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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"Never give up, and be confident in what you do. There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you face will make you more determined to achieve your objectives and to win against all the odds." ~ Marta, Five Time FIFA Player of the Year and Widely Regarded as the Best Women's Soccer Player in History
TRENDING: Patrick Kane leads Blackhawks to win in Buffalo homecoming. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
"Never give up, and be confident in what you do. There may be tough times, but the difficulties which you face will make you more determined to achieve your objectives and to win against all the odds." ~ Marta, Five Time FIFA Player of the Year and Widely Regarded as the Best Women's Soccer Player in History
TRENDING: Patrick Kane leads Blackhawks to win in Buffalo homecoming. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
TRENDING: Bears' QB search: Exploring 4 paths GM Ryan Pace could take. (See the football section for Bears news and NFL updates).
TRENDING: Eyes turn to front office as direction of Bulls' franchise hangs in the balance. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
TRENDING: Forget the analytics, Joe Maddon sends will-to-win message to Cubs: ‘Don’t forget the heartbeat’. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).
TRENDING: D. Johnson becomes world No. 1 with Genesis win. (See the golf section for PGA news and tournament updates).
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Kane leads Blackhawks to win in Buffalo homecoming.
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Patrick Kane leads Blackhawks to win in Buffalo homecoming.
Associated Press
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist in his annual homecoming, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night.
Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews broke it open with second-period goals for Chicago, which won for the seventh time in eight games. Ryan Hartman and Artem Anisimov also scored, helping the Blackhawks bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Edmonton on Saturday.
Evander Kane scored and Robin Lehner stopped 32 shots for Buffalo in its final game before its five-day bye. The Sabres were trying for their first four-game win streak since December 2014.
Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling, subbing for starter Corey Crawford, made 25 saves in just his seventh appearance in two months.
Chicago won its 11th consecutive game over the Buffalo. The Blackhawks haven't lost to the Sabres since a 2-1 defeat at Buffalo on Dec. 11, 2009.
Kane grew up in south Buffalo and continues to dominate the Sabres. He has scored in eight straight games against the Sabres and upped his career total to eight goals and four assists in 13 meetings.
Lehner had no chance on Kane's 20th goal of the season early in the third period. The NHL MVP was set up on the right of the Buffalo net, and was untouched for several seconds before easily depositing the puck inside the right post for a 5-1 lead.
Both of Kane's points came in the opening 6 1/2 minutes of the third, and after Chicago's depth and speed overpowered Buffalo in the second.
Hossa made it 2-1 at 9:40 in after his initial chance was stopped by Lehner. Marcus Kruger chased down the puck and fed Hossa at the boards, where he took a few steps toward the net and beat Lehner on the short side.
Toews scored six minutes later, when the Blackhawks maintained control in the Buffalo zone after winning a faceoff to the left of the net. Lehner stopped Richard Panik's shot from the left circle but was unable to control the puck, which dribbled loose into the crease. Toews beat Buffalo's Jack Eichel across the middle and tapped the puck into the open right side.
The goal was payback for Toews, who was stripped by Eichel in the final seconds of the opening period. The turnover led to Eichel setting up Evander Kane with 6 seconds left. It was Kane's team-leading 21st of the season, all of which have come in his past 36 games.
The Blackhawks struck first on Hartman's goal 13:34 into the game. Using his speed to drive from the top of the blue line and to the right circle, Hartman snapped a laser that beat Lehner high on the short side.
NOTES: Sabres C Sam Reinhart missed his second consecutive game due to illness. ... Blackhawks LW Vinnie Hinostroza played after being recalled from the minors earlier in the day. ... Sabres D Taylor Fedun cleared waivers and was assigned to Rochester of the AHL.
Blackhawks' five-game win streak ends in loss to Talbot, Oilers. (Saturday night's game, 02/18/2016).
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
It would be easy to look at the outcome, the 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, and assume the Blackhawks were the latest team to fall prey to the post-bye-week-lack-of-vigor factor.
But that wasn’t the case. The Blackhawks had the energy. They had the shots. They had the opportunities. They gave up little on the other end. It was, as Jonathan Toews called it, one that may have gone the Blackhawks’ way if they had had a “little more puck luck.”
Cam Talbot stopped 38 of 39 shots and Milan Lucic’s third-period goal proved to be the winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Blackhawks in the latter’s return to the United Center. The Blackhawks, who had a five-game winning streak prior to their bye week, now trail the Minnesota Wild by nine points. The Wild beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Saturday night.
The Blackhawks had great energy early, outshooting the Oilers 12-4. But from the start Talbot was sharp, denying the Blackhawks on one chance after another. Throw in two iron shots (Marian Hossa off the crossbar and Artemi Panarin off the post) and the Blackhawks just couldn’t manage much against Talbot.
The Oilers didn’t fare much better until after Ryan Hartman got into a fight with Eric Gryba – Gryba had hit Tanner Kero along the boards moments before that. Hartman was hit with an instigator, five for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct. The Blackhawks missed having Hartman that period and the Oilers got the go-ahead goal on the ensuing power play. Matt Benning’s shot hit Corey Crawford, went off Trevor van Riemsdyk and past Crawford for a 1-0 lead.
Coach Joel Quenneville had no problem with Hartman’s fight.
“He’s a competitive guy. We like him to have that abrasiveness and unpredictability so there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “We like how he competes and what he brings us.”
Talbot finally gave one up late in the third period when Richard Panik scored his 15th of the season, late in the third period. The Blackhawks couldn’t do much more, however, with Connor McDavid getting the empty-net goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
For Toews, there was no blaming the Blackhawks’ six-day break for this one.
“I can’t speak for what other teams felt like coming off the break. But we worked pretty hard today,” Toews said. “There’s no doubt, energy-wise, it’s hard. You have to find ways to keep your shifts short, play smart. When you’re off the ice for five days, sometimes you get a little rust you have to work out. For the most part we moved he puck well, we checked well, we kept that team away from doing what they wanted to do. We had the puck for the majority of the night.”
Quenneville liked the overall game and also said there was no bye-week issues. Still he thought the Blackhawks’ shot selection, especially around the net, could have been better.
“Whether it wasn’t the feel of it or didn’t sense the timing of it, anticipating the puck where it was, we missed a lot of opportunities that could’ve been high-quality chances that didn’t even get developed. And we did have some good chances,” he said. “Whether we didn’t elevate it or didn’t have the traffic or the patience or even the shot, our shots tonight were off.”
The Blackhawks were down 1-0 until midway through the second period when Lucic’s goal eluded Crawford. The Blackhawks’ goaltender wasn’t happy with that one.
“Just couldn’t find the net there and gave up a bad one. But it kind of had some momentum there at the end, too, and had some chances,” Crawford said. “Yeah, we played a good game. We created a lot and it was a lot better, I guess, than everyone thought it was going to be for us. You can’t ask for more than that."
Well, the Blackhawks could’ve used a victory because, despite all their great work on the road, they’re still trailing the Wild by a healthy margin. That, and they played well enough to have a better fate on Saturday night.
“We’re pretty happy with the effort, the 60-minute effort,” Toews said. “You’re always disappointed when you don’t get the result.”
Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Bears' QB search: Exploring 4 paths GM Ryan Pace could take.
By Dan Wiederer
Yet for Pace no box is bigger in his 2017 roster overhaul efforts than the one at the top of the checklist, a demand that has to be written in 72-point bold font, then underlined for emphasis: Find. A. Quarterback!
This is the mission that will define the Bears in 2017, an undertaking Pace feels prepared to attack. The eager GM celebrated his 40th birthday Friday and likely didn't need long think of a wish when he blew out his candles.
Pace acknowledged at his season-ending news conference last month that he planned to explore every avenue to solidify the most important position on the Bears roster, declaring with conviction that "everything's on the table."
"I understand the importance of that position, the magnitude of that position," Pace added. "That's a critical, critical decision for me and this whole building."
So what now? Pace sits in the opening chapter of a "Choose Your Own Adventure," eyeing several possible paths to complete his quarterback quest. Ultimately, Pace's decision will require conviction and a leap of faith.
Here's a snapshot look at the Bears' four most likely routes and the uncertainties that exist down each.
Trade
Quarterbacks in play: Jimmy Garoppolo, AJ McCarron, Tony Romo.
The skinny: Garoppolo has become the most hyped quarterback of this offseason, a 25-year-old triggerman who has spent the last three years learning his craft behind Tom Brady in New England. The Arlington Heights native and former Rolling Meadows star was a second-round pick in 2014 and draws raves for his intelligence, quick release and confidence.
Garoppolo's common ground with Pace — both went to Eastern Illinois — is far less important than the quarterback's accuracy and poise.
Still, to accelerate any push to land Garoppolo, the Bears would have to obtain suitable answers to two daunting questions. First and foremost, with one year left on Garoppolo's rookie deal with the Patriots, what would Pace have to surrender in a trade for the young quarterback? Beyond that, if the Bears were able to pull off such a deal, what price will they have to pay to extend Garoppolo's contract?
There's little chance the Bears would trade for Garoppolo without being all in, without knowing for certain they could quickly finalize an extension. That could get dicey if Garoppolo is seeking a deal similar to the one Brock Osweiler signed with the Texans last spring (four years, $72 million, $37 million guaranteed).
Furthermore, with so many needs across the roster, Pace is not playing from a position of strength in the trade market. The Bears have seven picks for this spring's draft and will have to be careful about parting with too much draft currency.
Also, chew on this for a second: McCarron actually has comparable NFL experience. Including the postseason, he has made twice as many starts as Garoppolo (four to two) and had enough success to be worth at least a look.
Still, the consensus in league circles is that Garoppolo has a higher ceiling and legitimate potential to become a 10-year starter if he lands in the right situation.
Pick No. 3
Quarterbacks in play: Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer.
The skinny: Between comments made at his season-ending news conference and subsequent thoughts shared at the Senior Bowl, Pace wants his next quarterback to be consistent, productive and inherently driven. The Bears GM is seeking a natural leader who understands ball security. Pace also emphasized the value of extensive college experience.
"You want to look for a player who has lifted his program for the most part," Pace said. "Drew Brees for example, when he was at Purdue, he lifted that program. That's one of the things we look for. That's definitely a factor."
Through that prism, Watson fits the profile much better than Trubisky or Kizer. Trubisky's accuracy is a plus. But with only 13 career starts at North Carolina, his growth curve might be steeper early in his NFL career.
Kizer, meanwhile, has been knocked in some league circles as a questionable decision-maker who comes across as complacent and aloof, qualities that should scare the heck out of any GM looking to marry his future to the Notre Dame quarterback.
As for Watson? His individual success (twice a Heisman Trophy finalist) and his ability to elevate the Clemson program (28 victories his last two years as a starter, two trips to the national title game, one championship-winning fourth-quarter drive) are testaments to his passion and leadership. Those are intangibles that lessen concerns over his accuracy and turnover problems.
Still, it's debatable whether Watson would be worthy of a top-three pick. But if the Bears fall deeply in love with his skill set and charisma and No. 3 is the only spot they would be certain to land him, then any extreme worry over making a reach pick would be misguided.
Day 2 of the draft
Quarterbacks in play: Brad Kaaya, Patrick Mahomes, Nathan Peterman, Davis Webb.
The skinny: Of the 47 NFL quarterbacks who made multiple starts during the 2016 season, 10 were drafted in either the second or third round. That list: Brees, Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Garoppolo, Osweiler, Colin Kaepernick, Cody Kessler, Jacoby Brissett and Josh McCown.
That offers Pace at least some context and maybe even a sliver of hope that a dependable starter can be found beyond the first round of the draft.
Within this year's ordinary quarterback draft class, Kaaya (Miami) offers eye-catching arm strength but has been plagued by inconsistency. Pitt's Peterman was under the Bears' watch at the Senior Bowl last month and plays with football savvy. But he projects as more of an NFL backup than a franchise difference-maker.
Mahomes, right now, seems to be the hottest name among possible Day 2 quarterbacks. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. lauds Mahomes' prototypical size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and big arm but expresses curiosity as to how quickly he will adapt on the pro level coming out of Texas Tech's spread system.
"There is no issue physically," Kiper said. "There is no issue with arm strength or his mobility or character and attitude and approach. But it's the system. How far will that push him down?"
As for the idea that the Bears could wait until Day 3 of the draft to find their quarterback? That's a wildly risky proposition, especially given how subpar this year's class is. Would there really be anything for the Bears to gain emerging from the draft with Tennessee's Josh Dobbs, Iowa's C.J. Beathard, Baylor's Seth Russell or Tiffin's Antonio Pipkin as their biggest quarterback acquisition?
If Pace wakes up April 29 — the final day of the draft — and still hasn't checked the top box on his to-do list, he should expect a bombardment of questions and criticism.
Status quo
Quarterbacks in play: Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley.
The skinny: It would be difficult to justify keeping Cutler. But the soon-to-be-34-year-old quarterback is signed through 2020, due to make up to $15 million next season if the Bears wanted him around.
