Liberty’s Onyenwere is WNBA’S Rookie of Year
The New York Liberty’s Michaela Onyenwere, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was voted the runaway winner of Rookie of the Year.
Onyenwere, who received 47 of 49 votes, becomes the first Liberty player to win the award.
College basketball: Rick Byrd, who retired in 2019 after leading Belmont to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, will receive the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching award in April. His 805 career victories, including 658 at Belmont, ranks 12th among NCAA Division I men’s coaches.
NHL: Buffalo’s goalie competition is just about over as the team assigned top prospect Ukkopekka Luukkonen to Rochester. Also sent to the Amerks were AHL all-star defenseman Oksari Laaksonen and forwards Linus Weissbach, Matej Pekar, Ryan Macinnis and Sean Malone. Craig Anderson will be the starter in goal, and Dustin
Tokarski seemingly has a leg up on being the backup . ... Vegas goalie Robin Lehner said he is encouraged about inciting change in hockey after having conversations with the NHL and NHL Players’ Association about concerns he voiced on social media over the weekend. Lehner made several accusations Saturday night on Twitter, including that “many teams” give players drugs without a doctor’s consent. He also accused the Buffalo Sabres of botching the ankle surgery he had while playing for the team and identified the Flyers’ Alain Vigneault as one of the coaches he accuses of giving players drugs without a doctor’s consent.
Soccer: Steve Baldwin, the controlling owner and top executive of the NWSL’S Washington Spirit, said that he would step down following allegations of a toxic workplace and abuse allegations against the team’s former coach, Richie Burke, that led to Burke’s firing . ... Brazilian player William Ribeiro was arrested after kicking a referee in the head twice during a second-division game, knocking him unconscious. The incident happened after referee Rodrigo Crivellaro did not give Ribeiro’s Sao Paulo team a free kick. Crivellaro was released from the hospital and Ribeiro’s contract was terminated.