Marbury works for virus supplies
It was 4 a.m. in Beijing when former Knicks player and Coney Island native Stephon Marbury got on the phone with the Daily News.
He didn’t want to talk about basketball. He wanted to talk about how he could help the U.S., and particularly his beloved native New York, battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to a his massive popularity from playing in the Chinese Basketball Association, Marbury has relationships with local manufacturing firms in China and has been in touch with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams about helping get desperately needed medical equipment.
According to Marbury, the factories could provide 10 million masks within the next 10-30 days. They can manufacture between 2 million and 2.5 million masks a week and ship half a million masks via air freight each day.
College basketball
Steve Pikiell and Rutgers took other step toward becoming a major threat in the Big Ten, getting a commitment from highly regarded center Cliff Omoruyi. Omoruyi is the first New Jersey Gatorade player of the year to commit to Rutgers. He is the Scarlet Knights’ biggest instate recruit since Mike Rosario of St. Anthony’s.
• The nation’s leading rebounder is headed to Texas A&M. Kevin Marfo averaged 13.3 rebounds and 10.2 points this past season as junior at Quinnipiac.
Football
Baltimore reached agreement on a one-year contract with defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, ending his eight-year run with the Denver Broncos.
• Detroit agreed to a oneyear contract with former Green Bay receiver Geronimo Allison.
• Kansas City and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson have agreed to terms on a one-year deal that helps the reigning Super Bowl champions keep their top four receivers under contract.
Baseball
Two Chicago Cubs employees who attended an annual training session at Wrigley Field on March 8 have tested positive for COVID-19. One was hospitalized and the other was recovering at home.
Horse racing
The final deadline to nominate horses for the Triple Crown series is being extended indefinitely because of COVID-19. It was scheduled to be Monday. The Kentucky Derby has been pushed back from May 2 to Sept. 5. Maryland and New York racing officials are continuing discussions to decide when the Preakness and Belmont stakes will be run.