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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719936474572.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure><div>Big 12 Conference
 
<div>LAS VEGAS - Today, the Big 12 Conference announced the formation of the first-ever&nbsp;Big 12 Alumni&nbsp;Council. &nbsp; Membership of the Big 12 Alumni Council includes: &nbsp;<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="330" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Arizona</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Richard Jefferson</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Arizona</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Jennie Finch</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Arizona State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Lawrence Guy</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Arizona State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Briann January</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Baylor</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Whitney Canion</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Baylor</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Robert Griffin III</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">BYU</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Steve Young</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">BYU</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Ashley Hatch</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">UCF</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Tacko Fall</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">UCF</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Shaquem Griffin</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Cincinnati</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Jordan Thompson</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Cincinnati</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kevin Youkilis</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Colorado</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Joel Klatt</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Colorado</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Shelley Sheetz</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Houston</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Andre Ware</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Houston</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Natara Holloway Branch</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Iowa State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Ashley Joens</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Iowa State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Georges Niang</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kansas</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Wayne Simien</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kansas</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Lynette Woodard</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kansas State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kindred Wesemann Orpin</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Kansas State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Tyler Lockett</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Oklahoma State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Tiffany Bias Patmon</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Oklahoma State</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Brandon Weeden</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">TCU</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Marshall Newhouse</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">TCU</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Zahna Medley Kindred</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Texas Tech</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Cody Campbell</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Texas Tech</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Carolyn Thompson</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Utah</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Stevenson Sylvester</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Utah</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Charmelle Green</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">West Virginia</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Georgeann Wells</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td style="text-align: center;">West Virginia</td>
 <td style="text-align: center;">Mike Gansey</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
 </table>
 <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thrilled to serve on the first-ever Big 12 Alumni Council,&rdquo; said former BYU QB and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Steve Young. &ldquo;This is an incredibly exciting time for the Big 12, and I look forward to being a resource for Commissioner Yormark and his team as the Conference continues to thrive.&rdquo; &nbsp; &ldquo;The Big 12 Conference is home to thousands of student-athlete alumni who have had great success on and off the field following their time on campus,&rdquo; said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark. &ldquo;As we enter into a new chapter as a 16-team league, the insights and perspectives of the Big 12 Alumni Council will be an incredible resource.&rdquo; &nbsp; The Big 12 Alumni Council is comprised of 32 former student-athletes from men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s programs across each Big 12 institution. The Council was created to leverage the experience and expertise of some of the Big 12&rsquo;s most notable student-athlete alumni as the Conference enters a new era. These alumni will provide guidance and insights surrounding a variety of topics, including brand building, athlete relations, storytelling, digital content and much more. &nbsp; In turn, each Council member will receive a variety of resources and amenities, including networking access to the Big 12&rsquo;s Business Advisory Board for professional networking, league support of council member&rsquo;s community initiatives, media opportunities on behalf of the league and VIP access to all Big 12 Championships and Conference events. &nbsp; The Council will be overseen by Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark and VP of Communications &amp; Strategy Clark Williams. The Council will kick off in August 2024, as the Big 12 officially becomes a 16-team league.
</div>
<div> </div></div>

Big 12 Conference launches first-ever Big 12 Alumni Council

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) —&nbsp;Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation’s top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history.

“We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons,” Yormark said at the start of league’s football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas.

While the league’s past national champions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-oklahoma-sooners-longhorns-conference-switch-c2f140827278050264ed84090ffa0dad">Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference</a>, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time.

“On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. “We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sec-ncaa-big-ten-552cc155785b625f79bec3c82858fdbf">The SEC and Big Ten</a>, the wealthiest and most powerful conferences, have worked together and at one point this year had proposed multiple automatic bids for their conferences in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-playoff-cfp-2d6f873ce07bb8b51660354f5bcff5f1">College Football Playoff</a>, which expands from four to 12 teams this season.

Yormark, going into his third year as the Big 12 commissioner after years in the entertainment industry, including a stint as CEO of Roc Nation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-college-football-playoff-6a9a6f6cc5e3d5c05bce8521df2800d0">his only thought each day is making the Big 12 the best version of itself</a>. The Big 12 in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-spring-meetings-revenue-brett-yormark-1d929732c119ae45b3d44aedf569ef2d">extended its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports</a>&nbsp;through the 2030-31 school year, a move that came with two years left on the old deal and created stability and clarity for the league.

“Everything else doesn’t really matter. And if we take care of business, we’re going to be just fine,” he said. “Not only have we had a great 24 months, but we continue to get better.”

