Month: April 2024

San Antonio Spurs to play Indiana Pacers in 2025 NBA Paris Games

The two clubs will play a pair of regular season games in France next season.

Fans of the San Antonio Spurs have known that the NBA planned to have the storied ball club head to Europe to play a game or two against another team from the Association in the native country of French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama. But now we know it will indeed be a pair of contests played abroad for the Spurs and Wembanyama, and we also know the opponent San Antonio will take the court against, and when those games will take place.

Per the league, Wemby and the Spurs will make the trip to France for the 2025 NBA Paris Games by Tissot, which will be held on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 25.

Their opponent for both games will be the Indiana Pacers.

It will be the Spurs’ third and fourth games played in France, the last time being a preseason contest in 2006. It will be the Pacers’ first game in France.

For fans in the US and abroad who are interested in attending the event, you can officially register that interest here to get information about ticket sales and other events.

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Duke softball wraps up regular season on dominant note, finishes 44-6

Duke finished the 2024 regular season with a 44-6 record and 20 ACC wins, their fourth straight seasons with 19 conference victories.

The Duke Blue Devils softball team concluded the regular season Sunday with a 5-3 win against NC State.

The win helped the Blue Devils cap off a 44-6 season with five straight wins and a sweep of the Wolfpack.

Duke finished the 2024 regular season with a 20-4 record against ACC opponents. The Blue Devils’ 44 wins are a new program record, and they have now won 19 or more conference games in four straight years.

Duke finished second in the ACC, just behind Florida State, who went 18-3 in conference play. Despite finishing behind FSU, the Blue Devils did win two of their three games against the ‘Noles earlier in the season.

Senior outfielder Claire Davidson set a school record with 61 RBIs for the season and led the team with 17 home runs. She produced a .423 batting average and a .522 on-base percentage for the season.

Sophomore second baseman Aminah Vega was the other Blue Devil to reach a double-digit home run total after she knocked 10 over the wall. She also finished with a .405 batting average and 48 RBIs, second only to Davidson in both categories, and she led the team with 17 doubles.

The Blue Devils boasted a balanced offense with six different players batting in at least 30 runs.

Duke’s pitching staff wrapped up a dominant regular season that helped the Blue Devils hold a top-five ranking for much of the regular season.

Pitcher Jala Wright recorded a team-best 1.15 earned run average, the sixth-lowest in the country, in 26 appearances. She started 20 of those games, finished with a 16-1 record, and went the distance for six complete games.

She racked up 147 strikeouts across 121.2 innings pitched, allowing just 0.94 combined walks and hits per inning. Duke’s opponents batted .173 against the senior.

Cassidy Curd, who started 18 of her 24 appearances, also impressed with a 1.38 ERA. She struck out 127 batters in 86.1 innings pitched, and her average of 10.3 strikeouts per seven innings was the fifth-highest in the nation.

Both Curd and Wright were named ACC Pitcher of the Week multiple times.

Duke went 9-2 against top 25 opponents, including two sweeps against Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Blue Devil’s two losses came against FSU and Oklahoma.

Duke will host the ACC Softball Championship, starting on Wednesday and continuing through Saturday.

Colby Covington confirms summer return, says Ian Machado Garry ‘has to show me he’s serious’

Colby Covington suggests Ian Machado Garry is the one that’s not serious about fighting him.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] suggests [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] is the one that’s not serious about fighting him.

Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) have gone back-and-forth about potentially facing each other, but a matchup is yet to materialize.

However, Garry has a different side to the story. The undefeated fighter hinted at a fight offer against Covington from the UFC, but claims it’s Covington who won’t sign the contract. Covington says the plan is to return at UFC 303 on June 29.

“I’m going to fight this summer for sure. Someone’s going to get fought,” Covington said on the “Twins Pod.” “They’re trying to figure out who the biggest name and the best business that we can do for the UFC. International Fight Week is like their big event in the summer that the UFC does.

“They have a big festival all week, big events they set up, and it’s capped off by this big pay-per-view on Saturday. So I think that’s when they’re planning for me is International Fight Week. (We’re) just trying to figure out who who’s going to be the guy.”

