Sports digest: Middle Tennessee coach Davis gets raise, 8-year extension
Middle Tennessee coach Davis gets raise, 8-year extension
Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis has agreed to an eight-year contract extension that includes a raise after leading the Blue Raiders to an NCAA Tournament upset of Michigan State this past season.
School officials announced Monday that Davis’ contract runs through the 2023-24 season and that he will make a total of $565,000 annually. Middle Tennessee athletic department spokesman Mark Owens said Davis’ base salary goes from $375,000 in 2015-16 to $465,000 in the new deal. Davis also makes $100,000 for radio and television responsibilities.
The (Murfreesboro) Daily News Journal first reported Davis’ extension.
Davis owns a 413-250 record in 21 seasons overall, including a 276-175 record in 14 seasons at Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders went 25-10 this past season and earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1989.
“Accepting this extension no doubt shows the commitment that our family has towards Middle Tennessee State University and Murfreesboro,” Davis said. “When I reflect back to 14 years ago, walking into the Murphy Center which was an older building with different colored seats and gloomy hallways, I just saw the chance for growth. It’s great for us to have seen the culture grow.
“There is still so much work ahead of us but I think there are a lot of good times ahead as well. It’s a very proud feeling.”
SMU officially ends Jankovich’s wait as Brown’s successor
The wait is over for Tim Jankovich to be SMU’s head coach.
SMU formally named Jankovich as its new coach, three days after Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown abruptly resigned.
Jankovich had been considered head-coach-in-waiting since he came to the Mustangs with Brown in 2012 after five seasons as head coach at Illinois State.
The 57-year-old Jankovich was 104-64 at Illinois State from 2007-12. He had previously served as an assistant coach for Bill Self, at Illinois (2002-03) and Kansas (2003-07).
When Brown was suspended for the first nine games last season because of NCAA sanctions, Jankovich filled in as head coach and the Mustangs won all of those games. SMU went 25-5 last season, but couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because of a one-season postseason ban.
Draymond Green arrested for assault
Warriors forward Draymond Green was arrested on suspicion of assault in East Lansing, Mich., on Sunday, according to a court filing.
The East Lansing Police Department arrested Green at 2:28 a.m., and he was released on $200 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment on July 20, according to the East Lansing district court filing.
The Warriors released a statement: “We are aware of news involving Draymond Green in Michigan over the weekend. At this point, we are collecting information and will have no further comment until we have a better understanding of the situation.”
Tech leaders urge Silver to consider moving NBA All-Star
Technology industry leaders have urged NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to move the All-Star Game out of Charlotte unless a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people is repealed “in very short order.”
In a letter sent Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, the executives tell Silver that putting fans at risk of discrimination would “send a terrible message about who the NBA is and what it values as an organization, and set a dangerous precedent.”
“If the NBA holds events in North Carolina while HB2 remains law, players, employees, and fans will be at risk of discrimination – and that’s wrong,” the letter said.
The All-Star weekend is set for next February. Silver has made it clear the league needs changes to the HB2 law in order to stage the weekend there but has resisted setting any deadlines for when he might act, believing positive dialogue is ongoing.
However, he has said a decision probably would have to be made this summer.
The letter was sent by SV Angel founder and co-managing partner Ron Conway and includes signatures from executives from companies such as Google, Reddit, PayPal, Lyft and Pinterest. They ask the NBA to be a “strong ally to the LGBTQ community” and use “its considerable might to bring advocates into those conversations and press for full repeal of the law.”
“The NBA has nothing to lose by taking a stand alongside hundreds of other companies and showing support for its LGBTQ players, employees, and fans,” the letter said.
Hawks, Jack agree to 1-year contract
The Atlanta Hawks and point guard Jarrett Jack have agreed on a one-year contract for next season.
Jack will back up starter Dennis Schroder at the position. The Hawks needed an established point guard after trading Jeff Teague before the draft.
Jack made several posts to his Twitter account that he was returning to Atlanta, where he helped Georgia Tech advance to the 2004 national title game.
The Hawks will be Jack’s eighth team in 12 seasons. He spent the last two with Brooklyn, which waived him last month.
Jack averaged 12.8 points and 7.4 assists in 32 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury last January.
Williams says he was drug tested “at least 500 times” in NFL
Former running back Ricky Williams says he went through “at least 500” drug tests during his 11-year NFL career.
The 1998 Heisman Trophy winner at Texas and first-round draft pick by New Orleans in ‘99 tells Sports Illustrated in a film to be released on SI.com on Wednesday that he “might have the world record for most times drug tested.”
Williams, who also played for Miami and Baltimore, sat out the 2006 season while suspended by the league for violating the substance abuse policy.
Ricky’s wife, Kristin, outlines in the film how lax NFL testing standards were, including when a tester left the samples at the Williamses’ house to go get stickers for identifying them.
“He left for 45 minutes and then came back with the stickers he needed,” she says, adding some of the drug testers were “like family.”
In the film, entitled “Ricky Williams Takes the High Road” (http://on.si.com/29y5LUA ), Williams also discusses the prevalence of marijuana use in the NFL today, and its potential as a medicinal tool.
