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The success of men&rsquo;s basketball in the 2024 Olympics has opened the eyes of many fans to the fact that there are great teams and players across the planet. While Team USA swept to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/team-usa-defeat-hosts-france-to-claim-olympic-gold-medal">gold medal</a> with a win over France in the final, maybe you were impressed by some of the tournament&rsquo;s best non-NBA players and wondered whether they might end up in the American league.
<h2>Willy Hernangomez - Spain</h2>
&nbsp;
At 7-foot tall, this center is an imposing physical presence in the Spanish team. He broke through at Real Madrid and joined the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA draft before being traded to the New York Knicks. His time playing at Madison Square Garden appeared to start well and was Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month early in his career as he led rebounding for newcomers to the league. He ended his first season in the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Willy then bounced around a few American teams without realizing his obvious potential. In 2023, he signed a three-year deal with Spanish team FC Barcelona. He was recently reported to be dissatisfied with his role at Barcelona and will have been disappointed that the highly-rated Spanish team dropped out of the Olympics in the qualifying round. Will Willy return to the NBA at some point? After seven years in the American league, he stated that he was happy with the <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-197125-willy-hernangomez-havent-felt-this-much-support-in-all-my-years-in-nba.html">support he received</a> on his return to Spain, so it seems unlikely at the moment.&nbsp;
<h2>Bruno Caboclo - Brazil</h2>
This 28-year-old power forward from Brazil started his career with Pinheiros before joining the Toronto Raptors in the 2014 NBA draft. This selection is still best remembered for Fran Fraschilla saying that he was "two years away from being two years away" when reporting it. Bruno never quite made the breakthrough expected of him in the NBA and returned to Brazil, where he was more successful.
After moving around a few teams in different countries, he joined Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian League in 2023. He averaged 9.4 points over the 2023-24 season, which was ultimately unsuccessful for the team. Given his globe-trotting career to date, it would be easy to imagine Bruno being interested in a move back to the US, but the latest news reports suggest that he is <a href="https://www.nbamaniacs.com/en/nba-rumors/bruno-caboclo-receives-an-offer-from-israel/">considering an offer</a> from Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv. At the Olympics in Paris, his 33 points vs Japan was one of the top individual performances.
<h2>Wenyen Gabriel - South Sudan</h2>
Wenyen was born in Sudan but moved to the US as a youngster. His college basketball was played for the Kentucky Wildcats, and he was one of the country&rsquo;s most highly-ranked young players at one point. Despite this, he went undrafted in 2018 but then joined the Sacramento Kings to play in the Summer League. After briefly joining the Portland Trail Blazers, Wenyen moved to the New Orleans Pelicans followed by the Brooklyn Nets and other US teams.
He then went to Puerto Rico with the Vaqueros de Bayam&oacute;n and it was recently announced that he&rsquo;s signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv to play in the Euroleague and the Israeli Basketball Premier League. If you want to follow his career, you can now easily find online content for foreign basketball leagues and stream games. You might also want to check the current <a href="https://www.bodog.eu/sports/basketball">basketball odds</a> for leagues around the world. You&rsquo;ll see live betting odds as well as the numbers for upcoming games. Choose from options like moneyline, spread, and total bet when looking for games to bet on in the Euroleague and elsewhere.
<h2>Carlik Jones - South Sudan</h2>
Carlik was born in the US and grew up in Ohio, becoming one of the highest-rated college players while performing for the Radford Highlanders and then the Louisville Cardinals. He went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft but then joined the Dallas Mavericks to play in the NBA Summer League. After moving around a few teams, he was named as the NBA G League&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player in 2022 while playing for the Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
The point guard played in China and was rumored to be moving to Maccabi Tel Aviv this season but surprised everyone by signing for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Serbian league instead. Carlik revealed after the World Cup that he had some offers from the NBA but that the move to Serbia felt right and that Partizan appears to be the ideal team for him. At 26 years old, he might still have time to move back to the American league in the future.
<h2>Summary</h2>
At the moment none of the non-NBA players who performed well in the 2024 Olympics seems set to join the American basketball league. Yet, some of them have already played here before heading abroad to try their luck elsewhere, so it wouldn&rsquo;t be a major surprise to see one or more players from this list reaching the NBA at some point. &nbsp;

The success of men’s basketball in the 2024 Olympics has opened the eyes of many fans that there are a lot of great teams and players.

Which Olympic Basketball Stars Could Join the NBA?

After a dominant college career, Caitlin Clark is set to bring her act to the pro scene.
As expected, the Indiana Fever picked Clark as its no.1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday night at Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.
Arguably the best women&rsquo;s college basketball player of all time, Clark will now head to the WNBA to the Fever to team up with last year&rsquo;s first overall selection Aliyah Boston. Clark and Boston will make up one of the league&rsquo;s most exciting young duos as they try to lead Indiana back to the playoffs.
Stanford University standout and 2021 WNCAA champion Cameron Brink went second overall to the Los Angeles Sparks while recently crowned 2024 WNCAA champion Kamila Cardoso from the University of South Carolina was taken by the Chicago Sky as the third overall pick.
Check out the complete recap of the draft below:
Round 1
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink, F, Stanford&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angels Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky): Jacy Sheldon, G, Ohio State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics: Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Minnesota Lynx): Angel Reese, F, LSU</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx (via Atlanta Dream): Alissa Pili, F, Utah</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings: Carla Leite, G, France</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Le&iuml;la Lacan, G, France</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Marquesha Davis, G, Ole Miss</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream (via Las Vegas Aces): Nyadiew Puoch, F, Australia</li>
</ol>
Round 2
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury): Brynna Maxwell, G, Gonzaga</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm: Nika M&uuml;hl, G, UConn</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Celeste Taylor, G, Ohio State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces (via Los Angeles Sparks): Dyaisha Fair, G, Syracuse</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty (via Chicago Sky): Esmery Martinez, F, Arizona</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces (via Washington Mystics): Kate Martin, G, Iowa</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun (via Minnesota Lynx): Taiyanna Jackson, C, Kansas</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream: Isobel Borlase, G, Australia&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics (via Dallas Wings): Kaylynne Truong, G, Gonzaga&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Helena Pueyo, G, Arizona&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Jessika Carter, C, Mississippi State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces: Elizabeth Kitley, C, Virginia Tech</li>
</ol>
Round 3
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Phoenix Mercury: Charisma Osborne, G, UCLA</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm: Mackenzie Holmes, F, Indiana</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever: Leilani Correa, G, Florida</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks: Mackenzie Forbes, F, USC</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Phoenix Mercury (via Chicago Sky): Jaz Shelley, G, Nebraska&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics: Nastja Claessens, G, Belgium</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx: Kiki Jefferson, G, Louisville&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream: Matilde Villa, G, Italy</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings: Ashley Owusu, G, Penn State</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun: Abbey Hsu, G, Columbia&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty: Kaitlyn Davis, F, USC</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces: Angel Jackson, C, Jackson State</li>
</ol>

After a dominant college career, Caitlin Clark is set to bring her act to the pro scene.

