In the news
Georgetown hires Ewing as basketball coach: Patrick Ewing spent years grinding as an NBA assistant in hopes of one day leading a team of his own.
Little did he know that all of that waiting would lead him back to Georgetown, the school he helped build into a national power as a player in the 1980s.
Georgetown hired Ewing on Monday, bringing the Hoyas legend back to campus to take over a program that had fallen on hard times over the past two seasons.
In announcing the hire, Georgetown called Ewing “the greatest men’s basketball player to ever don the Blue (and) Gray.” He led the Hoyas to the school’s only national championship in 1984 and now he takes over for the son of the man who coached him at Georgetown.
“My four years at Georgetown were the best of my life,” Ewing said in a statement issued by the school. “Georgetown is my home and it is a great honor for me to return to my alma mater and serve as the next head coach. I have been preparing to be a head coach for many years and can’t wait to return to the Hilltop.”
John Thompson III, the son of Big John Thompson, was fired last month after consecutive losing seasons.
Ewing has been an assistant coach with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and had hoped for years to land a head coaching job in the pros. He also served as an assistant for Washington, Houston and Orlando and spent every July coaching the Hornets’ summer league team, never acting entitled despite his Hall of Fame credentials.
NHL ices Olympics, says no to 2018 Games in South Korea: The NHL announced Monday that it will not participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, saying it sees no tangible benefit in halting its season for three weeks next February despite clear signs from the world’s best players that they want to go.
Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly informed NHL Players Association officials that the matter was “officially closed” after weeks of speculation. The NHL had allowed its players to participate in the last five Olympics dating to 1998, giving the Winter Games pro-level star power akin to the NBA players who participate in the Summer Olympics.
The league said no meaningful dialogue had emerged in talks with the NHLPA, International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. Even after the IIHF had agreed to pay for players’ travel and insurance costs when the IOC refused, the NHL had been looking for more concessions that were believed to include marketing opportunities tied to the Games.
When there was little progress to report on that front, the league wanted to close the matter before the playoffs, which begin April 13. Messages seeking comment from the NHLPA and IIHF were not immediately returned.
Former NHL forward Brandon Prust, who’s now playing in Germany, tweeted: “Way to ruin the sport of hockey even more Gary #Olympics.” San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who represented Canada in Sochi in 2014, tweeted the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics logo.
Fox says he will leave Kentucky to enter NBA draft: Kentucky freshman De’Aaron Fox says he will enter the NBA draft and hire an agent, becoming the first of several Wildcats underclassmen who could leave after reaching the Elite Eight this season.
The 6-foot-3 guard is a possible NBA lottery pick and was expected to make this move. Fox said in a statement Monday he thinks “it’s time for me to live out my dream.”
He scored a career-high 39 points against UCLA in the South Regional semifinals, his next-to-last game with the Wildcats. Fox finished as Kentucky’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points and leading the team in assists.
He made The Associated Press’ All-Southeastern Conference first team and earned Most Valuable Player honors at last month’s SEC Tournament.
Rex Ryan will talk the talk on ‘NFL Countdown’: Rex Ryan is taking his bluster to the TV studio.
ESPN announced Monday the former Buffalo Bills and New York Jets coach is joining its “Sunday NFL Countdown” show as an analyst. He will also contribute to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. He will make his debut Saturday as part of the network’s coverage of Florida State’s spring game.
Ryan says he’s “just going to show up and be myself and have fun with it.” ESPN senior coordinator producer Seth Markman calls Ryan an “authentic” voice.
In New York and Buffalo, Ryan was always good for a brash, bold talk. In 2015, he parachuted from a plane.
Piscotty agrees to $33.5 million deal with Cardinals: St. Louis gave another of its young players a long-term contract, agreeing to a $33.5 million, six-year deal with right fielder Stephen Piscotty. The 26-year-old would have been eligible for arbitration following the 2018 season and free agency after the 2021 season. The deal announced Monday calls for a $2 million signing bonus, salaries of $1 million each in of the first two years, $7 million apiece in 2018 and ‘19 and $7.25 million in each of the next two years. The Cardinals have a $15 million option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout, and the option price could escalate to $18 million.
Excluding players who had professional experience in Cuba and Japan, he is just the third with fewer than 1,000 major league plate appearances to sign a big league contract worth more than $30 million, after Ryan Braun and Jeff Gyorko.
Piscotty had agreed in February to a one-year deal paying $560,400 in the major leagues and $256,250 in the minors.
He made his debut for St. Louis in 2015 and finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .305 in 63 games. He had 22 homers and 85 RBIs in 153 games last year.