Because of the structure of Cutler's contract, the Bears can cut him before September at no cost with only a moderate salary cap hit. That seems to be the most likely scenario, unless Pace can find a quarterback-needy trade partner willing to part with a middle- to late-round draft pick after the new league year begins March 9.
Any argument circulating that coach John Fox would be wise to keep Cutler for a "win or else" season in 2017 is misguided. Cutler has been Fox's opening-day starter the last two seasons and the Bears have finished last in the NFC North both years. Cutler has won only seven of the 20 starts he has made under Fox. And it's crystal clear the Bears are seeking new energy and a new direction at the position.
Hoyer will become a free agent next month but has expressed interest in re-signing as a potential bridge quarterback and veteran mentor to a younger prospect.
That option is one the Bears will consider seriously.
The skinny: It would be difficult to justify keeping Cutler. But the soon-to-be-34-year-old quarterback is signed through 2020, due to make up to $15 million next season if the Bears wanted him around.
Because of the structure of Cutler's contract, the Bears can cut him before September at no cost with only a moderate salary cap hit. That seems to be the most likely scenario, unless Pace can find a quarterback-needy trade partner willing to part with a middle- to late-round draft pick after the new league year begins March 9.
Any argument circulating that coach John Fox would be wise to keep Cutler for a "win or else" season in 2017 is misguided. Cutler has been Fox's opening-day starter the last two seasons and the Bears have finished last in the NFC North both years. Cutler has won only seven of the 20 starts he has made under Fox. And it's crystal clear the Bears are seeking new energy and a new direction at the position.
Hoyer will become a free agent next month but has expressed interest in re-signing as a potential bridge quarterback and veteran mentor to a younger prospect.
That option is one the Bears will consider seriously.
Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... NBA All-Star Game 2017: Anthony Davis shatters scoring record as the West prevails.
By CBS Sports Staff
Anthony Davis put on a show for his home crowd in New Orleans. (Photo/AP)
Well, that was ... something. The West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 192-182 behind a record-breaking performance by Anthony Davis, who scored 52 points, shattering Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 42. Davis received lob after lob after lob to get there. Russell Westbrook finished with 41.
It’s a nice moment for Davis, the star of the hometown host team, and a nice gesture by his teammates to make sure he got there.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo showed out for the East with 30 points on 17 shots, and dunked on Steph Curry. Kyrie Irving had 14 assists.
No defense was played. Not a drop. Not a lick. Not a bit. But a good time was had by all to wrap up a memorable All-Star Weekend.
Also of note, DeMarcus Cousins played two minutes total, as trade rumors swirled around him.
Eyes turn to front office as direction of Bulls' franchise hangs in the balance.
By Mark Strotman
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Nikola Mirotic posed for pictures with a fan outside the tunnel leading into the Bulls’ locker room. Bobby Portis spoke with a handful of reporters before wishing Bulls PR personnel a happy week off. Jimmy Butler tossed on a red Jumpman sweatsuit and headed to New Orleans for All-Star weekend.
And just like that, about an hour after the Bulls’ 104-103 victory over the Celtics, the locker room was empty. The next time Fred Hoiberg’s group reconvenes, Wednesday at the Advocate Center for practice, the NBA’s trade deadline will be 24 hours away. And the next time the Bulls take to the United Center floor — Feb. 24 against the Suns — the deadline will have passed.
The group that exited the locker room Thursday night after the team’s second straight victory — pulling the Bulls within a game of .500 at 28-29 — could look different than the one that enters it a week from now. With the franchise at a real crossroads at the trade deadline for the first time since the ping-pong balls fell in the team’s favor in the Derrick Rose sweepstakes, all eyes now turn to the front office.
The Bulls’ recent successes leading up to the All-Star break — wins over Boston and Toronto — won’t make the decisions facing Gar Forman and John Paxson any easier. At 28-29 the Bulls are below .500 at the break for the first time since 2010. And while they haven’t had a record above .500 in more than five weeks (Jan. 7, 19-18) they find themselves seventh in the Eastern Conference. Basketball-Reference projects the Bulls to finish sixth in the East, with a 70.7-percent chance of making the postseason. With the Bucks losing Jabari Parker to another torn ACL and the Hornets in free fall, it’s a safe bet that the Bulls’ current group — barring injury to No. 21 — will be back in the playoffs.
But that’s where Forman and Paxson need to assess the worth of a postseason appearance. Yes, the Bulls are 9-8 against the six teams ahead of them in the East, and they’ve earned a win over all but the Hawks this season. But the playoffs are a different animal, and even the most optimistic Bulls projection doesn’t have this current team advancing past the first round.
And with such a top-heavy conference, the Bulls aren’t the only playoff team dangling pieces. The eighth-seeded Pistons have reportedly made Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond available. Paul George’s name has popped up in trade rumors in Indiana, which enters the break in the No. 6 spot. The Knicks went all-in this offseason, acquiring Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, and months later are looking to deal Carmelo Anthony. Even the Hawks, currently fifth in the East, dealt Kyle Korver and had Paul Millsap on the trading block as recently as last month.
It’s why the Bulls coming up in myriad trade reports shouldn’t come as a surprise. Taj Gibson might have the trade deadline named after him by the time his career is over. Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez were rumored to be on the block in exchange for a first-round pick, though that seems unlikely after Serge Ibaka fetched a late first-rounder and reserve guard Terrence Ross.
Impending free agent Mirotic’s name has popped up in trade rumors, while Rajon Rondo appeared a potential plug-in for the Cavaliers last month. As it does everywhere in the league, the rumors have caused a strain of coaches and young players alike.
“The biggest thing, you can’t concern yourself with it. There’s going to be rumors thrown all over the place. That’s jut the era that we live in with all the social-media things and talk shows and everything that throws a lot of scenarios out there,” Fred Hoiberg said before Thursday’s game. “All 30 teams are talking to each other right now. There’s no doubt about that. That’s just how this thing works. Usually not very many things happen, so (we) just try to stay focused on the task at hand.”
The above names won’t move the needle much in the race for the Larry O’Brien trophy, should they be dealt. None of them would bring back anything substantial in the form of helping the Bulls long-term, though Lopez would fetch more than the bag of Cheetos he said his brother, Brook, wanted to trade him for.
Trading Gibson and Mirotic would give the Bulls some security against losing either to free agency for nothing this summer, but that’s about it. Lopez might return value of substance because he’s an affordable center under contract the next two seasons, but the Bulls might want to keep him for that same reason.
Then there’s Butler. The 27-year-old has transformed into one of the league’s best players and is on a team-friendly deal, given the league’s salary-cap explosion the last two seasons. It seems unlikely that Boston, the only real team linked to Butler at the moment, will pony up enough of their assets — both young players and Nets first-round picks — to make the Bulls consider dealing the foundation of their franchise. On one hand, Butler would yield a handful of assets that would mark the beginning of a massive rebuild, one with plenty of pieces to play with.
But every non-contending team would love to rebuild with a 27-year-old All-Star. Butler isn’t Anthony, an overpaid, past-his-prime scorer. He’s not Ibaka, an upcoming free agent more suited as a No. 2 or 3 option. He has peak trade value, but he also has peak value to the Bulls.
In a best-case scenario: If Forman and Paxson can squeeze out a first-round pick for any combination of role players and the Kings continue winning — forcing them to surrender their first-rounder — the Bulls could have three first-round picks in a loaded 2017 draft. If Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract at season’s end, the Bulls would also have the cap space to sign a max free agent, as unlikely as the prospect of one coming to Chicago seems at the moment.
Or Forman and Paxson get what they want from Boston in exchange for Butler. Kevin Love’s knee injury in Cleveland and Toronto’s deal for Ibaka could force Danny Ainge’s hand, as the East appears as wide open as it’s been since LeBron James began his reign atop the conference.
The Nets’ first-round pick would give the Bulls their point guard of the future — Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball top most mock drafts — and potential return players from the Celtics such as Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart or Jae Crowder have plenty of room to grow.
We’ll know in less than a week what Forman and Paxson decide to do, or perhaps more accurately are able to do. During Thursday’s shootaround, Gibson was asked about his thoughts at the trade deadline and having his name seemingly pop up every year around this time. Gibson’s answer was true for himself, as well as for most Bulls fans anxious to see the direction of the franchise.
“I’ve been around it for a while,” Gibson said. “It’s a business at the end of the day. You just have to be ready for whatever happens.”
And just like that, about an hour after the Bulls’ 104-103 victory over the Celtics, the locker room was empty. The next time Fred Hoiberg’s group reconvenes, Wednesday at the Advocate Center for practice, the NBA’s trade deadline will be 24 hours away. And the next time the Bulls take to the United Center floor — Feb. 24 against the Suns — the deadline will have passed.
The group that exited the locker room Thursday night after the team’s second straight victory — pulling the Bulls within a game of .500 at 28-29 — could look different than the one that enters it a week from now. With the franchise at a real crossroads at the trade deadline for the first time since the ping-pong balls fell in the team’s favor in the Derrick Rose sweepstakes, all eyes now turn to the front office.
The Bulls’ recent successes leading up to the All-Star break — wins over Boston and Toronto — won’t make the decisions facing Gar Forman and John Paxson any easier. At 28-29 the Bulls are below .500 at the break for the first time since 2010. And while they haven’t had a record above .500 in more than five weeks (Jan. 7, 19-18) they find themselves seventh in the Eastern Conference. Basketball-Reference projects the Bulls to finish sixth in the East, with a 70.7-percent chance of making the postseason. With the Bucks losing Jabari Parker to another torn ACL and the Hornets in free fall, it’s a safe bet that the Bulls’ current group — barring injury to No. 21 — will be back in the playoffs.
But that’s where Forman and Paxson need to assess the worth of a postseason appearance. Yes, the Bulls are 9-8 against the six teams ahead of them in the East, and they’ve earned a win over all but the Hawks this season. But the playoffs are a different animal, and even the most optimistic Bulls projection doesn’t have this current team advancing past the first round.
And with such a top-heavy conference, the Bulls aren’t the only playoff team dangling pieces. The eighth-seeded Pistons have reportedly made Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond available. Paul George’s name has popped up in trade rumors in Indiana, which enters the break in the No. 6 spot. The Knicks went all-in this offseason, acquiring Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, and months later are looking to deal Carmelo Anthony. Even the Hawks, currently fifth in the East, dealt Kyle Korver and had Paul Millsap on the trading block as recently as last month.
It’s why the Bulls coming up in myriad trade reports shouldn’t come as a surprise. Taj Gibson might have the trade deadline named after him by the time his career is over. Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez were rumored to be on the block in exchange for a first-round pick, though that seems unlikely after Serge Ibaka fetched a late first-rounder and reserve guard Terrence Ross.
Impending free agent Mirotic’s name has popped up in trade rumors, while Rajon Rondo appeared a potential plug-in for the Cavaliers last month. As it does everywhere in the league, the rumors have caused a strain of coaches and young players alike.
“The biggest thing, you can’t concern yourself with it. There’s going to be rumors thrown all over the place. That’s jut the era that we live in with all the social-media things and talk shows and everything that throws a lot of scenarios out there,” Fred Hoiberg said before Thursday’s game. “All 30 teams are talking to each other right now. There’s no doubt about that. That’s just how this thing works. Usually not very many things happen, so (we) just try to stay focused on the task at hand.”
The above names won’t move the needle much in the race for the Larry O’Brien trophy, should they be dealt. None of them would bring back anything substantial in the form of helping the Bulls long-term, though Lopez would fetch more than the bag of Cheetos he said his brother, Brook, wanted to trade him for.
Trading Gibson and Mirotic would give the Bulls some security against losing either to free agency for nothing this summer, but that’s about it. Lopez might return value of substance because he’s an affordable center under contract the next two seasons, but the Bulls might want to keep him for that same reason.
Then there’s Butler. The 27-year-old has transformed into one of the league’s best players and is on a team-friendly deal, given the league’s salary-cap explosion the last two seasons. It seems unlikely that Boston, the only real team linked to Butler at the moment, will pony up enough of their assets — both young players and Nets first-round picks — to make the Bulls consider dealing the foundation of their franchise. On one hand, Butler would yield a handful of assets that would mark the beginning of a massive rebuild, one with plenty of pieces to play with.
But every non-contending team would love to rebuild with a 27-year-old All-Star. Butler isn’t Anthony, an overpaid, past-his-prime scorer. He’s not Ibaka, an upcoming free agent more suited as a No. 2 or 3 option. He has peak trade value, but he also has peak value to the Bulls.
In a best-case scenario: If Forman and Paxson can squeeze out a first-round pick for any combination of role players and the Kings continue winning — forcing them to surrender their first-rounder — the Bulls could have three first-round picks in a loaded 2017 draft. If Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract at season’s end, the Bulls would also have the cap space to sign a max free agent, as unlikely as the prospect of one coming to Chicago seems at the moment.
