Archives for January 5, 2022

Rose to NBA G-League Ops

January 5, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – NBA Vice President, Basketball Operations and two-time NBA champion Malik Rose was named Head of Basketball Operations for the NBA G League, said G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Rose replaces Brad Walker, who was named Commissioner of the America East Conference in August.

In his new role, Rose will lead the NBA G League’s efforts at expanding its talent pipeline and advancing integration of basketball operations between the G League and the NBA while focusing on basketball innovation and competition. He will also oversee NBA G League Ignite.

“We are thrilled to have Malik join the NBA G League as Head of Basketball Operations,” said Abdur-Rahim. “With his success as a player at the highest levels of the game and extensive background as an executive in both the NBA and G League, Malik has the experience, vision and expertise to help accelerate our progress and further deepen the connection between the two leagues.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to transition from NBA basketball operations to this position alongside Shareef and a talented staff with the NBA G League,” said Rose. “As someone who benefited greatly from his experience in the NBA G League, I know firsthand its importance to the NBA’s business and see enormous potential for continued growth.”

Rose joins the NBA G League after working since June 2020 in the NBA Basketball Operations department where he interfaced directly with teams and players regarding league programs, rules, new initiatives and competitive elements. Before joining the league office, Rose served as Assistant General Manager of the Detroit Pistons and General Manager of the Erie BayHawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks now known as the College Park Skyhawks. He was named the 2017-18 NBA G League Basketball Executive of the Year.

Rose played 13 seasons in the NBA after being selected by the Hornets with the 44th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He won NBA championships in 1999 and 2003 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In addition to the Hornets and Spurs, Rose played for the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

A Philadelphia native, Rose received his bachelor’s degree with a dual concentration in computer information systems and education from Drexel University, where he played four years of college basketball. He also holds a master’s degree in sports management from Drexel.

PGA Tour Brunch: The Sentry

January 5, 2022 by PGA Tour Brunch

Preview | Sentry Tournament of Champions

COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua – (Maui, Hawaii)

ARCHITECTS: Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw

YARDS/PAR: 7,596 yards/Par 73

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,200,000/$1,476,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Harris English

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Sentry_TOC

OFFICIAL SITE: (Sentry TofC)

TV COVERAGE: Nothing wrong with a little Primetime Golf to start the year off right. On Thursday, January 6 and Friday, January 7: TV coverage goes from 6:00pm to 10:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel.

On Saturday, January 8, Round 3 coverage 6:00pm to 10:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. On Sunday, January 9: NBC opens final round coverage 4:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) and Golf Channel wraps it up from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (ET)

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will now be featured on ESPN-Plus, starting Thursday at 3:15pm (ET) and continuing at 6:00pm (ET) with Featured Hole and Featured Groups.

On Saturday, ESPN+ will stream coverage at 3:15am and 6:00pm (ET). On Sunday, ESPN+ coverage is online at 1:30pm ET and 4:00pm ET.

Here’s the Scoop: (From official news release) – ESPN+ and PGA TOUR provided details for the inaugural season of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, with extended and expanded coverage that more than triples the total coverage – adding more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming available for a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours. All PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ coverage will be available to ESPN+’s more than 17.1 million subscribers.

In 2022, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage of 35 tournaments – from the Tour’s Hawaii events this month – all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the Fall – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the The Sentry with Thursday and Friday broadcasts from 4:00pm to 10:00pm (ET). Weekend coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and from 3:00pm to 8:00pm (ET) on Sunday. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via pGATour(dot)com.

How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)

The Sentry Tournament of Champions

Kapalua, Hawaii – Thirty-seven PGA Tour champions and Tokyo Olympic Games gold medalist Xander Schauffele will tee-it-up for the first tour event of 2022. The backdrop is one of the most beautiful places on earth in Kapalua (Maui) Hawaii, the longtime host course for the Tournament of Champions.