The Big 12 last month announced that the 14 schools that participated in the 2023-24 academic year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-yormark-8377933859bebda1ccef42d3b30186bb">shared a record $470 million of revenue distribution</a>, an increase of about $30 million from the previous year. Without giving specific numbers, Yormark said the Big 12’s sponsorship business grew 79% in the first year after that was streamlined to be handled directly by the conference instead of outside parties and that ticket sales grew 23% across the league.

Yormark said the league’s top priority as a business is growth and creating value for its schools.

“As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,: he said. ”We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive.”

That settlement is the agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9a01e3058fee79cbd69bfce7d861e3c9">pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims</a>. That decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes, expected to be more than $20 million per school per year, as soon as the 2025 fall semester.

“We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset,” Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history.”

The commissioner said the settlement provides a very “crystal clear future and path forward” for college athletics and the Big 12.

“I often refer to our league as a mature startup,” Yormark said. “This means our brand can be younger, more progressive, and innovative compared to some of our peers.”

Yormark said the league is exploring all options, including Big 12 naming rights and private equity. But he didn’t want to get into a conversation about private equity, then later said nothing is imminent on naming rights.

When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit’s top racing series.

“Do I believe in naming rights? I do. I’ve done quite a few in my career,” Yormark said. “I see the value, if they’re the right naming rights, and it’s the right partner. So we’re going to explore it and we’ll see where we land.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720617551083.png" alt="Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)" />
 <figcaption>Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) —&nbsp;Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation’s top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history.“We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons,” Yormark said at the start of league’s football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas.While the league’s past national champions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-oklahoma-sooners-longhorns-conference-switch-c2f140827278050264ed84090ffa0dad">Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference</a>, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time.“On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. “We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sec-ncaa-big-ten-552cc155785b625f79bec3c82858fdbf">The SEC and Big Ten</a>, the wealthiest and most powerful conferences, have worked together and at one point this year had proposed multiple automatic bids for their conferences in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-playoff-cfp-2d6f873ce07bb8b51660354f5bcff5f1">College Football Playoff</a>, which expands from four to 12 teams this season.Yormark, going into his third year as the Big 12 commissioner after years in the entertainment industry, including a stint as CEO of Roc Nation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-college-football-playoff-6a9a6f6cc5e3d5c05bce8521df2800d0">his only thought each day is making the Big 12 the best version of itself</a>. The Big 12 in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-spring-meetings-revenue-brett-yormark-1d929732c119ae45b3d44aedf569ef2d">extended its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports</a>&nbsp;through the 2030-31 school year, a move that came with two years left on the old deal and created stability and clarity for the league.“Everything else doesn’t really matter. And if we take care of business, we’re going to be just fine,” he said. “Not only have we had a great 24 months, but we continue to get better.”The Big 12 last month announced that the 14 schools that participated in the 2023-24 academic year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-12-yormark-8377933859bebda1ccef42d3b30186bb">shared a record $470 million of revenue distribution</a>, an increase of about $30 million from the previous year. Without giving specific numbers, Yormark said the Big 12’s sponsorship business grew 79% in the first year after that was streamlined to be handled directly by the conference instead of outside parties and that ticket sales grew 23% across the league.Yormark said the league’s top priority as a business is growth and creating value for its schools.“As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,: he said. ”We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive.”That settlement is the agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9a01e3058fee79cbd69bfce7d861e3c9">pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims</a>. That decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes, expected to be more than $20 million per school per year, as soon as the 2025 fall semester.“We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset,” Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history.”The commissioner said the settlement provides a very “crystal clear future and path forward” for college athletics and the Big 12.“I often refer to our league as a mature startup,” Yormark said. “This means our brand can be younger, more progressive, and innovative compared to some of our peers.”Yormark said the league is exploring all options, including Big 12 naming rights and private equity. But he didn’t want to get into a conversation about private equity, then later said nothing is imminent on naming rights.When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit’s top racing series.“Do I believe in naming rights? I do. I’ve done quite a few in my career,” Yormark said. “I see the value, if they’re the right naming rights, and it’s the right partner. So we’re going to explore it and we’ll see where we land.”

🏈 Commissioner Brett Yormark says Big 12 has solidified itself as one of nation’s top 3 conferences

Messi's 109th goal leads defending champion Argentina over Canada 2-0 and into Copa America final

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his 109th international goal and first of the tournament, leading defending champion Argentina over Canada 2-0 and into the Copa America final. Julián Álvarez put the Albiceleste ahead in the 22nd minute and Messi redirected Enzo Fernández's shot in off the face of goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau in the 51st. Messi has 28 goals in his last 25 matches for Argentina and 14 in Copa America play. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo with 130 has more international goals than Messi. Argentina plays Uruguay or Colombia for the title on Sunday at Miami Gardens, Florida.

Spain beats France 2-1 to reach Euro 2024 final. Yamal sets the mark as youngest-ever scorer

MUNICH (AP) — Spain has reached the European Championship final with a 2-1 victory over France with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest-ever scorer in the history of the tournament. France took an early lead when Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappé, who played without a mask, before Yamal's moment of brilliance in the 21st minute. Dani Olmo scored what was to prove the winner four minutes later. Spain, which is chasing a record fourth European Championship title, will play England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday in Berlin.

Ray's shortstop Wander Franco formally charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The prosecutors decided to press charges four days after the initial deadline expired on July 5, six months after a judge ordered that Franco be investigated in connection with sexual and psychological abuse of the minor. The attorney general's office spokesperson Nairobi Viloria confirmed to The Associated Press that the prosecutors presented before a judge the final and formal accusation, but she declined to provide further details.

Daniil Medvedev beats Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon and faces defending champ Carlos Alcaraz next

LONDON (AP) — Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has been beaten in the Wimbledon quarterfinals by Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Medvedev's victory Tuesday moved him into a semifinal against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. They also met in the final four at the All England Club last year, and Alcaraz won that one. Alcaraz advanced Tuesday by eliminating Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Sinner was treated by a trainer in the third set against Medvedev. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with the 22-year-old from Italy. Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open.

Russia's war threatens Ukraine's Olympic future, not just the present. A young gymnast offers hope

CHORNOMORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's war on Ukraine is demolishing the seeds of a sports culture that was a European powerhouse. It takes a decade and a national infrastructure of training facilities, feeder schools, equipment, and coaches to nurture an Olympic champion, and a process that begins in early childhood ends up winnowing out most contenders long before they reach the Games. More than 500 sports facilities were damaged or occupied by Moscow's troops, depriving young athletes of a place to train. Practices are frequently interrupted by air raid alarms that can last hours. Some children who left early in the war haven't returned. And the war means some children may never even begin to discover their potential.

Lionel Messi says he will keep on playing for Argentina beyond Copa America final

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi plans to keep playing for Argentina beyond Sunday's Copa America final. Speaking after Canada's 2-0 win over Canada, Messi says: "I intend to continue" and adds "I intend to keep living day by day without thinking about what will come in the future or whether I'll continue or not. It's something I just live each day. I'm 37 years and only God knows when the end will be." Messi scored his 109th international goal, his first in this year's tournament. It was his 14th in Copa America play, three shy of the record.

John Force moved to California rehab center. Celebrates daughter's birthday with ice cream

John Force is moving to a rehabilitation center closer to his home in California and the NHRA great was able to celebrate by leaving his Virginia hospital room to take his daughter for ice cream on her birthday. Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300-mph crash at the Virginia Nationals last month. The 75-year-old was first in neurological intensive care and then moved into acute neuro care at the Virginia hospital. Among his other injuries is a fractured sternum. Force's car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line and his dragster slammed driver-side into the left concrete guard wall and then careened back into the right wall.

Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in race for Rookie of the Year, according to panel of AP voters

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in the race for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors at the midpoint of the season, according to a national panel of voters who also rank the AP Power Poll each week. The duo have garnered national headlines with record-setting rookie seasons so it's no surprise that they're the leading candidates for the award. Clark is leading the WNBA in points accounted for (points plus points off assists) with 713 according to ESPN. Reese set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13 and leads the league in rebounding with 11.9 a game. The panel also unanimously voted Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson as the Player of the Year at the halfway point and Cheryl Reeves as Coach of the Year.

Klay Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Mavs after leaving the Warriors

DALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Dallas Mavericks after leaving his longtime NBA home in Golden State. Thompson is joining young superstar Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving after they led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Dallas lost to Boston in five games. Thompson is a four-time champion after spending his first 13 seasons with the Warriors. The Mavs appeared to need a more dangerous third scoring option even as they advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning the franchise's only title in 2011.

