w Page 154 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Kaleb Canales hired as basketball coach at Weber State
Weber State hired Kaleb Canales as its next men's basketball coach on Friday.,Canales, 47, was the associate head coach this season for a Troy team that reached the NCAA Tournament.,He also has 18 years of experience in the NBA, and his lengthy coaching resume includes a stint as the Portland Trail ...

Timberwolves to retire Kevin Garnett's number next season
Kevin Garnett's reunion with the Minnesota Timberwolves will include the long-awaited retirement of the Hall of Fame forward's No. 21 jersey.,The team announced Friday that Garnett will make his first appearance at Target Center in eight years on April 12, part of fan appreciation night for the regu...

Italy coach resigns after latest World Cup failure
Italian national team coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down Friday following the country's latest failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.,The four-time World Cup champions will miss their third consecutive tournament this summer in North America following Tuesday's shocking loss to Bosnia-Herzegovin...

Reports: Kansas star Flory Bidunga to enter draft, portal
Kansas center Flory Bidunga plans to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft and enter the transfer portal, multiple outlets reported.,The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and a Big 12-leading 2.6 blocks in 35 games (34 starts) for the Jayhawks in 2025-26.,Bidunga also led the c...

Royals rookie oversleeps, removed from lineup
Royals rookie catcher Carter Jensen overslept and was removed from Kansas City's starting lineup on Thursday.,"I didn't wake up to my alarm. Slept through it," he told The Kansas City Star. "Don't really have an excuse -- nor should I. It [stinks]. It happens. I feel like I let teammates down, coach...

Virginia QB Chandler Morris denied 7th year of eligibility
A judge denied Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris' request for a preliminary injunction in his quest for a seventh season of eligibility.,After the NCAA denied the 25-year-old player's waiver request and his subsequent appeal earlier this year, Morris sued the NCAA in Charlottesville Circuit Court...

Dominic Smith, Braves try for encore in rematch vs. D-backs
When Dominic Smith signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves in mid-February, it was hard envisioning him having much of a role with the team.,After all, Smith's best defensive position is first base and the Braves feature Matt Olson at that spot, and Olson hasn't missed a single game in fo...

Mets turn to Nolan McLean vs. Giants in bid to end skid
The task for right-hander Nolan McLean in his 10th major league start will be much like the task in his first nine outings: save the New York Mets from spiraling further out of control.,McLean again will look to serve as a stopper on Friday night when he takes the mound as the Mets visit the San Fra...

Two of West's worst face off as Pelicans visit Kings
The New Orleans Pelicans will visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday night with an opportunity to complete a three-game season sweep. ,New Orleans (25-52) arrives in California's capital city on a six-game losing streak, playing the second leg of a back-to-back set after a 118-106 loss in Portland on ...

Key cogs remain in question as Timberwolves visit 76ers
The Minnesota Timberwolves and 76ers could be without star players on Friday night when the teams meet in Philadelphia for an important late-season clash.,Philadelphia (42-34) sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, although there isn't much separation between fifth and 10th plac...

Hornets eager for rookies to continue strong play in matchup vs. Pacers
The Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets have something in common -- they're both playing at perhaps their highest levels of the season.,It's just that the Hornets will have much more at stake when the teams meet Friday night in Charlotte, N.C.,The Hornets (41-36) have won seven of their last nine g...

Christian Yelich, Brewers ride potent offense into series opener vs. Royals
After a stellar homestand, the Milwaukee Brewers will take their high-octane offense on the road for the first time this season when they face the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.,Milwaukee won five of its first six games by averaging 7.5 runs per contest. The Brewers' 45 total runs are tied with...

Flyers, Islanders in 'must-win' mode amid playoff chase
The Philadelphia Flyers will look to inch closer to a playoff spot when they visit the New York Islanders on Friday in Elmont, N.Y.,The Flyers (37-26-12, 86 points) fell 4-2 to the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, keeping them two points back of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference ...

Rays, Twins out to shake off subpar starts to season
The start of the season has been far from perfect for the Minnesota Twins.,But manager Derek Shelton sees reason for optimism ahead of Friday's home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.,"The one thing we're learning about this club," Shelton said, "is they fight.",After playing their first six games o...

Lakers' Luka Doncic to have MRI on strained hamstring
Lakers superstar Luka Doncic strained his left hamstring in Thursday's loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder and will have an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his strained injury, Los Angeles coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game.,Doncic, 27, who leads the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points p...

Oilers run win streak to 5 with defeat of Blackhawks
The streaking Edmonton Oilers pulled into a tie in points for the top spot in the Pacific Division after earning a 3-1 home victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.,Adam Henrique scored for the first time in 51 games, while Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin also tallied for the Oilers (39-28-...

UNC target Tommy Lloyd: 'Full focus' on Arizona, Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS -- North Carolina needs a head coach and Arizona's Tommy Lloyd continues to come up as a candidate. ,As the Wildcats readied to hit the court at Lucas Oil Stadium ahead of the Final Four, Lloyd is facing questions about his commitment to Arizona. ,"Listen, I've got my full focus on this...

Athletics' Shea Langeliers riding historic start into Astros series
Shea Langeliers is putting on a power display not seen by a catcher in 101 years.,The Athletics slugger will look to build on a start that includes five homers in six games when the club faces the Houston Astros on Friday night in the home opener at West Sacramento, Calif.,Hall of Famer Gabby Hartne...

West Virginia edges Stanford in OT to advance to semifinals in Vegas
Honor Huff saved the game with three clutch free throws in the final seconds of regulation, then ran off seven consecutive points in overtime as West Virginia, given a second life, overtook Stanford 82-77 in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday night....

Blues, running out of time to make playoff move, visit Ducks
In dire need of reversing their fortunes during their road swing, the St. Louis Blues will take their flickering playoff hopes to Anaheim to face the Ducks on Friday.,After a torrid stretch following the Olympic break, the Blues (31-31-12, 74 points) are winless in the first two outings of a four-ga...