Month: September 2020

Celtics probing draft’s shooters, interview TCU’s Desmond Bane

Texas Christian product Desmond Bane has met with the Boston Celtics, and thinks he’d fit right in on both ends of the ball.

The Boston Celtics have their eye on Desmond Bane according to Fortune Sports’ Chris Grenham, who reports the Texas Christian prospect as sharing the team was his first pre-draft interview while speaking with the media Wednesday.

Bane — a 6-foot-6 shooting guard originally from Richmond, Indiana — is among the best shooters in the 2020 NBA Draft, yet for some reason is being projected towards the back end of the first round.

While some of that may be due to his age — he is a 22-year old prospect who played four seasons with the Horned Frogs — that he put up 6.5 3-point attempts per game while connecting on 44.2% of them is a fact teams drafting in his range ignore at their peril.

Even better, he’s a good defender who wants to become a better one.

“I’m kind of one of those junkyard dog guys similar to Marcus Smart,” he shared (via Grenham) while speaking with the media, in a move sure to catch the ear of any listening Celtics fan.

“He plays the game with a lot of heart and that’s something I really try to model. There’s 3 things you can control at all times. Your energy, your effort and your attitude. I feel like Marcus Smart does a great job of controlling those things.”

“He’s a junkyard dog who’s willing to do whatever,” added Bane. “He really thinks the game … That’s the reason why he’s carved out a great role in this league.”

While the former TCU guard may have a ways to go to catch up to Smart, he’s also got a very solid foundation to work with on that end of the ball, with UPROXX’s Jackson Frank grading his defensive skills fairly high.

“The intelligence, awareness, and constant motion that define much of Bane’s offensive skill package translates to his defense as well,” notes Frank.

“He’s at his best off the ball, rotating to help deter drives or draw charges and contesting shots at the rim or on the perimeter. Off-ball positioning is one of his greatest defensive strengths … Whether it be losing shooters or cutters, ball-watching lapses surface a bit more frequently than you’d like. But IQ and an active motor coalesce to yield a positively impactful defender. His functional strength and 6’6 frame also permit him to play up at times, and he’s held his own defending post-ups against switches.”

At 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, Bane rebounds well for his position and can playmake well enough to man the point when called on.

With his solid build and height, he’s a flexible defender as well, who would be a solid addition to the second unit almost immediately, with upside to grow into a starter role as well.

With word circulating that the Celtics have met with sharpshooting Stanford guard Tyrell Terry, it’s clear shooting is a priority for the team in the 2020 NBA Draft.

And if Desmond Bane ends up being a selection with one of their three first-round picks, they’ll have placed a solid bet on getting more of it on their roster.

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USGA announces site for 2022 Women’s Mid-Amateur

The USGA announced Wednesday that the club will host the 35th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship from Sept. 17-22, 2022.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The United States Golf Association is headed back to Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida.

The USGA announced Wednesday that the club will host the 35th U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship from Sept. 17-22, 2022, on its Long Mean Course.

The tournament actually had been scheduled to be there in 2021, but when the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 Women’s Mid-Amateur, Fiddlesticks, the USGA and 2020 site Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, South Carolina, were able to work out an agreement to have the 2021 tournament at Berkeley Hall.

“We reached out and offered them our spot,” Fiddlesticks general manager and executive vice president Ryan Shaw said. “It was just the gentlemanly thing to do. They were ready. They had done their fundraising and everything they needed to do.”

The 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur will be the second USGA championship at Fiddlesticks Country Club. In 2010, the club hosted the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, won by Mina Hardin. Naples’ Mary Jane Hiestand, a Hideout Golf Club member, made it to the third round that year.

“We’ve always had a very good relationship with the USGA,” Shaw said. “The Long Mean Course is a very, very good golf course and well-respected golf course. For them to have the opportunity to come in and host such a high-profile event here, they were very interested.”

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to take this championship to Fiddlesticks Country Club, which will be a fantastic host,” said USGA assistant director Laura Nochta in a release. “Players will enjoy the course’s challenging layout and scenic views, all while competing to earn a coveted USGA title and a place in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open Championship.”

