptune takes over
PHILADELPHIA — Jay Wright shocked college basketball Wednesday night with his immediate resignation at Villanova, the Big East program he led to two national championships and four Final Fours in a Hall of Fame career. The 60-year-old Wright guided Villanova to titles in 2016 and 2018 and just led the...
Fox Sports makes Easter Sunday a NASCAR ratings success
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dirt will be back on NASCAR’s schedule next year and likely on Easter Sunday again if Fox Sports has its way. NASCAR delivered the most-watched race at Bristol Motor Speedway since 2016 on Sunday night when an average 4,007,000 viewers tuned in as the Cup Series raced...
Coordinator changes spice up spring practices at Big Ten schoolsVideo
MADISON, Wis. — During an offseason in which more than one out of every five Football Bowl Subdivision programs changed head coaches, the Big Ten was the lone conference that didn’t see a single move. But that doesn’t mean the league stood pat. While all 14 Big Ten members returned...
Duke’s Paolo Banchero declares for NBA DraftVideo
Duke’s Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision in a social media video Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent. “It has always been a...
Masters champ Scheffler returns to work, partners with Palmer in New OrleansVideo
AVONDALE, La. — One of the perks from winning the Masters is recognition that comes from outside the world of golf. For Scottie Scheffler, that included a letter from fellow Dallas resident and former President George W. Bush. One problem. “His handwriting is really hard to read,” Scheffler said Wednesday....
Watson embraced by teammates in Browns’ offseason programVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson made a strong impression on his new teammates long ago, scrambling for first downs and rifling touchdown passes while becoming an elite quarterback playing in Houston. Now in Cleveland, the impression he makes off the field might matter more. Acquired from the Texans in a...
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe to return for senior seasonVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe will return for his senior year with the Wildcats after a breakout season in which he swept national player of the year awards. The 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe announced his decision Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I’ll be here next year for Kentucky,” he said. The...
Wimbledon bans players from Russia, Belarus over Ukraine war
LONDON — Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced Wednesday. Among the prominent men’s players affected by the ban are reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No....
With expansion on hold, College Football Playoff settles in
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As college football tries to navigate unprecedented upheaval, the status quo holds with the College Football Playoff that crowns its national champion. The playoff is likely to stick with the current four-team format through the end of its contract. It has no plans to engage players on...
Palmer Jackson selected to U.S. Palmer Cup team
Palmer Jackson is named after the late, great Arnold Palmer, so it’s only fitting the Notre Dame star gets to play in an event named after “The King.” Jackson, a junior and Franklin Regional product, was selected to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup, a prestigious event that matches college...
Column: Jordan Spieth crossing $50M a reminder of Tiger Woods’ standardVideo
Not even inflation can diminish the dominance of Tiger Woods. The latest reminder came at Hilton Head when Jordan Spieth overcame an 18-inch miss Saturday and a three-shot deficit Sunday to beat Patrick Cantlay in a playoff for his 13th career PGA Tour victory. Along with a tartan jacket (he...
Ukrainian runners show national pride at Boston MarathonVideo
BOSTON — As he faced the hills and headwinds in the Boston Marathon, Dmytro Molchanov couldn’t stop thinking of friends and family back home in Ukraine. “When it was really tough, I tried not to give up and tried pushing, kind of fight with myself the way Ukrainians are fighting...
Duke big man Mark Williams entering NBA DraftVideo
Big man Mark Williams is the first of Duke’s multiple NBA prospects to say he’s leaving to enter the draft. The 7-foot-1, 242-pound sophomore announced his decision in a social media video Monday evening. “Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine, just like how (attending) Duke...
Column: Bristol on dirt was messy, unusual entertainmentVideo
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Credit must be given to NASCAR for at long last shaking up the status quo and trying new things, no matter how outlandish the idea. Progressive thinking is how the Cup Series wound up back at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway for a second consecutive year, this time...
Olympic champ Jepchirchir wins 50th women’s Boston Marathon
BOSTON — Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir capped the celebration of a half-century of women in the Boston Marathon with a finish to top them all. The 28-year-old Kenyan won a see-saw sprint down the stretch Monday, when the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon returned to its traditional...
Yough grad Nicole (Sleith) Schaffer playing role in success of Duke softball teamVideo
Since joining the Duke softball staff as a volunteer assistant coach, Yough grad Nicole (Sleith) Schaffer has become popular with the players. Although her popularity wanes when she steps on the mound to throw batting practice. The players found out quickly why she graduated from Robert Morris as the softball...
Kyle Busch steals Bristol win as Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe crash
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch backed into the record book by stealing a win at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway. That’s what he’d say if it had been anyone else, right? Busch won his first race of the season Sunday night by sliding past the leaders as Tyler Reddick and Chase...
Perfect spring weather greets Boston Marathon’s April returnVideo
BOSTON — The daffodils have sprouted, the fall foliage has all been raked away, and the Boston Marathon is back in the spring where it belongs. The world’s most prestigious marathon will return to the streets from Hopkinton to Copley Square on Monday, three years after the last Patriots’ Day...
Spieth beats Cantlay with playoff bunker shot to 7 inchesVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Thinking he might have a chance for a playoff, Jordan Spieth rolled in a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole in regulation. He made an even bigger shot at Habour Town’s signature hole in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage. Spieth’s 56-foot shot from...
Stefanos Tsitsipas successfully defends title in Monte CarloVideo
MONACO — Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first repeat champion at the Monte Carlo Masters since Rafael Nadal in 2018 with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win against unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday. “It’s a great feeling because we had the crowd this year,” the third-seeded Greek said after winning the...
Willie Green, upstart Pelicans get top-seeded Suns in 1st round
PHOENIX — Willie Green’s time as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns taught him quick improvement can happen with the right mix of talent, desire and steady leadership. Turns out that blueprint can travel. Green, the first-year New Orleans Pelicans coach who was Phoenix’s top assistant last season, leads...
Steelers’ John Mitchell honored as Alabama’s 1st Black player
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Pittsburgh Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson already had their place in Alabama football history. Now, the Crimson Tide’s first Black players also share a prominent spot outside Bryant-Denny stadium. The university unveiled a plaque honoring Jackson and Mitchell on Saturday in a ceremony...
Harold Varner III shoots 63 to take RBC Heritage lead
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Harold Varner III shot 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead in the RBC Heritage on Saturday in pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory. Varner had eight birdies in a bogey-free round to match Cameron Young’s opening score as the lowest at Harbour Town...
