‘God of cricket’ Tendulkar looms over India prodigy Shaw
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) – Comparisons to India’s “god of cricket” Sachin Tendulkar have not always helped Prithvi Shaw as he seeks to put a doping ban and injury worries behind him and cement his place in the national side.Shaw, now 20, was instantly linked with Tendulkar when he matched the feat of the “Little Master” by scoring centuries for Mumbai on his debuts in the domestic Ranchi and Duleep tournaments in 2017.He then led India to victory at the Under-19 World Cup, and burst into the Test team in 2018 with a match-winning 134 against West Indies – becoming the youngest Indian to score a century on debut at 18 years 10 months 25 days.But since then, the boyish batsman has followed a rocky path.An ankle injury ruled him out of India’s historic first Test series triumph in Australia last year, and he was then slapped with a backdated eight-month ban for taking a prohibited anti-asthma drug.“He is a special talent and I am a little disappointed with the way things have taken its course, after his ankle injury and then his ban for using the banned substance,” former Test opener Wasim Jaffer told AFP.“Seeing all this troubles me, because he is very, very talented. But, he needs to be disciplined if he wants to achieve great things.“He is living in that Indian circle, where he has got role models like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan who are so disciplined.”SCHOOLBOY SENSATIONJaffer, who played 31 Tests for India, added: “There is much competition and he missed so many Tests and internationals and does not need to do that because this is his time to fulfil his potential.”Shaw, who has played four Tests and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), made headlines around the world as a 14-year-old when he smashed a record 546 off 330 balls in a 2013 school competition.That record evoked memories of Tendulkar’s 326 not out in his 664-run partnership with Vinod Kambli in the same tournament – the Harris Shield – in 1988. Comparisons have been made ever since.Shaw has admitted there is a downside to being constantly likened to Tendulkar, a hero among cricket fans and who holds the record for runs in Tests and One-Day Internationals.“There is pressure when people compare me to him but I take it as a challenge. I try to play like him. He is the god of cricket,” Shaw told an online discussion with the Delhi Capitals, his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.Jaffer said Shaw has to be mentally equipped to deal with the pressures, like any international star.“Whenever you perform at the top level the media and the people hype you so much, but it is an individual’s responsibility to learn,” said Jaffer.“Virat keeps himself grounded. Every rising batsman in Mumbai circles is right away compared to Tendulkar. Everything boils down to performance.”Shaw, who was only eight when he first met Tendulkar, said he regards the batting legend as a mentor and sometimes speaks to him about the mental challenges of the game.“Now also whenever I go for practice, if Sachin Sir is there to watch me he will talk, not much technically but mentally more,” Shaw said during a live chat on Instagram.Veteran commentator Charu Sharma believes Shaw has lived up to the intense hype.“Because when you play school cricket or local league cricket, the leap from there to international cricket is a ‘Grand Canyon’. He has taken that leap and has landed on the right side because of all the early work he did,” Sharma told AFP.“Prithvi, like Rohit Sharma and Tendulkar, can adjust very well despite his aggressive stance, and can assess the ball quicker than many other cricketers.He added: “If he keeps himself physically well, mentally he is a very strong kid, he will be able to play for India for a very long time”.