Or Forman and Paxson get what they want from Boston in exchange for Butler. Kevin Love’s knee injury in Cleveland and Toronto’s deal for Ibaka could force Danny Ainge’s hand, as the East appears as wide open as it’s been since LeBron James began his reign atop the conference.
The Nets’ first-round pick would give the Bulls their point guard of the future — Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball top most mock drafts — and potential return players from the Celtics such as Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart or Jae Crowder have plenty of room to grow.
We’ll know in less than a week what Forman and Paxson decide to do, or perhaps more accurately are able to do. During Thursday’s shootaround, Gibson was asked about his thoughts at the trade deadline and having his name seemingly pop up every year around this time. Gibson’s answer was true for himself, as well as for most Bulls fans anxious to see the direction of the franchise.
“I’ve been around it for a while,” Gibson said. “It’s a business at the end of the day. You just have to be ready for whatever happens.”
CUBS: Forget the analytics, Joe Maddon sends will-to-win message to Cubs: ‘Don’t forget the heartbeat’.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
To set the tone for 2017, the Cubs gathered in a theater on Saturday morning and watched highlights from their unforgettable playoff run last year. The clips showed that Giant comeback in San Francisco, the nearly perfect game at Wrigley Field that beat the Dodgers to capture the National League pennant and a World Series Game 7 for the ages in Cleveland.
“I would say that a high percentage of teams would have lost that game,” manager Joe Maddon said. “But we were able to regroup and come back, just based on the heartbeat. And I really wanted them to understand the heartbeat.”
That became Maddon’s primary message inside the Under Armour Performance Center as steady rain fell in Mesa, washing out the first full-squad workout and postponing the first wacky team-bonding exercise for this camp.
Maddon would never completely channel Hawk Harrelson’s will-to-win spirit and stand up and tell the room: Save it, nerds.
But in an industry where practically every team is fluent in analytics and searching for that next cutting edge, a data-savvy, open-minded manager wanted to recapture what led Jason Heyward to call a players-only meeting during the rain delay at Progressive Field, emphasizing what allowed the Cubs to survive 10 high-stress innings against the Indians.
“I think in our game today, the way it’s run on a lot of levels, it’s more about math than people sometimes,” Maddon said. “I want our guys to understand that we understand the heartbeat around here, so don’t forget the heartbeat.
“We won that game purely because of competitive natures and the fact that we wanted to win and the heartbeat was so good. It has nothing to do with statistical information, mechanics physically. It had everything to do with people.
“And I really want our guys to understand that, because we’re going to do all the other necessary work. We’re going to do all the math work. We’re going to do all the physical work. We’re going to do all the work. But at the end of the day, man, (when it’s) a different uniform than you, you compete. You try to beat that guy in the other uniform. Don’t forget that.”
Cubs: Why Jon Lester thinks Year 2 will be different for Jason Heyward.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Jon Lester has already noticed a difference in Jason Heyward. It’s not some magical swing adjustment or best-shape-of-his-life hype or simply the bounce from the Cubs finally winning the World Series.
Lester already experienced this, signing the biggest contract in franchise history and reporting to Arizona for Year 2 in a different state of mind. The Cubs hope that helps Heyward recover from the worst offensive season of his career and round out his Gold Glove defense, baseball IQ and clubhouse intangibles.
“He’s a little bit more comfortable,” Lester said before Friday’s workout at the Sloan Park complex. “That’s just human nature. You come into a situation with everything else that you’re bringing along. You’re coming into a place where you don’t know a lot of guys. You’re trying to prove that you’re worth something.
“You’re trying to prove (it) to the city, to your teammates, to your family, to everybody else, all this stuff. So I think now it’s a matter of: He can just go out and play.”
A dead arm slowed down Lester during his first spring training in a Cubs uniform. The $155 million ace then got diagnosed with the yips in front of a national TV audience on Opening Day 2015. That April, the lefty went 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in four starts before closing with double-digit wins, a 3.34 ERA and another 200-inning season for a playoff team.
Lester had perhaps the greatest season of his life in 2016, going 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA, earning his fourth All-Star selection, finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting and becoming the National League Championship Series co-MVP.
“That’s kind of how I felt coming into my second year,” Lester said. “OK, we got that one over with. We did some things that we weren’t expected to do. Now it’s time to take that next step.
“You just feel more comfortable. You feel like you can come in and kind of let your shoulders down and let your guard down and just worry about playing baseball and getting your work done.”
Like Lester, Heyward wanted to play at Wrigley Field and live in Chicago and didn’t necessarily grab the biggest offer when he signed his $184 million megadeal. Heyward had also grown up around winning teams and understood that number would follow him for the rest of his career. Both players got the benefit of the doubt by being good teammates, holding themselves accountable and not hiding from the media.
The Cubs will run through their first full-squad workout in Mesa on Saturday, but Heyward has been hitting at the facility throughout the offseason, trying to rediscover what once made him a 27-homer threat for the 2012 Atlanta Braves.
“It seems like he’s a little more relaxed,” Lester said. “People told me the same thing two years ago. But when you’re going through it, the 3-for-4 days or the days you pitch seven innings and give up two runs still aren’t good enough. You feel like you have to do more. That second year just feels like you get back to kind of being yourself.”
Cubs reboot the Kyle Schwarber catching experiment.
By Patrick Mooney
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Kyle Schwarber unveiled a Tony Pena-style crouch on Friday morning, sticking out his left leg while catching John Lackey’s side session, trying to show the Cubs that he does have a future behind the plate.
Now that Schwarber has been medically cleared to resume catching activities – 10 months after he underwent surgery on his left knee to reconstruct his ACL and repair his LCL – the Cubs are willing to keep this possibility alive. Even if Schwarber only does these physical drills once or twice a week at the Sloan Park complex, and the goal is set at being a viable emergency third catcher when the team leaves Arizona in late March.
But going off initial impressions in camp – and after listening to the medical analysis – manager Joe Maddon still sees Schwarber as a potential leadoff guy and part of the catching mix.
“Absolutely,” Maddon said after the workout. “He feels great. Obviously, he always feels like he’s being held back a little bit, and that’s good. But, yeah, talking to him specifically and talking to the medical types, he’s good. He’s good to go.”
Maddon, who watched Jose Molina use a similar setup for the Tampa Bay Rays, thinks this could work for Schwarber in real games, at least with less than two strikes in the count and no runners on base, and help him present a lower target for pitchers.
“Obviously, I still have a passion for catching,” said Schwarber, who will spend most of his defensive time in left field this spring. “If I can do it, I’d like to do it. But if it’s not medically smart, let’s not risk it.”
From management’s perspective, this is a left-handed hitter with 30-homer power, an asset that will remain under club control through the 2021 season and a football mentality that doesn’t really allow Schwarber to go half-speed or dial back the intensity.
But knowing Schwarber’s hard-charging personality – this is someone who missed almost the entire regular season before his shocking return as a World Series designated hitter – is there a chance he could catch somewhere in the range of 20 or 30 games this year?
“If everything breaks well for him properly, and there’s a need,” Maddon said, “you’d like to think that might be something you could do by the end of the season, maybe like a 20-spot.
“But I really don’t know. The main thing is to have him in the lineup. The main thing is to keep him healthy. He’s a young man that has many more years to come, so you don’t want to jeopardize the potential to catch him in the future, either, so all that stuff has to be weighed in making that decision.”
WHITE SOX: Jose Abreu ready for 2017 after season full of 'different challenges'.
By Dan Hayes
Now that Schwarber has been medically cleared to resume catching activities – 10 months after he underwent surgery on his left knee to reconstruct his ACL and repair his LCL – the Cubs are willing to keep this possibility alive. Even if Schwarber only does these physical drills once or twice a week at the Sloan Park complex, and the goal is set at being a viable emergency third catcher when the team leaves Arizona in late March.
But going off initial impressions in camp – and after listening to the medical analysis – manager Joe Maddon still sees Schwarber as a potential leadoff guy and part of the catching mix.
“Absolutely,” Maddon said after the workout. “He feels great. Obviously, he always feels like he’s being held back a little bit, and that’s good. But, yeah, talking to him specifically and talking to the medical types, he’s good. He’s good to go.”
Maddon, who watched Jose Molina use a similar setup for the Tampa Bay Rays, thinks this could work for Schwarber in real games, at least with less than two strikes in the count and no runners on base, and help him present a lower target for pitchers.
“Obviously, I still have a passion for catching,” said Schwarber, who will spend most of his defensive time in left field this spring. “If I can do it, I’d like to do it. But if it’s not medically smart, let’s not risk it.”
From management’s perspective, this is a left-handed hitter with 30-homer power, an asset that will remain under club control through the 2021 season and a football mentality that doesn’t really allow Schwarber to go half-speed or dial back the intensity.
But knowing Schwarber’s hard-charging personality – this is someone who missed almost the entire regular season before his shocking return as a World Series designated hitter – is there a chance he could catch somewhere in the range of 20 or 30 games this year?
“If everything breaks well for him properly, and there’s a need,” Maddon said, “you’d like to think that might be something you could do by the end of the season, maybe like a 20-spot.
“But I really don’t know. The main thing is to have him in the lineup. The main thing is to keep him healthy. He’s a young man that has many more years to come, so you don’t want to jeopardize the potential to catch him in the future, either, so all that stuff has to be weighed in making that decision.”
WHITE SOX: Jose Abreu ready for 2017 after season full of 'different challenges'.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
A torrid two months at the plate helped Jose Abreu end what he found to be an extremely trying 2016 season with numbers close to his career norms.
But even though he finished with an .820 OPS and 100 RBIs for a third straight season, Abreu admits that 2016 was a season unlike any other he'd faced.
While he didn't disclose any theories for the cause of his lengthy struggles, the White Sox first baseman said Sunday he's pleased to have finished on a positive note and thinks that rebounding from those difficulties will only make him stronger. Abreu — who hit .293/.353/.468 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in 695 plate appearances — is also a fan of new White Sox manager Rick Renteria and is equally impressed with the prospects the club acquired this winter.
"Yes, those were different challenges, especially in my mind," Abreu said through an interpreter. "I never in my life experienced some of the kind of struggles like I did last year. But that put me in a better position as a player, as a person too. I'm in a better position now for this season because I learned from the experience."
In spite of his struggles, Abreu was still a league average player through the first four months of the season. But the 2014 All-Star hardly resembled the player who produced a 153 OPS-plus over his first two seasons. His timing was off and Abreu — hitting .269/.325/.413 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs through July 30 — wasn't driving the ball as he typically had in his first two seasons, when he smacked 66 homers.
Abreu was lost at the plate and nobody could figure out why.
But after the arrival of his son, Dariel, who visited him for the first time since he moved to the United States, Abreu took off. He hit .338/.402/.568 the rest of the season with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 249 trips to the plate.
"Right after last season ended, I had my meeting at my house with my family, just to explain to them how the season was because they know about baseball," Abreu said. "But sometimes they can't register how the process is in a season as long as the major league season is. We talked about it. I explained to them all of the challenges, the problems I had during that season. Once we ended with that meeting, last season was in the past. We moved on and we were trying just to figure out things and how can I do better for this season."
Now in his fourth season in the majors, Abreu has a firm grasp on how the White Sox operate and likes some of the team's modifications. He likes how Renteria thoroughly communicates what he has in mind for the club. Abreu also enjoys being seen as one of the team's leaders and wouldn't mind being a mentor to prized prospect Yoan Moncada.
Now he hopes to carry over his strong finish to the start of the 2017 campaign.
"I'm working on it," Abreu said. "That's one of my goals. Everybody knows that at the beginning of last season, I wasn't performing good. It was kind of a surprise for me, too. But I'm in good shape right now and I believe I will be able to succeed."
But even though he finished with an .820 OPS and 100 RBIs for a third straight season, Abreu admits that 2016 was a season unlike any other he'd faced.
While he didn't disclose any theories for the cause of his lengthy struggles, the White Sox first baseman said Sunday he's pleased to have finished on a positive note and thinks that rebounding from those difficulties will only make him stronger. Abreu — who hit .293/.353/.468 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in 695 plate appearances — is also a fan of new White Sox manager Rick Renteria and is equally impressed with the prospects the club acquired this winter.
"Yes, those were different challenges, especially in my mind," Abreu said through an interpreter. "I never in my life experienced some of the kind of struggles like I did last year. But that put me in a better position as a player, as a person too. I'm in a better position now for this season because I learned from the experience."
In spite of his struggles, Abreu was still a league average player through the first four months of the season. But the 2014 All-Star hardly resembled the player who produced a 153 OPS-plus over his first two seasons. His timing was off and Abreu — hitting .269/.325/.413 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs through July 30 — wasn't driving the ball as he typically had in his first two seasons, when he smacked 66 homers.
Abreu was lost at the plate and nobody could figure out why.