Designed by architect Ron Garl, the Long Mean Course opened in 1983 and recently underwent renovations to enhance bunker playability, add several teeing areas and incorporate bermuda grass.

“The members really relish the opportunity to host these types of events and give back to the game of golf and the USGA,” Shaw said.

Shaw, who has been at Fiddlesticks for seven years, said the club spent $5 million in a complete renovation of the Loch Ness Course, formerly called the Wee Friendly, and another $2 million on the Long Mean last summer. Fiddlesticks also has added a pool cabana area, and is in the midst of a $2 million tennis and pickleball court project.

“We’ve really expanded our amenities,” Shaw said.

The Long Mean renovation was mainly to greens and bunkers. All of the bunkers were rebuilt, and some moved slightly. Some new tees, both forward and further back, also were added.

“We went out and redid our greens and we decided that we would do a few other things,” Shaw said.

Hiestand, 61, has played in 21 Women’s Mid-Amateurs, and was the runner-up in 2017 at Champions Golf Club.

“It’s a great venue—for match play especially,” said Hiestand, who has been playing the course once a week the past few months. “Fiddlesticks did a great job (in 2010) and the golf course was spectacular.”

Bonita Springs’ Kimberly Benedict, who also is Gulf Coast High School’s boys golf coach and led the Sharks to Collier County’s first-ever boys state title in 2017, has played in four Women’s Mid-Amateurs, making the Round of 32 three times. She missed the cut to match play last year.

“I’m thrilled,” Benedict said of the Fiddlesticks news. “That’s awesome. I’m thrilled for a number of reasons, but I’m so excited that it’s coming to Southwest Florida. We have so much to show off here, as far as the rest of the country.”

The USGA has twice tried to host events at Quail Creek Country Club in the past few years, but the 2017 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur was relocated due to Hurricane Irma, and the 2020 U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Collier County has never hosted a USGA event.

“I’m happy that the USGA didn’t give up on this part of this country,” Benedict said.

“I’m a little shocked the USGA came back to Florida because of the hurricane situation that they had with Irma,” Hiestand said.

The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is open to any female amateur golfer 25 and older with a Handicap Index not exceeding 9.4. The 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur will be the 26th USGA championship contested in Florida. Entries will open in spring 2022. For more information, visit usga.org.

A total of 132 players advance to the national championship through a number of exemption categories, or through one of a number of qualifiers held throughout the country and in Mexico. The championship begins with 36 holes of stroke play, before the field is reduced to the low 64 scores for the championship’s match-play bracket, from which the champion is determined.

The most recent U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur was played in 2019 at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ina Kim-Schaad, 35, of New York, New York, the runner-up in the 2000 U.S. Girls’ Junior who returned to competitive golf in 2016 after an 11-year hiatus, defeated fellow New York City resident Talia Campbell, 3 and 2, in the 18-hole final on Sept. 19.

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NBA Best Bet of the Day: Heat cover Game 1 vs. Lakers

Looking at the best NBA playoffs bets to make each day, today we focus the Game 1 NBA Finals meeting between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Game 1 of the first-ever NBA Finals meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat tips off, Wednesday, at 9 p.m. ET in the Orlando bubble.

LeBron James is making his ninth Finals appearance in 10 years, and 10th overall, against his former team. The 2019-20 Miami Heat is yet another masterful creation from all-time NBA legend Pat Riley.

Piece-by-piece the Heat were assembled via free agency, drafting and trade deadline acquisitions and armed Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra with the arsenal he needs to take down LeBron and co.

Series Price: Lakers (-358) | Heat (+300)

BetMGM Sportsbook has NBA odds and NBA props for all NBA games, so we’re bringing you locks throughout the NBA playoffs.

Heat +4.5 (-110) vs. Lakers 

There’s been an accurate narrative over this century about the Western Conference being superior to the Eastern Conference, which has been reinforced upon LeBron’s arrival in 2018. However, that narrative is going to be challenged in these NBA Finals as it should.