Garry called out Covington after defeating Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February. Covington eventually responded, but said he’d only fight Garry if he met three stipulations. Covington and Garry were going to share the stage for the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference this past December, but Garry no showed and later withdrew from his fight against Vicente Luque due to a battle with pneumonia.

“There’s this kid that’s been calling me out,” Covington said. “This kid, Ian Garry, he’s a nobody. I gave him some stipulations and said, ‘Hey man, if you want to fight me, you have to show me you’re serious about business,’ because when I do business, I’m serious about it. I show up to every fight. I’ve never pulled out of one fight. I’ve been injured, I’ve been sick, but I always show up and do my business because I love the UFC as the greatest organization in the world.

“So he has to show me he’s serious. He was supposed to be on my last event in the press conference. He pulls out the day of the press conference because he knew I was going to be on stage, and we’re going to have some beef. So that shows me that he’s not serious.”

At UFC 296, Covington lost to welterweight champion Leon Edwards by unanimous decision. The former multiple-time title challenger is eager to run things back with Edwards after breaking his foot early in their fight.

“I’ve got unfinished business with my last fight, Leon Edwards, the guy that has the title right now,” Covington said. “I broke my foot in the first five seconds of the fight. I threw a kick. It broke in three different places. So that wasn’t me that night. So whoever I have to go through to get that fight (is what I want).”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Former Alabama, Louisville and Miami WR signs with NY Jets as an undrafted free agrent

Former Alabama WR Tyler Harrell signs with the New York Jets as a free agent

Everyone’s path to the NFL is not the same, and such is the case for former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver [autotag]Tyler Harrell[/autotag]. Harrell started his career with the Louisville Cardinals back in 2018 where he posted 20 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns before transferring to Alabama for the 2022 season.

Harrell dealt with foot injuries for most of his time in Tuscaloosa and only saw 33 snaps in-game. However, with his game-changing speed, if he had ever been able to get on the field I believe he could have been a massive asset for Coach Saban. Unfortunately, that was not the case and he transferred to Miami for the 2023 season where he had four catches for 45 yards.

With no more eligibility left, Harrell tested the NFL draft waters where he went undrafted. Harrell was quickly picked up by the New York Jets though where he will get a chance to turn some heads inside of a pretty empty receiving room. It is also important to remember that 30% of the league is undrafted.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

What draft experts said about Colts 5th-round pick Jaylin Simpson

For a closer look at Colts’ fifth-round pick Jaylin Simpson, here is what three draft experts had to say in their pre-draft scouting reports.

Before selecting Jaylin Simpson with the 164th overall pick, the Colts moved back from pick 155 in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. For a closer look at those trade details, click here.

Simpson is listed as safety, but nearly half of his career snaps at Auburn came lined up as a boundary cornerback with another 307 coming from the slot.

Simpson, who is listed at 6-0 – 179 pounds, ran a 4.45-second 40 and showcased impressive explosiveness with his vertical and broad jump testing.

He’s an experienced player who had very good ball production last season, totaling four interceptions and four pass breakups on just 25 targets.

The free safety role is up for grabs this summer between Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas, with Simpson now potentially in that mix as well. Overall, this is a position group where the Colts needed to improve the depth, not only for 2024 but for 2025 and beyond.

For more on what Simpson can bring to the Colts’ secondary, here is what a few pre-draft scouting reports had to say about his game:

Lance Zierlein – NFL.com

“Long defensive back with speed, athleticism and ball skills that might have teams posting him in the cornerback column instead of at safety. Simpson has started at both positions but might be caught between the two. He doesn’t support the run well enough to instill confidence as a last line of defense and he can be a little tardy to get his hips flipped in one-on-one transitions as a corner. Simpson does pedal and match receivers in space, balancing his eyes between route progressions and the quarterback as a high safety. He also contests catches with good success. He’s a good football player with explosive traits, but teams will need to have a plan for how to use him.”

Bleacher Report Scouting Department

“Ultimately, Simpson is a high-level athlete who is more than capable of turning the ball over, as he showed with his seven career interceptions at Auburn. He has the skill set to play safety in the NFL, but he will need to continue to fill out his frame and add strength. His versatility is his biggest asset, which should lead him to being a middle-round selection.”