“Every meet that we’ve had so far this year has been pointing to the one and only one meet, and that was the NCAA Championships.”So said Eric Hansen, head coach of the UW swimming program. And after a conference meet that saw the UW women’s squad finish sixth among its Big Ten competitors, he maintained his confidence in his team’s ability to excel at the impending national event.”We swam through the Big Ten Championships, [w]here we had the majority of women that we needed to qualify [do so],” Hansen said. “I feel really good about where we are right now. I see no reason that we shouldn’t expect to be better than we’ve ever been, and the best we’ve done is 10th.”Given good health and no injuries, we’ll just swim the way we’ve been training, and we’re going to really enjoy this meet.”The 2006 NCAA meet will be hosted by the University of Georgia — the nation’s top-ranked program and favorite to win the championship — in Athens, Ga., during the weekend of Mar. 16-18.Before the Championships begin, the UW diving team will try to qualify individuals for the national meet at the NCAA Zonal meet, which (for Wisconsin — there are five different locations) takes place this weekend at the Ohio State University. Hansen said his female divers — Amanda Witte and Laura Davidson — appear to be hard-pressed in their attempts to join the core squad in Georgia.”We would embrace any diver that we can take to the meet, but we’re going to need to dive significantly better than we’ve dove all year in order for that to happen,” the seventh-year coach explained.On the younger side of the team, Hansen dubbed his freshman class as “the future of the swimming program,” and Yi Ting Siow, who clinched a Big Ten Championship in the 200-yard breaststroke, heads it. She will be entering the NCAA tournament with a No. 4 seeding, the rank among her teammates.”Yi Ting is going to be an impact swimmer for us in the NCAA Championships,” Hansen said. “She has a chance to final in at least one event, if not two or approximately even three. It’s a lot [for a freshman], but she’s capable of a lot.”The Badgers bring 11 swimmers to the national meet and are representative of an evenly balanced team in terms of class. Four seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen make up Wisconsin’s scheduled roster at the NCAAs.With freshmen like Siow and Jennifer Illescas headed to Athens — as well as fellow rookies like Jill Courtney and Katie Twitchell looking to join them in the future — this year’s quartet of seniors has done what they can to help pass the torch to the next grouping of UW swimmers.”Hopefully, we’ve been motivating them at practices and at meets,” senior sprinter Sarah Hernandez said. “I wouldn’t say it’s just the seniors, just all the upperclassmen trying to keep the morale up and keep people charged for competition.”Hernandez, Emily Carpenter, Amalia Sarnecki and Anna Trinidad are the seniors that will end their careers at the national meet. Hernandez and Sarnecki, alongside sophomores Hannah McClurg and Jackie Vavrek, are expected to compete as a group in the 200-yard freestyle relay, the event in which they set a Wisconsin record on Feb. 16 at the conference meet.Juniors Susan Johnson, Andrea Wiesner and sophomore Jenny Gelden round out the UW women’s NCAA representatives.Hernandez concurred with Hansen’s assessment of Wisconsin’s capabilities when it comes to team results at the NCAAs.”Ideally, we would like to be in the top 10, which I think we can do if everyone swims well. It’s not really that out of the question,” she said.The Badgers’ main goal, according to Hansen, will be to build off victories at the conference level and try to put together the right combination of individual successes to place as high as they can at “the one and only meet.””We’re really pleased, we’re coming off Big Ten Championships,” Hansen said. “We’re never happy with where we end up there, but all in all, it doesn’t really matter.”But if you’re competitive, you don’t like to get beat. We’re about to rectify that at the meet that matters most to us.”
An emotional Phylesha Bullard sat inside the Carrier Dome Jan. 28, struggling to let go of Syracuse’s loss to Cincinnati that day. The SU guard couldn’t shake the turnover she committed that set the table for the Bearcats’ shocking last-second victory.That’s when her teammates stepped in, joining her on the couches in the team locker room to give the sophomore a simple message.‘They just told me, ‘Just keep your head up. We’ll get it next time, and we’re going to need you further more in the season, so just keep your head up,” Bullard said. ‘And this is my time to grow as a player, so I learn from my mistakes, so they just told me to keep my head up.’Bullard has held her head high since that costly mistake against Cincinnati and developed into one of Syracuse’s top reserves during Big East play. The sophomore has averaged 22.8 minutes per game for the Orange in its last six after reaching the 20-minute mark just once in the previous 20 contests. Bullard has worked her way into SU head coach Quentin Hillsman’s rotation, bringing energy off the bench by making hustle plays and battling on the boards whenever her name is called.Hillsman and her teammates attribute Bullard’s increased role to her work ethic matched by few on the team. For Hillsman, having a player on the bench who can come in and keep the intensity level high is essential in the competitive Big East conference. And Bullard fits the role perfectly for the head coach this season.AdvertisementThis is placeholder text‘She competes every possession, and you know that in this conference you can be one or two possessions away from winning or losing the basketball game,’ Hillsman said. ‘So you can’t take a chance of a player coming and just not going hard every possession.