Caitlin Clark wins second consecutive Naismith Award
Caitlin Clark, who broke the NCAA Division I women’s single-season and career scoring records this campaign, won the Naismith National Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.
The Iowa senior was honored in a ceremony held Wednesday in Cleveland, where the Hawkeyes will play in the Final Four on Friday.
The other nominees were USC freshman JuJu Watkins, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Stanford’s Cameron Brink.
“I think it’s been a special year for women’s basketball, and also to win this award is really special,” Clark said. “But to be back here playing with my team,
I couldn’t script it any better . ... This [award is just as much my teammates’] as it is mine. I’m just very grateful and thankful, and I’ll see you all on Friday night.”
Clark is averaging 32 points and nine assists per game, both figures leading the nation. She also averages 7.3 rebounds per contest.
Elsewhere: Southern California is hiring Arkansas coach Eric Musselman to the same position, several outlets reported Thursday. Terms of the contract were not reported. USC’s opening was created when Andy Enfield left the school to take the same role at SMU last week . ...
No. 1 UConn encountered travel delays Wednesday and is scheduled to be the last of the Final Four teams to touch down in Phoenix. N.C. State arrived Wednesday night, one day behind Purdue and Alabama.
ETC.
NFL: Coming off a career-high nine-sack season with the Ravens, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy agreed to a two-year contract with Baltimore on Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed, but NFL Network reported that the deal was worth $9 million and could reach $11 million if incentives are met. Van Noy, 33, joined the Ravens’ practice squad in late September on a one-year, $1.4 million deal and made his team debut in Week 4. Van Noy has 500 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 72 quarterback hits, 12 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and three interceptions in 142 games with the Lions (2014-16), New England Patriots (2016-19, 2021), Miami Dolphins (2020), Los Angeles Chargers (2022) and Ravens . ... Courtship of quarterback
Caleb Williams by the Chicago Bears advanced to the next step on Wednesday with the USC product visiting Halas Hall three weeks before the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Bears, who traded Justin Fields to Pittsburgh last month.
Tennis: Home-country favorite Nuno Borges upset No. 3 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Millennium
Estoril Open in Estoril, Portugal, on Thursday. Borges is seeking his first ATP Tour win. The tournament’s top seeds, No. 1
Casper Ruud of Norway and No. 2 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland advanced in straight sets . ... At the Grand Prix Hassan II, Roberto Carballes Baena defeated No. 7 seed Dan Evans of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in the second round in Marrakech, Morocco. Also moving on was American qualifier Nicolas Moreno De Alboran, who beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-3, 6-4 . ... Italy’s
Sara Errani emerged from a break-filled match against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory on Wednesday to seal a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia . ... At the Credit One Charleston Open, for the second consecutive tournament, Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina got past Denmark’s
Caroline Wozniacki, prevailing 6-2, 6-3 in the second round at Charleston, South Carolina.
NBA: New York Knicks All-Star power forward/ center Julius Randle will have season-ending shoulder surgery, the team confirmed Thursday.
Golf: South Korea’s Sei Young Kim made five birdies on the front nine on Wednesday and finished with the lead after the opening round of the TMobile Match Play in Las Vegas. Kim carded a 6under-par 66 at Shadow Creek Golf Course, leaving her one stroke ahead of Rose Zhang and Danielle Kang.