2024 WNBA Draft Recap: Caitlin Clark goes No.1 to the Indiana Fever

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today at NBA All-Star Weekend 2024 the selection of 14 finalists from the following committees: North American, Women&rsquo;s, Men&rsquo;s Veterans, Women&rsquo;s Veterans, International, and Contributors.
The finalists will then be put forward to the Honors Committee to be considered for election as members of the Class of 2024. The new class will be announced in Phoenix on April 6 at the NCAA Men&rsquo;s Final Four.
North American Committee Finalists (in alphabetical order):
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Chauncey Billups</li>
<li>Vince Carter</li>
<li>Michael Cooper</li>
<li>Walter Davis</li>
<li>Bo Ryan</li>
<li>Charles Smith</li>
</ul>
Women's Committee Finalists:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Seimone Augustus</li>
<li>Marian Washington</li>
</ul>
Men&rsquo;s Veteran Committee Finalist:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Dick Barnett</li>
</ul>
Women's Veteran Committee Finalist:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Harley Redin</li>
</ul>
International Committee Finalist:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Michele Timms</li>
</ul>
Contributors Committee Finalists:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Doug Collins</li>
<li>Herb Simon</li>
<li>Jerry West</li>
</ul>
"Being named a Finalist for the Class of 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is a testament to the highest echelons of achievement in the sport,&rdquo; said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. &ldquo;It's an honor that reflects not only individual greatness but also the long-lasting impact on the game itself. From the strategic brilliance of coaches to the unmatched abilities of players and the influential roles of a coach/broadcaster, an esteemed owner, and a dynasty-building executive, each Finalist embodies the pinnacle of basketball excellence. Their inclusion underscores the diverse contributions that have shaped and enriched the sport, making this recognition truly exceptional."
The Class of 2024 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass., on August 16-17. VIP packages for the 2024 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend are now available. Single-event tickets will go on sale on April 6, following the 2024 Class Announcement.
North American Committee Finalists:
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash; Nicknamed "Mr. Big Shot" for his ability to deliver crucial plays in pivotal moments, Billups was a five-time NBA All-Star and the 2004 Finals MVP after leading the Detroit Pistons to their third NBA championship. During his 17-year career, Billups&rsquo; averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 assists per game, while his&nbsp; 89.4&nbsp; free throw percentage is sixth best in NBA/ABA history. Billups was drafted third overall in 1997 by the Boston Celtics after earning Second Team All-American honors at Colorado. He is the current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
VINCE CARTER&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash; Renowned for his high-flying dunks, the former North Carolina standout was an eight-time All-Star in his 22 NBA seasons (1998-2020). Carter, who won the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, was named the 1998-99 Rookie of the Year and is the only player in NBA history to play in four different decades. Carter averaged 16.7 points per game (21.3 as a starter) and also played a pivotal role in the success of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, clinching a gold medal with the U.S. Men's Basketball Team. He currently holds the single-season franchise scoring record for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors.
MICHAEL COOPER&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Cooper was named to eight NBA All-Defensive Teams, taking home First-Team accolades five times and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1987. The former third-round draft pick (60th overall) out of the University of New Mexico spent his entire 12-year NBA career (1978-90) with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships while routinely matching up with the opponent&rsquo;s top shooter. Following his playing career, Cooper entered the coaching ranks and earned WNBA Coach of the Year accolades in 2000 with the Los Angeles Sparks before winning back-to-back WNBA titles in 2001-02.
WALTER DAVIS&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The all-time leading scorer in Phoenix Suns&rsquo; history was a six-time All-Star (1978-81, &lsquo;84, &lsquo;87) during his 15-year NBA career with the Suns (1977-88), Denver Nuggets (1988-92) and Portland Trail Blazers (1991). Before Phoenix chose Davis with the fifth pick in the 1977 draft, the standout player from North Carolina won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics. He then averaged 24.2 points per game in his first NBA season and was named the 1978 Rookie of the Year. The late Davis had&nbsp;his No. 6 retired by the Suns, and in 2004, he was enshrined in the team's Ring of Honor.
BO RYAN&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash;&nbsp;Ryan went 747-233 (.762) in 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1984-89), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1999-2001) and University of Wisconsin (2001-15), including a 364-130 (.737) ledger in 14-plus seasons in Madison. Ryan, honored four times as the Big Ten Coach of the Year, led Wisconsin to unprecedented success, clinching four Big Ten regular-season titles, winning three Big Ten tournament championships, and making back-to-back Final Four appearances (2014-15). The four-time Division III champion (1991, &lsquo;95, &lsquo;98-99) was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
CHARLES SMITH&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash; Smith is Louisiana's all-time winningest high school head coach, surpassing the previous mark of 1,071 in 2020. With eight state championships to his name, Smith&rsquo;s coaching tenure at Peabody Magnet High School began in 1985 after starting as a math teacher in 1975. He guided the Warhorses to a pair of perfect seasons, going 41-0 in 2004 and 2010 and earning national top-five rankings. Smith, ESPN&rsquo;s National Coach of the Year in 2010, was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021. In addition, Smith served as a head coach at the McDonald&rsquo;s All-American game in 2020.
Women&rsquo;s Committee Finalists:
SEIMONE AUGUSTUS&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Augustus, who was selected first overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft, was a four-time champion and eight-time All-Star during her 15-year WNBA career (2006-2020). The cornerstone player for the Minnesota Lynx, where she spent 14 of her 15 seasons, averaged 15.4 points per game and was named the 2006 Rookie of the Year and 2011 Finals MVP. At LSU, Augustus led the Tigers to three straight Final Four appearances and won the Naismith College Player of the Year and Wooden Awards in back-to-back campaigns (2005-06).
MARIAN WASHINGTON&nbsp;[Coach] &ndash; Washington led the University of Kansas women&rsquo;s basketball team for 31 seasons (1973-2004) and recorded a school-record 560 wins. The Jayhawks made 11 NCAA tournament appearances under her guidance, including two trips to the Sweet 16 (1996, &lsquo;97). Washington, who also served as Kansas&rsquo; director for women&rsquo;s athletics from 1974-79, was named her conference&rsquo;s Coach of the Year on three occasions (Big Eight: 1992, &rsquo;96; Big 12: 1997). She was a pioneer on the international stage, becoming one of the first two African American women to compete in basketball internationally at the 1971 World Championships and the first black woman to coach a United States team in international play at the 1982 R. William Jones Cup. Washington, who was the first female president of the Black Coaches Association, was inducted into the Women&rsquo;s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Men&rsquo;s Veteran Committee Finalist:
DICK BARNETT&nbsp;[Player] &ndash;&nbsp;Barnett first gained prominence at Tennessee A&amp;I University, where he led the Tigers to three straight NAIA national championships (1957-59), the first historically black school to claim a men&rsquo;s basketball title. The &ldquo;Skull&rdquo; played 14 NBA seasons with the Syracuse Nationals (1959-61), Los Angeles Lakers (1962-65) and New York Knicks (1965-73), winning a pair of titles in the Big Apple (1970, &lsquo;73) and making his lone All-Star team in 1968. The Knicks retired his No. 12, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honored his 1957&ndash;59 Tigers squad in 2019.
Women&rsquo;s Veteran Committee Finalists:
HARLEY REDIN&nbsp;[Coach]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Redin went 431-66 in 18 seasons leading Wayland Baptist&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s basketball program and captured six AAU National Championships. He coached the Flying Queens to two undefeated women&rsquo;s seasons (1956, &lsquo;57), 17 top-five finishes, and went 110-2 during his first four campaigns at Wayland Baptist. Redin also coached the Women&rsquo;s U.S. National Team in 1959, the 1971 Pan-American Games, and the 1963 World Tournament in Peru. He was the recipient of the Jostens-Berenson Service Award by the Women&rsquo;s Basketball Coaches Association for his lifetime of service to women&rsquo;s basketball in 1992, inducted into the Women&rsquo;s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, and honored with the Naismith Award for Outstanding Contribution to the game of women&rsquo;s basketball in 2000.
International Committee Finalist:
MICHELE TIMMS&nbsp;[Player]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;A trailblazer in Australian women&rsquo;s basketball, Timms became well-known as one of the best point guards in the world, representing the Australian national team throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Timms won a pair of Olympic medals with the Opals, winning bronze in 1996 and silver in 2000, and was the first Australian, male or female, to play professional basketball internationally when she suited up for Lotus M&uuml;nchen in Germany. In addition, Timms spent five seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, guiding the team to a berth in the 1998 WNBA Finals and earning an All-Star selection in 1999. The Sport Australia Hall of Fame inducted her in 2003, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. The Mercury retired her No. 7 jersey in 2002.
Contributor Committee Finalists:
DOUG COLLINS&nbsp;[Coach/broadcaster]&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Collins' versatile career in basketball is marked by significant achievements in roles ranging from player to coach to broadcaster, underscoring his wide-ranging impact on the sport. Following an NBA career where he was a four-time All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers, he transitioned into coaching and accumulated over 400 wins with the Chicago Bulls (1986-89), Detroit Pistons (1995-98), Washington Wizards (2001-03) and 76ers (2010-13). Collins, who coached Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in both Chicago and Washington,&nbsp;also served as an analyst for various NBA-related broadcasts for CBS, NBC, TNT, TBS, and ABC/ESPN, along with working for NBC at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
HERB SIMON&nbsp;[Owner] &ndash; Simon, the longest-tenured governor in the history of the NBA, purchased the Indiana Pacers, along with his late brother Mel, back in 1983. Under Simon&rsquo;s stewardship, the Pacers won numerous Central Division titles and made the franchise&rsquo;s first NBA Finals in 2000. Throughout his ownership period, the Pacers have been home to legendary players like Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal, Rik Smits, and Reggie Miller (Class of 2012). Beyond ownership, Simon's influence extends deeply into the heart of the Pacers&rsquo; organization, shaping its identity and impact both on and off the court through his philanthropic endeavors and civic engagement.
JERRY WEST&nbsp;[Executive] &ndash; Enshrined as a player in 1980, West then went on to establish himself off the court as one of the most successful executives in the sport&rsquo;s history. West played a pivotal role as the architect of a pair of Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; dynasties during the 1980s and 2000s, drafting key players like Magic Johnson and James Worthy, acquiring Kobe Bryant, signing free agent Shaquille O'Neal, and hiring head coach Phil Jackson. He totaled eight NBA championships in Los Angeles (1980, &lsquo;82, &lsquo;85, &lsquo;87-88, 2000-02) and was named Executive of the Year twice (1995, 2004). Following his time in the Lakers&rsquo; front office (1979-2000), West served as GM of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-07 before earning two additional NBA championships as an executive with the Golden State Warriors (2015, &lsquo;17).