Miami is playing like the perfect 2020 team. They have the fourth-highest three-point percentage and hold opponents to the fifth-lowest three-point percentage (both ahead of the Lakers). Plus the Heat has the highest free throw attempt rate in the NBA during the regular season and is ranked second in these playoffs.

The Lakers struggled in their first two Game 1s this postseason because they used that game to assess their opponents and adjust. They ended a back-to-back Game 1 losing streak by rolling the Denver Nuggets in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals. My read on that is the Nuggets have more of a straightforward team rotation that the Lakers don’t need to adjust much too.

Special NBA Finals Betting Promotion!

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The Heat’s versatility and a bevy of scoring options are going to pose a threat to Los Angeles. All they need are two players from the crop of Jae Crowder, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson to get hot from three and they’ll be in games.

Also, this is your standard Pros vs. Joes matchup in betting markets. The Lakers with LeBron James are the definition of a public team yet on 53% of the money and 54% of the bets are on Los Angeles, according to pregame.com. Furthermore, Los Angeles opened as 5.5-point favorites, but big bets on Miami has taken it down to 4.5. The only explanation for this movement is that sharp money is on the Heat and public money is on the Lakers. We are following the sharp money.

I LIKE Miami to pull off an upset and “LOVE” HEAT +4.5 (-110). New to sports betting? A $110 bet on the Heat +4.5 (-110) pays a $100 profit if Miami wins outright … or loses by four or fewer points.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a legal NBA bet in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM Sportsbook.

For more NBA sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire. Follow @Geoffery_Clark on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Baylor at West Virginia odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Baylor Bears at West Virginia Mountaineers sports betting odds and lines, with college football betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Baylor Bears (1-0) and West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1) get together at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morganton, W.V. for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday. Below, we analyze the Baylor-West Virginia college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.

Baylor at West Virginia: Betting odds and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. ET.

  • Money line: Baylor -152 (bet $152 to win $100) | West Virginia +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Baylor -3 (-110) | West Virginia +3 (-110)
  • Over/Under: 53.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Baylor at West Virginia: Three things to know

  1. It took a while for Baylor to get into action, as their first two games were wiped out by COVID issues with their opponents. They finally made their debut under new head coach Dave Aranda, rolling up a 47-14 opening-game win over Kansas in Waco, Texas last week.
  2. The Bears rushed for 203 yards against the Jayhawks while allowing just 328 total yards, including only 159 through the air.
  3. Baylor scratched out a 17-14 win over West Virginia at home last season on Oct. 31, 2019, and they didn’t come close to covering an 18-point number while the under comfortably hit.

Special West Virginia Betting Promotion! Bet just $1 on the West Virginia money line, WIN $100 (in free bets) if West Virginia scores a touchdown! Regardless of the outcome, you win with a WV touchdown. Place your legal, online bets in West Virginia at BetMGM, The King of Sportsbooks. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Baylor at West Virginia: Odds, betting lines and picks

Prediction

Baylor 27, West Virginia 23

Money line (ML)

BAYLOR (-152) is a solid play on the road against West Virginia (+125) on the money line. They have been a strong road team in recent seasons under head coach Matt Rhule, and there is no reason to believe they’ll be different under Aranda.

Against the spread (ATS)

BAYLOR -3 (-110) is worth a small-unit play, although I expect this one to be a little too close for comfort, so the money line is a better option. To make you feel better about betting against the spread, dating back to last season, the Bears are 6-0 ATS in the past six Big 12 contests, they’re 9-2 ATS in the past 11 against winning teams and 5-1 ATS in the previous six on the road. On the flip side, West Virginia is 1-3-1 ATS in the past five at home and 0-3-1 ATS in the past four as a home ‘dog.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 53.5 (-110) is worth a roll of the dice in this battle in Morgantown. The Under is 4-1-1 in the past six for Baylor, including a push on the total last weekend. The Under has connected in six straight Big 12 contests for the Mountaineers, including last week’s 27-13 road loss at Oklahoma State. WVU opened with an Over on the total at home, Sept. 12, but that can be discounted since their foe was FCS Eastern Kentucky. The Under is 6-0 in the past six for West Virginia against FBS opponents.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Also see:

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Terrell Lewis can begin practicing after Rams open 21-day activation window

The Rams can activate Lewis from the NFI list starting this week.