‘And she plays hard every single possession she’s on the floor.’Bullard said she didn’t develop that mindset or work ethic until this season.Last year as a freshman, the Cincinnati native hardly saw the floor. She was an afterthought on the bench, playing the second-fewest minutes on the team at 6.6 per game.By the end of the season, it hit her that she rarely played. And she knew she needed to do something to get on the court. This year, Bullard showed up with a new positive attitude intent on getting better. She said she has put in extra time working out after practices and taking the advice of the coaching staff to heart.‘I’m trying to push myself. I need to grow as a player,’ Bullard said. ‘And I’m not going to be content with my playing time or even as a player, my skills.’And that mentality carries over to her play on the court.It was on display against Cincinnati when Bullard came off the bench to score eight points and pull down seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action. In a game against a Bearcats team still searching for their first conference win, SU looked sluggish and uninspired.But Bullard did her best to turn the tide of the game with her play. The 5-foot-11 guard battled down low, slipping in along the baselines to corral loose balls for the Orange. She displayed her soft touch on a jumper from the corner, holding her follow-through for a second with confidence.So when Iasia Hemingway stood at the podium after the 55-54 loss and the conversation turned to Bullard — who turned the ball over with SU up one with 28 seconds remaining — the senior forward had nothing but praise for her teammate.‘She played great. She came out and she played with so much energy and so much effort,’ Hemingway said. ‘And she always does the little things.’Hillsman echoed those sentiments after the tough loss, too. The head coach chalked the mistake up to a learning experience for Bullard and the team in a tough season. He described Bullard as an integral part of his program’s future.Two weeks later, Bullard is just focused on the present. The mistake is in the past as the guard has moved on, keeping the same mentality as the spark plug off the bench she brought into the season.‘I always tell myself if I get the opportunity, I always have the mindset of just to play hard,’ Bullard said. ‘That’s always my mindset. Play hard no matter what. If I’m having a bad game or I’m not shooting well, just play hard, just play through it, get all the hustle plays.’rjgery@syr.edu Published on February 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu Comments
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Published on September 8, 2019 at 11:20 pm Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman Polina Shemanova and Yuliia Yastrub reclined on the orange bleachers under a basketball hoop in the Women’s Building and listened. In an unfilled gym following a late August practice, the two fixed their gazes on head coach Leonid Yelin as he described the first time he ever saw Shemanova on the volleyball court.“(Shemanova) played with her mom,” Yelin said. “Her mom was actually better than her.”The two laughed at Yelin’s joke.Before becoming Yelin’s star player, Shemanova wasn’t a touted recruit, even though she finished third in the U-18 World Championships with Russia in 2017. In Shemanova’s freshman season, the St. Petersburg, Russia native tallied 447 kills, the most ever by an SU freshman. She was selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team, ACC freshman of the year and 2019 ACC preseason first team. Shemanova became the cornerstone of SU before she was 18.AdvertisementThis is placeholder textShemanova didn’t consider coming to America before talking with her childhood friend, Mariia Levanova, who played for Syracuse from 2015 to 2018. Eventually, Levanova approached Yelin, telling the storied head coach about her friend’s natural skillset, work ethic and talent.“If she’s really as good as everyone says, why would I not?” Yelin said.So in January of 2018, he flew to Russia to convince Shemanova to play ACC volleyball.“I pretty much knew who she was,” Yelin said. “I had heard she was interested. You know who’s an absolutely no, who’s an absolutely yes and who you have to go see.”TJ Shaw | Staff PhotographerYelin arrived in St. Petersburg and drove to a local elementary school gym, where Shemanova was going to be playing with her mother, Olga Anisimova, against a recreational team. Even competing against non-professional players, Yelin saw her all-around talent: How she could leap and reach high into the air, how she was willing to sacrifice her body to keep the ball from smacking against the floor, how she could pummel the ball across the court.Most of all, he was amazed at how she was so confident in her abilities at such a young age.“I was really nervous. It’s like, ‘Oh my god. It’s a person who wants me to play in America,’” Shemanova said. “I’m playing with these people and it’s not the best level in St. Petersburg. I have to show him my best. It was kind of weird, but I tried. It was uncomfortable.”Even though Shemanova is relatively short for an outside hitter, at 6 feet, Yelin was convinced that he needed Shemanova on his team. So, at the end of the game, Yelin, Shemanova and her mother talked in the parking lot for an hour and a half.Eva Suppa | Digital Design EditorSince Levanova had already sold Shemanova on life in America, Yelin focused his efforts on convincing Anisimova, who was still unsure about sending her daughter across the world. Yelin promised that Shemanova could “kill two birds” by getting a world-class education and playing volleyball.