Kentucky hires BYU’S Mark Pope
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Initially off the radar among Kentucky’s coaching targets, Mark Pope is now entrusted with maintaining the program’s gold standard.
Makes sense, since he helped do so as a player.
Kentucky hired the BYU coach to guide its men’s basketball program, bringing home a captain of the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship team to succeed John Calipari.
The school announced the 51-yearold Pope’s hiring in a release Friday morning but did not mention any contract details. He will be introduced at a Sunday afternoon news conference.
Transgender ban suit dismissed
NEW YORK — A county outside New York City has lost its bid to block the state from taking legal action against its ban on women’s and girls teams that include female transgender players, state Attorney General Letitia James said Friday.
U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury dismissed Nassau County’s lawsuit seeking to prevent the Democratic attorney general from taking legal action against the county for its ban, which James has said is “transphobic” and violates the state’s antidiscrimination laws.
Uconn’s Clingan leaving for NBA
STORRS, Conn. — Donovan Clingan is leaving Uconn after two seasons and entering the NBA draft, the 7-foot-2 center announced Friday, four days after he helped lead the Huskies to a second straight national title.
Duke’s top scorers enter draft
DURHAM, N .C. — Kyle Filipowski and Jared Mccain, Duke’s top two scorers, are both off the NBA.
The two announced their decisions on social media Friday.
UNLV’S Odom gets 5-year deal
LAS VEGAS — UNLV signed second-year football coach Barry Odom to a five-year contract on Friday after he led the Rebels to one of the most successful seasons in program history.
Kellen Mond joining Saints
METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints have agreed to contract terms with free agent quarterback Kellen Mond.
Titans trade pick to Browns
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have traded a seventh-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft to the Cleveland Browns for offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV.
Golden Knights’ Stone cleared
LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone has been cleared to return to practice on a limited basis as he recovers from a lacerated spleen, the team said Friday.
Osaka, Swiatek win at BJK Cup
LONDON — Grand Slam title winners Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu all earned victories for their countries in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying Friday.
Osaka hit 15 aces and put Japan a step away from reaching the BJK Cup Finals with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.
In other action Friday, No. 1-ranked Swiatek and Poland went ahead 2-0 at Switzerland, 2021 U.S. Open champion Raducanu helped Britain finish Day 1 tied 1-1 at France, host Australia took a 2-0 lead over Mexico, and Slovakia was up 2-0 against visiting Slovenia.
Djokovic into semis in Monaco
MONACO — Novak Djokovic secured a spot in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Alex De Minaur on Friday.
Djokovic will next take on clay-court expert Casper Ruud for a spot in the final. The Norwegian beat Ugo Humbert of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Earlier, Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner overcame strong resistance from Holger Rune to reach the semifinals for the second straight year and set up a meeting with two-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.