The Rams placed rookie Terrell Lewis on the reserve/non-football injury list just before Week 1, sidelining him for at least three weeks. The Rams had Lewis undergo a knee scope after there were concerns about a possible infection from a previous surgery.

Lewis can be added to the 53-man roster this week, but it doesn’t sound like that will happen. The Rams have taken the first step toward activating him, however, opening the 21-day window for him to be taken off the NFI list on Wednesday.

Sean McVay said Lewis can begin practicing this week, though it’s unclear if he will or how much he’ll do.

The Rams have three weeks to decide whether to activate Lewis fully to the 53-man roster. If they decide not to, he’ll miss the remainder of the season and stay on the NFI list. It’s hard to imagine the team taking that path with the rookie edge rusher, considering the situation and the Rams’ need for pass-rush help.

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NFL looking into possible COVID rule violations by Raiders players at charity event

NFL looking into possible COVID rule violations by Raiders players at charity event

Tuesday night Darren Waller held a charity event. That’s all it should have been about was raising money for a good cause. Instead, the event was held indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, breaking state regulations on indoor gatherings and potentially exposing Raiders players to unnecessary risk.

The event broke city and state rules on indoor gatherings and the country club where the event was held has been fined $2,000 by the City of Henderson for those violations, according to an AP report.

Shortly after the event, a video was released showing several Raiders players at the event not wearing masks and mingling with attendees also not wearing masks.

Among the players there along with Waller included QB’s Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman, TE’s Jason Witten, Foster Moreau, and Derek Carrier, WR Zay Jones, and CB Nevin Lawson.

“I feel like we’ve done a fantastic job around here and I hate that a few moments without our masks on led to a story about our team and all this stuff,” Derek Carr said in a statement over video conference Wednesday. “Especially after the fines that were brought on a couple weeks ago. So, we felt terrible about that. We addressed it, we talked about with coach and we talked with our trainers about what really went down and all that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, we were.

“Shoot, guys, I have to have dinners and dates with my wife at my house. I haven’t taken her out to eat all season. And that’s a lot of kids running around my house and I think she’s ready for a date.

“So, we’re been doing our very best and we had a few moments where we slipped up, took the mask off, so people could see our face and things like that. We signed waivers, hand sanitizer like crazy, all this kind of stuff, even after the event with everything. And we weren’t perfect, but we were trying our best. We weren’t trying to be careless. But at the same time, Darren Waller had an event for something that meant a lot to him.”

Waller’s event was to raise money to help people fight addiction. According to Jon Gruden, it raised over $300,000. It’s just a real shame that was overshadowed by the players not wearing their masks at all times as they should.

“My hope and my prayer is that a few minutes where we were seen on camera in a private not in the private room, in the separate room for an hour, I hope that we don’t lose what was really going on there,” Carr continued. “Because Darren had a great idea, he had a great plan, he wants to help people, that we can just more so move the conversation that way. Again, we addressed it in-house. We should’ve kept the mask on even if we are coming and they’re introducing us and things like that.”

Aside from the obvious ramifications from getting the virus, there is the matter of potential NFL punishments. The NFL is looking into the event as we speak.

It’s unknown exactly what kind of ramifications could occur from this. Other than, of course, the players put themselves at risk of catching and spreading the coronavirus. Jon Gruden and the club have already been fined for Gruden not wearing his mask properly on the sideline during games early this season. But otherwise, Gruden was feeling good about how the team was handling the protocols.

“We’ve done an excellent job. Last night it was addressed with our players,” Gruden said over video conference call Wednesday. “They walked in with their masks on to the event. Sometimes you go to a restaurant, take your mask off. They’re aware of their mistake. But we have done an excellent job using our masks and taking the proper care of each and everybody. . . they may have let their dobber down a little bit by taking their mask off during the event, but it’s been addressed and that’s the best I can tell you.”

