USA TODAY High School Sports Stars of the Week: Alijah Arenas, Haylen Ayers, Donavan Freeman, Kara Nixon, Ben Grissom

The USA TODAY High School Sports staff unveils the Stars of Week for March 4, 2024.

The USA TODAY HSS staff’s picks for “Stars of the Week” include two freshman headliners in girls’ basketball, a 5-star Florida hoops standout, a new record-breaking Arenas, and one of the most fanatic finishes of all time.

Standing-O to these five top high school athletes who put on a show last week…

– Alijah Arenas, Chatsworth (Calif.)

– Haylen Ayers, USJ (Tenn.)

– Donavan Freeman, IMG (Bradenton, Fla.)

– Kara Nixon, Martin’s Mill (Texas)

– Ben Grissom, Guerin Catholic (Noblesville, Ind.)

Titans OLB Harold Landry’s highlights from 2023 season

There were few better stories on the 2023 Titans than outside linebacker Harold Landry.

There were few better stories on the Tennessee Titans in 2023 than that of outside linebacker Harold Landry.

After signing a massive five-year, $87.5 million contract extension with the Titans in 2022, Landry suffered a torn ACL before the start of the season and was forced to miss the entire campaign.

He was able to return in 2023 but got off to a slow start, which was to be expected. However, Landry really began finding his footing in the second half of the season, tallying 5.5 sacks over the final six games.

His best showing came in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins, when he registered three sacks in the upset victory. Landry ultimately finished with 10.5 sacks, the second-most in a single season of his career.

Looking ahead to 2024, Landry will once again play a key role on the Titans’ defense, and if he can carry over the momentum he finished with last season, Landry is a good bet to break his 12.5-sack mark that he reached in 2021.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Is Billy Donovan the right head coach to develop the Chicago Bulls’ young players?

Could a coaching change end up coming in the 2024 NBA offseason?

The Chicago Bulls had a bad loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center, and fans of the team were left with more questions than answers after the defeat. Is the youth movement on the team back on track? Should we be more worried about the team’s elder statesmen as far as leadership goes?

And is Billy Donovan the right head coach to develop the team’s young players? At times, there seems to be a reluctance to play the ball club’s younger players in key junctures, even after what we have seen from this team’s younger players of late. Could a coaching change end up coming in the 2024 NBA offseason?

Haize, the host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, took a moment to break down what he was seeing in that game regarding all of the aforementioned.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what he had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Photos, videos from Titans’ groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday

Some photos and videos from the groundbreaking ceremony of the New Nissan Stadium.

The Tennessee Titans held their groundbreaking ceremony for the New Nissan Stadium on Thursday, an event that featured several guest speakers and gave us more information about the new venue, which is scheduled to open in 2027.

One tidbit we found out was that the stadium will feature the largest rooftop bar in the United States that will span roughly 70,000 square feet.

The event was hosted by Titans announcer Mike Keith and the list of guest speakers included owner Amy Adams Strunk, president and CEO Burke Nihill and country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

Head coach Brian Callahan and general manager Ran Carthon were also on-hand for the ceremony.

“A generation ago, my father, Bud Adams, moved the Oilers to Tennessee,” Adams Strunk said. “He saw a beautiful city here in Nashville, poised for growth and ready for the NFL stage. He met the people who lived here and observed how hard they worked and how impactful they could be when they came together as a community. He saw everything Nashville was and could be and decided to make it our home. But even with all that foresight, I don’t think my father could have dreamed of just how right he was. This city and this state have been the most incredible home we could ever have asked for. And last year, we signed a new lease with the City of Nashville to remain here for another generation.”

You can check out more on the groundbreaking ceremony right here. Keep scrolling for photos and video of the event in its entirety.

Patrick Williams missing the rest of the Chicago Bulls’ season is just brutal

What does the Williams injury mean for the rest of the team this season?

The Chicago Bulls can’t seem to catch a break with news that starting forward Patrick Williams will miss the rest of the NBA’s 2023-24 season as he and the team elect for foot surgery to repair a hairline fracture. But don’t feel too much pity for the team’s front office, as they could have set themselves up to make something back in terms of draft assets for what is now all but certainly a lost season.

What does the Williams injury mean for the rest of the team this season? And Williams’ role with the ball club in future seasons? What are his recovery prospects for such an injury?