“We had the same coach when we were young, so I knew her and I knew her as a very good player with a lot of experience,” Levanova said about recruiting Shemanova via WhatsApp. “That’s why I wanted her to come.”If Shemanova stayed in Russia, she would’ve had to pick between volleyball and education because the country doesn’t have a collegiate sports system. Pro teams sign players around the age of 15 and Shemanova wasn’t going to be able to attend top-ranked schools for education.During her last year of high school, Yelin and Shemanova called through Skype once a week. Most of the conversation was casual and Yelin would often quip with her, showing his sarcastic side. Once, when her younger brother was out in the yard playing soccer, Yelin joked about persuading SU’s head soccer coach to sign him.Eva Suppa | Digital Design EditorYelin highlighted features of SU to convince Shemanova. She could have the comfort of playing a team with heavy Eastern European ties — four of its 2019 roster is from Europe — while also studying at a private university.She could learn English, play professionally and prepare for a career outside of volleyball. Leaving was difficult, though. When Shemanova departed for the U.S., her mom was pregnant. Shemanova missed her brother’s birth late last year and his first steps this summer. She only sees her family over the summer, as she returned to St. Petersburg for two months to meet her brother, Artemii, for the first time.“It was tough, but when we all looked it at it just made sense,” Shemanova said. “To get this opportunity to play and study is perfect.”One year ago, a 17-year-old Shemanova wasn’t allowed to speak to the media, meeting with Yelin twice a week to smooth the transition to America. Yelin had made sure to guide the outside hitter, a future pillar of the program, Yelin and Shemanova said.TJ Shaw | Staff PhotographerHis plan worked. The then-freshman dominated ACC competition, recording double-digit kills in 26 of 28 matches. She notched 25 kills and 20 digs against Miami before spiking 30 kills against Florida State, who made the NCAA tournament, in the very next game. Her attacks bounced off the hands of middle blockers, between outside hitters and into the golden wood floor of the Women’s Building.Standing under a basketball hoop in that same gym, Shemanova doesn’t waver when asked about her relationship with Yelin. The two who met twice weekly her freshman year now rarely convene. She just doesn’t need his help anymore because Shemanova has become a leader for the Orange. Yastrub said players trust her to talk about almost anything.To Yelin, that trip to St. Petersburg paid off.“She knows what she wants to be and she knows who she wants to be,” Yelin said. Comments Facebook Twitter Google+
In the past four years, major European clubs have invested heavily in signing defenders, majority of the recruits on evidence of their displays clearly overrated.Premier League clubs top the list of heavy spenders, Manchester City obviously at the top of the chart. Since 2014, the Citizens have recruited the likes of Eliaquim Mangala-£41.9million, Nicolas Otamendi-£28.4million, John Stones-£47.5million, Danilo-£26.5million, Kyle Walker-£45million and Benjamin Mendy-£49.3million all for a combined staggering total fee of £238.6million.Neighbours Manchester United in successive seasons have gone out to revamp an unsteady backline, splashing the cash on Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly £30million and Swedish international Victor Lindelof £30.75milion. Incidentally, both young internationals are 23-years-old but have failed to consistently perform at a high level which justifies the decision of Jose Mourinho to sanction their acquisition to the Premier League giants.While Bailly can be said to have shown promise and is clearly one for the future if he can cut out the errors, Lindelof in all honesty looks like a fraud following his summer switch from Benfica and his latest shambolic displays at the weekend in the away defeat at Huddersfield Town only highlighted Jose Mourinho’s reluctance in giving him game time in the league, perhaps a silent acceptance of error of judgement on the part of the maverick Portuguese manager.A few pundits have argued that the Swede is struggling to adapt to the gulf in class between the Portuguese Primeira League and Premier League and will definitely come good when he fully integrates into his new surroundings. That school of thought might sound fair enough but when you recollect Rio Ferdinand who was just a year older than the duo of Bailly and Lindelof when Sir Alex Ferguson paid a then world record fee of £30million for a defender in 2002, it sure looks like a bargain buy in comparism to a combination of central defensive buys at both Manchester clubs in the past four years.Recounting the AC Milan defence line of 2003-2007, added to a few illustrious defenders such as Ferdinand, John Terry, Nemanja Vidic, Sammy Kuffour, and a host of other world class defenders you realise the depth in deterioration in the art of defending when names such as Jerome Boateng, David Luiz, Gerad Pique, Stones are being brandished as some of the standout defenders of this generation.Honourable mentions should be given to the likes of Vincent Kompany-if fully fit and plays consistently could be the best in the world-, Thiago Silva, Raphael Varane, Diego Godin defenders who have regularly reminded us that REAL defending isn’t totally in this clearly overrated generation of modern day footballers.RelatedBurnley Sign England Goalkeeper Joe HartAugust 7, 2018In “England”Manchester City Sign Mahrez In Club Record DealJuly 10, 2018In “England”Manchester City Sign Aymeric Laporte In Club-Record DealJanuary 30, 2018In “England”