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 14 finalists for the class of 2024 including Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announces 14 finalists in class of 2024

Mal Mundy's Hoop Fest Tour hosts some of the premier showcase and identification events throughout the year. Most are open to all, but 42 of Louisiana's best hoopers met up on the last Sunday before school starts for a Statement Session. Chris Dodson caught up with the man on a mission in between games.
Mal Mundy's Hoop Fest Tour attracts scouting services, media outlets, coaches and the best talent in the Gulf South region. The young prospects get to compete against the best competition and get direct feedback from college coaches. The growth of Hoop Fest has been so impressive, I had to try and get a few moments with the man who has made it all run smoothly from the start.
The impressive growth of these events is largely because Mundy stands on the brand printed on the front of the jerseys, but also because he's devoted to helping these athletes get their name on the back of a college uniform. The reasoning for committing time at the end of the summer was straightforward: &ldquo;To bring exposure to Louisiana and help players get recruited,&rdquo; Mundy explained.
Mission accomplished.
The Statement Session was barely wrapping up and the offers were starting to roll in. Over 30 college coaches made the trip down to South Side High's Youngsville, LA, gym to check out over 40 of the state's best prospects. It was a tough grind getting to this point, but the hard work is paying off.
"It has gotten better each year," Mundy said. "We try to bring something different each year to make the event better. In the first year of the session, only 30 players were invited. We&rsquo;ve expanded to 42 players.&rdquo;
The expanded rosters help local colleges working on smaller budgets. Xavier&rsquo;s AJ Williams admitted that this event is huge for a small school with an NAIA budget.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s big for recruiting for us here at Xavier, because we get a chance to see the player up close and build some true relationships with these players," Coach Williams said. &ldquo;This event that Mal has been putting on for the state, which includes college coaches, is such a blessings to give the kids an opportunity to see what it&rsquo;s like to compete at a high level and being able to get coached by college coaches.
"Being able to evaluate your game against the top kids in the state is huge. [It] helps you know what you need to add to your game or how you measure up against the top guys at your position. If you&rsquo;re the best, come play against the best in the state.&rdquo;
Coach&nbsp;Micah Hagans (Bonnabel) complimented Mundy's efforts too.
&ldquo;The opportunity to play not only in front of college coaches but to actually be coached by college coaches is a one-of-a-kind experience," Coach Hagans said. "Every year, I see kids attend this event and walk away with offers from the coach they just played for. It also puts them in an environment with other top kids. Everyone in the event is a top kid. You have to bring it, just to have a chance to be noticed. From my standpoint, [it's great] being able to network with college coaches and build relationships that will last throughout my career. It also gives us as coaches a chance to see our kid in a super competitive environment.&rdquo;
Mundy is more than just a Louisiana talent magnet. Now, four years into this venture, he is starting to move into local legend status. People know that the Hoop Fest Tour is worth the trip, whether you're a fan, scout, coach or player. The event's atmosphere keeps us all young and the exposure is invaluable. Players don't have to pay to play, but it was invite-only. Quality is key to the operation, and the student-athletes notice.
Jaylen Peters, the most impressive prospect in the gym for long stretches according to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/statements-made-la-hoops-fest-scouting-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our scouting report</a>, was impressed.
&ldquo;It's great to have all this talent from Louisiana and you see where you stack up against everybody.&rdquo; Peters said, before adding his thoughts on how Louisiana prospects are perceived. &ldquo;I think a lot of people think all we do is play hard. A lot of dudes out here are actually skilled. Just as much hoops IQ as everywhere else.&rdquo;
Clayton Blackledge, who had to log heavy minutes as the only true big man, was more than appreciative of the opportunity, especially since he's still looking for a college home.
&ldquo;I didn't get as many today, but I want to work on my mid-range,&rdquo; Blackledge said, who was perhaps a bit too tough on himself considering the just-met-my-teammates showcase situation. &ldquo;Missed a few on defense&rdquo; and &ldquo;cardio got me&rdquo; were the two biggest personal knocks, but Blackledge did &ldquo;hit a couple nice ones though&rdquo; that got some attention.
And that's all Mundy wants: attention on the young local talent. Not one to dwell on too much admiration, Mundy was humble when asked what might go underappreciated with his efforts: &ldquo;When you have this amount of talent and Louisiana top players all under one roof, it is easy to attract college coaches to watch.&rdquo;
Be sure to check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/statements-made-la-hoops-fest-scouting-reports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Dodson's scouting report</a> from the Hoop Fest Tour.

Mal Mundy's Hoop Fest Tour hosts showcase and identification events throughout the year. Chris Dodson caught up with Mundy.

Statements Made: A Louisiana Hoopin' Sunday With Mal Mundy

Today, the NBA and FIBA announced 80 of the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa who will participate in the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will be held July 28-31 at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) in South Africa.
BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 80 boys and girls from more than 25 African countries &ndash; including 19 NBA Academy Africa and NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022 prospects &ndash; to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.&nbsp;
The campers will be coached by two-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; U.S.; ties to Nigeria), 2022 NBA All-Star Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers; U.S.), 2022 NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic; U.S.).
Five current and former NBA head coaches will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches: Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff; two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Nigeria Men&rsquo;s National Team head coach and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown; 2018 NBA Coach of the Year Dwane Casey (most recently with the Detroit Pistons); Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; and veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers).
Several former NBA and WNBA players will also serve as BWB Africa 2023 coaches, including 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), 2011 NBA champion Ian Mahinmi (France; ties Benin), former NBA player and Basketball Africa League Head of League Operations Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje (Cameroon), former NBA player Tacko Fall (Senegal), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Mozambique basketball legend Clarisse Machanguana.&nbsp;
Toronto Raptors Vice-Chairman, Team President and Alternate NBA Governor Masai Ujiri; New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin; and Portland Trail Blazers Assistant General Manager Mike Schmitz will serve as camp directors, while David Crewe and Frank Adams (Phoenix Suns) will serve as the camp&rsquo;s athletic trainers.
The players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the Kim Bohuny Camp MVP, the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award, the B.J. Johnson Most Improved Player Award, the Three-Point Champion and the Defensive MVP to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
As part of the camp, NBA players and coaches will also participate in several community outreach initiatives around Johannesburg, including a hospital visit and a Her Time to Play seminar for the female campers on July 28, and a court unveiling in the Alexandra Township on Saturday, July 29.&nbsp; In addition, BWB Africa 2023 coaches will lead a development clinic for local coaches at AISJ on July 30.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Also on July 29, select&nbsp;NBA players&nbsp;will visit the NBA Store at Sandton City Mall in Johannesburg and engage with fans.
BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.
BWB has reached more than 4,100 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 112 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.&nbsp; The NBA and FIBA have staged 70 BWB camps in 47 cities across 32 countries on six continents.
The following is a complete list of players participating in the 19th&nbsp;BWB Africa camp (rosters subject to change):
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 447px;" width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 403px;" colspan="2">
GIRLS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ines Bellahmer
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Algeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Filomena Luis
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Guigma Sadia
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Burkina Faso
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Gisele Kipo*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Hannah Dibadjou
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Salma Khedr*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Leila El Sanadily
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aisha Hassan
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Lucie Mounganga
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Gabon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Sylla
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Guinea
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Roseline Ooko
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Harena Randriamasimanana
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fitahiana Ratsimason
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joanie Rakotonanahary
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Madagascar
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatoumata Samake*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Oumou Soumare
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Aya El Kallali*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Albertina Matsinhe*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Bata Lurdes*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Shanaya Matusse*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Mozambique
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Joy Biribebe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Benitha Ngarambe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Jane Dusabe
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Rwanda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Fatou Sima
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Marie Diouf
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ndickou Matar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Tacko Sy
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Sheriffa Rahman
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Sierra Leone
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Onnetse Molokwame
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Luhle Ndaba
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Reneilwe Motebele
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Susan Peter
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Asunta Ring
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Nawasa Lazaro
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tanzania
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Ibouanga Moussounda
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Togo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Arwa Ghorbel*
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Eya Nasri
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Afef Bengoula
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Christine Namyalo
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 191px;">
Immaculate Adongpiny
</td>
<td style="width: 212px;">
Uganda
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*Participated in NBA Academy Women&rsquo;s Camp Africa 2022
&nbsp;
<table width="447">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 418.75px;" colspan="2" width="447">
BOYS
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Name
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Country
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Aginaldo Neto*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Manuel Camboma*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Inacio Anatoli Da Silva
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Claudino Capangaa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sansao Wika
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Angola
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Philippe Ntungicimpaye
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Burundi
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Arnold Eyadi Kenfack
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hermann Bel Gassina
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Cameroon
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chris Naguidebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Central African Republic
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tahir Doungous*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Chad
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Zie Cheikh Conde
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Tarek Khairy
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ahmed Nedale
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Karim El Gizawi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Egypt
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Courage Agbekpornu
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Ghana
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Kiggundu Austin Omondi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Kenya
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Chouhaybou Keita
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mahamadou Konate
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Mali
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Hamza Bechchar
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Morocco
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bolaji Oderinlo
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Sultan Baruwa
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ibrahim Dan-Mutum
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jonah Precious
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Ezekiel Obe*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Nigeria
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Andre Bonazebi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Jude Fred Nkouka Silaho
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Republic of Congo
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khadim Mboup*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Assane Mandian*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Yakhya Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amar Diop*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Mouhamed Camara
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Senegal
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Siyanda Radebe
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Gilchrist Storm
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Africa
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Khaman Maluach*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Moses Marial Mandiria
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Bol Wieu Mou Thet
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Lual Deng Lual Aguek
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
South Sudan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Rayen Rouissi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Amen Hammi
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Tunisia
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 197.167px;" width="208">
Liberty Fusire*
</td>
<td style="width: 221.583px;" width="239">
Zimbabwe
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
*NBA Academy Africa prospect

Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Suggs will coach 80 top high-school-age prospects from across Africa.

Adebayo, Garland, Kuminga, Suggs to coach prospects at BWB Africa 2023

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.
Less discussed &mdash; at least these days &mdash; was their willingness, in 1999, to dive into a messy acquisition process for a largely irrelevant franchise that had been considered a relocation prospect as the 21st century approached.
All of the talk of them relocating no longer exists.
Now, the conversation is about how the Nuggets were able to reach their first NBA Finals thanks to the stubborn patience displayed by the Kroenkes, who have taken an unorthodox route toward assembling an unorthodox winner. Denver hosts the Miami Heat in Game 2 Sunday night after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-denver-nuggets-nba-sports-755531bae7f944958c4225f8d5f54bad">winning the Finals opener</a>.
Kroenke&rsquo;s deal to purchase the Nuggets, along with the Colorado Avalanche and their home arena for $450 million, included a clause that tethered the NBA franchise to Denver for the ensuing 25 years. These days, the Nuggets are estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.93 billion.
&ldquo;One thing I know about Stan is that when he sets his mind to doing something, and when he thinks he&rsquo;s right, he&rsquo;s going to fight for that,&rdquo; said Wellington Webb, who was Denver&rsquo;s mayor in 1999 and helped broker the deal that closed a year later between Kroenke and the Nuggets.
Though Kroenke married into money &mdash; he wed Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974, a few years after meeting her during a ski trip to Aspen &mdash; he had already honed his business chops. His first deal: Taking a $1,500 loan at 6% interest from his dad so he could buy part of a clothing shop with his friend.
Not long after, he got into the real estate business, building shopping centers with a developer who was tight with Walmart founder Sam Walton.
Real estate and sports are, these days, almost intertwined &mdash; a reality Kroenke grasped quickly.
&ldquo;I always thought I&rsquo;d enjoy (owning a sports franchise) because the professional sports business is part business and part sports,&rdquo; Kroenke told the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune in 2022, &ldquo;and I love both of them.&rdquo;
Kroenke&rsquo;s representatives did not return messages left by The Associated Press seeking an interview.
His first major jump into sports was his partnership with Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. In the mid-1990s, Frontiere was chafing at the inability of Los Angeles to build a new stadium, She was looking for partners to bankroll a move to St. Louis. Kroenke bought in, and when Frontiere died in 2008, he exercised his right to purchase a majority stake in the team.
The sad irony is that it was Kroenke, the Missouri native, who moved the Rams out of St. Louis and back to LA where they are the main tenant in his $5.1 billion stadium. His connection with Denver &mdash; much different.
&ldquo;One of my dreams was to be involved in a professional basketball team,&rdquo; Kroenke told The Denver Post, shortly after closing the deal for the Nuggets. &ldquo;This is a dream I&rsquo;ve had for a long time.&rdquo;
There is, in fact, a strong argument that the basketball trophy might be the most meaningful for a family that has amassed three Stanley Cup trophies with the Avalanche, a Super Bowl trophy with the Rams and is still looking for glory with Arsenal, the Premier League soccer team it has had a controlling interest in since 2011.
Kroeke&rsquo;s son, Josh, was a standout basketball player in high school and played at University of Missouri. He now runs the Nuggets.
&ldquo;I thought that you could bring a championship to Denver,&rdquo; Josh said in a recent interview on team-owned Altitude Sports Radio. &ldquo;Trying to do something that&rsquo;s never been done before, it&rsquo;s not always easy, and it&rsquo;s usually met with a lot of resistance. ... We&rsquo;re mostly excited for the city to get to experience this. But the job&rsquo;s not done.&rdquo;
The Nuggets were parked squarely in NBA purgatory when the team went on the block in 1999, having not sniffed relevancy since their mid-80s heydey, when the teams were highlighted by coach Doug Moe&rsquo;s uptempo offense. Their situation off the court wasn&rsquo;t much better. In the late &rsquo;80s, then-owner Sidney Shlenker had toyed with the idea of moving the team to Memphis.
His sale to a media conglomerate that was never truly hot on owning sports teams did nothing to tamp the idea that the Nuggets were a team that might be available to move. And teams were moving; Between 2001-08, Memphis (from Vancouver), Oklahoma City (from Seattle) and New Orleans (from Charlotte) all adopted existing franchises in a flurry of NBA reshuffling.
When Denver went on the block, the highest bidder, billionaire businessman Donald Sturm, came in with a $460 million offer, but balked at the idea that he couldn&rsquo;t move the team.
In stepped Kroenke, who had no problem with the arrangement. A side note: To close the sale, Kroenke had to outmaneuver another group fronted by none other than John Elway.
&ldquo;It was clear Sturm wasn&rsquo;t going to work out,&rdquo; Webb said. &ldquo;And my only question was, &lsquo;Is the new guy going to be supportive of the team winning?&rsquo; Because if the arena is full, not only do the owners make money, but city makes money, as well.&rdquo;
The Kroenkes have answered Webb&rsquo;s question with their willingness &mdash; increasingly rare in pro sports &mdash; to play the long game, both on the roster and on the bench.
The roster was built in workmanlike,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-nuggets-jokic-murray-malone-18329e13dfecae50834ebc06d409027c">no-drama fashion</a>,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-mvp-lebron-lakers-8e668572f9f43942175ded63e7a61832">highlighted by Nikola Jokic</a>, who entered the league as an unheralded second-round pick from Serbia. The coach, Michael Malone, was hired in 2015, and there was never much talk of making changes after disappointing finishes to their seasons in 2018, 2019 and even last year.
Today, Malone sits behind only Gregg Popovich (Spurs), Erik Spoelstra (Heat) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) &mdash; who have a combined 11 championships on their coaching resumes &mdash; in terms of longevity among the NBA&rsquo;s 30 head coaches.
&ldquo;That has a ton to do with where we are today,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be more thankful for working for an ownership group that is not impatient and is not trying to find the next great thing, but is saying &lsquo;Hey, listen, let&rsquo;s let this grow and marinate into something special.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Despite his family&rsquo;s large role in the Denver sports scene &mdash; the Kroenke business also owns the MLS Colorado Rapids, and the National Lacrosse League&rsquo;s Colorado Mammoth, who lost the deciding game in that league&rsquo;s title series Saturday &mdash; Kroenke has still taken his fair share of criticism around town.
It&rsquo;s a byproduct of his 2004 move to bundle his teams&rsquo; TV rights and air them on company&rsquo;s new regional television network, Altitude.
In 2019, the region&rsquo;s biggest cable operator, Comcast, stopped carrying Altitude due to a disagreement over fees the cable giant was charging to carry the network. The ensuing legal battle has kept the Nuggets off the local airwaves in millions of homes for the last four seasons. The battle between billion-dollar companies has left many average Nuggets fans feeling like the only real losers in the equation.
But whatever bitterness lingers from the cable dispute has mostly been set aside over the past few months. All the playoff games have been on national TV.
Meanwhile, Kroenke stays firmly in the background. He can make it from his apartment at the top of Ball Arena through some back passageways and into his luxury suite to watch games in less than two minutes. Sometimes he brings his German Shepherd along.
&ldquo;I think that not only is he a good businessman,&rdquo; Webb said, &ldquo;but he also feels he has something special in Denver. And I think it&rsquo;s always been his goal to do right by Denver.&rdquo;

Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.

Kroenke bought Nuggets, kept team in Denver, now hoping to deliver title

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Wayne &ldquo;Big Daddy&rdquo; Sims, who played in four NCAA Tournaments with LSU from 1987-1991, died Wednesday at age 54.
LSU&rsquo;s athletic department confirmed Sims&rsquo; death. No cause of death was immediately disclosed. Sims&rsquo; coach at LSU was Dale Brown, and his teammates included Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Vernel Singleton. During Sims&rsquo; senior season, LSU won the Southeastern Conference championship. &ldquo;He brought the best out in players, and everyone liked him,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He was a team player &mdash; didn&rsquo;t get the credit maybe he deserved for the great run they had, but he was a wonderful person.
&ldquo;He was never a flashy guy that needed stardom, but he was the base to our team.&rdquo;
Wayne&rsquo;s son Wayde, also played for two seasons for the Tigers before he was fatally shot during an off-campus altercation on the eve of LSU&rsquo;s first scheduled practice before the 2018-19 season.
Following their son&rsquo;s death, Wayne Sims and his wife, Fay, set up the Baton Rouge-based Wayde Sims Foundation.
&ldquo;He and Fay worked tirelessly to keep Wayde&rsquo;s memory alive,&rdquo; said McNeese State coach Will Wade, who was Wayde Sims&rsquo; coach at LSU. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never forget Wayne and Fay saying that God will find a way to save lives through Wayde&rsquo;s death.&rdquo;
Wayne Sims, listed at 6-foot-7, 247 pounds during his playing days, appeared in 117 games for LSU, starting 74, and scoring 1,107 career points and grabbing 603 rebounds. He is one of 21 LSU players to reach 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds, and one of nine players in program history to appear in four NCAA Tournaments.
Sims scored 24 points in one of LSU&rsquo;s most memorable upset victories, an 82-80 triumph over No. 2 Georgetown on Jan. 28, 1989 &mdash; a game played in the Superdome in New Orleans in front of a crowd of 54,321.
Sims grew up in Deridder, Louisiana, and was a two-time All-State selection at Deridder High School, where he averaged 21.9 points and nine rebounds as a senior.
Funeral arrangements are pending.