To try to talk us through the range of possibilities for the Bulls and Williams in light of his surgery, the hosts of the “Bulls Central” podcast took some time to break it all down on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

K.C. Johnson: A successful Chicago Bulls season would have had a Zach LaVine trade

If one prominent NBA analyst is correct in his assessment of what a successful Chicago Bulls season might look like, there is no longer any chance of one for the Bulls.

If one prominent NBA analyst is correct in his assessment of what a successful Chicago Bulls season might look like, there is no longer any chance of one for the Bulls after the team’s front office elected to stand pat at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline.

Bulls beat writer KC Johnson recently related that his vision of what a successful season for Chicago would have involved the ball club managing to get off the contract of injured star guard Zach LaVine. Of course, it was that foot injury and the subsequent surgery to repair it that tanked any chance of the UCLA alum being dealt before the 2024 offseason.

But might the team’s front office have tried a bit harder to move LaVine before he elected to get that surgery?

To hear Johnson’s thinking on the success of this Bulls season and why he feels that way, take a look at the clip embedded above.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

KC Johnson on what actually went down for the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline

What was the front office thinking?

Many a great basketball mind took a look at the Chicago Bulls ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline and saw a ball club that needed to make some moves if a retool capable of getting the team off the proverbial treadmill of mediocrity was going to be possible.

But, to the surprise of few fans of the team, Arturas Karnisovas and company decided to stand pat instead, risking losing the likes of DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond in free agency. They also passed on making the most of Alex Caruso’s likely maximum trade value by retaining him at the deadline.

So, what went on in Chicago ahead of the Feb. 8 limit on making trades?

Bulls beat writer KC Jones joined the “Bulls Central” podcast to explain why Chicago stood pat for the third straight season. Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what he had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Do the Chicago Bulls actually want to trade Alex Caruso?

Or are they trying to build up his trade value by pretending they want to keep him?

Do the Chicago Bulls actually want to trade guard Alex Caruso? Or are they trying to build up his trade value by pretending they want to keep him? With the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline just a few more days away on Feb. 8, we will not have long to wait to find out.

But does it make sense for the Bulls to hang onto his services if it is going to take at least a season or two to get out of the mess the front office has put the ball club in over the last few seasons? Caruso is one of the hottest names in the league as a potential trade target, given his relatively low salary and two-way capabilities. With no clear direction ahead of them, maximizing his value might be the best option for a rudderless Chicago roster.

The host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast Haize recently weighed in on what he thinks ought to happen on a recent episode.

Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Top reactions to Chiefs DB Justin Reid’s mic’d up performance vs. Ravens

Justin Reid earned some new fans after the #Chiefs featured him in a mic’d up segment on social media.

The Kansas City Chiefs have done a great job of getting fans fired up for their Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on February 11.

After a challenging playoff run that saw Kansas City win two of three games on the road to advance to the Super Bowl, the lore behind the Chiefs’ championship berth keeps getting deeper.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

The team released a video of star defensive back Justin Reid mic’d up against the Baltimore Ravens last week that had fans in Western Missouri buzzing on social media this weekend.

Reid, an unsung hero of Kansas City’s 2023 campaign, showed a lot of grit in the Chiefs’ win over Baltimore and gave fans even more reason to keep their eyes on him against San Francisco.

After his outstanding performance against the Ravens, Reid may soon become a household name in Kansas City.

Check out some of the top reactions to his legendary mic’d up segment below:

Chiefs fans couldn’t get enough of Patrick Mahomes’ mic’d up segment vs. Ravens

#Chiefs fans on Twitter loved this extended-cut version of Patrick Mahomes’ mic’d up segment from Kansas City’s win over the #Ravens.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game was a spectacle for the ages, and even five days removed from their victory, fans on social media aren’t tired of reliving the biggest moments of the matchup.

The Chiefs released an extended-cut video of quarterback Patrick Mahomes mic’d up during the playoff tilt against Baltimore, which was met with plenty of fanfare on Twitter as the Kansas City faithful took in all the action on Thursday.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

Clips like this make the rounds on social media platforms every week, but few were received with the same excitement as this one, which captivated fans to a degree rarely seen.

Mahomes’ efforts in the game were legendary, and the audio of his triumphant performance is sure to stay with members of Chiefs Kingdom well after the season officially ends.

Check out some of the top reactions to the video below: