Nance transfers to UNC
Pete Nance, the best player available in the men’s college-basketball portal, will transfer from Northwestern to North Carolina, which has a chance to begin the season ranked No. 1.
He visited Chapel Hill last week and announced his decision Saturday on Twitter. A 6-10, 225-pound forward, Nance had entered the NBA Draft in addition to putting his name in the transfer portal, but he withdraw before the early-entry deadline to play another year in college.
Nance earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the media last season after averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists and shooting 45.2% from three-point range. He had six games with at least 20 points, including a 28-point, 14-rebound effort against Maryland.
With Brady Manek leaving, Nance should fit seamlessly into the Tar Heels’ starting lineup, replace Manek’s size and shooting at power forward.
NBA Atkinson to stay with Warriors
The Hornets will have to begin their search again for a coach after Kenny Atkinson reportedly changed his mind and opted to stay as an assistant with the NBA champion Warriors.
The move comes more than a week after Atkinson had agreed to a four-year contract, but the contract was never signed. The Hornets have three picks, including two in the top 15, of the draft Thursday and might have to make them without a coach.
SWIMMING Ledecky golden in 400 free
Katie Ledecky started the United States’ medal collection at the world swimming championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a gold by reclaiming her title in the women’s 400 meters.
The Americans finished the first day of racing with two gold, one silver and three bronze.
Ledecky clocked 3 minutes, 58.15 seconds — nearly two seconds off the world record — for her fourth world title in the 400 freestyle after 2013, 2015 and 2017.
MISCELLANEOUS Two eagles propel Korda
Defending champion Nelly Korda holed a 22-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and the third-round lead in the LPGA Meijer Classic in Belmont, Michigan, with six majors champions topping the leaderboard.
Making her second start since returning from a four-month break because of a blood clot in her left arm, Korda also eagled the par-5 eighth and had three birdies and a bogey. She was at 18-under 198 at Blythefield Country Club.
♦ The Red Stars (4-1-4) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with a 2-2 tie against the host Kansas City Current. Amanda Kowalski and Mallory Pugh scored for the Red Stars, who took sole possession of first place in the NWSL with 16 points.
♦ Max Verstappen overcame slick conditions to win his second pole of the Formula One season, and Fernando Alonso used the wet track to earn his first frontrow start in a decade in rainy qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
♦ Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev defeated Oscar Otte 7-6 (3), 6-3 to advance to the final of the Halle Open in Germany. Otte had set point at 5-3 in the first set, but Medvedev broke back before forcing the tiebreaker.
♦ Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon, citing a problem with her left Achilles tendon and marking the second consecutive year she has decided to sit out the Grand Slam tournament.