Wayne “Big Daddy” Sims, who played in four NCAA Tournaments with LSU from 1987-1991, died Wednesday at age 54.

Former LSU basketball player Wayne Sims dead at 54

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Taqwa Pinero's knowledge is its own currency, and he's paying it forward

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2023 WNBA Draft: Full list of prospects who have entered

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Iowa standout Caitlin Clark said there&rsquo;s no reason for LSU&rsquo;s Angel Reese to be criticized on social media for waving her hand in front of her face while staring down Clark during the women&rsquo;s NCAA championship game.
Clark, The Associated Press Player of the Year, made a similar gesture to no one in particular during Iowa&rsquo;s victory over Louisville in the Elite Eight.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I&rsquo;m just one that competes &mdash; and she competed,&rdquo; Clark said Tuesday on ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;Outside the Lines, &rdquo; adding: &ldquo;I think everybody knew there was going to be a little bit of trash talk in the entire tournament. It&rsquo;s not just me and Angel.&rdquo;
Reese, who was named the Final Four&rsquo;s Most Outstanding Player, waved her hand in front of her face as if to say &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t see me&rdquo; while staring down Clark in the final moments of LSU&rsquo;s 102-85 win on Sunday, then pointed toward a finger as if to indicate a ring was coming.
Social media was divided on Reese&rsquo;s gesture, with some saying it was just part of the game and others saying Reese lacked grace in victory. Reese, who also made what appeared to be a &ldquo;you&rsquo;re too small&rdquo; gesture several times after scoring in a 79-72 semifinals victory over Virginia Tech, was unapologetic Sunday night.
&ldquo;All year, I was critiqued about who I was,&rdquo; said Reese, who is Black; Clark is white. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t fit in a box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I&rsquo;m too hood. I&rsquo;m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y&rsquo;all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that&rsquo;s going to speak up on what they believe in. It&rsquo;s unapologetically you.&rdquo;
Clark was asked on ESPN whether there was a difference in how people think women&rsquo;s players should act compared with men&rsquo;s.

Clark: “I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did."

Iowa's Caitlin Clark: Don’t criticize LSU's Angel Reese for gesture

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; First lady Jill Biden said Monday that she wants the defeated Iowa women&rsquo;s basketball team to be invited to the White House in addition to the national title winner Louisiana State University. She watched LSU&rsquo;s 102-85 victory over Iowa from the stands on Sunday night.
Biden, speaking at the Colorado state capital in Denver, praised Iowa&rsquo;s sportsmanship and congratulated both teams on their performance.
&ldquo;I know we&rsquo;ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do. So, we hope LSU will come,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But, you know, I&rsquo;m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.&rdquo;
The White House didn&rsquo;t immediately respond to a request for comment about whether President Joe Biden would also extend a White House invite to Iowa &mdash; and whether it would be a joint visit with LSU or a separate engagement.
Following LSU&rsquo;s victory, Tigers coach Kim Mulkey said she would go to the White House if the team was invited.
LSU star Angel Reese tweeted a link to a story on Jill Biden&rsquo;s remarks on Monday. &ldquo; A JOKE,&rdquo; she wrote, along with three rolling-on-floor-laughing emojis.
Reese &mdash; the Final Four&rsquo;s Most Outstanding Player &mdash; has gotten a lot of attention on social media during the past 24 hours, ever since she waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Iowa star Caitlin Clark in the final moments of LSU&rsquo;s win, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming.&nbsp;
Clark set the record for points scored in an NCAA Tournament with 191 in six games. If she saw Reese&rsquo;s gestures, Clark didn&rsquo;t seem concerned about them.
Social media lit up in the aftermath, with some believing it was trash talk that&rsquo;s just part of the game while others condemned her for lacking grace in victory. Reese was unapologetic.
&ldquo;All year, I was critiqued about who I was,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t fit in a box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I&rsquo;m too hood. I&rsquo;m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y&rsquo;all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that&rsquo;s going to speak up on what they believe in. It&rsquo;s unapologetically you.&rdquo;
Reese is Black while Clark is white.
Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first with consecutive 40-point games in an NCAA Tournament, made a similar face-waving gesture to no one in particular during Iowa&rsquo;s Elite Eight victory over Louisville.
Iowa did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the invitation.
In her remarks, Biden also marveled at how far women&rsquo;s sports in the U.S. have come since Title IX in 1972 gave women equal rights in sports at schools that receive federal funding.
&ldquo;It was so exciting, wasn&rsquo;t it,&rdquo; the first lady said. &ldquo;It was such a great game. I&rsquo;m old enough that I remember when we got Title IX. We fought so hard, right? We fought so hard. And look at where women&rsquo;s sports have come today.&rdquo;&nbsp;
___
AP Sports Writers David Brandt, Schuyler Dixon and Eric Olson contributed to this story.

First lady Jill Biden wants the defeated Iowa women’s basketball team to be invited to the White House in addition to champion LSU.

Jill Biden wants champions LSU — and Iowa — at White House

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; LSU&rsquo;s Angel Reese waved her hand in front of her face while staring down Caitlin Clark, then pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming while walking toward the Iowa star.
The gestures late in the Tigers&rsquo; 102-85 victory in the NCAA championship game Sunday lit up social media, with comments supporting the &ldquo;Bayou Barbie&rdquo; for trash talk that&rsquo;s just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.
The bubbly junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join flamboyant LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.
&ldquo;All year, I was critiqued about who I was,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t fit in a box that y&rsquo;all want me to be in. I&rsquo;m too hood. I&rsquo;m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y&rsquo;all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that&rsquo;s going to speak up on what they believe in. It&rsquo;s unapologetically you.&rdquo;
Clark, the scoring sensation who was the first with consecutive 40-point games in an NCAA Tournament, made the face-waving gesture to no one in particular during an Elite Eight victory over Louisville.
The Associated Press Player of the Year wasn&rsquo;t shy about showing her emotions when the Hawkeyes knocked off undefeated defending national champion South Carolina in the semifinals.
If she saw Reese&rsquo;s gestures, Clark didn&rsquo;t seem concerned about them.
&ldquo;I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,&rdquo; said Clark, who scored 30 points. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous.&rdquo;
In a 79-72 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech, Reese made what appeared to be a &ldquo;you&rsquo;re too small&rdquo; gesture several times after scoring around the basket.
The fashionable 6-foot-3 post with modeling aspirations is becoming a social media magnet. Reese wooed Lil Wayne after chastising the rapper from New Orleans for reaching out to Elite Eight opponent Miami before doing the same with the Tigers.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to be me, but I can&rsquo;t do it without the girls here, and I can&rsquo;t do it without the rest of my teammates and coaches,&rdquo; said Reese, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds while three teammates scored at least 20 points.
She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four after setting an NCAA single-season record with her 34th double-double against the Hawkeyes.
&ldquo;Twitter can say what Twitter can say,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;I love reading those comments. I have all the screenshots of what everybody has said about me all season. What are you going to say now?&rdquo;

"This was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you,” Reese said.