But after the arrival of his son, Dariel, who visited him for the first time since he moved to the United States, Abreu took off. He hit .338/.402/.568 the rest of the season with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 249 trips to the plate.
"Right after last season ended, I had my meeting at my house with my family, just to explain to them how the season was because they know about baseball," Abreu said. "But sometimes they can't register how the process is in a season as long as the major league season is. We talked about it. I explained to them all of the challenges, the problems I had during that season. Once we ended with that meeting, last season was in the past. We moved on and we were trying just to figure out things and how can I do better for this season."
Now in his fourth season in the majors, Abreu has a firm grasp on how the White Sox operate and likes some of the team's modifications. He likes how Renteria thoroughly communicates what he has in mind for the club. Abreu also enjoys being seen as one of the team's leaders and wouldn't mind being a mentor to prized prospect Yoan Moncada.
Now he hopes to carry over his strong finish to the start of the 2017 campaign.
"I'm working on it," Abreu said. "That's one of my goals. Everybody knows that at the beginning of last season, I wasn't performing good. It was kind of a surprise for me, too. But I'm in good shape right now and I believe I will be able to succeed."
Yoan Moncada working to learn White Sox culture.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Yoan Moncada is still trying to familiarize himself with the White Sox but his new club probably don’t feel all that unfamiliar.
At the very least, the rookie second baseman has a strong support group in his first week of spring training. Whether is a seat next to Jose Abreu in the clubhouse, chats with Jose Quintana on the field, or the comfort provided with a manager who speaks the same language, the White Sox clearly want their prized prospect to adapt to his new team. Already in town for the past few days, Moncada participated in the club’s first full-squad workout on Saturday at Camelback Ranch.
“I’m just trying to get to know the culture here, the guys, the staff, the players, how they like to work,” Moncada said through an interpreter. “And so far I’ve been good. Also, the change of the city and state, especially in spring training, I’m getting to know that a little bit better right now.”
Moncada’s comfort is only likely to grow now that Abreu is also in town. The veteran first baseman reported to camp around noon on Saturday (his flight was delayed by weather) and took his physical. Abreu and Moncada played together in 2012 for Cienfuegos and they spent much of the weekend at SoxFest together having fun. Abreu has spoke glowingly about Moncada, who came over from Boston in the Chris Sale trade, and is interested in helping him get comfortable at the big league level. Moncada, who debuted last season, likes having Abreu around.
“That’s a good advantage for me,” Moncada said. “I know him. He knows me. We played together in Cuba. We haven’t yet had the opportunity to practice together. Today was our first day and he wasn’t here, but that’s something that is going to be very good for me.”
So too is the addition of manager Rick Renteria, who is bilingual and addressed his clubhouse in both languages on Saturday. While he’s only getting to know his new teammates and coaches, Moncada is comfortable with the knowledge he can clearly communicate with the man in charge. All those elements should pave the way for Moncada to maximize his development in camp rather than worry about things off the field.
“He’s an excellent manager,” Moncada said. “He can speak both languages, especially Spanish for me, I can communicate with him. That’s a huge advantage for me and I like that. I think that we are going to have a very good season and we are just waiting for the season to start.”
Not focused on free agency, Todd Frazier wants to improve upon 2016.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Free agency has crossed Todd Frazier’s mind, but he doesn’t want it to dominate his thought process.
A free agent after this season, the White Sox third baseman said Friday afternoon he’d rather that his entire focus is spent improving upon last season when he produced career highs with 40 home runs and 98 RBIs. While Frazier performed well in some areas, he struggled in others and hopes a fresh start helps him rebound. So rather than be preoccupied with his future, Frazier hopes to improve every aspect of his game that he can.
“It’s a new year, man,” Frazier said. “I just try and build off what I did last year. Think about the positives. The home runs, RBIs, all that stuff. But I need to try and hit the ball to right field more. Get the average back up, on base percentage, little stuff like that if we need to work on together as a team.”
Similar to Jose Quintana and David Robertson, Frazier is probably wise to keep his focus on the field. His name wasn’t thrown around nearly as often on the hot stove as the two pitchers were this winter, but that’s because there wasn’t much of a demand for right-handed power hitters.
Not only was there a plethora of power available in free agency (Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Mike Trumbo and Mike Napoli), there was only one opening at third base and the Los Angeles Dodgers were able to re-sign Justin Turner.
Still, the White Sox are in the midst of a rebuild and if anyone paid up, Frazier would likely have been traded. There’s also a good chance a deal could happen before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline. All of the above makes it seem as if there’s little chance the White Sox would bring Frazier back, even though he’d like to return.
For now, Frazier isn’t worried about the future.
He’s more concerned with hitting the ball to the opposite field more often. He also wants to improve upon a .169 average with runners in scoring position. And Frazier also would like to get on base more often after finishing 2016 with a .302 on-base percentage.
Frazier said a sprained left point finger that bothered him last month is no longer an issue. He’s also not calling it a rebuild, preferring to describe it as a “refueling.” He thinks the White Sox are a better club than people project they’ll be and hopes they have a few surprises in store for the rest of the league.
And he’s hoping that focusing on all those elements results in him worrying about things that are out of his control.
“I’ve thought about (free agency),” Frazier said. “Not to the extent where it’s going to bother me the whole year. Let’s work on this year, right now. When the time comes let’s see what happens. Chicago is a nice place to play and I’d like to play here.”
Golf: I got a club for that..... D. Johnson becomes world No. 1 with Genesis win.
By Will Gray
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
It was a marathon day at waterlogged Riviera Country Club, but when the final putt dropped Dustin Johnson was atop both the leaderboard and the World Ranking. Here's how things ended up at the Genesis Open, where Johnson won by five shots:
Leaderboard: Dustin Johnson (-17), Thomas Pieters (-12), Scott Brown (-12), Justin Rose (-11), Wesley Bryan (-11), Kevin Na (-11), Charley Hoffman (-11)
What it means: Johnson started the morning with a lead, but he put the tournament out of reach with a third-round 64 that built his advantage to six shots. It allowed him to cruise to the finish line while challenging the tournament scoring record until a pair of back-nine bogeys. The victory vaults Johnson to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career and extends his streak to 10 straight seasons with at least one PGA Tour win.
Round of the day: Pieters had a Hazeltine flashback during the final round, channeling his masterful Ryder Cup performance en route to a closing 8-under 63. The Belgian had four birdies on each nine and failed to drop a shot, a performance that gave him his best finish in just his seventh career start on Tour.
Best of the rest: Martin Laird began his final round with an eagle on No. 1 and kept it going from there, carding a 5-under 66 that vaulted the Scot into a tie for eighth for his fourth top-10 finish of the young season. Laird made four birdies from Nos. 9-17 and would have finished even higher in the standings were it not for a 72nd-hole bogey.
Biggest disappointment: Jason Day didn't put up much of a fight as Johnson took the top spot in the OWGR away from him. The Aussie shot rounds of 75-71 during Sunday's marathon, dropping into a tie for 64th after he failed to break 70 in any round in L.A. despite the soft conditions.
Quote of the day: "It gives me a lot of confidence. It's going to push me to work even harder, try to get even better." - Johnson on becoming No. 1.
Couples tops Jimenez for 12th Champions win.
Associated Press
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Fred Couples won the Chubb Classic on Sunday for his 12th PGA Tour Champions title and first since 2014, rallying to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez at TwinEagles.
The 57-year-old Couples shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to finish at 16-under 200 on the Talon Course, three strokes ahead of second-round leader Jimenez.
Also the 2010 event winner at The Quarry, Couples won for the first time since the 2014 Shaw Charity Classic in Alberta. The Hall of Famer, long hampered by back problems, won 15 times on the PGA Tour - his lone major coming in the 1992 Masters.
Couples had three birdies on the front nine, and matched Jimenez's birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 17th. Jimenez, a stroke ahead of playing partners Couples and Kevin Sutherland entering the round, shot a 71. The 53-year-old Spaniard bogeyed the par-4 18th.
Jerry Kelly closed with a 66 to tie for third at 11 under in his senior debut. The three-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 in November. Jeff Sluman (68) and Canada's Rod Spittle (69) also were 11 under.
Sutherland followed his second-round 63 with a 73 to drop into a tie for sixth at 10 under with Bernhard Langer (69), Scott McCarron (67) and Jerry Smith (69).
Langer won in 2011 at The Quarry and 2013 and 2016 at TwinEagles. The 59-year-old German star won the season-opening event in Hawaii for his 30th tour victory. He has 29 rounds in a row under par.
McCarron won last week in Boca Raton.
Colin Montgomerie ran his under-par streak to 30, shooting a 71 to tie for 20th at 7 under.
John Daly tied for 30th at 5 under, shooting 68-74-69.
Couples opened with rounds of 68 and 65. He has broken 70 in all eight tour rounds this season, shooting 65-65 to finish second in Hawaii and 68-65-69 to tie for sixth in Boca Raton.
Tour seeing unprecedented youth movement.
By Golf Channel Digital
(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)
Entering this week at Riviera, the PGA Tour had seen seven consecutive winners younger than 30. Since 1970, there has never been a longer such streak of winners in their 20s.
As impressive as that may be, it doesn’t begin to describe the takeover by this new generation of elite players.
Jordan Spieth, 23; Justin Thomas, 23; and Hideki Matsuyama, 24; headline the collection of under-25 global superstars. But the quantity of 20-somethings who have claimed claim victories this season, which also includes Jon Rahm, 22; Hudson Swafford, 29; and Mackenzie Hughes, 26; has fostered some staggering age-related statistics this season.
The top of the PGA Tour is as young as it has been in generations – and possibly ever.
• From 2000-11, less than 3 percent of PGA Tour events were won by players age 23 or younger. With Spieth’s ascension, that number jumped significantly from 2012-16, up to 12.6 percent. This season, 7 of 13 tournaments – 54 percent - have been won by players under 24.
Percentage of tournaments won on PGA Tour by players 23 or younger
2000-11: 2.8 percent
2012-16: 12.6 percent
This season: 53.8 percent
• From 2003-11, there were 17 PGA Tour events won by players age 24 or younger. Since the beginning of 2012, there have been 41.
• Over the last 35 seasons, the average age of a PGA Tour winner in a given year has never been under 30. The average age of winners this season on Tour is currently 27.8 – and that’s even with 47-year-old outlier Rod Pampling’s win in Las Vegas bumping the average up.
• Speaking of average age, there have been four instances in the last 35 years where the average age of PGA Tour winners was 31.1 or younger. Those seasons: 2014, 2015, 2016 - and now - 2017.
• There have already been eight tournaments won this season by players age 25 or younger. Over the last 35 years, the record for most wins by players 25-and-below is 12, back in 1997. That year, Tiger Woods (four wins), David Duval (three), and Justin Leonard (two) led the pack. That record is in serious jeopardy, as there are still 34 trophies to hand out this season.
• How does this era compare with when Woods was younger? Woods won 29 times on the PGA Tour before turning 26, a stretch that went from when he turned pro in 1996-2001. Players age 25 or younger won a total of 48 times during that span, accounting for 17.3 percent of the victories on the PGA Tour. Since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, players 25 or younger have racked up 34 wins – good for a clip of 22.5 percent.
The youth movement on Tour can’t be tossed aside as an outlying anomaly that has lasted a month or two. The trend of players being better, younger is very real, and the numbers support that claim.
NASCAR: Chase Elliott nips Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win second consecutive Daytona 500 pole.
By Dustin Long
(Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
Chase Elliott became the first driver to win consecutive Daytona 500 poles since Ken Schrader more than 25 years ago.
Elliott won the pole with a lap of 192,872 mph Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. He’ll be joined on the front row by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who qualified after a lap of 192.864 mph.
“It’s good to be on the front row,” Earnhardt said. “I’d certainly would have loved to have gotten the pole, but I know (car owner Rick Hendrick) is happy. He’s got to be thrilled with having his cars up front.”
Elliott’s pole marked the third consecutive year Hendrick Motorsports has won the Daytona 500 pole. It also was the third consecutive year crew chief Alan Gustafson, who grew up in the shadows of this track, had guided the pole-winning team. The last crew chief to win three consecutive Daytona 500 poles was Ernie Elliott from 1985-87.
Schrader was the last driver to win consecutive Daytona 500 poles when he did so from 1988-90.
Brendan Gaughan and Elliott Sadler each secured a spot in the Daytona 500 by being the fastest two non-chartered teams. The two fastest non-chartered teams and the highest finishing non-chartered driver in each qualifying race on Thursday will make the 40-car field. Thirty-six spots are guaranteed to charter teams.
Gaughan, who is with Beard Motorsports, will make his second Daytona 500 start. His only start in this race came in 2004.
Sadler is driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing and making his 14th start in the Daytona 500 but first since 2012. He finished second in the 2002 race.
The rest of the Daytona 500 starting lineup will be set after Thursday night’s 150-mile qualifying races.
Joey Logano wins Advance Auto Parts Clash.
