U.S./World Sports category, Page 138
Former Arizona coach Sean Miller not sanctioned in NCAA caseVideo
Former Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller escaped sanctions Wednesday when a report from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process largely accepted the program’s self-imposed penalties stemming from a NCAA rules violations case that dates to 2017. Arizona’s athletics program was put on three years of probation through 2025. The school announced...
Mississippi State hiring defensive coordinator Zach Arnett
Mississippi State is promoting defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach to replace Mike Leach, who died suddenly of a heart condition earlier this week. Mississippi State was working to finalize a four-year contract with the 36-year-old Arnett, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on...
Kylian Mbappe, France advance to World Cup final, beat Morocco
AL KHOR, Qatar — Kylian Mbappe vs. Lionel Messi. It’s the World Cup final for which just about everyone was waiting — and hoping. France and Mbappe are headed back to the biggest game in soccer, and to a much-anticipated matchup with Argentina, after ending Morocco’s historic run at the...
Soccer writer Grant Wahl died of heart aneurysm at World Cup
NEW YORK — Grant Wahl died of an aneurysm in his heart when he was stricken while covering a World Cup match last weekend, according to an autopsy of the well-known American soccer writer. Wahl’s wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, said Wednesday that an autopsy was conducted by the New York...
Mind of Mike: Expansive coaching tree part of Leach’s legacyVideo
When Mike Leach first moved to Mississippi State from Washington State, he stayed in the Left Field Lofts at the Bulldogs’ baseball stadium. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments have balconies that look out at the diamond at Dudy Noble Field and are a 3-minute walk from Mississippi State’s football facility and...
Purdue hires Illini coordinator Ryan Walters as new coachVideo
Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski promised to conduct a national search for Jeff Brohm’s replacement. He found the new guy just across the state line. The Boilermakers announced Tuesday they had hired Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters as their head coach less than a week after Brohm left for his...
Column: PGA Tour year in review based on shots from 14 clubsVideo
One swing can go a long way, whether the shot ends up in the water, on the green or in the hole. One swing cost Mito Pereira his first major championship. It validated the rise of Tom Kim. And for Jordan Spieth, it had observers on the edge of their...
Moroccan World Cup ‘dream’ faces biggest test against FranceVideo
DOHA, Qatar — Morocco’s improbable, history-making run at the World Cup is about to get its ultimate test. Africa’s first World Cup semifinalist is playing defending champion France and striker Kylian Mbappé, the leader of a new wave of soccer superstars coming out of an era dominated by Lionel Messi...
Lionel Messi, Argentina beat Croatia to reach World Cup finalVideo
LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. And, at 35, he could hardly be playing any better. Messi converted a penalty kick and had a hand in the other two goals...
NBA rebrands, redesigns its MVP award as The Michael Jordan Trophy
Michael Jordan was moments away from hoisting his third of what would become five NBA Most Valuable Player awards, and then-Commissioner David Stern greeted him at the midcourt ceremony with words that were both simple and profound. “You are simply the standard,” Stern said that night in 1992, “by which...
Mississippi State’s Mike Leach, pioneering football coach, dies at 61
Gruff, pioneering and unfiltered, Mike Leach was one of the most influential football coaches of this or any generation. His boundless curiosity and fascination for people, places and things made him famous beyond the field, a unique character in sports. Leach, who was in his third year at Mississippi State...
Syracuse beats Indiana to win its 1st men’s soccer titleVideo
CARY, N.C. — Syracuse goalkeeper Russell Shealy stopped two shots in an eight-round shootout and Amferny Sinclair scored the game-winner as No. 3 seed Syracuse beat 13th-seeded Indiana 7-6 in a shootout on Monday night to win the NCAA College Cup championship for the first time in program history. It...
U.S. almost sent Gio Reyna home from World Cup for lack of hustleVideo
NEW YORK — American midfielder Gio Reyna almost was sent home from the World Cup because of a lack of hustle in training, for which he later apologized. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter revealed the team’s concerns about a player when he spoke last week at the HOW Institute for Society’s...
South Carolina tops women’s AP Top 25, Kansas cracks poll
Kansas has cracked The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in nearly 10 years after a huge win while South Carolina remained the unanimous No. 1 team. The 22nd-ranked Jayhawks routed then 12th-ranked Arizona by 27 points on the road to break into the AP Top 25...
Purdue moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama cracks top 5
Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season. Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No. 1...
Texas suspends basketball coach Chris Beard over family violence charge
AUSTIN, Texas — Chris Beard, who coached Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA championship game and was hired away by Texas with expectations he’d elevate his alma mater to the same elite level, was arrested early Monday on a felony family violence charge after a woman told police he strangled...
Morocco’s tactical masterplan ignites unlikely World Cup run
DOHA, Qatar — Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou leaned back in his chair, shook his head and said: “Pinch me, I’m dreaming.” Yes, Morocco really is in the World Cup semifinals. Before arriving in Qatar, the north African nation had won two of its previous 16 matches at the World Cup....
Paul Silas, 3-time NBA champion, longtime coach, dies at 79Video
Basketball taught Paul Silas how to be patient. As a player, he waited 10 years before winning his first championship. As a coach, he waited 15 years for a second chance at running a team. As a father, he waited 20 years before seeing his son get a chance to...
Mississippi State coach Mike Leach taken to Jackson hospital
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was hospitalized Sunday after what the university called “a personal health issue” that happened at his home in Starkville. The 61-year-old Leach was initially treated at a local hospital before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, which...
Heisman 2023: Drake Maye? Marvin Harrison Jr.? Who challenges Caleb Williams?
NEW YORK — After Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the eighth player to do so for Southern Cal, he talked about how cool it will be to have his jersey retired at the school one day and to be able to take his place with other USC greats....
Gateway grad Courtney Jackson leaves Syracuse, enters transfer portal
Gateway graduate Courtney Jackson recently announced that he is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal and has concluded his playing career at Syracuse. The graduate student, with two years of eligibility remaining, made the announcement Nov. 29 on Twitter. The wide receiver said a lot of prayer and consultation with those...
USC’s Caleb Williams wins Heisman after leading Trojan turnaround
NEW YORK — Caleb Williams brought sizzle, excitement and star power back to Southern Cal football. And now the Heisman Trophy, too. Williams, the dynamic quarterback who was the catalyst for the Trojans’ turnaround season, won the Heisman on Saturday night to make USC the first school to take home...
Army tops Navy in 1st OT game in 123 matchupsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Navy running back Anton Hall Jr. collapsed to the ground and buried his face in his hands. West Point cadets spilled from the stands onto the field and joined Army players who ripped off their helmets and ran around in celebration. Hall’s push toward the end zone in...
Ex-Hampton standout Anastasia Russ thrives in debut season at Maryland
Former Hampton volleyball star Anastasia Russ has come out of her shell. After three years at Pitt as an underused backup, Russ transferred to Maryland in January and flourished in her first season with the Terrapins. The 6-foot-5 redshirt junior middle blocker emerged as one of the best defensive players...
Soccer writer Grant Wahl dies at World Cup match in Qatar
LUSAIL, Qatar — Grant Wahl, one of the most well-known soccer writers in the United States, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48. U.S. media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail...