LSU’s Angel Reese unapologetic over gestures to Iowa star Clark

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kim Mulkey returned home to Louisiana wanting to bring LSU its first basketball championship. The Hall of Fame coach did just that in only her second year at the school.
Her Tigers used a record offensive performance to beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 on Sunday and win the first basketball title, men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s, in school history.
&ldquo;I turn around and look at the Final Four banners (in the home arena), nowhere did it say national champion,&rdquo; Mulkey said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I came home to do.&rdquo;
The victory made Mulkey the first women&rsquo;s coach to win national titles at two different schools. She won three at Baylor before leaving for LSU two years ago.
&ldquo;Coaches coach a lifetime and this is the fourth time I&rsquo;ve been blessed,&rdquo; Mulkey said. &ldquo;Never in the history of LSU basketball, men or women, has (anybody) ever played for a championship.&rdquo;
The feisty and flamboyantly dressed Mulkey, who wore a sparkly, golden, tiger-striped outfit, now has the third-most national titles behind Geno Auriemma&rsquo;s 11 and Pat Summitt&rsquo;s eight. Mulkey has never lost in a championship game.
&ldquo;My tears are tears of joy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy for everybody back home in Louisiana.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LSU dropped 102 POINTS to win its first national title EVER 🐯🔥 <a href="https://t.co/H2ZPuGMj4p">pic.twitter.com/H2ZPuGMj4p</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1642649936503209985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Clark,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-caitlin-clark-player-of-year-ed943aa5f1e86a1bb04505497bd4c9b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Associated Press national player of the year</a>, couldn&rsquo;t lead the Hawkeyes to their first national title despite one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA Tournament history. The junior finished with 30 points. She scored 40 in the semifinals to&nbsp;knock out unbeaten South Carolina&nbsp;one game after she had the&nbsp;first 40-point triple-double&nbsp;in NCAA history in the Elite Eight.
The dazzling guard set the NCAA record for points in a tournament, passing the 177 that Sheryl Swoopes scored in 1993 en route to leading Texas Tech to the title. Clark ended her tournament with 191.
The 102 points broke the previous high for a championship game, surpassing the 97 that Texas scored against Southern California in 1986.
&ldquo;So much for preaching defense and rebounding,&rdquo; Mulkey said, laughing.
Taking in the game was first lady Jill Biden, who sat in a suite above the court with tennis great Billie Jean King. Mulkey said she hadn&rsquo;t met the first lady yet but told the AP that if the team was invited to the White House, she&rsquo;d go.
Jasmine Carson scored 22 points, Alexis Morris added 21 and Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (34-2).
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no one-man show around here. When I go down, the next man is up,&rdquo; said Reese, who was honored as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. &ldquo;Every single time, every time I go out or Alexis goes out, everybody always comes to step up.&rdquo;
Trailing by 21 points early in the third quarter, Iowa started hitting from the outside to go on a 15-2 run, hitting four 3-pointers and converting a 3-point play to get within 65-57.
The Hawkeyes (31-7) trailed 73-64 with 1:03 left in the third quarter when Clark was called for a technical foul. She swatted the ball away on the floor after a foul call against a teammate. That counted as a personal foul for her, her fourth of the game.
&ldquo;I thought they called it very, very tight,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;Hit with a technical foul for throwing the ball under the basket &mdash; sometimes that&rsquo;s how things go.&rdquo;
Clark played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls but couldn&rsquo;t get the Hawkeyes much closer.
&ldquo;They really played well, they were ready to go. They did a great job. I&rsquo;m just so proud of my team,&rdquo; Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. &ldquo;This is brutal, it&rsquo;s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and not be able to coach Monika (Czinano) and McKenna (Warnock) again. I&rsquo;m very thankful for the season we had and don&rsquo;t want to take anything away from that.&rdquo;
After Katari Poole hit a 3-pointer in front of the LSU bench, Mulkey started weeping.
&ldquo;With about 1:30 to go, I couldn&rsquo;t hold it. I got very emotional,&rdquo; Mulkey said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not like me, but I knew we would hold on and win this game. I don&rsquo;t what it was, but I lost it. Very emotional and tears of joy. Don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s the mere fact that we&rsquo;re doing it in my second year back home or that I am back home.&rdquo;
A few seconds later after another LSU basket, Reese taunted Clark by putting her hand in front of her face with a &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t see me&rdquo; gesture and then pointed to her ring finger.
As the final seconds ticked off, Mulkey and Reese hugged, setting off a wild celebration by the Tigers.
The game was tight for the first 15 minutes before Carson got hot from the outside. She made all six of her shots in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers. After one of them, she threw her hands in the air, which Mulkey mimicked on the sidelines.
For good measure, the graduate student banked in a shot just before the halftime buzzer to give the Tigers a 59-42 lead at the break. It was the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-march-madness-lsu-champion-game-iowa-scoring-record-3553732a3f7c830a61337c2f22789496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most points ever in the first half</a>&nbsp;of a championship game, breaking the record held by Tennessee since 1998.
Before Sunday, Carson had gone scoreless in five of her seven postseason games in her career. She had 11 points in this NCAA Tournament before the finale.
&ldquo;I would definitely say this is the game of my life because I won a national championship on the biggest stage possible in college,&rdquo; Carson said. &ldquo;When I woke up, I just wanted to win &mdash; do anything my team needed in this game, whether it was defense, rebounding, supporting them. I scored tonight and that&rsquo;s what pushed us and got us momentum.&rdquo;

Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers used a record offensive performance to beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 in the title game on Sunday.

LSU beats Iowa 102-85 to win first national championship

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; A bettor in December placed $500 on Florida Atlantic at 400-1 odds to make the Final Four, costing Westgate Las Vegas $200,000.
That was a clear win for one bettor, but who actually has come out on top between the sportsbooks and those on the other side of the counter during this most unusual NCAA Tournament is much more murky.
While Westgate absorbed a tough loss, Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas came out in decent shape even as upsets ruled the first two weeks of March Madness and set up a Final Four that begins Saturday with UConn at No. 4 as the highest seed.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still in really good shape on, especially, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic,&rdquo; said Chuck Esposito, Red Rock race and sportsbook director. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard that there there are some places that have some liability with Florida Atlantic, but we don&rsquo;t. We do still do well on UConn and Miami. Both those schools seem to be the the kind of two schools that are getting some future play. But, overall, we&rsquo;re pretty good shape with all four teams.&rdquo;
A UConn victory likely would be the best outcome for sportsbooks, and the Huskies have rolled through the NCAA Tournament, winning by an average of 22.5 points.
Their odds before the tournament at Westgate were 20-1 to win the championship. As for the rest of the field, Miami was at 50-1, San Diego State at 60-1 and FAU at 100-1.
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t look like a Final Four,&rdquo; said Jay Kornegay, Westgate vice president of race and sports operations. &ldquo;It looks like an NIT final.&rdquo;
Kornegay said he could see the FAU run to the Final Four coming, but there was little Westgate could to do mitigate the damage.
As for future NCAA Tournaments, Kornegay said discussions already are under way about lowering the odds for the long shots and increasing them for the favorites. It will be among many tweaks as more parity hits college basketball, in part because of the transfer portal.
&ldquo;Believe me, we&rsquo;re keeping an eye on it,&rdquo; Kornegay said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to make a knee-jerk, dramatic change. ... I do believe there are going to be more Cinderella stories than we&rsquo;ve seen in the past.&rdquo;
Esposito said even more work will go into breaking down rosters in the future, making special note of schools with veteran players.
&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;re going to continue to see the trend of numbers a lot tighter, a lot smaller,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;I do think David has more of a chance against Goliath than he ever has before.&rdquo;
Esposito and Kornegay said the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament and Final Four, which begins Friday, have drawn more betting interest than in past years, though still nowhere close to the level for the men. But both sportsbooks are offering more betting options for the women&rsquo;s Final Four to reflect the increased interest.
While the men&rsquo;s Final Four is a major surprise, the women&rsquo;s side includes undefeated South Carolina and Iowa star and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/iowas-caitlin-clark-wins-ap-player-of-the-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP Player of the Year Caitlin Clark</a>.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not leaps and bounds more,&rdquo; Kornegay said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen increases that are noticeable on the women&rsquo;s side.&rdquo;
The men have a near monopoly on betting during the regular season, though more women&rsquo;s games have been made available. Louisville coach Jeff Walz said he would like to see all women&rsquo;s games on the betting boards.
&ldquo;I just think for women&rsquo;s basketball there&rsquo;s more interest now for the casual fan,&rdquo; Walz said. &ldquo;Obviously, we can&rsquo;t bet on it or anything like that ... but if you&rsquo;re asking what can enhance our game, that little thing right there I think has already.&rdquo;

A UConn victory likely would be the best outcome for sportsbooks, who have had mixed results given all of the March Madness upsets.

