The Nebraska football program lost an assistant coach yesterday, as graduate assistant Vince Marrow elected to accept a full-time assistant coaching position at Kentucky. Marrow will be the tight ends coach under new Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops. Marrow spent two seasons on the staff at Nebraska. He had important recruiting ties to several members of the 2013 class from Marrow’s home state of Ohio.
The Hershey Panthers and Lady Panthers may have fallen short against St. Pat’s in their first meeting this season, but both teams put forth strong efforts in what were two outstanding games. Panther boys head coach Dustin Jorgenson says his team is improving rapidly. The Panther wrestlers are hoping to do the same on the mats this week. Hear all about it in this week’s Hershey Panther sports update!
The Wildcat boys basketball team is unbeaten thus far and rolling over their competition. Head coach Joe Hesse talks about the important factors to their hot start. The Lady Wildcats just got their first win last week and have a tough challenge this week. Hear all about it in this week’s Wallace Wildcats sports update!
RG3 practices with Redskins, despite sprained knee
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Robert Griffin III is practicing with the Washington Redskins, three days after spraining his right knee.
The rookie quarterback was on the field Wednesday, wearing a helmet, his No. 10 jersey and sweatpants for the portion of practice that was open to reporters.
He took part in the full stretch routine, high-stepping and moving laterally with no apparent problems. He was a little gimpy during throwing drills, adding a slight hop after some passes.
The sweatpants — worn by many players on the chilly day — covered any brace Griffin might have been wearing.
It was the first practice as the team prepares for Sunday’s game against Cleveland.
Griffin has a mildly sprained ligament, the result of a hit during the overtime win over Baltimore.
Vilma moves forward in defamation case v. Goodell
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jonathan Vilma has asked a federal judge to allow him to move forward with his defamation case against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
In a motion filed Wednesday, Vilma drops his case against the NFL’s disciplinary process, now that his suspension has been lifted. However, he continues to pursue damages from Goodell for harm he alleges was done to his reputation by the NFL’s bounty probe of the New Orleans Saints.
In an NFL appeal ruling Tuesday, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue threw out suspensions for Vilma and three other current and former Saints in connection with the bounty investigation. Tagliabue said the punishment was too heavy-handed, even though he affirmed much of the probe’s findings that the Saints, including Vilma, had an improper cash-for-hits program and tried to cover it up.
Majority of teams to see action
UNDATED (AP) — This is a busy night of play in the NBA with 26 of the league’s 30 teams in action.
In the Western Conference all three of the teams with just four losses are in action as the 18-4 Spurs are at Utah, the 17-4 Thunder are home to New Orleans and 14-4 Memphis is at Phoenix. Oklahoma City, by the way, is riding an eight-game winning streak, longest in the league.
The Clippers have won seven straight and this evening they play the Bobcats in Charlotte. The ‘Cats have dropped their last eight in a row.
New York, the winningest team in the East with a record of 16-5, has the night off after beating Brooklyn 100-97. The Nets aren’t so lucky as they are playing the Raptors in Toronto. Brooklyn has lost five of its last six outings. The Raptors, who have won just four times this season, will play the game without center/forward Amir Johnson. He was suspended by the league yesterday for one game for throwing his mouthpiece at a referee in a game Monday night.
Cleveland, fresh off a surprising home-win over the Lakers, has a game against the Pacers in Indianapolis. Indiana has won eight of the last nine games played between the two clubs.
The Hawks have won seven straight over Orlando and tonight they square off on the Magic’s home court.
The 76ers eliminated the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs last season and tonight they meet in Philadelphia. Each team enters tonight’s game with nine defeats.
Golden State is in the midst of a successful road trip. Tonight they face the Heat in Miami. The 14-7 Warriors have won the first four games of the current excursion.
A pair of teams playing around .500 ball are meeting tonight in Boston. The visiting Mavericks are 11-10 on the season while the Celtics are 11-9.
Sacramento has won the last two meetings between the Kings and Bucks. They’ll tangle this evening in Milwaukee with the home team looking for a three-game winning streak.
The Rockets may be without James Harden and Jeremy Lin for tonight’s game at home with Washington. Each is suffering from an ankle injury.
And in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves have a date with Denver’s Nuggets. This game features a pair of .500 teams as the Wolves are 9-9 and the Nuggets 11-11.
New coach for Red Wolves
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Texas co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin will become the head coach at Arkansas State. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement by either school.
Harsin spent the last two seasons at Texas, and the Longhorns had a 16-9 record. He came to Texas from Boise State, where he was offensive coordinator.
Texas will turn play-calling duties over to co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.
Cavs dump Lakers…Knicks rally to beat Nets
UNDATED (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers have their first seven-game winning streak since the 1991-92 season.
Blake Griffin had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers beat the Bulls 94-89 in Chicago. Chris Paul added 18 points, including a huge bucket in the final minute after the Bulls scored seven straight points to get within 89-87.
Matt Barnes added 14 points as the Clippers improved to 15-6 to take a one-game lead over Golden State in the NBA’s Pacific Division.
The Bulls fell to 11-9 despite Carlos Boozer’s 24 points and 14 rebounds. Marco Belinelli added 18 points but missed 16 of his 22 shots.
Also in the NBA, Kobe Bryant scored 42 points, but Kyrie Irving and C.J. Miles each scored 28 points to lead Cleveland past the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94. Irving also had 11 assists in 39 minutes after missing the Cavs’ previous 11 games with a broken finger.
