Clark offered $5M to play in BIG3 league
Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark has a $5 million offer on the table to join the BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league.
TMZ Sports first reported the offer, which was later confirmed by rapper/ actor Ice Cube, a Big3 founder.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube posted to X on Wednesday. “But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.”
The BIG3 recently announced that the seventh season of the league – an all-male circuit to this point — will tip off on June 15 on CBS and Paramount+.
Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division
I history (men and women), is the likely No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in next month’s 2024 WNBA Draft.
Clark and the top-seeded Hawkeyes (31-4) return to action at the Women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday against No. 5 Colorado in a Sweet 16 contest in Albany, N.Y.
Clark, a 6-foot senior guard, is averaging 31.8 points, 8.8 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. Her record total stands at 3,830 career points.
ELSEWHERE
Long Beach State: Long Beach State is finalizing negotiations to make Chris Acker its next men’s basketball coach, CBS Sports reported Wednesday.
Acker is in his fifth season as an assistant coach at San Diego State. The Aztecs have reached the NCAA Tournament in four straight seasons, losing to UConn in the national title game in 2023.
The two teams will meet again Thursday when No. 1 seed UConn and No. 5 San Diego State play in the East Region semifinals in Boston.
Acker, a Los Angeles native, previously worked with Long Beach State athletic director Bobby Smitheran, who was the executive associate AD at San Diego State until moving north to Long Beach in August 2023.
Louisville: Louisville is close to naming College of Charleston’s Pat Kelsey as its next men’s basketball coach, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Kelsey, 48, guided to the Cougars to a 27-8 record and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season. He owns a 75-27 record during his three campaigns at Charleston after posting a 186-95 mark during nine seasons at Winthrop.
Pepperdine: Pepperdine star Michael Ajayi announced he is transferring to Gonzaga for the 2024-25 season.
The Washington native confirmed he is “coming home” in his Instagram post on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-7 wing led the West Coast Conference with 17.2 points per game during his lone season with the Waves.
Kentucky: Kentucky hired Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks to be the Wildcats’ new women’s basketball coach on Tuesday.
Brooks replaces Kyra Elzy, who was fired on March 11 after compiling a 61-60 record over four seasons. He guided the Hokies to their first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title in 2022-23 and first ACC regularseason title in 2023-24.
Brooks, 55, was 180-82 in eight seasons with the Hokies (2016-24). He is 517-204 overall including 14 seasons at James Madison from 2002-16, leading his teams to 10 Women’s NCAA Tournament appearances.
EAST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
THURSDAY
UConn vs. San Diego St., 7:39 Iowa St. vs. Illinois, 10:09
SOUTH REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
FRIDAY
N.C. St. vs. Marquette, 7:09 Houston vs. Duke, 9:39
MIDWEST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
FRIDAY
Gonzaga vs. Purdue, 7:39 Tennessee vs. Creighton, 10:09
WEST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
THURSDAY
Arizona vs. Clemson, 7:09
North Carolina vs. Alabama, 9:39
Quarterfinals
WEDNESDAY
UNLV at Seton Hall
VCU at Utah
TUESDAY
Georgia 79, Ohio St. 77 Indiana St. 85, Cincinnati 81
Championship
WEDNESDAY
High Point vs. Seattle Semifnals
TUESDAY
High Point 81, Arkansas St. 80 Seattle 75, Fairfield 58
Championship
WEDNESDAY
Purdue Fort Wayne at Norfolk St.
At Evansville, Ind. Semifinals