Upset-rich March Madness causing mixed results at sportsbooks

Women&rsquo;s basketball seems to have found a winner with its new Sweet 16 format in March Madness and the timing couldn&rsquo;t be better with looming TV contract negotiations on the horizon.
There were record-setting attendance at the two sites &mdash; Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle &mdash; along with record numbers for TV ratings. It fueled the momentum heading into a star-packed Final Four lineup in Dallas.
NCAA selection committee chair Lisa Peterson expects the format success to help in upcoming contract negotiations. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.
&ldquo;It has to,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to seeing those conversations. It only can be good for the game. People are talking about it.&rdquo;
TV ratings for games on Friday and Saturday averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year. Saturday afternoon&rsquo;s Ohio State and UConn matchup on ABC was the most watched women&rsquo;s Sweet 16 game on record with an average of 2.4 million.
Ratings were also up for the games Sunday and Monday on ESPN &mdash; up 43% gain and averaged 2.2 million. Sunday night&rsquo;s Iowa-Louisville contest which featured dynamic guard Caitlin Clark led the way at 2.5 million, making it the most watched Elite Eight game on record.
Tag Garson, Wasserman&rsquo;s senior vice president of properties, said this year&rsquo;s ratings will be one of many pieces that factor into what path the NCAA will take.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re looking at how ratings are performing as you&rsquo;re preparing for a negotiation you don&rsquo;t just look at one year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re looking at the historical value while projecting out the future value.&rdquo;
The NCAA is expected to decide by this fall whether to separate the women&rsquo;s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports.
Peterson and her group will have a lot to review.
Arenas in Greenville and Seattle were mostly full which created an entertaining atmosphere. While attendance was expected to be high in Greenville with the undefeated Gamecocks there. the closest team to Seattle was Colorado &mdash; 1,300 miles away.
The distance didn&rsquo;t stop fans from flocking to Seattle, with strong support from basketball fans around the city thanks in part to the success of the WNBA&rsquo;s Storm over the last two decades. In the end, the Seattle region outdrew its South Carolina counterpart by a few thousand. Overall 82,275 fans took in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, including 43,556 in Seattle.
&ldquo;It really was a great atmosphere to play in. You love to play in these kind of atmospheres with this kind of crowd and play in a great building like this,&rdquo; said UConn coach Geno Auriemma whose team played in Seattle.
The NCAA also hopes the success leads to more cities bidding to host the regional games and eventually the Final Four.
&ldquo;The number of cities that had bid (in the past), we didn&rsquo;t have that many more options,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;With the success we&rsquo;ve had hopefully it opens up new doors so we don&rsquo;t keep going to the same cities.&rdquo;
The local organizing committee in Seattle said that they expected the tournament to generate more than $8.3 million to the city.
&ldquo;When we host events like this there&rsquo;s no playbook to say it&rsquo;s a guaranteed success,&rdquo; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell told The Associated Press. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know how the fans are going to come out, but what has been proven time and time again, particularly around women&rsquo;s sports is that they come from all over the state even come from Canada. ... The revenue is incredible for our tax base.&rdquo;
Harrell threw Seattle&rsquo;s hat in the ring for a future women&rsquo;s Final Four, saying he would love it if his city got that opportunity.
One of the next steps the NCAA is planning for upcoming two regional sites is to turn them into &ldquo;mini Final Fours.&rdquo;
Many fans seemed to enjoy the new format going to more than just their team&rsquo;s games. Dave Lichliter, who is from Pennsylvania, went to games both Friday and Saturday and enjoyed the expanded field.
&ldquo;You get to see more teams,&rdquo; said Lichliter, who was wearing an LSU championship football shirt from 2019. &ldquo;Next year is Albany (New York) and Portland (Oregon), so we&rsquo;ll see how that goes.&rdquo;
So will the NCAA.
The two-city format will be in place at least another three years. The next bid cycle starts in July where regional hosting will be decided from 2027-31.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re doing this for three years. It&rsquo;s not a permanent deal,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;As always we&rsquo;ll evaluate it. If we feel it doesn&rsquo;t work, we&rsquo;ll see what we need to do to change it. Whether it&rsquo;s changing formats, or if that&rsquo;s adding a day, Whatever that looks like, we&rsquo;ll keep looking at it.&rdquo;
There were a few logistical bumps with the two sites.
With eight schools at one venue required some adjustments by teams and arena staffs. Practice time on the court was cut from 90 minutes to 60 to allow all eight time on the court. It also required a little more coordination when it came to the locker rooms with teams having to double up.
But none of it seem to bother the players. Some said it felt like an AAU tournament from their younger days with so many teams in the same place.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s fun. I think it&rsquo;s cool,&rdquo; said Clark, before he Hawkeyes guard added: &ldquo;Obviously we&rsquo;re not going to be coming to all the games, that&rsquo;s just not really how it works, but I think I like the two regional sites.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writers Tim Booth in Seattle, Pete Iacobelli in Greenville, South Carolina and Joe Reedy contributed to this story.

There were record-setting attendance at the two sites — Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle — along with record numbers for TV.

Women making case in tourney for own March Madness TV deal

SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark put on a show with 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help No. 2 seed Iowa beat fifth-seeded Louisville 97-83 on Sunday and send the Hawkeyes to their first women&rsquo;s Final Four in 30 years.
The unanimous first-team All-American was as dominant as she&rsquo;s been all season in getting the Hawkeyes to Dallas for the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament national semifinals on Friday night. The Seattle 4 Region champion will face the winner of the Greenville 1 region that has South Carolina playing Maryland on Monday night.
&ldquo;I thought our team played really well. That&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about. I was going to give it every single thing I had,&rdquo; said Clark, who was the region&rsquo;s most outstanding player. &ldquo;When I came here I said I wanted to take this program to the Final Four, and all you&rsquo;ve got to do is dream. And all you&rsquo;ve got to do is believe and work your butt off to get there. That&rsquo;s what I did, and that&rsquo;s what our girls did and that&rsquo;s what our coaches did and we&rsquo;re going to Dallas, baby.&rdquo;
Iowa (30-6) hadn&rsquo;t been to the Final Four since Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer led the team to its lone appearance in 1993. Before Sunday, the team had only been to one other Elite Eight &mdash; in 2019 &mdash; since the Final Four team.
Clark had the 11th triple-double of her career and the 19th in NCAA Tournament history. She had the first 30- and 40-point triple-double in March Madness history.
&ldquo;We might not be the most athletic, we might not be the fastest, we might not be the best defenders, but we play for one another. That&rsquo;s going to take you really far,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about. Our circle is tight and more than anything we&rsquo;re each others best friends. That will carry you a long way.&rdquo;
Trailing by five at the half, Louisville cut its deficit to 48-47 before Clark and the Hawkeyes scored the next 11 points as part of a 17-6 run to blow the game open. That brought most of the pro-Iowa crowd of nearly 12,000 fans to their feet.
Louisville was down 22 with just under 6 minutes left before going on a 13-1 run to get within 86-76 with 2:10 left. The Cardinals could get no closer.
Clark left the game with 22.7 seconds left and hugged coach Lisa Bluder.
After the game, Clark paraded around the court holding the regional trophy high above her head, delighting the thousands of fans who stuck around to celebrate their Hawkeyes.
Hailey Van Lith scored 27 points and Olivia Cochran had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead Louisville (26-12).
Clark hit eight of the Hawkeyes&rsquo; season-high 16 3-pointers, including a few from just past the March Madness logo. It was a school record for the Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament, blowing past the previous mark of 13 against Gonzaga in 2011.
Louisville scored the first eight points of the game, forcing Iowa to call timeout. Then Clark got going. The 6-foot junior scored the first seven points for the Hawkeyes and finished the opening quarter with 15 points. When she wasn&rsquo;t scoring, she found open teammates with precision passes.
She also had four assists in the first 10 minutes, accounting for every one of Iowa&rsquo;s points as the Hawkeyes led 25-21.
Clark continued her mastery in the second quarter, hitting shots from all over the court, including a few of her famous long-distance 3s from near the logo.
Louisville was able to stay in the game, thanks to Van Lith. After scoring the first six points of the game, she went quiet before getting going late in the second quarter. She had 11 points in the second quarter as the Cardinals found themselves down 48-43 at the break.
Clark had 22 points and eight assists in the opening 20 minutes en route to the fourth-highest scoring total all-time in a NCAA regional.
1,000-POINT CLUB
Clark has 984 points this season and is looking to join form Hawkeye Megan Gustafson with 1,000 points in a single year. Four other players have done it, including Villanova&rsquo;s Maddy Siegrist, who accomplished the feat this season. Kelsey Plum, Jackie Stiles and Odyssey Sims were the others to do it.
HOMETOWN HERO
Van Lith once again played well in her home state. The small-town standout from 130 miles away from Seattle grew into being one of the best prep players in the country, the all-time state high school leader in scoring and now a star for the Cardinals.
Hundreds of fans from her hometown of Cashmere, which has a population of 3,200, took in the game, cheering the Louisville star on.

Caitlin Clark put on a show with 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help No. 2 seed Iowa beat fifth-seeded Louisville 97-83.

Caitlin Clark leads Iowa to first Final Four since 1993

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell converted a go-ahead free throw after he was fouled on a floater with 1.2 seconds left, and San Diego State muscled its way into its first Final Four, grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament&rsquo;s South Region final.
Lamont Butler scored 18 points and Trammell had 12 for the fifth-seeded Aztecs (31-6), who slowed down the high-scoring, sixth-seeded Bluejays (24-13) and became the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the national semifinals.
The experienced Aztecs, in their sixth season under coach Brian Dutcher, will play the surprising East Region champion, ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, on Saturday in Houston for a spot in the national title game.
With the game tied at 56-all on San Diego State&rsquo;s final possession, Trammell drove toward the free-throw line, elevated for the shot and was fouled by Creighton&rsquo;s Ryan Nembhard. Trammell missed the first free throw but converted the second.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been dreaming this my whole life, grateful to be here and thankful to everyone who believed in me,&rdquo; Trammell said.
Creighton&rsquo;s Baylor Scheierman threw the ensuing inbound pass the length of the floor. San Diego State&rsquo;s Aguek Arop and Creighton&rsquo;s Arthur Kaluma both jumped for it and the ball deflected out of bounds. Officials reviewed the play and determined that time had expired, and the celebration was on for the Aztecs.
&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t given an explanation other than there was no time on the clock,&rdquo; Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. &ldquo;They made no call on the floor but officiating is part of the game and we&rsquo;re not gonna go there.&rdquo;
Scheierman had tied the game at 56-all when he stole an inbounds pass and converted a layup with 34 seconds remaining.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points and Scheierman and Kaluma had 12 apiece for the Bluejays, who went 2 of 17 from 3-point range.
The Aztecs, who got this far thanks to defense and physical play, held the Bluejays to 23 second-half points on 28% shooting as they won for the 14th time in 15 games. Creighton shot 40% overall.
San Diego State shot 38% but got clutch baskets from Nathan Mensah, whose jumper gave the Aztecs a 56-54 lead with 1:37 left, and Arop, who made two straight shots for a 54-50 advantage with 3:03 remaining.
Creighton, which beat San Diego State in overtime in the first round of last year&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament, fell just short of joining Big East rival UConn in the Final Four.
The teams didn&rsquo;t appear to share any hard feelings from last year&rsquo;s meeting. They shared a round-trip flight to Hawaii last fall for the Maui Invitational, and there were no dustups during a tight, physical game in which no team led by more than eight points.
DIVIDED LOYALTIES
Kaluma played against his brother, San Diego State&rsquo;s Adam Seiko. Their parents sat a few rows up at midcourt, sitting quietly before joining Seiko to celebrate.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton&rsquo;s offense started well enough as the Bluejays built a 33-28 halftime lead and extended their advantage to seven in the second half. But Creighton didn&rsquo;t make a single 3-pointer after halftime.
San Diego State proved again that defense matters, especially since the Aztecs also scuffled for points. Their experience as depth showed as Mensah and Arop, who averaged just 6.1 and 4.5 points per game respectively, converted the last three baskets.

