Police: Alabama hoops star delivered gun in shooting
University of Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller brought a teammate the gun that was used in a fatal January shooting near campus, an investigator testified Tuesday.
Miller, a freshman standout, brought Darius Miles' gun to him on the night of the shooting after Miles texted him and asked him to do so, Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified, according to news outlets.
The allegation of Miller's involvement on the night of the Jan. 15 shooting came during a preliminary hearing for Miles and Michael Davis, who face capital murder charges for the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
The ex-Alabama player Miles is accused of providing his gun to Davis, who fired it and killed Harris, prosecutors say.
Alabama coach Nate Oats told reporters Tuesday the team has been aware that Miller allegedly brought Miles the gun, but the team's leading scorer is not in “any type of trouble.” He has started every game since the shooting.
Miller was just in “the wrong spot at the wrong time,” Oats said.
“We've known the situation,” Oats said. “We've been fully cooperating with law enforcement the entire time. I mean, the whole situation is just sad. The team closed practice with a prayer for the situation today, knowing that we had this trial today. You think of Jamea and her family,” Oats said.
Miller has not been criminally charged. A team representative did not immediately know if Miller had an attorney.
“We knew about that,” Oats said. “You can't control everything everybody does outside of practice. Nobody knew that was going to happen. College kids are out. Brandon hasn't been in any type of trouble, nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Like the wrong spot at the wrong time.”
The 6-foot-9 Miller is the biggest star of the second-ranked Tide team that had its first AP Poll No. 1 ranking in 20 years last week. He's a projected NBA Draft lottery pick.
Soccer
MLS EXPANDS ITS PLAYOFFS >> Major League Soccer is expanding its playoffs to include the nine top finishers from each of its two conferences, 62% of the league's teams.
An opening “wild-card” round will feature matches between the eighthand ninth-seeded teams in the Eastern and Western conferences at the stadium of the higher seed.
The first round will be a best-ofthree series, with the top finisher in each conference facing the winner of the wild-card match. The second seed will play the seventh, No. 3 will play No. 6 and No. 4 will play No. 5.
The higher seed will host first, with the series moving to the lower seed for the second game, and then back to the higher seed's home if necessary.
The conference semifinals, finals and MLS Cup championship will all be single games, hosted by the higher seed.
In the previous format, only the top seven teams from each conference made the playoffs. The top seeds each had a first-round bye to the conference semifinals.
The new format should help the San Jose Earthquakes' chances to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2020 and try for their first playoff win since 2010.
The extra two playoff teams still wouldn't have allowed San Jose to make the playoffs last season. San Jose (8-15-11) was last in the Western Conference, in 14th place with 35 points, and eight points shy of ninth place.
Decision Day, the final day of the regular season, is set for Oct. 21, with the wild-card round scheduled for Oct. 25-26. The MLS Cup final will be played on Dec. 9.
Men's college basketball NO. 14 KANSAS STATE TOPS NO. 9 BAYLOR 75-65 >>
Keyontae Johnson scored 25 points, Markquis Nowell added 14 points and 10 assists, and No. 14 Kansas State (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) followed a long first-half slump with a big second-half run to beat ninth-ranked Baylor (20-8, 9-6) at home.
Cam Carter added 10 points for the Wildcats, who trailed 34-31 at the break before their 18-4 charge gave them control.
Keyonte George hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for Baylor. VILLANOVA UPSETS NO. 16 XAVIER 64-63 >> Justin Moore scored 25 points to give Villanova (14-14, 8-9 Big East) a win over No. 16 Xavier (20-8, 125) in Cincinnati for its biggest victory under first-year head coach Kyle Neptune.
Cam Whitmore added 11 points for the Wildcats who dealt a big blow to the Musketeers' Big East title hopes. NO. 25 TEXAS A&M DOWNS NO. 11 TENNESSEE 68-63 >> Wade Taylor IV scored 25 points, including four free throws down the stretch, and No. 25 Texas A&M (21-7, 13-2 SEC) extended its winning streak to six games with a home victory over No. 11 Tennessee (20-8, 9-6).
It's the fourth loss in five games for the Volunteers, with their only win in this stretch coming in a 6859 victory over then-No. 1 Alabama on Wednesday.
MLB METS COACH SUES FOR AGE DISCRIMINATION >>
Phil Regan sued the New York Mets and former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination when he was moved out as pitching coach after the 2019 season.
Regan, a former big league pitcher who turns 86 in April, also claimed harassment and hostile work environment in a complaint filed Monday in New York Supreme Court in Queens.
New York fired pitching coach Dave Eiland on June 20, 2019, when the team was fourth in the NL East with a 4.67 ERA, 20th among the 30 big league clubs. Regan became interim pitching coach, and the Mets lowered their ERA to 4.24.
Regan was replaced on Dec. 8 by Jeremy Hefner, who was 33 at the time and still holds the job.
VOIT, NAQUIN JOIN BREWERS >> First baseman Luke Voit and outfielder Tyler Naquin agreed to minor league contracts with the Milwaukee Brewers and will report to major league spring training.
Voit, 32, hit .226 with 22 homers, 69 RBIs, a .308 on-base percentage and a .402 slugging percentage in 135 games with San Diego and Washington last season.
Naquin, who turns 32 on April 24, batted .229 with 11 homers, 46 RBIs, a .282 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage in 105 games for the Reds and Mets last season.
College football UNLV PLAYER'S DEATH BEING INVESTIGATED >>
Authorities in Las Vegas are investigating the death of a 20-yearold UNLV football player from Chicago who was found unresponsive in bed in a studio apartment, officials said.
The Clark County coroner said a cause and manner of Rebels defensive lineman Ryan Keeler's death was pending following his death on Monday. Medical examiner blood toxicology test results can take several weeks.
Las Vegas police Officer Robert Wicks said an investigation of Keeler's unexpected death remained open pending coroner and detective findings.
UNLV head coach Barry Odom said Keeler, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive lineman who arrived by transfer from Rutgers University, he stood out to coaches as “an incredible person, student and teammate.”
Keeler played in seven games as a redshirt freshman last season, and he made the academic All-Mountain West team with a 3.8 grade-point average, Odom said.