By Daniel McFadin
(Photo/Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Joey Logano took advantage of a last-lap wreck between race leader Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski to seize the lead and win the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway.
Logano was in third when Keselowski dove beneath Hamlin for the lead. They sideswiped each other in Turn 2, sending Hamlin spinning through the field untouched.
The field slowed to avoid Hamlin, allowing Logano to put enough distance between him and second place, which Kyle Busch captured over Alex Bowman.
Danica Patrick finished fourth.
“Kind of was in the right place at the right time,” Logano told FS1. “Brad was going to make the move, and I was just going to follow him through. When I saw (Hamlin) coming down, I immediately went to the top. The writing was written on the wall what was going to happen.”
The accident between Hamlin (race-high 48 laps led) and Keselowski (18) involved the drivers who started on the front row and led the most laps in the 75-lap race.
The Clash win is Logano’s first in nine starts in the exhibition race. It is Ford’s first win in the Clash since 2004.
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Danica Patrick was the highest-finishing Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the team’s first race with Ford. Kevin Harvick was fifth. … Daniel Suarez spent much of the second segment in second place behind Hamlin and finished eighth in his first start in a Cup car. … Chris Buescher finished ninth after being involved in an earlier accident with Martin Truex Jr.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Kurt Busch was the first DNF after he was turned into the outside wall by Jimmie Johnson on Lap 18. … Johnson wrecked out on Lap 49 when he spun on his own exiting Turn 4 and hit the inside wall. … Truex brought out the caution on Lap 59 after contact with Kyle Larson sent him spinning into the wall in Turn 3. Truex finished 15th … Larson finished 14th after being sent to the garage on Lap 64 for having too many men over the wall in the pits following the Truex accident. “It is an odd way to be done I guess,” Larson said. “But this race doesn’t matter for points.”
NOTABLE: Johnson has not finished better than 14th in the Clash since 2011.
Quote of the Day: “It is the Clash, it’s not the (Daytona) 500 and I guarantee (Denny Hamlin) knows and everyone else who is watching today that I’m going to make that move again.” – Brad Keselowski after his move for the win ended in a last-lap crash with Denny Hamlin.
Logano was in third when Keselowski dove beneath Hamlin for the lead. They sideswiped each other in Turn 2, sending Hamlin spinning through the field untouched.
The field slowed to avoid Hamlin, allowing Logano to put enough distance between him and second place, which Kyle Busch captured over Alex Bowman.
Danica Patrick finished fourth.
“Kind of was in the right place at the right time,” Logano told FS1. “Brad was going to make the move, and I was just going to follow him through. When I saw (Hamlin) coming down, I immediately went to the top. The writing was written on the wall what was going to happen.”
The accident between Hamlin (race-high 48 laps led) and Keselowski (18) involved the drivers who started on the front row and led the most laps in the 75-lap race.
The Clash win is Logano’s first in nine starts in the exhibition race. It is Ford’s first win in the Clash since 2004.
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Danica Patrick was the highest-finishing Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the team’s first race with Ford. Kevin Harvick was fifth. … Daniel Suarez spent much of the second segment in second place behind Hamlin and finished eighth in his first start in a Cup car. … Chris Buescher finished ninth after being involved in an earlier accident with Martin Truex Jr.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Kurt Busch was the first DNF after he was turned into the outside wall by Jimmie Johnson on Lap 18. … Johnson wrecked out on Lap 49 when he spun on his own exiting Turn 4 and hit the inside wall. … Truex brought out the caution on Lap 59 after contact with Kyle Larson sent him spinning into the wall in Turn 3. Truex finished 15th … Larson finished 14th after being sent to the garage on Lap 64 for having too many men over the wall in the pits following the Truex accident. “It is an odd way to be done I guess,” Larson said. “But this race doesn’t matter for points.”
NOTABLE: Johnson has not finished better than 14th in the Clash since 2011.
Quote of the Day: “It is the Clash, it’s not the (Daytona) 500 and I guarantee (Denny Hamlin) knows and everyone else who is watching today that I’m going to make that move again.” – Brad Keselowski after his move for the win ended in a last-lap crash with Denny Hamlin.
NASCAR announces expansion to concussion protocol.
By Daniel McFadin
On Friday NASCAR announced an expansion to its existing concussion protocol.
The changes are part of the recently announced partnership with American Medical Response providing a travelling safety team for all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
The updated protocol adds a “consistent screening tool for all venues and increasing available neurological support.”
Below are the additions to the protocol.
The changes are part of the recently announced partnership with American Medical Response providing a travelling safety team for all Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
The updated protocol adds a “consistent screening tool for all venues and increasing available neurological support.”
Below are the additions to the protocol.
- As part of the new rule regarding damaged vehicles, a driver whose car sustains damage from an accident or contact of any kind and goes behind the pit wall or to the garage is required to visit the Infield Care Center to be evaluated.
- NASCAR now requires that Infield Care Center physicians incorporate the SCAT-3 diagnostic tool in screening for head injuries.
- AMR will provide on-site neurological consultative support at select NASCAR events during the 2017 season and will work directly with NASCAR in the continued development of concussion protocol.
“NASCAR has worked very closely with the industry to ensure our concussion protocol reflects emerging best practices in this rapidly developing area of sports medicine,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations, in a press release. “We will continue to utilize relationships we’ve had for years with leaders in the neurological research field who helped to shape these updates.”
The updated protocol comes after 14-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed 18 races last year for a concussion. The concussion resulted from a June 12 crash at Michigan International Speedway, but the symptoms didn’t present themselves until week of the July 9 race at Kentucky Speedway.
Matt DiBenedetto was forced to sit out the Nov. 6 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway after being diagnosed with a concussion following a crash in a Xfinity Series race.
2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski has been a vocal critic of how concussions are treated in NASCAR.
SOCCER: Fire score five goals for fourth preseason win.
By Dan Santaromita
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Preseason wins don't necessarily translate to regular season wins, but the Chicago Fire haven't had much trouble racking up February wins in Florida.
The Fire made it 4-for-4 in the preseason with a 5-2 win against North American Soccer League foe Miami FC from the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., on Sunday.
The game featured some aesthetically pleasing goals, but the opener was a reminder that it's preseason and the players aren't in midseason form yet. A back pass from a Miami defender turned into a through ball for Luis Solignac. Solignac took the gift and scored uncontested with a slotted shot in the box in the third minute.
Miami evened things up in the 38th minute when Dylan Mares was left open on the left side of the box and scored with a low shot.
The Fire regained the lead with a penalty kick a few minutes later. A Brandon Vincent cross resulted in a handball in the box and John Goossens rifled the penalty into the upper 90.
Trialist Taylor Peay got the start at right back, his first appearance of the preseason. Three draft picks, Daniel Johnson, Brandt Bronico and Matej Dekovic, also started.
In the second half the Fire went with an entirely different lineup and the attack livened up. Aeturo Alvarez kicked things off by cutting in to his left foot and scoring with a shot into the side netting in the 49th minute. A few minutes later the Fire piled on the pressure with David Accam getting free from his man and then setting up Nemanja Nikolic, whose shot was saved onto the post and back into play. The Fire came right back with a long shot from Juninho that forced a rebound that David Arshakyan tucked away.
The fifth goal was the best of the bunch. A 10-pass sequence with mostly one-touch passing and Drew Conner at the heart of the buildup led to Nemanja Nikolic centering a ball to David Accam, who scored into an open net.
Nikolic, Accam and Alvarez provided an immediate spark to the attack after a first half in which the Fire struggled to create chances from the run of play.
The game also featured the usage of the video replay system the league is using in select preseason matches in preparation for the system's use in the regular season.
In the 71st minute the referee used the replay system to go back and call a penalty kick on a Michael Harrington foul. Goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland, drafted by the Fire in the second round in January, saved the penalty kick, but Ariel Pedro Martinez was able to score on the rebound.
In other news, goalkeeper Matt Lampson has a sprained MCL. A spokesman for the Fire said he could return for the season opener. Jorge Bava got the start on Sunday and appears to be in line to begin the season at the Fire's No. 1 keeper.
On the live stream of the match former Fire TV analyst Kevin Egan said former Newcastle United right back Ryan Taylor, 32, is expected to join the Fire in camp as a trialist shortly.
The Fire's next preseason match is against USL side FC Cincinnati on Wednesday.
La Liga & Serie A: Gameiro nets five minute hat-trick and more.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
A roundup of Saturday’s action in Spain and Italy’s top flights…
Real Madrid 2-0 Espanyol
For the first time since November, Gareth Bale appeared in a match for Real Madrid. The Welsh attacker didn’t disappoint either as Bale scored to help secure Real’s victory over Espanyol on Saturday. Alvaro Morata gave the hosts the lead in the first half with a headed finish at the Santiago Bernabeu before Bale doubled the advantage in the 83rd minute. Real currently holds a four-point advantage over Barcelona at the summit of La Liga and has a game in hand.
Sporting Gijon 1-4 Atletico Madrid
Kevin Gameiro netted a hat-trick in five minutes to help solidify Atletico’s standing in the top four. The second-half substitute scored in the 80th, 81st and 85th minutes on Saturday after both sides traded goals in the early portion of the second stanza. Yannick Carrasco put the visitors in front just one minute into the second half before Sergio Álvarez equalized for Sporting Gijon in the 49th minute. The loss for Gijon leaves the club in the bottom three.
Elsewhere in La Liga
Sevilla 2-0 Eibar
Deportivo La Coruna 0-1 Alaves
Empoli 1-2 Lazio
While the first half lacked excitement, the second stanza was anything but boring as the two sides came to life. Rade Krunic gave the hosts the lead in the 67th minute, but Empoli’s lead was short lived as Ciro Immobile leveled the scoreline at 1-1 just a minute later. An Andrea Costa own goal in the 80th minute sealed the points for Lazio, who tentatively move into fifth place.
Atalanta 1-0 Crotone
Atalanta continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the Serie A season as the club picked up a narrow victory on Saturday over 19th place Crotone. Andrea Conti gave Atalanta the lead in the early portion of the second half to move the team into fourth place, ahead of Inter Milan.
Championship focus: Brighton go unbeaten in four, Burton upsets Norwich.
By Matt Reed
(Photo/Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
The race for the top six in England’s Championship continues to captivate as the regular season hits the home stretch.
Barnsley 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
The league leaders continue to boost themselves toward promotion after extending their unbeaten streak to four matches on Saturday behind a brace from Sam Baldock. The Brighton striker netted twice after the halftime break to give his side the temporary lead at the top of the Championship, two points ahead of Newcastle. Meanwhile, Barnsley fall nine points out of the coveted sixth position in the promotion playoff following the team’s defeat.
Burton Albion 2-1 Norwich City
Michael Kightly netted in the second half to help 20th place Burton knock off Norwich on Saturday at the Pirelli Stadium. Cauley Woodrow moved Burton ahead after 25 minutes before Cameron Jerome controversially equalized seven minutes into the second stanza. The loss for Norwich moves the Canaries seven points out of sixth place, while Burton now has a bit of breathing room above the relegation zone with a four-point cushion.
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Almen Abdi and Fernando Forestieri gave Wednesday a 2-0 advantage early into the second half, and while Nottingham did manage to pull one back it wasn’t enough to upset sixth-place side. Ross McCormack could have put the hosts ahead in the 27th minute when the Forest man missed a penalty kick and Abdi went down to the other end and put Wednesday in front.
Elsewhere around the Championship
Wigan 0-0 Preston North End
Ipswich Town 1-1 Leeds
Birmingham City 1-4 Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City 5-0 Rotherham United
FA Cup: Chelsea leave it late, sneak past Wolves to reach QF.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
It took them probably 45 minutes longer than Antonio Conte might have hoped, but Chelsea are still dreaming of 2016-17 double after grinding out a 2-0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
For 65 minutes, the Championship side stifled the Premier League champions-elect (for all intents and purposes), until Willian, after racing down the right flank, sent a looping cross to the far post, where Pedro found himself completely unmarked. The Spaniard’s header was applied with textbook technique, down and just inside the post.
Diego Costa slammed home a loose ball from 10 yards out to make it 2-0 in the 89th minute, putting the game, and Chelsea’s place in the quarterfinals (for the 14th time in 21 seasons), beyond all doubt.
With 13 games to play in the PL campaign, the Blues hold an eight-point lead over Manchester City; no one else is closer than 10 points back.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup
Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City — RECAP | REACTION
Huddersfield Town 0-0 Manchester City
Middlesbrough 3-2 Oxford United
Millwall 1-0 Leicester City
FA Cup roundup: Man City toothless vs. Huddersfield; Boro win wild one.