With a clutch Darrion Trammell free throw with 1.2 seconds left to go, the Aztecs ended up grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton.

San Diego State muscles past Creighton, makes first Final Four

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) &mdash; San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher has insisted throughout the NCAA Tournament that if his team plays to its strengths, it doesn&rsquo;t matter what the opposition does.
The Aztecs certainly played the way they wanted to against the top overall seed in March Madness.
Darrion Trammell and San Diego State used a dominant defensive performance to knock Alabama out of the tournament, bottling up All-America freshman Brandon Miller in a 71-64 victory in the Sweet 16.
Trammell scored 21 points while Miller, whose outstanding season was marred by off-the-court complications, was held to nine points on 3-of-19 shooting and had six turnovers.
The fifth-seeded Aztecs (30-6) will face sixth-seeded Creighton on Sunday in the South Region final. Each program is seeking its first Final Four appearance.
Roughly 30 minutes after Alabama fell, the tournament&rsquo;s final remaining No. 1 seed, Houston, lost 89-75 to Miami, leaving March Madness without a single top seed among its final eight teams for the first time since seeding began in 1979. The other top seeds, Purdue and Kansas, lost during the tournament&rsquo;s opening weekend.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just parity,&rdquo; Dutcher said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what it is. There&rsquo;s not a lot of difference between the best team in the country and the worst team in the country. You&rsquo;re seeing that on this stage.&rdquo;
San Diego State trailed 48-39 midway through the second half before going on a 12-0 run and controlling the game from there. The Aztecs finished with eight blocked shots &mdash; five by Nathan Mensah &mdash; and forced 14 turnovers.
Trammell scored the first eight points of SDSU&rsquo;s big run. He made a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Miller and converted a layup, and then buried another 3.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to go on our run,&rdquo; Trammell said, &ldquo;and I just took the opportunities they gave me. I took my shot, and I just made a play on defense. From there, our team was in it. That&rsquo;s when the momentum changed.&rdquo;
So did the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season.
The March Madness run of Alabama (31-6) was clouded by its response to the Jan. 15 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Tuscaloosa, which led to capital murder charges against a then-Crimson Tide player, Darius Miles.
Miller was at the scene of the shooting and has not been charged, but police have said in court documents that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun. Authorities have said Miller is a cooperating witness, and he did not miss any playing time. Miller received armed security protection during the tournament.
Mark Sears had 16 points and Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako scored 10 each for Alabama, which shot 32% overall and a miserable 3 of 27 (11.1%) from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide fell short of the second Elite Eight berth in school history.
&ldquo;We came to this game prepared as much as we could possibly,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I think our shot-making could have been better. Our shot choices could have been better, but it&rsquo;s just that San Diego&rsquo;s a good group of guys. They&rsquo;re vets, so they have a lot of experience. I feel like they came out and played hard.&rdquo;
San Diego State&rsquo;s players knew they had to impose their will on Alabama&rsquo;s deep and gifted roster.
&ldquo;Alabama&rsquo;s a great team. They have a lot of talented players and individuals,&rdquo; Trammell said. &ldquo;We knew it was going to be hard. It was a dogfight. Very physical.&rdquo;
Sears&rsquo; layup got Alabama within 66-64 with 46 seconds remaining, but Matt Bradley made two free throws and Micah Parrish followed by making three of four attempts, including two with 17 seconds left.
After the final buzzer sounded, Aztecs players and coaches rushed the court and hugged each other in a joyous celebration.
Jaedon LeDee finished with 12 points for the Aztecs.
San Diego State shot just 38% overall and was outrebounded 52-48, but made clutch shots to rally when Alabama seemed in control behind a faster pace after halftime. A technical foul on Dutcher also seemed to spark his seasoned team, which maintained its physical play and thwarted every attempt by the Tide to rally.
BLOCK PARTY
Mensah and Johnson had emphatic rejections with San Diego State ahead 53-50.
Both blocks came on layup attempts by Quinerly. Mensah swatted the first and Johnson rejected a subsequent attempt seconds later. Trammell followed with a step-back jumper for a five-point cushion.
BIG PICTURE
San Diego State: The Aztecs never seemed fazed by Alabama or Miller. More impressive was their resilience when the game seemed to be slipping away.
Alabama: Other than the second-half run that put them ahead briefly, the Crimson Tide seemed out of sorts in multiple ways. The team&rsquo;s reliance on 3-pointers showed its desperation.

Darrion Trammell and San Diego State used a dominant defensive performance to knock Alabama out of the tournament, 71-64.

San Diego State ousts top seed Alabama from March Madness

SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark felt it was all happening a little too quick and on the stage of playing in a regional semifinal, Iowa&rsquo;s star needed to slow down for a change.
&ldquo;I felt like I was playing a little frantic. I felt like I was rushed on offense,&rdquo; Clark said.
In this case, slowing down led to a big second half from Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Clark scored 31 points, 18 coming in the second half, and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons and reached the Elite Eight of the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament with an 87-77 win over Colorado in the Seattle 4 Regional semifinals on Friday night.
After two straight tournaments where Clark&rsquo;s season ended in the round of 16 and the round of 32, the Hawkeyes will play for a chance at just the second Final Four berth in school history on Sunday.
&ldquo;Anytime you get to play basketball for this long, it&rsquo;s really special. None of us want this to end,&rdquo; Iowa&rsquo;s Monika Czinano said.
Clark was the catalyst for Iowa&rsquo;s big second half, and the first-team All-American finished 11 of 22 shooting with four 3-pointers and eight assists. It was her 11th game this season scoring at least 30 points.
But she had plenty of help, especially after Clark sat a chunk of the first half after picking up two fouls.
Czinano added 15 points, including a key basket in the paint with 1:10 remaining. Kate Martin scored 16 and McKenna Warnock scored 10. Iowa shot 54% for the game and 59% in the second half.
&ldquo;We shot the ball very well tonight and I&rsquo;m proud of that because of Colorado&rsquo;s defense,&rdquo; Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. &ldquo;We scored more points than anybody has all year against their defense. Their defense is very good, but we were still able to shoot over 50% from the field. But you do that when you&rsquo;re having the balance of four people in double figures.&rdquo;
Iowa (29-6) will face No. 5 seed Louisville in the regional final on Sunday. It&rsquo;s the fifth Elite Eight appearance for the Hawkeyes, but their only Final Four appearance came in 1993.
Frida Formann led Colorado (25-9) with 21 points, but 19 of those came in the first half when her shooting carried the Buffaloes. But Formann was shut down in the second half and fouled out with 6:37 remaining.
&ldquo;I had a lot of space in the first half and my teammates were just finding me. When it&rsquo;s this stage my job is to shoot the ball so that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m gonna do,&rdquo; Formann said. &ldquo;And then they adjusted defensively and we&rsquo;re a little tighter.&rdquo;
Colorado pulled within 76-70 on Quay Miller&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:16 remaining and the deficit was down to 78-74 after Jaylyn Sherrod&rsquo;s steal and layup with 1:40 left. But that was the last push by the Buffaloes as Czinano scored in the paint and Iowa made seven free throws in the final minute.
Aaronette Vonleh added 13 points and Miller had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Buffs.
&ldquo;To be down twice by double digits against Iowa and to be able to fight back and continue to never wilt, never hang our heads and just keep playing, stay the course was awesome,&rdquo; Colorado coach JR Payne said.
DECISIVE RUN
Colorado lingered far longer than expected, but it was Iowa&rsquo;s run in the early stages of the third quarter and keyed by Clark that finally gave the Hawkeyes some cushion.
Clark started a string of 11 straight points for the Hawkeyes with a driving basket, added a 3-pointer off a loose ball and followed by a steal and layup that gave Iowa a 54-42 lead and forced Payne to burn two timeouts in 2 minutes.
Iowa eventually pushed the lead to 62-47 and Colorado could never catch up over the final 15 minutes leaving Clark and her team celebrating before the large Iowa contingent of fans walking off the court.
&ldquo;I guess it was kind of our crowd. It felt like there was a lot of Hawk fans out there. I don&rsquo;t know if they&rsquo;ve traveled from the state of Iowa, from the Midwest and if they did, we really appreciate that. And if you&rsquo;re from out here, we appreciate you coming too,&rdquo; Clark said.&nbsp;

Caitlin Clark scored 31 points, 18 coming in the second half, and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons.