briefs
Season-ending surgery for Irving
Kyrie Irving tried to keep playing through pain, a cortisone shot no longer providing enough relief.
Eventually, he and the Brooklyn Nets decided it’s best to get his right shoulder taken care of now and get healthy for next season – when Irving and Kevin Durant can finally play together.
Irving will have arthroscopic surgery and miss the rest of the season, Nets general manager Sean Marks said Thursday.
“Kyrie mentioned he was playing through pain and you have to give him a lot of credit for that. He wants to be out there and playing with his guys,” Marks said. “But there comes a point where you say enough is enough and again, it goes to long-term health. And the best thing that (we) could do is to shut it down and get this taken care of once and for all.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson said the point guard was still having trouble with the shoulder that began troubling him in October and sidelined him for 26 games earlier this season.
“Some days it was OK and other days it bothered him,” Atkinson said before the Nets faced the Philadelphia 76ers. “Obviously, it is difficult to perform under those circumstances.”
Urlacher brother charged
The brother of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher and nine others, including a police officer, have been charged with operating an offshore sports gambling business, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Casey Urlacher, the mayor of the Illinois village of Mettawa, is accused in U.S. District Court of conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business. Prosecutors allege that Urlacher and the others ran a ring that raked in millions of dollars.
Prosecutors said the 40-year-old Urlacher acted as an agent for the gambling ring. He is accused of recruiting bettors in exchange for a cut of their eventual losses.
Brian Urlacher wasn’t named in the indictment.
“I don’t know nothing about it,” Urlacher told the Chicago Sun-Times when asked about the charges.
ESPN hires announcers
Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian will be the announcers for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” series, marking the first time since 2007 that the network is going with a two-person booth for its signature game. Jessica Mendoza had been part of the booth since 2015 but has been moved to more studio work as well as calling weeknight games.
This is the third season Rodriguez and Vasgersian will be calling the Sunday night games with Buster Olney reporting from the dugout. While Mendoza recently signed a contract extension, Rodriguez and Vasgersian are going into the final season of their ESPN deals. They also work for Fox.
Rodriguez and Vasgersian will make their regular-season debut on March 26 when Houston hosts the Los Angeles Angels. The first Sunday night game is March 29 when the Chicago Cubs face Milwaukee.
Waynesburg hires coach
The Waynesburg University Department of Athletics recently announced the hiring of Emily Taylor as its new head women’s volleyball coach. She not only brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience with her to the position, but also an in-depth knowledge of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Taylor spent the previous three seasons as the intern assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson. Over that time, the Presidents posted a 35-34 overall record, including a 32-21 mark in 2017 and 2018. Over that same two-year stretch, W&J was 25-9 in PAC play. In 2018, Taylor helped lead her squad to a 14-2 mark in conference competition.
“We are very excited to welcome Emily into the Waynesburg University Family,” said Waynesburg University Director of Athletics Adam Jack. “I was immediately impressed with Emily’s confidence and passion for coaching. Emily’s familiarity with the PAC was certainly an important piece in the process. Her experience with recruiting in the region will be a great asset and allow her to hit the ground running.”
Prior to beginning her collegiate coaching career, Taylor attended and graduated from Penn State Greater Allegheny, where she was a three-year member of the Lady Lion volleyball team. She also played softball as a freshman.
On the court, Taylor was a two-year captain (2015, 2016). Off it, Taylor starred in the classroom as a three-time member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-Academic Team and Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) All-Academic Team. She also served as a resident’s assistant during the 2016-17 academic year.
In college basketball
Luka Garza scored 24 points, and No. 20 Iowa got strong contributions from its bench in a 85-76 win over No. 25 Ohio State.
It was Garza’s 12th consecutive game of 20 points or more in Big Ten play, the longest streak for an Iowa player in 49 seasons and the most by any conference player in the last 20 years.
Bakari Evelyn came off the bench to score 15 points for the Hawkeyes. Joe Wieskamp had 13 points, and Ryan Kriener added 12.
The Hawkeyes (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten) opened the game with a 27-8 run in the first 10 minutes. Ohio State (17-9, 7-8) closed to within 43-35 with 41 seconds left in the first half, and was within nine points on three occasions early in the second half before Iowa went on an 18-8 run to lead 69-50 with 6:43 to play.