We do know that should anyone on the team or anyone at the event test positive, it could mean the temporary cancellation of in-person activities at minimum. We know this because it just happened this week to the Titans and Vikings after several players and coaches tested positive for coronavirus following their game on Sunday and the Titans-Steelers game originally scheduled for next Sunday has now been postponed to Monday or Tuesday.

“We all understand that this is a terrible, terrible virus,” Gruden added. “We have to do our part. We’re all vulnerable. It unfortunately sounds like a few people got the virus. I just wish the best for everybody in Tennessee. It does certainly get yourself awakened that it can get anybody at any time.”

With the way the players and coaches have talked about the disease and their protocol, you would have thought they would’ve been more responsible in such a situation. It is definitely disappointing especially considering how well the NFL as a whole has handled it up to this point.

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Warriors envision Tyrese Haliburton like Shaun Livingston in the NBA

Projected first-round pick Tyrese Haliburton said the Warriors see him as a similar player to Shaun Livingston at the NBA level.

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Projected first-round pick Tyrese Haliburton said on Wednesday that the Golden State Warriors see him as a similar player to Shaun Livingston at the NBA level given his skillset and ability on the court.

The Warriors have reportedly longheld this view regarding Haliburton as the team has been high on the former Iowa State guard. Haliburton has a similar body type to Livingston (6-foot-5 compared to 6-foot-7) and is an exceptional passer, one of the best in the draft class.

Golden State could even use Haliburton in the same role Livingston once held behind Stephen Curry. Haliburton posted an incredible assist-to-turnover ratio last season (4.5:1), that ranked second-best in the country, and proved that he didn’t need to be a high-usage player to contribute.

The fit with the Warriors appears to be there but it is uncertain if they would take him with the second overall pick. Haliburton is most commonly projected to be taken in the 6-8 range but the Warriors have been rumored to be interested in trading down so that could be something to watch.

Regardless of where Haliburton lands, the 20-year-old projects to be able to fit in immediately with any team in the NBA and could have a productive rookie season as a result.

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Chiefs announce two roster moves on Wednesday

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that standout rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed has been placed on injured reserve. Earlier today, Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed that CB L’Jarius Sneed had suffered a fractured collarbone.

“Sneed is going to have his clavicle fixed,” Reid told reporters. “It was fractured, so we’ll just see how that works for him as far as the time away and all.”

The rookie corner had been a real bright spot in the Chiefs’ draft class, leading the NFL in interceptions through the first two weeks of the NFL season. While he’ll be eligible to begin practicing in Week 7, they’ll be without him for some time as he recovers from this injury.

In a corresponding move, the Chiefs elevated LB Darius Harris to the 53-man roster. This is a move that should excite fans in Kansas City. Harris missed the entire 2019 season with a shoulder injury after signing with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State.

This is what Brett Veach said about him following the 2019 NFL Draft:

“This (Darius) Harris is kid is interesting. I don’t know when he will be ready because he had a little bit of a setback after the season. He played at the NFLPA game and after the game was over he went through, he wasn’t a combine guy, but he went through his pro day, went through all those visits and then got surgery a little late in this process because he wanted to show what he could do. So, that is going to set him back. I’m not sure when we are going to get him. Will he be available before camp or shortly after camp? But he is a guy that you might want to watch and maybe it’s not this year, but we think he has a lot of talent moving forward. He can be a guy that doesn’t just makes the roster but starts one day. We are excited about him… If you go back to this Harris kid, this was a kid that if he didn’t have the shoulder issue, he gets drafted. We knew that and there was a lot of competition for him. We got after both of those guys aggressively.”

With some early linebacker woes in Kansas City, you have to be happy to see this kid getting elevated and potentially becoming a contributor for the Chiefs.

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Chiefs put CB L’Jarius Sneed on injured reserve

The Chiefs placed rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Sneed suffered a broken collarbone in Monday’s win over the Ravens.
Sneed had started all of the Chiefs’ first three games, picking off two passes

The Chiefs placed rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Sneed suffered a broken collarbone in Monday’s win over the Ravens.
Sneed had started all of the Chiefs’ first three games, picking off two passes