Related Articles Share Nektan offloads white-label B2C unit to Active Win Group January 8, 2020 Submit FSB selects Glenn Elliott as new COO August 12, 2020 Share StumbleUpon Nektan agrees terms for vital funding October 28, 2019 ‘B2B focused’ Nektan Plc remains confident that it can achieve EBITDA break-even results by the end of year trading.Publishing its corporate results for the six-month period ending 31 December 2019 (H1 2019), Nektan recorded corporate revenues of £800,000, up 157% on corresponding H1 2018’s £310,000.The London-AIM firm pointed to its improved commercial pipeline, which sees its software active across 34 brands.Further improved topline metrics saw Nektan reduce its adjusted EBITDA losses to £1.65 million from the corresponding £1.77 million.During the trading period, Nektan offloaded its entire B2C unit to Grace Media for £200,000, a period in which corporate costs attributed to impairment charges, exceptional items and administrative expenses totalled £3 million.Closing its H1 2019 accounts, Nektan declared an operating loss of £2.5 million, up 6.9% from 2018’s loss.“While we are currently live with 34 sites across multiple continents, we see a strong pipeline of partner launches from leading global businesses to deliver their online gaming solutions,” said Gary Shaw, interim chief executive officer of Nektan.“The roll-out of these sites should take place over the next 2-3 months, which will significantly transform the revenue profile of the group.”Closing its trading statement, Nektan outlined that it was following COVID-19 developments closely with governance in discussions with advisors and stakeholders related to company options.“The effects of COVID-19 are only beginning to be understood by the company and our sector, which creates material uncertainty as we understand the effects on our key stakeholders,” Shaw added. “The directors are assessing all available options and we will provide further updates as appropriate.”
Kyle Guy has ice in his veins. His last year has been a roller coaster, and that ride hit a new high in Virginia’s 63-62 final-second Final Four win over Auburn to advance to the national championship game. Three clutch free throws from Guy after a controversial foul call with 0.6 seconds remaining represented the decisive blow. Hear from Kyle Guy and Tony Bennett after the Hoos of @UVAMensHoops advance to the #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/EmJaMhbK28— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 7, 2019The Cavaliers built a 10-point lead with just over five minutes left in the second half, and seemingly had the first Final Four game on cruise control. The double-digit lead, however, quickly evaporated nearly immediately after Ty Jerome left with his fourth foul. A 12-0 Tiger run gave Auburn the lead with just seconds remaining when Guy attempted a 3 at the horn to stave off elimination. Guy was fouled and hit the ensuing three free throws. Gene Steratore breaks down the crucial foul call. pic.twitter.com/qFyetJmt59— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2019MORE: Watch college basketball live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)Auburn’s night couldn’t have started much worse than it did. For a team that relied on the 3 to advance to the Final Four and hit the second-most 3s in NCAA history, it made just 5 of its first 24 attempts from beyond the arc. It wasn’t until Bryce Brown dialed in late in the second half, hitting three trifectas, that the Tigers finally made a game of things. Brown finished with 12 points.Guy will garner much of the media attention for his clutch free throws, but it was Ty Jerome who led the Cavaliers for a majority of the night. The junior scored 21 points with nine rebounds, and it wasn’t until he went to the bench with foul trouble that the tide began to sway for Auburn. Virginia plays the winner of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Texas Tech in its first national championship appearance on Monday.MORE: Refs miss double dribble by Jerome on final possessionSporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from the 2019 Final Four. Check it out below.Virginia vs. Auburn live score, updates, highlights(All times Eastern.)8:12 p.m.: Kyle Guy with ice in his veins. Drains all three. Virginia wins 63-62 and advances to the national championship.Inside the numbers of Virginia’s thrilling victory! #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/aa201SYHsa— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 7, 20198:08 p.m.: Guy is fouled on a buzzer 3. He has three shots, down by two.That is a legitimate foul on Kyle Guy. Wow. It’s the right call. #UVAvsAuburn— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) April 7, 20198:04 p.m.: Kyle Guy cuts the lead to one. 7.4 seconds.HOOS CUT IT TO 1 WITH 6.5 SECS LEFT! 