By Andy Edwards
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
A roundup of Saturday’s action in the fifth round of the FA Cup (thus far)…
Middlesbrough 3-2 Oxford United
Aitor Karanka‘s side went from 2-0 up (Grant Leadbitter and Rudy Gestede), to level with League One side Oxford United at 2-2, in the space of 90 second-half seconds. The last thing Middlesbrough would have wanted was a fifth-round replay shoehorned into their upcoming fixtures list which already features a tough relegation battle (they currently sit 16th in the Premier League, just two points clear of 18th-place Hull City). Cristhian Stuani rescued them from that reality with his late winner, in the 86th minute, to send Boro through to their first FA Cup quarterfinals appearance since 2009.
Huddersfield 0-0 Manchester City
The lineup was first-choice, but the result far worse than second-rate for Manchester City, as Pep Guardiola‘s side proved the definition of toothless and uninspiring in their 0-0 draw away to Championship side Huddersfield Town. 63 percent of possession was converted into fewer than a handful of clear-cut scoring chances, and the absolute last thing Man City needed — a replay smack dab in the middle of a suddenly congested fixtures list (they begin their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against Monaco on Tuesday) — has come to pass.
Millwall 1-0 Leicester City
A miserable, relegation-threatened season got (somehow) worse for Leicester City on Saturday, as they bowed out of the FA Cup following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of 10-man (for nearly 40 minutes) League One side Millwall. Shaun Cummings scored the game’s only goal, in the 90th minute, and the best possible thing that could have propped up the Foxes’ 2016-17 season has gone.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup
Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City — RECAP | REACTION
NCAABKB: 12 takeaways as college basketball begins its stretch run.
By Pat Forde
Devonte’ Graham celebrates during Kansas’ victory over Baylor. (Photo/AP)
Twelve takeaways from a significant day in college basketball, as teams hit the stretch run toward March:
1. Kansas is addicted to drama. But Kansas also is addicted to winning.
The Jayhawks have won a dozen Big 12 games this season, virtually locking up a 13th consecutive league title in the process. But very little of it has come easily. The victory at Baylor was their ninth in league play by six points or fewer – including all of the past four.
Last week, Kansas ended the game against West Virginia on a 14-0 run to pull out a miracle win, then followed that with a closing 8-0 run to beat Baylor.
While this might not be a dominant team, it is the most clutch group in the country. Kansas is brilliant in late-game situations, tough and savvy and never rattled no matter the scenario. The Jayhawks play like what they are: a veteran-laden team. Frank Mason has played 135 games in a Kansas uniform, Landen Lucas has played 115, Devonte’ Graham has played 93, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has played 87.
That kind of experience is gold in the modern college game, where often the most talented teams are the youngest. There isn’t much Kansas’ core group hasn’t seen or can’t handle.
Bill Self’s team has some limitations – not much depth and not much reliable size off the bench. There is a danger that Mason and Graham, who average 35.7 and 34.8 minutes per game, respectively, may wear down come March.
But good luck winning an elimination game against these guys.
2. Villanova and North Carolina staged a classic championship game last April. And both look like they have everything needed for a Final Four return engagement.
The Tar Heels maintained their lead in the Atlantic Coast Conference by pulverizing fading Virginia, 65-41. Justin Jackson was brilliant in the first half for Carolina and Kennedy Meeks was overpowering in the second half. Roy Williams’ team is deep, big and versatile offensively – and the Heels seem to be increasingly motivated defensively. Their home game against Louisville Wednesday could go a long way toward deciding who wins the ACC.
Villanova, meanwhile, closed a three-game road swing by throttling Seton Hall, 92-70. Total margin of victory in trips to Xavier, DePaul and Seton Hall: 51 points. It was ‘Nova’s fifth straight win by double digits. If Frank Mason isn’t your national Player of the Year, then perhaps Wildcats senior Josh Hart is. He’s scored in double figures 33 straight games, a streak that dates back to the first game of the 2016 NCAA tournament.
Last time two teams that played for the title both returned to the Final Four the following year: a decade ago (Florida and UCLA). If Villanova and North Carolina don’t wind up in the same region, it could happen this year.
3. Speaking of teams in the habit of winning big: Gonzaga had its 20th straight double-digit victory Saturday, pounding poor Pacific 82-61 and improving to 28-0. Only three teams have come within single digits of the Zags this season: Arizona, Florida and Iowa State, all NCAA tournament teams.
Pacific had no chance against Gonzaga’s overwhelming defense, which leads the nation in effective field-goal percentage allowed (41.5). The Zags’ length makes scoring inside arduous, and it frees their perimeter players to get out on shooters at the 3-point line.
Now just two games from a perfect regular season, Gonzaga will make a Thursday trip to 11-16 San Diego, then come home to face 19-9 BYU Saturday. The Cougars did win in Spokane last year, but they were a better team then and the 2016 Zags were not as good as this version.
4. Hero Ball remains a plague upon our nation.
Guards who wouldn’t give up the rock despite being double covered played major roles in a pair of Big 12 games Saturday. For Baylor, trailing by two with eight seconds left, Manu Lecomte kept the ball and took the last shot despite being stalked by both Frank Mason and Josh Jackson, with predictable results. Then West Virginia had a perfect chance to reprise Villanova’s championship-winning play at the end of regulation against Texas Tech – only to see Jevon Carter force up a shot instead of dishing off.
There were 4.6 seconds left in that one – just a tenth less than Villanova had against North Carolina – and Nathan Adrian was trailing the play in the Kris Jenkins role. But Carter wouldn’t be Ryan Arcidiacono and pass it to him, instead going 1-on-2 and missing. This one ended better than Baylor’s last shot, though – West Virginia won in overtime, and Carter finished with a season-high 24 points.
Coaches have a hard time drawing up anything good at the end of games, and players seem to have an even harder time executing anything that involves a pass. Which is why we see a lot of bad shots that miss at the end.
5. Michigan State guard Eron Harris left Purdue’s Mackey Arena on a stretcher. He might have taken the Spartans’ NCAA tournament hopes with him.
Harris, who is second on the team in minutes and third in scoring, suffered a knee injury of undisclosed severity. It certainly looked bad. If he’s done for the season, a team that is 16-11 and 8-6 in the Big Ten may struggle to get the remaining wins needed to lock up a bid. And Michigan State hasn’t missed the Big Dance since 1997, Tom Izzo’s second season on the job.
Harris hasn’t played well in February and has lost some minutes of late – but on a shaky offensive team he’s a guy who can create his own shot. That could be something the Spartans miss in a closing stretch against Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois and Maryland.
6. Kentucky’s winning streak is four, but the Wildcats have not cured all that ails them.
They were pushed into the last minute before De’Aaron Fox almost single-handedly put away Georgia, 82-77. While any conference road win will be embraced, this one came with the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, Yante Maten, missing the last 38½ minutes after injuring his right knee. Word out of Georgia Saturday night is that the injury appears “serious,” and the hard-luck Bulldogs aren’t going to play their way into the NCAA tournament without a guy averaging 19.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
On this day, Kentucky was more lucky than good. The Wildcats allowed a limited Georgia team to shoot 63 percent from inside the arc, and failed to create as many turnovers (11) as the error-prone Bulldogs usually commit. Kentucky simply isn’t a very good defensive team at this late juncture – and while those lights can still come on for a young team, as Duke showed in 2015 – the time is drawing short.
7. Northwestern flirted with a season-jeopardizing loss at home to Rutgers, and the stress of it nearly killed Doug Collins.
ESPNU cameras showed the father of Wildcats coach Chris Collins, http://sports.yahoo.com/news/doug-collins-nerves-nearly-had-him-in-tears-during-the-final-minutes-of-son-chris-game-at-northwestern-video-021748025.html”>agonizing through the tense closing minutes, as Northwestern fought back after trailing for a 14-minute stretch of the second half. With Northwestern on the verge of victory, the elder Collins actually appeared to be crying in the stands. And this is a guy who played and coached in the NBA for 35 years.
Collins had a lot of company from stressed-out fans of the Wildcats, who saw the first NCAA bid in school history becoming shockingly shaky against the last-place team in the Big Ten. After losing three of their past four, the last thing Northwestern could afford to do was drop the only remaining gimme game on the schedule.
The Wildcats came quite close. Had Rutgers secured a pair of late defensive rebounds that its players seemingly had the inside angle to get, the Scarlet Knights would have scored their first major win under first-year coach Steve Pikiell. But the Wildcats made the plays they had to make to pull out the win, and at 20-7 and 9-5, they’re one step closer to going where they’ve never gone before.
8. The Arizona-Washington matchup undoubtedly had the attention of a lot of NBA scouts and front-office types. One-and-doners Markelle Fultz and Lauri Markkanen both delivered.
Fultz, the more known commodity last fall, had 26 points and six assists. Markkanen produced 26 points and 13 rebounds, and his team got the victory. The 7-footer from Finland has had a huge year, certainly improving his draft stock over the course of Arizona’s 25-3 season. The most recent DraftExpress.com mock draft has Fultz as the No. 1 pick in the draft and Markkanen as the seventh pick.
If Markkanen has a big March and Arizona makes a Final Four run, he likely will continue to move up the mocks. Fultz won’t have that opportunity, since Washington (9-18, 2-13) is a huge bust.
9. Until Trevon Bluiett comes back from the ankle injury he suffered Feb. 11 against Villanova, Xavier is out of offensive options.
The Musketeers already were hampered by the season-ending knee injury to No. 2 scorer and top assist man Edward Sumner. But without Bluiett, their leading scorer, they’ve dropped consecutive games against Providence and Marquette. In Milwaukee Saturday, they were down 21-2 out of the gate and didn’t score their second basket until nearly seven minutes had elapsed.
The loss of Sumner and Bluiett has put too much of a burden on freshman guard Quentin Goodin, who isn’t ready for a centerpiece role. Goodin has made just 4 of 28 shots in the past three games.
10. Is February where South Carolina’s NCAA tournament bids go to die?
Last year the Gamecocks went 4-4 in February and wound up just missing the Big Dance. This year they’re 2-3, coming off consecutive losses to Arkansas and Vanderbilt. And while they should have the requisite résumé already – Syracuse, Michigan, Florida and Monmouth are among their 20 wins – a complete collapse now would spike the anxiety in Columbia. Guard PJ Dozier needs to get his shooting stroke back – he’s made just 2 of his past 10 3-pointers and missed his past seven free throws. He was 0-5 from the line against Vandy Saturday.
11. The Pac-12 is a three-team league. More than that will get NCAA bids, but outside of Arizona, Oregon and UCLA there is not much to like about the league. Those three, however, you should like a lot. It wouldn’t be a shock to see any of them make the Final Four, and possibly more than one.
12. Buzz Williams coaching the second half of Virginia Tech’s game against Louisville in an orange T-shirt, after sweating through his dress shirt during the first half, was the sight of the day. It also served as a reminder of how differently football and basketball coaches dress for game day – the number of football coaches who wear ties during games can be counted on one hand.
12. Buzz Williams coaching the second half of Virginia Tech’s game against Louisville in an orange T-shirt, after sweating through his dress shirt during the first half, was the sight of the day. It also served as a reminder of how differently football and basketball coaches dress for game day – the number of football coaches who wear ties during games can be counted on one hand.
NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Schedule.
ncaa.com
The NCAA awards 32 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. The Ivy League will host a conference tournament for the first time.
Here is the complete schedule for the conference tournaments:
| Conference | Location * | Schedule/Results | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Highest seeds host | Quarterfinals: March 1 Semifinals: March 6 Championship: March 11 | |
 American Athletic | Hartford, Conn. | First Round: March 9 Quarterfinals: March 10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 Atlantic 10 | Pittsburgh | First Round: March 9 Second Round: March 10 Quarterfinals: March 11 Semifinals: March 12 Championship: March 13 | |
 Atlantic Coast | Brooklyn, N.Y. | First Round: March 7 Second Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Atlantic Sun | Highest seeds host | Quarterfinals: Feb. 27 Semifinals: March 2 Championship: March 5 | |
 Big 12 | Kansas City, Mo. | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Big East | New York | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Big Sky | Reno, Nev. | First Round: March 7 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Big South | Highest seeds host | First Round: Feb. 28 Quarterfinals: March 2 Semifinals: March 3 Championship: March 5 | |
 Big Ten | Washington, D.C. | First Round: March 8 Second Round: March 9 Quarterfinals: March 10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 | Anaheim, CA | Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Colonial Athletic | North Charleston, S.C. | First Round: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 4 Semifinals: March 5 Championship: March 6 | |
 | Birmingham, Ala. | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Horizon League | Detroit | First Round: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 4/5 Semifinals: March 6 Championship: March 7 | |
 Ivy League | Philadelphia | Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 Metro Atlantic Athletic | Albany, N.Y. | First Round: March 2 Quarterfinals: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 4 Semifinals: March 5 Championship: March 6 | |
 Mid-American | Cleveland | First Round: March 6 Second Round: March 9 Quarterfinals: March 10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 Mid-Eastern Athletic | Norfolk, Va. | First Round: March 6/8 Quarterfinals: March 9/10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 Missouri Valley | St. Louis | First Round: March 2 Quarterfinals: March 3 Semifinals: March 4 Championship: March 5 | |
 Mountain West | Las Vegas | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Northeast | Highest seeds host | Quarterfinals: March 1 Semifinals: March 4 Championship: March 7 | |
 Ohio Valley | Nashville, Tenn. | First Round: March 1 Quarterfinals: March 2 Semifinals: March 3 Championship: March 4 | |
 Pacific-12 | Las Vegas | First Round: March 8 Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Patriot League | Highest seeds host | First Round: Feb. 28 Quarterfinals: March 2 Semifinals: March 5 Championship: March 8 | |
 Southeastern | Nashville, Tenn. | First Round: March 8 Second Round: March 9 Quarterfinals: March 10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 Southern | Asheville, N.C. | First Round: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 4 Semifinals: March 5 Championship: March 6 | |
 Southland | Katy, Texas | First Round: March 8 Second Round: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Southwestern Athletic | Houston | Quarterfinals: March 8 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
 Summit League | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Quarterfinals: March 4/5 Semifinals: March 6 Championship: March 7 | |
 Sun Belt | New Orleans | First Round: March 8 Second Round: March 10 Semifinals: March 11 Championship: March 12 | |
 West Coast | Las Vegas | First Round: March 3 Quarterfinals: March 4 Semifinals: March 6 Championship: March 7 | |
 Western Athletic | Las Vegas | Quarterfinals: March 9 Semifinals: March 10 Championship: March 11 | |
* -- Final location only. RPI just part of NCAA Tournament criteria, so why all of the hate? By Mike DeCourcy 
(Photo/Getty Images)
There are some things that become pervasive at different periods in American history whose raison d’etre can be something of a mystery. Parachute pants or mullets or hair metal — how did we end up there?
| |||
Each of these fads is as difficult to understand as what has become a near-universal loathing of the Ratings Percentage Index.