Carmelo Anthony poured in a season-high 45 points and Jason Kidd drained a tiebreaking three-pointer with 24 seconds left as New York rallied for a 100-97 win at Brooklyn. Kidd had 18 points for the Knicks, who rallied from an early 17-point deficit to improve to 16-5. The Nets have lost five straight since an 11-4 start.
Denver was a 101-94 winner over Detroit behind Ty Lawson’s 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 17 in the first quarter but outscored the Pistons 31-17 in the second period to take a 48-42 lead into intermission.
Washington won a battle of conference cellar-dwellers as Jordan Crawford’s 26 points carried the Wizards past the Hornets 77-70 at New Orleans. Hornets rookie Anthony Davis had 13 points and eight rebounds in nearly 25 minutes off the bench after missing 11 games with what trainers called a stress reaction in his left ankle.
Jets bring back WR Braylon Edwards
UNDATED (AP) — Braylon Edwards is back with the New York Jet, a week after bashing them for their handling of quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The veteran wide receiver was awarded to New York off waivers from Seattle on Tuesday as the Jets try to bolster their injured receiving corps.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— The New England Patriots have placed wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth on injured reserve with an ankle injury, ending his season after just one game. Stallworth signed with the team last week and scored on his only reception in Monday’s rout of Houston.
— The Chicago Bears placed kicker Robbie Gould on injured reserve with a strained left calf. To replace one of the most accurate kickers in league history, the team has signed Olindo Mare to a one-year contract.
— Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy have returned to practice and could be active when the Philadelphia Eagles host Cincinnati on Thursday night. Both players have been sidelined by concussions since November.
— The Jacksonville Jaguars have placed starting guard Mike Brewster on injured reserve with a broken hand and signed running back Keith Toston. Toston spent the preseason with the Jaguars before being waived in final cuts.
Yankees getting Youkilis…Dodgers introduce Greinke
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Yankees have found a replacement for third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who’s expected to miss at least the first half of next season following hip surgery.
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that free agent Kevin Youkilis and the New York Yankees have reached agreement on a one-year deal. The contract is worth $12 million and pending a physical.
The 34-year-old Youkilis is coming off the worst season of his major league career, hitting .236 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs. He batted .308 from 2008-10 but has since posted a .246 average.
In other baseball news:
— The Cleveland Indians have pulled off a three-team deal with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Indians sent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, utilityman Jason Donald and cash to the Reds, while shipping reliever Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson to the Diamondbacks. The Tribe picked up outfielder Drew Stubbs from Cincinnati and pitchers Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from the D-Backs. Arizona also gets shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius from Cincinnati.
— Brandon McCarthy officially became a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks once the two sides finalized a two-year, $15.5 million contract on Tuesday. McCarthy was 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA for Oakland last season, missing the last four weeks after getting hit in the right side of the head by a line drive.
— Pitcher Zach Greinke says he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers because he believes they have a team in place that could win the World Series for several years. The Dodgers introduced Greinke at a news conference today after signing him to a six-year, $147 million package.
In girls prep basketball action Tuesday night, the third-ranked St. Patrick’s Lady Irish moved to 4-0 on the season with a 74-40 home victory over Perkins County. Samantha Byrn’s 20 points led the Lady Irish offensively. Mandy O’Malley added 16 points and Brittany Lawrence was also in double figures with 13 points. The Brady Lady Eagles were unable to maintain their undefeated record. Playing an opponent two classes ahead of them, the Class D2 ninth-ranked Lady Eagles fell to Southern Valley 47-40 in Brady. Class D1’s fifth-ranked Sutherland Lady Sailors eased past Chase County 47-28. In other girls action, Wauneta-Palisade fell to Dundy County-Stratton 69-57, Cozad lost at McCook 41-28, Mullen beat South Loup 63-22 and Sandhills/Thedford routed Arcadia 66-18. In boys basketball last night, Mullen topped South Loup 73-46 and Sandhills/Thedford defeated Arcadia 77-33.
The Denver Nuggets shook off a slow start and picked up a road victory, topping the Detroit Pistons 101-94 last night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Nuggets missed 10 of their first 11 shots and trailed by as many as 17 in the first quarter but roared back to take a six-point lead at the half. They would not relinquish that lead in the second half on their way to the win. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 26 points and seven assists. The Nuggets get back to .500 at 11-11 with the win. They wrap up their five game road trip in Minnesota against the Timberwolves tonight. Tip-off is set for 7 PM.
Husker junior guard Spencer Long was named a second-team All-American from the Associated Press yesterday. The 6’4”, 305-pound former walk-on from Elkhorn has started 26 consecutive games at right guard for the Big Red. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference’s coaches and the media. Long had previously been named a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation as well.
Nebraska graduate assistant coach Vince Marrow has been offered a full-time assistant coaching position at Kentucky, but has not accepted it. Marrow is in his second season on Bo Pelini’s staff and is one of the staff’s most important recruiters. His son, Mike, is a junior fullback on the team. Marrow has been offered the full-time job by new Kentucky head coach Mike Stoops, who like Marrow and Pelini is a native of Youngstown, Ohio.
Tri-City Storm captain Brian Ward made his college choice official yesterday, committing to St. Lawrence College, a Division I hockey school in Canton, New York. Ward is in his third season with the Storm. He ranks among the team’s leading scorers with 10 goals and nine assists in 18 games this season but has missed the team’s last six games with an injury. A native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, Ward had previously played at Dartmouth before leaving the school and returning to the junior level. The Storm host the Waterloo Black Hawks this Friday and Saturday night in Kearney.