In 2021, the Plantation Course at Kapalua was voted the No. 1 course in Hawaii for the 15th time by Golfweek. This season (2022) marks the 30th anniversary of Kapalua Golf’s Plantation Course as the iconic Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design first opened for play in 1992. Designed on a grand scale, the 7,596-yard, par 73 Plantatio Course plays along the slopes of the West Maui Mountains boasting dramatic ocean views from virtually every hole. The perennial Top 100 Course(in the world) underwent a well-documented restoration in 2019 which focused on recapturing the essence and playing characteristics of the (then) nearly three decade-old course. During the 2019 restoration/refinement project, enhancements were made to the Plantation Course, including new bunkers; new Celebration Bermuda Turf on tees, fairways and roughs; and rebuilt and resurfaced green complexes. The overall Plantation Course layout and routing remained the same.

The course record is (62) held by K.J. Choi in 2003, Graeme McDowell in 2011, Jason Day and Chris Kirk in 2015, and Xander Schauffele in 2019 at this Tournament of Champions event.

Phil Mickelson will compete at the TofC for the first time since 2001 when he finished 28th in the 33-player field. With Mickelson, the 2021 PGA Champion, playing, all four of golf’s major champions will be at Kapalua, including Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm and the winner of The Open, Collin Morikawa.

The Basics:

With the limited field of 38 and the time zone adjustment to Hawaii, the Sentry Tee Times start Thursday at 9:40am (local)/2:40pm (ET)and going to 12:45pm (local)/5:45pm (ET).

Cameron Champ withdrew from the Sentry event after testing positive for COVID-19, the Tour announced Tuesday.

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies. Temperature 74-degrees, but humidity 75% with winds 13 mph NE. (link)

PGATourBrunch will post at Noon (ET) on Thursday.

Next Week: SONY Open in Hawaii – The Tour stays in Hawaii (link)

PGA TOUR Brunch online newsletter that post six-days-a-week with PGA Tour e-News to keep you fully informed, updated and help you navigate the world of professional golf. This e-News is designed to be mobile friendly, with a concise “few screens” and appropriate links, so you can follow the news when time permits – maybe over LUNCH or BRUNCH. PGA TOUR Brunch will provide weekly odds and trends for both Daily Fantasy, PGA Tour’s online Fantasy game and general sports book odds. Please subscribe for the complete e-Newsletter by visiting HERE.

Big East and Big Tuesday Wins

January 5, 2022 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In Tuesday’s BIG EAST action, Marquette and Seton Hall earned their first league victories. The stories of the game, however, were hardly alike.

Marquette set a school record for the largest margin of victory against a ranked team with its 88-56 win against 16th-ranked Providence. Seton Hall, after an 0-2 league start against ranked opponents, pulled away in the second half to win 71-56 at Butler.

The Marquette Golden Eagles (9-6, 1-3 BIG EAST) raced to a 20-6 lead, then used a 20-0 run to build a 42-22 lead by halftime. Justin Lewis finished with a career-high 23 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. Oso Ighodaro continued his strong play off the bench with 16 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. Al Durham scored a team-high 16 points for the Friars (13-2, 3-1 BE), who had their eight-game winning streak end.

The Seton Hall Pirates (10-3, 1-2 BE) welcomed back center Ike Obiagu, who missed the last three games. He had eight points, two rebounds and two blocked shots in 28 minutes. Jared Rhoden scored a team-high 17 points. The Hall held the edge in bench points (16-0), rebounds (36-25) and made 18-of-19 free throws. The Pirates’ bench has not been outscored this season. Bryce Golden led four Bulldogs (8-5, 1-1 BE) in double figures with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

Wednesday’s schedule also shows two games. FS1 will telecast DePaul at St. John’s at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by Creighton at Villanova at 8:30 p.m.

The first game features a matchup of DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty and St. John’s Julian Champagnie, who are both averaging a league-leading 20.3 points per game. Creighton and No. 19 Villanova already are meeting for the second time this season. The Bluejays beat the Wildcats 79-59 in Omaha on Dec. 17.