All the cool kids crush the RPI.
Sometimes, I think they do it because the other cool kids do it.
I bring this up now because while many long have considered Valentine’s Day to be about cards and candy and romantic dinners and flowers — I’ve been on top of that, also, or else I wouldn’t be into my fourth decade of marriage — I have long looked at Feb. 14 as the day when there have been enough games played nationally for the RPI at last to have sufficient data to make sense.
For those not hip to the metric that is used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to measure achievement by college basketball teams, the RPI is produced by combining a team’s winning percentage (25 percent), its opponents’ winning percentage (50 percent) and the winning percentage of its opponents’ opponents (25 percent). Victories are weighted differently depending on whether they are achieved at home, on the road or at a neutral site.
That’s it. It’s not exactly the scientific formula for rat poison. So why do people argue against it with such venom?
The committee does not use the RPI as a straight measurement of a team’s value. For instance, Minnesota currently is ranked No. 25 in the RPI as calculated by Jerry Palm at CBSSports.com. The committee does not look at this, assumes the Gophers are the 25th-best team and automatically assigns them to the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region. What the committee members do is judge a team by how it has performed against subsets of teams grouped by their RPI rank.
Minnesota is 4-5 against the RPI top 50. Not bad. It has no losses against teams outside the top 100. That’s good, too. Maybe this team would be a 7 seed. Maybe not. It also depends on how other teams have performed.
The committee could use a number of different metrics for this purpose. It has used the RPI partly out of habit as other numerical evaluations of teams have become popular in recent years. But another reason has been previous committee members’ preference for a metric that does not incorporate margin of victory into its formula.
It’s possible there are other, better metrics to be used in measuring the achievement of college basketball teams, even without factoring in the scoring margin and focusing only on the pure result.
If one examines the current RPI, though, its standings are not drastically different from the most popular system, the KenPom ratings compiled by statistician Ken Pomeroy. There’s certainly not enough of a disparity to justify the vehemence of RPI opposition.
The No. 1 team in the RPI on Tuesday afternoon was Baylor. KenPom had the Bears
eighth. The RPI loved them because they owned 10 victories against the RPI top 50; KenPom was less enthusiastic presumably because their offense is not extraordinarily efficient.
That’s not a huge disparity, either way. In fact, the KenPom and RPI ratings generally are fairly close. A dozen of the RPI’s top 25 teams are rated within five places of their KenPom numbers. For instance:
Villanova: No. 2 in the RPI, No. 3 in KenPom.
Louisville: No. 4 in the RPI, No. 5 in KenPom.
Gonzaga: No. 5 in the RPI, No. 1 in KenPom.
Duke: No. 16 in the RPI, No. 14 in KenPom.
UCLA: No. 23 in the RPI, No. 18 in KenPom.
There are seven whose disparities are 10 spots or greater; for example, Arizona is No. 6 in the RPI and No. 23 in KenPom. The RPI has Butler ranked No. 12 because the Bulldogs have a number of significant victories, including over Villanova, Cincinnati and Arizona. KenPom flatters them less with a No. 25 ranking, effectively because many of their victories come by narrow margins.
Of the teams in the RPI top 25, though, the average disparity with their KenPom ranking is 6.9 positions.
If you’re gathering teams in groups of 50, do seven spots matter that much?
The NCAA recently invited some of the top college basketball statistical analysts to a meeting in Indianapolis to discuss replacing the RPI with a different, better metric. There’s nothing with that pursuit. The coaches who requested the matter be pursued have an obvious stake in assuring that the best possible system be employed.
The RPI could be better, or it could be replaced. It is too easy to game; there’s a significant reward for a top team beating the 150th-best team in a November home game as opposed to the 325th, when in fact the power team is almost certain to win regardless. The smart teams pay up for the privilege. Those that are either not rich enough or are too cheap pay the price.
The system can be improved. No one’s arguing about that. But the hate you’ll see expressed for the RPI in articles elsewhere or on radio talk shows or podcasts, it just seems overdone at a time when so much love is in the air.
All the cool kids crush the RPI.
Sometimes, I think they do it because the other cool kids do it.
I bring this up now because while many long have considered Valentine’s Day to be about cards and candy and romantic dinners and flowers — I’ve been on top of that, also, or else I wouldn’t be into my fourth decade of marriage — I have long looked at Feb. 14 as the day when there have been enough games played nationally for the RPI at last to have sufficient data to make sense.
For those not hip to the metric that is used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to measure achievement by college basketball teams, the RPI is produced by combining a team’s winning percentage (25 percent), its opponents’ winning percentage (50 percent) and the winning percentage of its opponents’ opponents (25 percent). Victories are weighted differently depending on whether they are achieved at home, on the road or at a neutral site.
That’s it. It’s not exactly the scientific formula for rat poison. So why do people argue against it with such venom?
The committee does not use the RPI as a straight measurement of a team’s value. For instance, Minnesota currently is ranked No. 25 in the RPI as calculated by Jerry Palm at CBSSports.com. The committee does not look at this, assumes the Gophers are the 25th-best team and automatically assigns them to the No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region. What the committee members do is judge a team by how it has performed against subsets of teams grouped by their RPI rank.
Minnesota is 4-5 against the RPI top 50. Not bad. It has no losses against teams outside the top 100. That’s good, too. Maybe this team would be a 7 seed. Maybe not. It also depends on how other teams have performed.
The committee could use a number of different metrics for this purpose. It has used the RPI partly out of habit as other numerical evaluations of teams have become popular in recent years. But another reason has been previous committee members’ preference for a metric that does not incorporate margin of victory into its formula.
It’s possible there are other, better metrics to be used in measuring the achievement of college basketball teams, even without factoring in the scoring margin and focusing only on the pure result.
If one examines the current RPI, though, its standings are not drastically different from the most popular system, the KenPom ratings compiled by statistician Ken Pomeroy. There’s certainly not enough of a disparity to justify the vehemence of RPI opposition.
The No. 1 team in the RPI on Tuesday afternoon was Baylor. KenPom had the Bears
eighth. The RPI loved them because they owned 10 victories against the RPI top 50; KenPom was less enthusiastic presumably because their offense is not extraordinarily efficient.
That’s not a huge disparity, either way. In fact, the KenPom and RPI ratings generally are fairly close. A dozen of the RPI’s top 25 teams are rated within five places of their KenPom numbers. For instance:
Villanova: No. 2 in the RPI, No. 3 in KenPom.
Louisville: No. 4 in the RPI, No. 5 in KenPom.
Gonzaga: No. 5 in the RPI, No. 1 in KenPom.
Duke: No. 16 in the RPI, No. 14 in KenPom.
UCLA: No. 23 in the RPI, No. 18 in KenPom.
There are seven whose disparities are 10 spots or greater; for example, Arizona is No. 6 in the RPI and No. 23 in KenPom. The RPI has Butler ranked No. 12 because the Bulldogs have a number of significant victories, including over Villanova, Cincinnati and Arizona. KenPom flatters them less with a No. 25 ranking, effectively because many of their victories come by narrow margins.
Of the teams in the RPI top 25, though, the average disparity with their KenPom ranking is 6.9 positions.
If you’re gathering teams in groups of 50, do seven spots matter that much?
The NCAA recently invited some of the top college basketball statistical analysts to a meeting in Indianapolis to discuss replacing the RPI with a different, better metric. There’s nothing with that pursuit. The coaches who requested the matter be pursued have an obvious stake in assuring that the best possible system be employed.
The RPI could be better, or it could be replaced. It is too easy to game; there’s a significant reward for a top team beating the 150th-best team in a November home game as opposed to the 325th, when in fact the power team is almost certain to win regardless. The smart teams pay up for the privilege. Those that are either not rich enough or are too cheap pay the price.
The system can be improved. No one’s arguing about that. But the hate you’ll see expressed for the RPI in articles elsewhere or on radio talk shows or podcasts, it just seems overdone at a time when so much love is in the air.
NCAAFB: Report: Alabama to hire Patriots' Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator.
By Tom Fornelli
Daboll had been the tight ends coach with the New England Patriots.
Alabama has a new offensive coordinator. Again.
According to a report from ESPN.com’s Chris Low, New England Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll is set to become the third offensive coordinator at Alabama since the calendar flipped from 2016 to 2017.
Lane Kiffin had been Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and served in that role through Alabama’s win over Washington in the Peach Bowl. After that game it was decided Alabama and Kiffin were better off going their separate ways, as the Tide had a title game to prepare for, and Kiffin had the head coach job at FAU waiting for him.
So Kiffin was replaced by Steve Sarkisian, who called the plays in Alabama’s loss to Clemson in the national title game. About a month later Sarkisian left Alabama to become the offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons.
All of which led Alabama to Daboll.
Daboll is a name that won’t be too familiar to college football fans. While he has been coaching since 1997, aside from a year at William & Mary as something called a “restricted earnings coach” and two seasons at Michigan State as a grad assistant, the 41-year old Daboll has spent his coaching career in the NFL. He spent seven seasons with the New England Patriots on Bill Belichick’s staff before leaving in 2007 to become the quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets. He left that job to become the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011) and Kansas City Chiefs (2012) before returning to New England in 2013.
Had current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to take a head coaching gig, many believed it would have been Daboll replacing him in New England. That didn’t happen, but Daboll’s found a pretty good landing spot at Alabama.
In a sense he’s leaving the Patriots to join the Patriots of college football.
According to a report from ESPN.com’s Chris Low, New England Patriots tight ends coach Brian Daboll is set to become the third offensive coordinator at Alabama since the calendar flipped from 2016 to 2017.
Lane Kiffin had been Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and served in that role through Alabama’s win over Washington in the Peach Bowl. After that game it was decided Alabama and Kiffin were better off going their separate ways, as the Tide had a title game to prepare for, and Kiffin had the head coach job at FAU waiting for him.
So Kiffin was replaced by Steve Sarkisian, who called the plays in Alabama’s loss to Clemson in the national title game. About a month later Sarkisian left Alabama to become the offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons.
All of which led Alabama to Daboll.
Daboll is a name that won’t be too familiar to college football fans. While he has been coaching since 1997, aside from a year at William & Mary as something called a “restricted earnings coach” and two seasons at Michigan State as a grad assistant, the 41-year old Daboll has spent his coaching career in the NFL. He spent seven seasons with the New England Patriots on Bill Belichick’s staff before leaving in 2007 to become the quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets. He left that job to become the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011) and Kansas City Chiefs (2012) before returning to New England in 2013.
Had current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to take a head coaching gig, many believed it would have been Daboll replacing him in New England. That didn’t happen, but Daboll’s found a pretty good landing spot at Alabama.
In a sense he’s leaving the Patriots to join the Patriots of college football.
AD Whitman's next move is a big one at Illinois.
By Mark Tupper
(AP Photo Bradley Leeb)
One year ago Saturday Josh Whitman was introduced as the 14th full-time director of athletics at the University of Illinois.
Those first three weeks on the job proved to be an unforgettable whirlwind. Within moments of his hire, he spoke directly to the Illini Nation fan base by penning one of the most inspirational letters of promise that anyone could ever hope to write. He posted it on social media, which is one of Whitman’s preferred formats for communication.