Damian Parson – The Draft Network

“Simpson is a solid starting hybrid defensive back. His instincts, athleticism, and positional flexibility make him a fit for creative defensive coaches. He is best utilized as a free safety in the high post to combat explosive passing plays.”

San Antonio Spurs go for combo guard with size early in second in new ’24 mock draft

Given he’d be looked to as a potential depth option, this feels like a solid pick at this point in the draft for the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs are looking for the right sort of players to put around star French forward Victor Wembanyama next season. Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman has a prospect in mind to that end for the Spurs to use their early second round pick in the 2024 draft on who might fit the bill.

That player, the University of Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington, is an intriguing player who could be an ideal support player for San Antonio in the future, but has some serious kinks in his game to work out. A 6-foot-5, 190-lb. wing who, at age 18, he is compared to Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

“Carrington could generate first-round consideration, but he’s not a lock, which will lead to an interesting decision over whether to scrimmage at the NBA combine,” writes Wasserman.

“It’s easy to see the appeal (… of a) guard who averaged 4.1 assists and 2.0 3s (per game) and hit 102 pull-up jumpers,” adds the B/R analyst.

“There are just questions about his lack of quickness and burst, which limited his rim pressure and led to a red-flag low steal rate.”

Given he’d be looked to as a potential depth option, this feels like a solid pick at this point in the draft for the Spurs.

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How did the Ravens do in draft value relative to the 2024 consensus board?

The Ravens selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft, with Eric DeCosta getting great value from four of his first six picks. Value is an integral part of the draft process. Understanding the board is vital to judging how teams maximized value …

The Ravens selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft, with Eric DeCosta getting great value from four of his first six picks.

Value is an integral part of the draft process. Understanding the board is vital to judging how teams maximized value during the draft.

Establishing actual “value” on NFL draft prospects is incredibly difficult, with all 32 NFL teams having different schemes, cultures, and ideas of what elite talent looks like.

Arif Hasan of Wide Left Football creates the go-to consensus board, ranking the top 300 players in the draft class based on 101 big boards from draft analysts. As Hasan noted, “the consensus of these experts does a better predictive job than individual experts.”

With the draft now final, here are Baltimore’s picks, consensus rank, pick number, and the difference between the two.

Consensus rank: 24

Pick number: 30

Difference: +6


Consensus rank: 75

Pick number: 62

Difference: -13


Consensus rank: 66

Pick number: 93

Difference: +27


Consensus rank: 82

Pick number: 113

Difference: +31


Consensus rank: 55

Pick number: 130

Difference: +75

Former Washington WR John Ross invited to try out with Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross could be making a return to the NFL, as he accepted an invite to try out with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross, who has been out of the NFL since 2021, has been invited to try out with the Philadelphia Eagles at their rookie minicamp this week.

Ross was well known for holding the title of the “fastest man at the NFL combine” until early March when Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy claimed the title from him with a blazing 4.21 40-yard dash.

During his time on Montlake, he missed the 2015 season after an ACL tear during spring camp, but returned in 2016 with a historic year, reeling in 81 receptions for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns. He decided to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft after it was discovered he had a torn labrum in his shoulder, which he suffered during the 2016 Peach Bowl in a loss to Alabama.

Ross was selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2017 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and spent four seasons with them before signing as a free agent with the New York Giants. During his five seasons in the league he amassed 62 receptions for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In January 2023, he signed a futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs but in July, Ross announced he was retiring. It appears this invite has enticed him to reconsider his future.

The NFL’s new rules on kickoff returns could be very well suited for Ross’ skill set, since every player on the kicking team other than the kicker will now line up with at least one foot on the returning team’s 40-yard line.

If he makes the team, Ross could display his elite speed once again at Lincoln Financial Field this season.

