Sports

Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg named the AP men’s college basketball player of the year

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Duke star Cooper Flagg is The Associated Press men’s college basketball national player of the year. Flagg is just the fourth freshman to win the award. He joins Duke’s Zion Williamson, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and Texas star Kevin Durant. He is also the eighth Duke player to win the award, the most of any school. Flagg received 41 of 61 votes from AP Top 25 poll voters to beat Auburn’s Johni Broome. They were the only two players to receive votes. Both have their teams in the Final Four this weekend.

NBA fines Grizzlies’ Ja Morant $75,000 for continued finger-gun gestures, after warning him to stop

MIAMI (AP) — Ja Morant showed off an imaginary gun. The NBA hit back with a real fine. A day after Morant again used his aiming-a-gun gesture to celebrate making a 3-pointer, the Grizzlies’ star was fined $75,000 by the league Friday. It’s the second time this week that Morant — who was suspended twice in 2023 for incidents with actual weapons — heard from the league about mimicking the act of using a gun during a game. The first interaction with the league office resulted in a warning, after Morant and Golden State’s Buddy Hield made the gesture at one another during a Grizzlies-Warriors game on Tuesday.

Women’s Final Four brings powerhouses UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina to Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Three of four teams in the women’s Final Four are No. 1 seeds. None of the four have lost more than three games this season. All but one have been the top-ranked team in the country at some point. That’s how strong the national semifinals are this year, with powerhouses UCLA, Texas, South Carolina and UConn competing in Tampa, Florida, for a national championship. UCLA, South Carolina and Texas are No. 1 seeds. UConn is a No. 2 seed. Texas (35-3) and South Carolina (34-3) are scheduled to face each other in the first of two semifinals on Friday. UConn (35-3) will play UCLA (34-2) in the other.

Travis Hunter skips testing but catches passes from Sheduer Sanders at Colorado’s jam-packed pro day

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Travis Hunter flashed his talent while running routes and catching passes from quarterback Sheduer Sanders at Colorado’s pro day. Coach Deion “Prime” Sanders stuck by his proclamation that they should go 1-2 in the draft, although he didn’t say who should be the top pick. The event was dubbed the “We Ain’t Hard 2 Find Showcase,” and attracted talent evaluators from across the NFL. One player who shined Friday was wide receiver Will Sheppard, who wasn’t invited to the NFL scouting combine.

‘Time to say goodbye’: Kevin De Bruyne to leave Man City

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne says he will leave Manchester City – confirming these are his “final months” with the Premier League champion. The Belgian playmaker, who is out of contract this summer, announced the news in an emotional post on X. De Bruyne joined City in 2015 from Wolfsburg and has won every major honor with the club, including the Premier League and Champions League.

Gretzky set to be at Blackhawks-Capitals game with Ovechkin 3 goals from breaking his NHL record

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Wayne Gretzky is expected to be in attendance tonight with Alex Ovechkin two goals from tying and three from breaking the Canadian great’s NHL record. The Washington Capitals’ game against Chicago marks the start of Gretzky joining the chase in person. Commissioner Gary Bettman, Ovechkin’s wife, Nastya, and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis were in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday night. Ovechkin scored his 892nd goal in that game. Gretzky is accompanying Ovechkin on the approach to his mark of 894 and then 895 like Gordie Howe did in 1994 when the “Great One” broke his career goal-scoring record.

Auburn’s Pearl and St. John’s’ Pitino share AP coach of the year honors, 1st tie in history of award

Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Rick Pitino of St. John’s are The Associated Press coaches of the year in men’s college basketball. It is the first tie in the 58-year history of the award, with each receiving 20 votes. St. John’s matched a school record with 34 wins under Pitino and had its highest ranking in 34 years at No. 5 in the AP Top 25. Pearl led Auburn to a school-record 32 wins and the program’s second Final Four.

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl a vocal leader of a trio of Jewish coaches with teams at the Final Four

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, Florida’s Todd Golden and Duke’s Jon Scheyer are basketball rivals at the Final Four with a unique thread of connection. All are Jewish, with careers that have cut various paths through Israel. To have three Jewish head coaches at one of the biggest events in college sports comes at a time when university campuses grapple with protests over the Israel-Hamas war, Jews are regularly pressed for opinions on the conflict, and the Trump administration is cracking down on schools it contends are not doing enough to fight antisemitism. Of the three, Pearl is the most outspoken about his faith and unwavering support of Israel.

WNBA star Elena Delle Donne retires after 11 seasons and the 2019 championship

Seven-time WNBA All-Star Elena Delle Donne is retiring after 11 seasons. Delle Donne is a two-time league MVP and was a key part of Washington’s 2019 championship. The 35-year-old Delle Donne made the announcement on social media and says “my body seemed to make this decision before my mind accepted it.” She adds “I now truly know this is the right thing for me at the right time.” The second overall pick in 2013 by Chicago, Delle Donne spent a dozen years as one of the faces of the WNBA. She played the last six seasons of her career in Washington and stepped away from basketball in February 2024.

A church in England opens its doors to pro wrestling in a bid to attract converts

SHIPLEY, England (AP) — Sitting under stained glass windows around a wrestling ring, churchgoers roared as burly wresters body-slammed and threw one another to the floor. This is Wrestling Church, which takes place each month inside St. Peter’s Anglican church in the northern England town of Shipley. It’s the creation of Gareth Thompson, a charismatic 37-year-old who says he was saved by pro wrestling and Jesus. He wants others to have the same experience. The Rev. Natasha Thomas, the priest in charge, says it’s bringing new communities of people to the church. Church attendance in the U.K. has been declining for decades, and churches are having to get creative to survive.