Whitman then engineered a bold, out-of-the-box plan to put the football program on a more sensible path, clearing the way for coach Lovie Smith, who was introduced March 7.
Those first three weeks on the job proved to be an unforgettable whirlwind. Within moments of his hire, he spoke directly to the Illini Nation fan base by penning one of the most inspirational letters of promise that anyone could ever hope to write. He posted it on social media, which is one of Whitman’s preferred formats for communication.
Whitman then engineered a bold, out-of-the-box plan to put the football program on a more sensible path, clearing the way for coach Lovie Smith, who was introduced March 7.
Whitman, who had been at Washington University, decided it was best to stay the course with the school’s two basketball coaches and immediately went to work mending fences with donors and supporters that had been damaged during the previous regime.
Just recently he learned he would be losing Kevin Hambly, one of the brightest young head volleyball coaches in America. While the popular opinion was that Whitman would likely hire a female who had been a proven head coach, he hired a male, Chris Tamas, who’d never been a head coach.
Now Whitman is about to make a decision that will rival the Lovie Smith escapade. As the AD decides what to do with men’s basketball, it’s worth noting what an Illini insider told me this week.
“This is an extremely big decision and there’s one thing we have to protect. And that’s Josh Whitman. He’s the school’s MVP now.”
I can’t argue the point. Whitman at the wheel is what has given Illini fans a sense of satisfaction and peace, at least so long as he hits another home run on the basketball front.
There are numerous options for Whitman, and he’s surely considered all of them. Just this week North Carolina State fired head coach Mark Gottfried but said Gottfried will coach the team for the remainder of the season.
That seems terribly awkward and I doubt it’s Whitman’s style.
So as we move toward the end of the regular season, it seems Whitman will consider these possible solutions:
1. He could retain John Groce.
You think the liberals have their panties in a knot over President Trump? Keep John Groce and you’ll hear fans howl halfway to the Mexican border. Josh Whitman might have to build a wall around his office in the Bielfeldt Building.
But if he is convinced that Groce has led the program to a pivot point and the results will swing in a positive direction once the 2017-18 recruiting class arrives, he could fly in the face of popular sentiment and pull off the stunner.
This position would be strengthened if Groce lands a commitment from fast-rising Edwardsville guard Mark Smith, a player that would elevate the recruiting class to one of the best in the country.
I’m not saying this will happen, but I’m keeping an open mind to any possibility.
2. More likely, Whitman hires a proven head coach from a top-tier college program.
This is the Tony Bennett (Virginia), Cuonzo Martin (Cal) theory. It’s a more comfortable solution because it eliminates some of the gamble that comes from hiring someone unfamiliar with leading a program from a Power 5 conference. It’s costly because not only does it involve paying Groce’s buyout (Illinois will owe him $1.6 million), it could mean helping a coach currently under contract wiggle free from his own financial obligations to his current school. Plus there would be a new deal at Illinois to negotiate.
The process is complicated now because there are three unfilled spots on the university’s Board of Trustees, making it a young, understaffed group that must approve contracts.
3. Or maybe Whitman hires a hot head coach from a mid-major.
Call this the Mike Thomas approach. That isn’t entirely fair, because the former Illini AD had some success hiring coaches at prior stops, but when he looked to the MAC to find Tim Beckman and John Groce, it branded him Mr. Mid-Major.
If Whitman finds his next head coach here, know that he will have vetted him completely and gone the extra mile to calculate the likelihood that this person has a strong chance to lift Illinois back into the NCAA Tournament, recruit at a level to compete for Big Ten titles and be in place for the next dozen years.
4. Hire an unproven assistant with the right pedigree.
This is what Marquette did when it hired Steve Wojciechowski from Duke.
Wojciechowski was a terrific guard for the Blue Devils and became an assistant coach for Mike Krzyzewski in 1999. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2008.
He’d never been a head coach until Marquette hired him in 2014 to replace Buzz Williams after Williams left to take over at Virginia Tech.
It’s still too early to tell how well it will work out. After going 13-19 in his first season, Marquette improved to 20-13 last season and was 15-10 this year going into its game Saturday night. That included a victory over No. 1-ranked Villanova.
5. Go the Lovie route and hire someone with a pro background.
This is why I’ve used up a little ink talking about Fred Hoiberg and Monty Williams from the NBA.
Hoiberg, the Chicago Bulls head coach and former Iowa State head coach, probably won’t be available, but I like the Whitman-Hoiberg match so much I felt obligated to present it.
I also am intrigued by Williams, the former New Orleans Pelicans head coach who is currently vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs.
Williams would come with a big recommendation from former Illini player and NBA executive Jerry Colangelo, who saw Williams up close and personal when he was on Krzyzewski’s Team USA Olympic staff.
There are others with NBA backgrounds as well and it’s an avenue worth investigating.
6. Pull off a stunner that makes the Lovie hire look mundane.
I was driving back from the Illinois-Penn State game last weekend listening to a Chicago radio station when it was mentioned that former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, despite being age 71, hasn’t said he would never coach again.
This is a colossal reach and I consider it completely impractical. But Ryan had a magic touch and a winning system with the Badgers and if you hired him and simultaneously hired a “head coach-in-waiting,” Ryan’s job would be to teach his system to the players and a new coaching staff.
Yes, it’s crazy. It’s nuts. But if that coach-in-waiting was someone like former Illini player and current Vanderbilt associate head coach Roger Powell, it’s not quite as crazy.
In four or five years, after Ryan adds to his record and maybe beats his Badgers a few times, he passes the baton to Powell and Illinois is on track to sustain success with Powell running the show.
Now is the time to float the impractical and as crazy as it is, I love the idea of thinking this far out of the box. I put nothing past Whitman because great minds are not afraid of the unconventional.
That’s why some people are nervous about suggestion No. 1. Retaining Groce would certainly not settle down an agitated fan base that desperately wants a fresh direction.
So fasten your seatbelts, Illini fans. The madness of March is right around the corner. You’re in for a very interesting ride.
Just recently he learned he would be losing Kevin Hambly, one of the brightest young head volleyball coaches in America. While the popular opinion was that Whitman would likely hire a female who had been a proven head coach, he hired a male, Chris Tamas, who’d never been a head coach.
Now Whitman is about to make a decision that will rival the Lovie Smith escapade. As the AD decides what to do with men’s basketball, it’s worth noting what an Illini insider told me this week.
“This is an extremely big decision and there’s one thing we have to protect. And that’s Josh Whitman. He’s the school’s MVP now.”
I can’t argue the point. Whitman at the wheel is what has given Illini fans a sense of satisfaction and peace, at least so long as he hits another home run on the basketball front.
There are numerous options for Whitman, and he’s surely considered all of them. Just this week North Carolina State fired head coach Mark Gottfried but said Gottfried will coach the team for the remainder of the season.
That seems terribly awkward and I doubt it’s Whitman’s style.
So as we move toward the end of the regular season, it seems Whitman will consider these possible solutions:
1. He could retain John Groce.
You think the liberals have their panties in a knot over President Trump? Keep John Groce and you’ll hear fans howl halfway to the Mexican border. Josh Whitman might have to build a wall around his office in the Bielfeldt Building.
But if he is convinced that Groce has led the program to a pivot point and the results will swing in a positive direction once the 2017-18 recruiting class arrives, he could fly in the face of popular sentiment and pull off the stunner.
This position would be strengthened if Groce lands a commitment from fast-rising Edwardsville guard Mark Smith, a player that would elevate the recruiting class to one of the best in the country.
I’m not saying this will happen, but I’m keeping an open mind to any possibility.
2. More likely, Whitman hires a proven head coach from a top-tier college program.
This is the Tony Bennett (Virginia), Cuonzo Martin (Cal) theory. It’s a more comfortable solution because it eliminates some of the gamble that comes from hiring someone unfamiliar with leading a program from a Power 5 conference. It’s costly because not only does it involve paying Groce’s buyout (Illinois will owe him $1.6 million), it could mean helping a coach currently under contract wiggle free from his own financial obligations to his current school. Plus there would be a new deal at Illinois to negotiate.
The process is complicated now because there are three unfilled spots on the university’s Board of Trustees, making it a young, understaffed group that must approve contracts.
3. Or maybe Whitman hires a hot head coach from a mid-major.
If Whitman finds his next head coach here, know that he will have vetted him completely and gone the extra mile to calculate the likelihood that this person has a strong chance to lift Illinois back into the NCAA Tournament, recruit at a level to compete for Big Ten titles and be in place for the next dozen years.
4. Hire an unproven assistant with the right pedigree.
This is what Marquette did when it hired Steve Wojciechowski from Duke.
Wojciechowski was a terrific guard for the Blue Devils and became an assistant coach for Mike Krzyzewski in 1999. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2008.
He’d never been a head coach until Marquette hired him in 2014 to replace Buzz Williams after Williams left to take over at Virginia Tech.
It’s still too early to tell how well it will work out. After going 13-19 in his first season, Marquette improved to 20-13 last season and was 15-10 this year going into its game Saturday night. That included a victory over No. 1-ranked Villanova.
5. Go the Lovie route and hire someone with a pro background.
This is why I’ve used up a little ink talking about Fred Hoiberg and Monty Williams from the NBA.
Hoiberg, the Chicago Bulls head coach and former Iowa State head coach, probably won’t be available, but I like the Whitman-Hoiberg match so much I felt obligated to present it.
I also am intrigued by Williams, the former New Orleans Pelicans head coach who is currently vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs.
Williams would come with a big recommendation from former Illini player and NBA executive Jerry Colangelo, who saw Williams up close and personal when he was on Krzyzewski’s Team USA Olympic staff.
There are others with NBA backgrounds as well and it’s an avenue worth investigating.
6. Pull off a stunner that makes the Lovie hire look mundane.
I was driving back from the Illinois-Penn State game last weekend listening to a Chicago radio station when it was mentioned that former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, despite being age 71, hasn’t said he would never coach again.
This is a colossal reach and I consider it completely impractical. But Ryan had a magic touch and a winning system with the Badgers and if you hired him and simultaneously hired a “head coach-in-waiting,” Ryan’s job would be to teach his system to the players and a new coaching staff.
Yes, it’s crazy. It’s nuts. But if that coach-in-waiting was someone like former Illini player and current Vanderbilt associate head coach Roger Powell, it’s not quite as crazy.
In four or five years, after Ryan adds to his record and maybe beats his Badgers a few times, he passes the baton to Powell and Illinois is on track to sustain success with Powell running the show.
Now is the time to float the impractical and as crazy as it is, I love the idea of thinking this far out of the box. I put nothing past Whitman because great minds are not afraid of the unconventional.
That’s why some people are nervous about suggestion No. 1. Retaining Groce would certainly not settle down an agitated fan base that desperately wants a fresh direction.
So fasten your seatbelts, Illini fans. The madness of March is right around the corner. You’re in for a very interesting ride.
On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, February 20, 2017.
emoriesofhistory.com
1887 - The first minor league baseball association was organized in Pittsburgh.
1929 - The Boston Red Sox announced that they would begin playing games on Sunday.
1930 - Clint Benedict (Montreal Maroons) became the first goalie to wear a mask in the NHL. Benedict wore the mask temporarily during an injury.
1943 - Phil Wrigley and Branch Rickey chartered the All-American Girls Softball League.
1952 - Emmett L. Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball. He was authorized to be a substitute in the Southwestern International League.
1958 - Racing jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000, as he rode the winner at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.
1971 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season.
1974 - Gordie Howe came out of retirement to play for the Houston Aeros with his two sons.
1993 - The New York Islanders retired Billy Smith's #31.
1993 - The Florida Marlins opened their first spring training camp.
1997 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) signed a contract worth $22.9 million over 2 years.
2000 - Garth Brooks began training with the New York Mets.
2002 - ESPN and the Liberty Bowl signed a contract that extended through 2008.
2004 - Defenseman Sergei Zubov (Dallas Stars) posted his 600th point.
1929 - The Boston Red Sox announced that they would begin playing games on Sunday.
1930 - Clint Benedict (Montreal Maroons) became the first goalie to wear a mask in the NHL. Benedict wore the mask temporarily during an injury.
1943 - Phil Wrigley and Branch Rickey chartered the All-American Girls Softball League.
1952 - Emmett L. Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball. He was authorized to be a substitute in the Southwestern International League.
1958 - Racing jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000, as he rode the winner at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.
1971 - Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins) became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season.
1974 - Gordie Howe came out of retirement to play for the Houston Aeros with his two sons.
1993 - The New York Islanders retired Billy Smith's #31.
1993 - The Florida Marlins opened their first spring training camp.
1997 - Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) signed a contract worth $22.9 million over 2 years.
2000 - Garth Brooks began training with the New York Mets.
2002 - ESPN and the Liberty Bowl signed a contract that extended through 2008.
2004 - Defenseman Sergei Zubov (Dallas Stars) posted his 600th point.
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