Williams retired before the 2004 season after failing a drug test for the third time. He returned to the Dolphins in 2005, then sat out 2006 after a fourth failed drug test.
He played four more seasons with the Dolphins and finished his career with one season in Baltimore, 2011.
Williams has become an entrepreneur in the marijuana industry and campaigns for its legalization throughout the United States.
U.S. women Olympic team to play against select team in L.A.
The U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team will play against a select team on July 25 in Los Angeles before it begins a three-city tournament against France, Canada and Australia.
The select team, which will be coached by members of the U.S. Olympic staff includes Kelsey Bone, Kahleah Copper, Stefanie Dolson, Natasha Howard, Jewell Loyd, Tiffany Mitchell, Aerial Powers, Sugar Rodgers, Odyssey Sims, Kiah Stokes and Elizabeth Williams.
After playing the select team, the U.S. Olympic team will head east to train in Delaware, Connecticut and New York.
Leilani Mitchell on Australia’s squad for Rio Olympics
Former WNBA center Liz Cambage has been included in a 12-strong Australian squad that is aiming to win a medal at a sixth consecutive Olympic women’s basketball tournament.
This time, the so-called Opals want gold in Rio de Janeiro.
Cambage, Laura Hodges and Rachel Jarry return from the squad which lost the semifinals to the United States at London 2012 and finished with the bronze. Penny Taylor and Erin Phillips return after missing the London Games.
“Gold is always the goal – but we know there is a long way to getting the chance,” said Taylor, who has two Olympic silver medals and, at 35, will be the oldest member of the squad.
The team includes former University of Idaho standout and Kennewick High School graduate Leilani Mitchelle, who played her senior season at Utah. She also played in the WNBA before going to Australia.
Taylor plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and has regular exposure to the top Americans.
“They are the defending gold medalists and are the pinnacle of our sport,” she said. “They’re always who we see as our biggest competitor and we just want to give ourselves another chance to get in a position to be able to face them.”
Australia coach Brendan Joyce left out three-time Olympic medalist Suzy Batkovic and picked seven first-time Olympians in his squad. Lauren Jackson, who won three Olympic silver medals and one bronze, retired earlier in the year because of knee injuries.
Marianna Tolo, Australia’s highest scorer at the 2014 world championships, recently returned from a 10-month injury layoff for an eight-game trip to Europe to confirm her place in the Olympic squad.
The Australians travel to Dallas next week for warmup matches against Canada, France and the Olympic and world champion U.S. team.
The Opals open their Olympic campaign against Brazil on Aug. 6 and have group matches against Turkey, France, Japan and Belarus.
Squad: Liz Cambage, Marianna Tolo, Cayla George, Stephanie Talbot, Rachel Jarry, Nat Burton, Katie-Rae Ebzery, Tessa Lavey, Leilani Mitchell, Laura Hodges, Erin Phillips, Penny Taylor.
No. 2 Murray narrows gap to No. 1 Djokovic
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon title allowed him to make a dent Monday in the still-substantial gap in the ATP rankings between him and No. 1 Novak Djokovic, last year’s champion at the All England Club.
Entering Wimbledon, Djokovic had nearly twice as many points as No. 2 Murray, 16,950 to 8,915. But after Djokovic’s loss in the third round, and Murray’s third Grand Slam trophy, the margin is 15,040 to 10,195.
Serena Williams’ seventh title at Wimbledon and record-tying 22nd at a Grand Slam tournament kept her at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, while runner-up Angelique Kerber jumped two spots to No. 2.
The 34-year-old Williams, the oldest No. 1 in WTA history, has held the top spot since February 2013.
Garbine Muguruza, who beat Williams in the French Open final but lost in Wimbledon’s second round, fell from No. 2 to No. 3.
Charges against Sabres’ O’Reilly dropped
The agent for Ryan O’Reilly confirmed that charges against the Buffalo Sabres forward have been dropped stemming from an impaired driving incident last year.
Pat Morris tells The Associated Press in an email that Canadian prosecutors found there was not enough evidence to proceed and dropped the charges against O’Reilly of impaired driving and failing to remain at the scene. The case has been dismissed.
The London Free-Press first reported the charges being dropped.
Police said a green pickup truck was driven into the side of a Tim Hortons restaurant in Lucan, Ontario, north of London, around 4 a.m. on July 9, 2015, before driving away.
O’Reilly, 25, will be starting his second season with the Sabres after a trade from the Colorado Avalanche in the summer of 2015. Buffalo signed him to a franchise-record $52.5 million, seven-year contract after acquiring him.
L.A. Kings sign G Jack Campbell, re-sign Dowd and Forbort
The Los Angeles Kings have signed goalie Jack Campbell and re-signed center Nic Dowd and defenseman Derek Forbort.
Los Angeles traded defenseman Nick Ebert to Dallas last month for Campbell, the 11th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Campbell played just one NHL game for the Stars in October 2013, spending most of his career in the AHL.
Goalie Jeff Zatkoff signed with the Kings last week to compete for the backup job behind Jonathan Quick.
Dowd and Forbort were restricted free agents who made their NHL debuts last season. Dowd played five games for the Kings, while Forbort scored two points in 14 games.