😳 @UVAMensHoops | #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/2UWi7sqD6Z— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 7, 20198:00 p.m.: Let the fouling begin.7:58 p.m.: Brown cannot be stopped. Another 3. Auburn takes a two-point lead with 1:57 to play.7:56 p.m.: Another Brown 3 and Purifoy jumper has the Tigers down by just one. It’s an 8-0 scoring run since Ty Jerome checked out with his fourth foul.7:51 p.m.: Bryce Brown provides Auburn with a 3 and a spark. The Virginia lead is down to six with 3:45 left.7:47 p.m.: Ty Jerome is feeling it tonight. His fourth three gives Virginia a 10-point lead with 5:14 to go. Jerome has 21 points and eight rebounds.Send it in [Ty] Jerome! pic.twitter.com/CICd8AEM5b— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 20197:41 p.m.: Harper hits hit second 3 of the night and cuts the Virginia lead to three. He’s been dealing with cramping for much of the half.Jared Harper’s 👌 cuts the Virginia lead to 3! @AuburnMBB | #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/lDMrd5cdLo— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 6, 20197:34 p.m.: Samir Doughty and Kihei Clark trade 3s. Virginia leads by four with 9:00 to play.Virginia has the lead and the dance moves. pic.twitter.com/N0WJwjwYIY— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 20197:27 p.m.: De’Andre Hunter already has 8 points this half after scoring just four in the first, and really struggling all tournament long.Suddenly, DeAndre Hunter looks like a top-5 pick again.— Reid Forgrave (@ReidForgrave) April 6, 20197:24 p.m.: Jared Harper finally breaks the seal for Auburn. His 3 is the first FG for Auburn in over 6:30. Tigers trail by 2.7:17 p.m.: Kihei Clark with a nice swipe and transition bucket. Virginia has the first six points of the half and a 34-31 lead.7:15 p.m.: De’Andre Hunter slams one home right out of the gates to begin the second half for Virginia.Assertive De’Andre Hunter out of the break. Couple of baskets and a block at the rim. This version is a difference-maker for Virginia.— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 6, 20196:49 p.m.: Such smooth basketball. No stoppage for the last five minute of play to end the half. Despite hitting just 3-of-14 3-pointers and playing to Virginia’s pace, Auburn leads the Cavaliers 31-28 at the break. Virginia’s Ty Jerome leads all scorers with 13 points.Not much separation through 20 minutes!Who comes out on top? #FinalFour pic.twitter.com/5CAjO8rD0Z— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 6, 20196:44 p.m.: Jared Harper’s first points of the night give Auburn the lead!6:40 p.m.: Finally a 3 falls for Auburn. Samir Doughty makes just the second of 12 3-pt attempts for the Tigers, yet Virginia only leads 22-20 with 5:40 in the half.6:35 p.m.: A big Anfernee McLemore alley-oop finally ends a 4:20 Auburn scoreless stretch as the Tigers cut the lead to three.Now THAT is an efficient way to break a scoring drought. pic.twitter.com/7ldfLgjG4y— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 20196:27 p.m.: A Cavalier fast break and Guy finish ends a 9-2 Auburn run. Tigers with the early 13-12 lead.6:25 p.m.: Virginia’s Jack Salt picks up his second foul in a minute. He heads to the bench with 13 minutes still left in the half.6:18 p.m.: After missing its first three shots, Auburn is settling in. The Tigers trail Virginia 7-8 just over five minutes into the half.
6:16 p.m.: Kyle Guy looking to heat up early. He hits his first 3 of the night for Virginia. Guy made five vs. Auburn in the Elite Eight.Kyle Guy is dialed in early from deep! 👌 #FinalFour | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/I1pXbb2P2O— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 6, 20196:12 p.m.: So how’s the pack line defense going to fare? Virginia forces a shot-clock violation on Auburn’s first possession.6:00 p.m.: Tonight’s starting lineups:Virginia’s starting 5 for the #FinalFour ! 👀 pic.twitter.com/JEW7Pu1yr8— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 6, 2019Auburn’s starting 5 for its first ever #FinalFour ! pic.twitter.com/0HJbfmlYUF— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) April 6, 2019
Jim Irsay’s most recent purchase is “guaranteed to raise a smile.”The Colts owner on Saturday proudly tweeted that he is the new owner of the piano used to compose songs for The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Related News The piano, which dates back to 1872 and resided in two homes where John Lennon lived in England, was auctioned on GottaHaveRockandRoll.com to a lone bidder and closed with the final bid of $575,000 after being estimated to sell for $800,000-$1.2 million. TMZ Sports reported the price tag was $718,750.I’m elated to now be the steward of John’s “Sgt. Pepper” upright piano. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, with future generations in mind. #GettingThemBackTogether #Beatles— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 20, 2019″I’m elated to now be the steward of John’s “Sgt. Pepper” upright piano. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, with future generations in mind,” Irsay wrote on Twitter, adding hashtags “#GettingThemBackTogether and #Beatles.” Former NFL running back Reggie Cobb dies at age 50 According to GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, the piano was Lennon’s favorite and was used to compose other notable songs, including “A Day in the Life” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”Irsay, an avid Beatles fan, owns several other instruments used by the bandmates. He bought a Gibson SG electric guitar used by George Harrison for an undisclosed amount in 2013 and purchased Ringo Starr’s drum set for $1.75 million in 2015.He also owns guitars previously owned by Prince, Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia.
