MONDAY – March 30
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
AP-SportsMinute
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – DeMarcus Robinson has accepted a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, who are maintaining an aerial attack that includes receivers Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman. Robinson grabbed 32 passes for 449 yards and four touchdowns last season, his fourth since being taken by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Although Watkins is signed through next season, he may be asked to restructure his hefty contract or take a pay cut in the coming days.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) – The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with wide receiver Geronimo Allison. The 26-year-old Allison comes to Detroit from division rival Green Bay, where he caught 34 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns last season. Allison played the past four seasons with the Packers and joins a team that includes receivers Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola each of whom surpassed 60 catches and 600 yards receiving in 2019.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Timmy Hill won yesterday’s virtual race at Texas Motor Speedway, the second in an iRacing series thrown together after NASCAR’s 36-race season was suspended four events into the year. Hill is considered among the top competitors in iRacing, a subscription-based gaming platform. His virtual victory was his 674th in the game. One highlight came when Daniel Suarez was parked by iRacing officials for intentionally trying but failing to crash Ty Dillon.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Georgetown sophomore guard Mac McClung has announced that he is declaring for the NBA draft after averaging 15.7 points and 2.4 assists for the Hoyas this past season. However, he is maintaining his college eligibility in case he decides to stay at Georgetown. McClung missed time because of a right foot injury this year and appeared in only 21 of Georgetown’s 32 games. He averaged 13.1 points as a freshman.
SEATTLE (AP) – The University of Washington has announced that former Huskies football coach Jim Lambright has died at age 77. Lambright spent nearly four decades associated with the Washington program as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He was 44-25-1 as the Huskies head coach and never had a losing record but was fired following the 1998 season. Washington’s best season under Lambright came in 1995 when it shared the Pac-10 title but missed out on a trip to the Rose Bowl.
TUESDAY – March 31
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
(track)
(G/B) Le Mars at the M-O-C/Floyd Valley meet in Orange City – ppd.
AP-SportsMinute
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry has entered the NBA draft, saying it’s time to continue to the next level of basketball as a professional. The 6-foot-10 sophomore was selected as The Associated Press Co-Southeastern Conference player of the year after ranking in the top 10 of several conference categories. Perry led the SEC in rebounds last season with 10.1 per game, ranked sixth in scoring at 17.4 points and ninth in blocks with 1.2.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – Arizona State junior point guard Remy Martin has declared for the NBA draft, saying he’s decided to take another step into making his dream a reality. Martin led the Sun Devils with 19.1 points. 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 2019-20, putting them on the cusp of a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance before the college basketball postseason was halted by the coronavirus. He was named first team all-Pac-12 by The Associated Press.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Michigan forward Isaiah Livers is applying for early entry into the NBA draft, but the school said he is not hiring an agent and would work with the Wolverines coaching staff during the evaluation and pre-draft processes. Even if a player does use an agent during the evaluation process, he can return to school without losing eligibility if he ends the relationship with the agent. Livers averaged 12.9 points for the Wolverines this past season and was limited to 21 games due to injury problems.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a Michigan State basketball player is asking the Michigan attorney general’s office to investigate, according to a published report. ESPN is reporting that Michigan State University police told prosecutors they had probable cause that sophomore guard Brock Washington raped the woman on Jan. 19 while she was too intoxicated to consent. Police referred the case to county prosecutors, who declined to file charges this month.
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (AP) – Free-agent punter Sam Martin has become the third Detroit Lions player to sign with the Denver Broncos this month, accepting a three-year, $7 million contract. He joins former Detroit teammates Graham Glasgow and Jeff Driskel in Denver. Martin has averaged 46 yards per punt with a 40.9-yard net average, 38 touchbacks and 175 punts inside the 20-yard line during his seven NFL seasons.
WEDNESDAY – April 1
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
AP-SportsMinute
UNDATED (AP) – NFL owners are continuing to plan for the 2020 season to begin on time. But they’ve adopted changes in how the season will end. They voted to modify the playoff format with two additional wild-card teams in the Super Bowl chase. The playoffs will be expanded by one team in each conference for a total of 14. The 16-game season and full playoffs would include the two stadiums still under construction in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, plus international games in England and Mexico.
LAKE FOREST, Ill (AP) – The Chicago Bears have finalized a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2018 Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles. The Bears are hoping Foles will return to form following an injury-riddled season with Jacksonville. Foles would give them another option if Mitchell Trubisky struggles again or gets hurt next year. The Jaguars parted with the 31-year-old Foles just over a year after signing him to a four-year contract. Foles helped Philadelphia win a Super Bowl.
SAN JOSE, Calif (AP) -San Jose Sharks President Jonathan Becher says the team made the best decision with the information at the time when it played three home games following a recommendation by the county against large gatherings in early March. Santa Clara County issued a recommendation on March 5 that mass gatherings should be postponed or canceled to control the spread of the new coronavirus.
UNDATED (AP) – The NCAA’s popular decision to extend spring sports athletes’ eligibility a year because of the coronavirus pandemic is causing consternation for baseball coaches. Baseball is the only spring sport with a roster limit. Teams can have no more than 35 players, though that rule will be relaxed in 2021. The problem comes in 2022. Looming roster logjams because of the extended eligibility could force coaches to sign smaller recruiting classes and nudge underperforming players to transfer or quit.
UNDATED (AP) – They can’t face off on the hardwood right now, so Kevin Durant and Trae Young will lead a 16-player field of NBA players in an NBA 2K20 tournament airing on ESPN. The NBA, the players’ association and 2K have announced the NBA 2K Players Tournament. Play begins Friday, and the winner of the week-long competition will receive a $100,000 donation to a coronavirus-related relief effort of their choice.
THURSDAY – April 2
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
AP-SportsMinute
UNDATED (AP) – The coronavirus pandemic has knocked two major events off the British sports schedule. Wimbledon officials have announced that the tournament has been canceled for the first time for any reason other than a war. Major League Baseball has canceled a two-game series in London between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals because of the pandemic. Both sporting events were scheduled to be played in July.
NEW YORK (AP) – Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks is no longer ruling out Kevin Durant for the season after repeatedly saying he didn’t expect his All-Star forward to return before the next training camp. Marks acknowledged yesterday that everything is unknown now that the season is suspended because of the new coronavirus. Durant underwent Achilles tendon surgery and was expected to be out up to 12 months after getting hurt during the NBA Finals.
SEATTLE (AP) – Washington freshman Isaiah Stewart has declared for the NBA draft after serving as one of the few bright spots for an underachieving Huskies team. The bruising, 6-foot-9 forward was named to the all-Pac-12 first team after averaging 16.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in the regular season. Stewart also blocked 65 shots and averaged a team-high 32 minutes per game.
UNDATED (AP) – IndyCar’s virtual racing will be televised beginning with Saturday’s iRacing event, which has been picked up by NBC Sports. The debut virtual race last weekend drew 433,000 combined viewers to both IndyCar and iRacing’s online stream. Totals viewers jumped to 600,000 when IndyCar tallied how many watched drivers’ social media feeds or gaming channels. NASCAR has done well in its virtual racing series, setting records for viewership the last two weeks.
UNDATED (AP) – A diversity report for graduation rates among potential NCAA Tournament teams found a larger gap between white and black men’s players from the previous year. Scores for both groups were higher, though gains by white players outpaced those of black players to create the larger gap. The report was created by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at Central Florida and also shows male players continue to lag behind their female counterparts overall.
FRIDAY – April 3
nothing scheduled nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
(tennis)
(G) Cherokee at Le Mars – ppd.
(B) Le Mars at Cherokee – ppd.
SportsMinute
UNDATED (AP) – British Open organizers say postponement is an option for this year’s tournament at Royal St. George’s. The 149th edition of the Open Championship is scheduled to take place July 16-19. The last time the Open wasn’t played was in 1945 because of World War II. The R&A released a short statement in response to media speculation about the staging of the event. Chief executive Martin Slumbers says the “process is taking some time to resolve” because of a range of external factors.
UNDATED (AP) – The Senior PGA Championship in Michigan has been canceled. The PGA of America says it based its decision on Michigan’s stay-at-home order that was enacted March 23. The Senior PGA in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was to be played May 21-24. It will be held next year at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It will return to Benton Harbor the following year.
BOSTON (AP) – The New England Patriots’ private team plane returned to Boston from China carrying more than one million masks critical to health care providers fighting to control the spread of the coronavirus. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker secured the N95 masks but had no way of getting them to the U.S. Team owner Robert Kraft stepped in and offered the plane. Kraft Sports and Entertainment chief operating officer Jim Nolan said in an interview on Patriots.com radio that the Chinese government didn’t officially sign off on the trip until March 27.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio State star Kaleb Wesson has announced in a tweet that he would forego his final year of eligibility and declare for the NBA draft. Analysts have projected him as a second-round pick. Wesson can sign with an agent for exploratory purposes and still protect his final year of eligibility. He has until June 3 to make a decision. Wesson averaged 14 points and 9.3 rebounds in leading Ohio State to a 21-10 record and 11-9 in the Big Ten Conference.
