Grizzlies sign ex-Cal star Rabb
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed former Cal and Bishop O’Dowd High star Ivan Rabb, the 35th draft pick overall, to a contract, days before opening training camp.
Terms were not disclosed Thursday.
The Grizzlies swapped a future second-round draft pick to Orlando for the 6-foot-10, 220-pound Rabb.
Last season at Cal, Rabb averaged 10.5 rebounds to lead the Pac-12, and he also scored 14 points per game.
The 20-year- old Rabb started 64 of his 65 games in his two seasons at Cal.
He was a 2015 McDonald’s All-American. NEW RULE PROTECTS JUMP
SHOOTERS » NBA referees will now be able to call flagrant or technical fouls on defenders who dangerously close on jump shooters without allowing them space to land, as the Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia did on the play that injured Spurs star Kawhi Leonard in last season’s playoffs.
Leonard sprained his ankle when Pachulia slid his foot under Leonard’s in Game 1 of Golden State’s victory in the Western Conference finals.
After calling a foul, officials will now be able to look at replay to determine if the defender recklessly positioned his foot in an unnatural way, which could trigger an upgrade to a flagrant, or a technical if there was no contact but an apparent attempt to injure.
NBA senior vice president of replay and referee operations Joe Borgia said the league has made the play a point of emphasis for referees in the spirit of player safety.
Colleges
NEBRASKA FIRES AD » For the second time in 10 years, Nebraska has ousted an athletic director during a football season that was failing to meet expectations.
The school’s top administrators said the Cornhuskers’ embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois last weekend wasn’t the sole reason for firing Shawn Eichorst, but the loss that dropped the Cornhuskers to 1-2 for the second time in three years under coach Mike Riley certainly was the tipping point.
Eichorst was hired to replace retiring athletic director Tom Osborne in October 2012, and has about $1.7 million remaining on a contract that runs through June 2019.
In 2007, athletic director Steve Pederson was fired days after a humiliating loss to Oklahoma State.
Riley is just 16-13 at Nebraska.
Chancellor Ronnie Green said he plans to appoint an interim athletic director.
• Clemson has lost its kicker for the season after he was injured on the last play of practice. Coach Dabo Swinney said a defensive lineman rolled into Greg Huegel’s leg Wednesday after he kicked during a twominute drill. Tests showed he tore his ACL.
Golf
JOOST, COETZEE LEAD IN PORTUGAL » Joost Luiten of the Netherlands and George Coetzee of South Africa each shot 7-under-par 64 to share a one-stroke lead over five foes after the first round of the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura, Portugal. MATTHEW IS NEXT SOLHEIM CUP CAPTAIN » Catriona Matthew has been appointed captain of Europe for the 2019 Solheim Cup, which will be staged in her native country of Scotland. TWO HOLES- IN- ONE! » A Pennsylvania high- school golfer defied huge odds by recording two holes-in- one in the same round. Parkland High School golfer Ben Tetzlaff’s feat came during a nine-hole practice round Monday at Iron Lakes Country Club.
The National Hold-In-One Registry calculated the odds at 67 million-to-1.
Tennis
GOFFINRE RACHES MOSELLE QUARTERS » Second-seeded David Goffin hit 13 aces to rally past Nicolas Almagro 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and reach the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open in in Metz, France.
Defending champion Lucas Pouille lost to 86thranked Marius Copil of Romania 7- 6 (4), 7- 6 (6).
Goffin will be up against Benoit Paire in the next round at the indoor tournament after the Frenchman eased past Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2.
No. 4 Gilles Muller was beaten by Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia. 6-4, 6-4.
Fifth- seeded Mischa Zverev of Germany passed Henri Laaksonen 6- 4, 6- 4 and will take on lucky loser Kenny De Schepper in the quarterfinals. STRYCOVA ADVANCES IN PAN PACIFIC » Barbora Strycova advanced to the quarterfinals at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, beating fourthseeded Jo Konta 7-5, 7- 6 (5). She will next play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, Caroline Garcia and Dominika Cibulkova also reached the quarterfinals.