Ferris State women’s basketball headed to first D-II Final Four
For the first time in school history, Ferris State women’s basketball is headed to the Division II Final Four.
The third-seeded Bulldogs broke new ground Monday with their 60-53 victory over sixth-seeded Tampa in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The trip to the Elite Eight was already history-making for the Ferris women; now Ferris (26-5) will go for its first-ever national championship game appearance when it faces second-seeded Texas Women’s University, which beat seventh-seeded Daemen (N.Y.) in the day’s second quarterfinal, at 7 p.m. Wednesday in St. Joseph. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Bulldogs couldn’t have gotten there without an epic performance from leading scorer Chloe Idoni. The 5-foot-11 senior from Fenton was a force all over the court, leading FSU with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Idoni, who entered Monday averaging 16.6 points and six rebounds, hit four of her six 3-point attempts and added six rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block in 37 minutes against the Spartans.
Guard Kadyn Blanchard went the distance for the Bulldogs despite a rough shooting afternoon; she hit just three of 12 shots — all from beyond the arc — en route to nine points over 40 minutes. But the 5-10 junior from Freeland added 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Mallory McCartney, a 5-7 senior guard from Saginaw Heritage, added nine points before departing in the third quarter with an injury.
The Bulldogs warmed up quickly by grabbing an 8-2 lead on a pair of Idoni jumpers, sandwiched around a Blanchard 3 in a 2:05 span. The lead grew to eight points by the end of the first quarter as FSU shot 40% in the opening frame.
— Ryan Ford
Michigan WR Karmello English entering transfer portal
Karmello English, a wideout who appeared in seven games as a true freshman during the Wolverines’ national championship season, announced on social media over the weekend he will be transferring.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Wolverine,” the post began. “I would like to thank Coach Harbaugh, Coach Moore and Coach Bellamy for believing in my ability to play at UM. More notably, I appreciate my teammates, Michigan fans and my support staff!”
English was a four-star recruit, rated the No. 26 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 16 overall player in Alabama in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound receiver caught one pass during his career in the maize and blue: a four-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jack Tuttle late in a 52-7 victory over Indiana.
English, a Phenix City, Alabama, native, appeared in six games as a wideout and one as a punt returner, when he retuned one punt for eight yards against East Carolina in his collegiate debut.
— Tony Garcia
Stanford hires Washington State’s Kyle Smith as coach
Kyle Smith left Washington State on Monday to become the head coach at Stanford.
Smith, 54, led the Cougars to a 25-10 record this season and their first NCAA tournament berth since 2008.
He replaces Jerod Haase, who was fired earlier this month after eight seasons and zero NCAA Tournament bids.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Kyle and his family to Stanford,” athletic director Bernard Muir said in a news release. “Kyle has an impressive track record of improving results in the programs he has led, and we heard consistently throughout our search process that he leads with great character and integrity. I look forward to working alongside Kyle and I am excited for Cardinal student-athletes to experience his passionate leadership.”
Washington hires Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as head coach
Washington hired Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle to be the new head coach of the Huskies on Monday.
Sprinkle replaces Mike Hopkins, who was fired earlier this month with one year remaining on his contract.
“But beyond his coaching acumen is his ability to connect with student-athletes, develop them into outstanding young men and basketball players and embrace the community around him. Coach is exactly what our program needs at this moment in time and we are thrilled to have him take the reins of our men’s basketball program.”
Sprinkle, 47, leaves Utah State after just one season. He went 81-43 in four seasons at his alma mater Montana State before leaving to join the Aggies in April 2023.