UNDATED (AP) – Former baseball All-Star Jim Edmonds says he tested positive for the new coronavirus and for pneumonia. Edmonds says in a video posted on Instagram that he is symptom free now and doing “really well.” He thanked people for their well wishes. The 49-year-old played 17 major league seasons from 1993-2010, mostly for the California and Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals. He hit 393 home runs.
SATURDAY – April 4
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
SportsMinute
NEW YORK (AP) – Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper and New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz are the latest baseball players to make donations to coronavirus relief efforts. Harper and his wife, Kayla, are giving $500,000 to Direct Relief and Three Square in his hometown of Las Vegas and Philabundance in Philadelphia. Matz is having his foundation donate $32,000 to New York City first responders and hospitals -the first two numbers matching his uniform number. Matz tweeted the money will be given by TRU32.
UNDATED (AP) – A unique basketball Hall of Fame class will be announced Saturday in a unique way. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are all expected to be announced as part of the 2020 class of enshrinees by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Instead of being revealed at college basketball’s Final Four, the announcement will be televised from ESPN studios. The other finalists are Tamika Catchings, Rudy Tomjanovich, Eddie Sutton, Barbara Stevens and Kim Mulkey.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina State’s NCAA case involving recruiting violations tied to former Wolfpack one-and-done star Dennis Smith Jr. has been recommended to go through an independent investigation process created for complex cases. The process includes independent investigators and decision-makers with no direct ties to NCAA member schools. The NCAA has alleged ex-assistant Orlando Early provided Smith and his associates approximately $46,700 in impermissible benefits.
CHICAGO (AP) – The starting quarterback slot for the Chicago Bears is up for grabs. The Bears front office says there will be a competition between Mitchell Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles. General manager Ryan Pace says both players are “embracing” the battle that will play out whenever offseason workouts begin. General manager Ryan Pace says both players are “embracing” the battle
NEW YORK (AP) – A lawyer representing retired NFL players alleges the players’ union stonewalled his clients when confronted with questions whether their Social Security disability payments would be affected before the labor agreement was narrowly ratified last month. Attorney Ben Meiselas told the AP that the NFLPA refused to provide responses to direct questions regarding the status of retiree disability benefits.
SUNDAY – April 5
nothing scheduled locally or nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak
Sports Minute
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump met by phone with many U.S. pro sports leaders Saturday to discuss how that industry has been affected by the global coronavirus pandemic. Trump says he was looking forward to the resumption of competitions “as soon as we can,” adding that he wants fans back in the arenas. A person with direct knowledge of what was discussed on the call says Trump believes the NFL season scheduled to begin Sept. 10 will start on time with fans in seats.
UNDATED (AP) — The Spanish league and players are still far apart on the size of the salary cuts, while English Premier League soccer players have rejected a move by clubs to cut their wages by 30% during the coronavirus pandemic. The Spanish league is trying to reduce the financial impact caused by the outbreak, but players say the organization wants them to carry nearly half the total losses. The stance from British players followed talks involving clubs and the leagues.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Kobe Bryant and fellow NBA greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headline a nine-person group announced Saturday of this year’s class of enshrinees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They got into the Hall in their first year of eligibility, as did WNBA great Tamika Catchings. Two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, longtime Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, 1,000-game winner Barbara Stevens of Bentley and three-time Final Four coach Eddie Sutton were also selected.
UNDATED (AP) — Australian V8 SuperCars champion Scott McLaughlin has won IndyCar’s second virtual race. McLaughlin and NASCAR’s seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson were invited guests by IndyCar to participate in the iRacing Series meant to entertain fans during the stoppage due to the coronavirus. He beat Team Penske teammate and fellow Aussie Will Power in Saturday’s race from virtual Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
NEW YORK (AP) — A hacker posted a racial slur hundreds of times in an online fan video chat Friday with a black New York Rangers prospect. The NHL team scrambled to disable the hacker on the Zoom chat with K’Andre Miller, the 20-year-old former Wisconsin defenseman drafted No. 22 overall in 2018. The hacker repeatedly posted the one-word slur in all capital letters on the Rangers’ “Future Fridays” series on Twitter. The Rangers say in a statement that “a vile individual hijacked the chat to post racial slurs, which we disabled as soon as possible.” The team says it is investigating the matter.