DeMar DeRozan fined $25K for chucking ball at referee Klay Thompson used a unique method to break out of his offensive slump.The Warriors guard shot 44.4 percent from the field, knocked down four 3-pointers and averaged 13.7 points through the first three games of his team’s opening-round series against the Clippers. So, Thompson decided to find a place to clear his head with teammate Jonas Jerebko.“I did a couple of things,” Thompson told reporters Sunday. “I didn’t think I had bad games, but I didn’t have any big games. I told Jonas yesterday, we went to the beach, played some volleyball, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to jump in the ocean. I know that will reset my mind.’” Related News “When Klay gets going like that, it fuels the whole bench,” Kerr said. “You can see everybody jumping around. Everybody gets happy. We all love when Klay gets hot. It fuels our momentum. It didn’t surprise me at all. He kind of had a quiet first few games of the series, so it was only a matter of time until he broke out.”The Warriors will have a chance to close out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday at Oracle Arena.
NBA playoffs 2019: Gordon Hayward, Brad Stevens discuss Celtics’ sweep of Pacers “I’m just going to jump in the ocean. I know that will reset my mind.”@KlayThompson on what he did before the game to get going. 😂pic.twitter.com/PhtCySt4ne— Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 21, 2019Thompson’s method appears to have worked as he broke out in a big way in Game 4. He tallied 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting and connected on six of his nine 3-point attempts in Golden State’s 113-105 win over Los Angeles.The Warriors now hold a 3-1 lead in the series.“The ball was just finding me,” Thompson said. “I didn’t do anything special. I was just getting open and knocking down shots. Playing in a good rhythm. See a few go in and then all you need is a little space.“Give credit to my teammates. I got a lot of good shots off of offensive rebounds and all shots within the offense. Just more volume but nothing I don’t do usually. Just try to get open.”Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Thompson’s performance after the victory.
The exit of the legendary quarterback following a two-decade run in New England leaves an obvious void, but Slater backed his team to step up.”I don’t think the goals change at all. The standard doesn’t change at all. The pillars that we stand upon, they don’t change at all,” Slater told reporters on a conference call Monday.”If you go into the season with a defeatist mindset, then you can’t expect to be successful. We have a great opportunity. We have a lot of good football players. We have a tremendous coaching staff. … We have to go into the season expecting more from ourselves than anyone outside the building expects from us.”We have to go in with the same drive, the same focus, the same determination. If we don’t, you shouldn’t even step foot in the building, because we’re already going to be beat.” “The pillars that we stand upon, they don’t change at all.”Matthew Slater remains a pillar of #Patriots foundation: https://t.co/FU86VRoSPA— New England Patriots (@Patriots) March 30, 2020On Brady’s departure, Slater added: “When you talk about Tom and everything he’s meant to this organization, and our team, a lot of our identity over the last 20 years has been centred around him. Any time you transition away from a player like that, it’s a tall task.”You have to find a way to deal with that personally and process it. I think as a team, obviously, we’re going to have to process that Tom is gone. Do it in a healthy way, and be able to move on.”We’re going to have to be able to find a new identity for ourselves. I think part of that identity is going to be built upon things we’ve always stood for and will continue to stand for as long as this organisation is led by the people it’s led by. That’s going to be selflessness, hard work, doing what’s best for the football team, serving one another, not having any level of expectation that things are going to be handed to us.” Patriots special teams savant Matthew Slater insists New England’s standards remain the same despite the loss of Tom Brady.Brady swapped the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency after winning six Super Bowl titles in Foxborough.