Jordan Whittington can’t wait to learn from ‘professor’ Cooper Kupp

“I’m a student of the game, and Cooper Kupp I feel like is a professor”

Puka Nacua probably wouldn’t have put up the huge numbers that he did during his rookie year if not for the fact that he had Cooper Kupp in his corner as a mentor in the Rams’ wide receiver room. There’s no question he put in a ton of work himself, but Nacua has talked endlessly about the value of learning from Kupp in his rookie season.

Jordan Whittington is now the next rookie wideout to step into the Rams’ receiver room with the chance to learn from not only Kupp, but also Nacua. And he can’t wait.

After being drafted by the Rams in the sixth round, Whittington said he’s excited to learn what Kupp, “a professor,” has to teach him.

“I’m a student of the game, and Cooper Kupp I feel like is a professor,” Whittington said. “So I want to get to that level.”

Like Kupp and Nacua, Whittington isn’t a rare athlete with great measurables. He’s 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, but we don’t know exactly how fast or explosive he is because he didn’t test at the combine (hamstring).

Where he makes up for anything he lacks in athleticism is with his football intelligence and work ethic. Everything the Rams heard about Whittington leading up to the draft was that he’s a complete team player and leader in the locker room. He was a team captain for the Sugar Bowl, too, which shows how highly coach Steve Sarkisian thought of him.

For those reasons, he’s going to fit in just fine in the Rams’ receiver room alongside Kupp and Nacua.

What draft experts said about Colts 5th-round pick S/LB Jaylon Carlies

For more on Jaylon Carlies, here is what three draft experts had to say about the Colts’ fifth-round pick in their pre-draft scouting reports.

With their second selection in the fifth-round, the Colts selected Missouri’s Jaylon Carlies, who is listed as a safety but as linebacker size.

Carlies measures in at just under 6-3 and weighs 227 pounds. He posted a Relative Athletic Score of 8.26, which included a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.

Carlies played 1,345 snaps as a free safety at Missouri but has ample experience playing closer to the line of scrimmage in the box and some slot experience as well. Last season, he forced three pass breakups and came away with two interceptions in coverage.

Carlies can make an instant impact on special teams, and defensively, could fill a role similar to that of Ronnie Harrison, who is only under contract through the 2024 season.

He will be at his best in the NFL playing closer to the line of scrimmage, perhaps as a linebacker when the Colts utilize big nickel personnel, but he has the athleticism to play in space when needed.

For a closer look at Carlies and what he brings to the Colts, here are what a few draft experts had to say about him in their pre-draft reports:

Lance Zierlein – NFL.com

“Carlies likely needs to make the transition from safety to linebacker to have an opportunity in the NFL. He’s very tight in his hips and plays with a debilitating lack of change of direction that causes problems for him in coverage and as an open-field tackler. As a linear mover, he needs to be able to play forward and near the line, where he’s less likely to make mistakes with his angles of pursuit. Carlies has pretty good ball skills but will have a hard time sticking with pass-catching tight ends, so it could be challenging for teams to lock in on a role for him.”

Ian Cummings – Pro Football Network

“Carlies’ combination of explosiveness, length, play strength, and physicality makes him a dangerous threat in the box, with teeth-rattling solo tackles coming downhill on tape. But Carlies also has the versatility to play overhang slot, two-high, or even single-high. He has enough explosiveness and speed, paired with his size, to play just about anywhere. He’s flashed the necessary processing and feel for positioning to move across the board, and as a former WR, has the ball skills to convert when he’s in place to make a play. Carlies needs to keep refining his game as a processor and be more consistent with his angles. He must also keep chipping away at his technique, to more efficiently carry his taller frame in space. In the meantime, he shouldn’t play man coverage too often. But projecting into the future, Carlies has the tools to be a superb box safety, with enhanced versatility and numerous coverage capabilities beyond that.”

Greg Cosell – 33rd Football Team

“In an NFL where big nickel is becoming more prevalent, Carlies’ physical and athletic traits profile may well fit that personnel package (think: Dan Quinn with his heavy emphasis on big nickel with the Dallas Cowboys and now as the head coach of the Washington Commanders). I believe Carlies can play a more conventional safety position, especially for defenses whose foundational structure is quarters (think: the way Brandon Jones was deployed with the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and 2022 or how Kam Curl was deployed with the Commanders in recent years).”