Even after ditching the mask, Mbappé's Euro 2024 comes to a disappointing end with loss to Spain

MUNICH (AP) — Even without the mask Kylian Mbappé was outclassed by a 16-year-old wonderkid at Euro 2024. Mbappé ditched the vision-restricting mask that he had been wearing since breaking his nose in France's opening match but Les Bleus fell to a 2-1 loss to Spain in the semifinals as Lamine Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship. Yamal is heading to the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, the day after his 17th birthday, while Mbappé will be on holiday before joining new team Real Madrid. The France superstar should have scored and sent the match into extra time but blasted a great chance over the bar with four minutes remaining.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

		Kansas City	at	St. Louis	1:45 p.m.	(Postponed)

		Minnesota	at	Chi White Sox	5:55 p.m.	(Postponed)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, July 10th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, July 10th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for July 10th, 2024:<div><iframe title="AP Sports in a Minute for July 10th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=5wvi5-1664535-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Messi's 109th goal leads defending champion Argentina over Canada 2-0 and into Copa America finalEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his 109th international goal and first of the tournament, leading defending champion Argentina over Canada 2-0 and into the Copa America final. Julián Álvarez put the Albiceleste ahead in the 22nd minute and Messi redirected Enzo Fernández's shot in off the face of goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau in the 51st. Messi has 28 goals in his last 25 matches for Argentina and 14 in Copa America play. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo with 130 has more international goals than Messi. Argentina plays Uruguay or Colombia for the title on Sunday at Miami Gardens, Florida.Spain beats France 2-1 to reach Euro 2024 final. Yamal sets the mark as youngest-ever scorerMUNICH (AP) — Spain has reached the European Championship final with a 2-1 victory over France with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest-ever scorer in the history of the tournament. France took an early lead when Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappé, who played without a mask, before Yamal's moment of brilliance in the 21st minute. Dani Olmo scored what was to prove the winner four minutes later. Spain, which is chasing a record fourth European Championship title, will play England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday in Berlin.Ray's shortstop Wander Franco formally charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girlSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The prosecutors decided to press charges four days after the initial deadline expired on July 5, six months after a judge ordered that Franco be investigated in connection with sexual and psychological abuse of the minor. The attorney general's office spokesperson Nairobi Viloria confirmed to The Associated Press that the prosecutors presented before a judge the final and formal accusation, but she declined to provide further details.Daniil Medvedev beats Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon and faces defending champ Carlos Alcaraz nextLONDON (AP) — Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has been beaten in the Wimbledon quarterfinals by Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Medvedev's victory Tuesday moved him into a semifinal against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. They also met in the final four at the All England Club last year, and Alcaraz won that one. Alcaraz advanced Tuesday by eliminating Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Sinner was treated by a trainer in the third set against Medvedev. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with the 22-year-old from Italy. Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open.Russia's war threatens Ukraine's Olympic future, not just the present. A young gymnast offers hopeCHORNOMORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russia's war on Ukraine is demolishing the seeds of a sports culture that was a European powerhouse. It takes a decade and a national infrastructure of training facilities, feeder schools, equipment, and coaches to nurture an Olympic champion, and a process that begins in early childhood ends up winnowing out most contenders long before they reach the Games. More than 500 sports facilities were damaged or occupied by Moscow's troops, depriving young athletes of a place to train. Practices are frequently interrupted by air raid alarms that can last hours. Some children who left early in the war haven't returned. And the war means some children may never even begin to discover their potential.Lionel Messi says he will keep on playing for Argentina beyond Copa America finalEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi plans to keep playing for Argentina beyond Sunday's Copa America final. Speaking after Canada's 2-0 win over Canada, Messi says: "I intend to continue" and adds "I intend to keep living day by day without thinking about what will come in the future or whether I'll continue or not. It's something I just live each day. I'm 37 years and only God knows when the end will be." Messi scored his 109th international goal, his first in this year's tournament. It was his 14th in Copa America play, three shy of the record.John Force moved to California rehab center. Celebrates daughter's birthday with ice creamJohn Force is moving to a rehabilitation center closer to his home in California and the NHRA great was able to celebrate by leaving his Virginia hospital room to take his daughter for ice cream on her birthday. Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300-mph crash at the Virginia Nationals last month. The 75-year-old was first in neurological intensive care and then moved into acute neuro care at the Virginia hospital. Among his other injuries is a fractured sternum. Force's car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line and his dragster slammed driver-side into the left concrete guard wall and then careened back into the right wall.Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in race for Rookie of the Year, according to panel of AP votersNEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in the race for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors at the midpoint of the season, according to a national panel of voters who also rank the AP Power Poll each week. The duo have garnered national headlines with record-setting rookie seasons so it's no surprise that they're the leading candidates for the award. Clark is leading the WNBA in points accounted for (points plus points off assists) with 713 according to ESPN. Reese set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13 and leads the league in rebounding with 11.9 a game. The panel also unanimously voted Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson as the Player of the Year at the halfway point and Cheryl Reeves as Coach of the Year.Klay Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Mavs after leaving the WarriorsDALLAS (AP) — Klay Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Dallas Mavericks after leaving his longtime NBA home in Golden State. Thompson is joining young superstar Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving after they led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Dallas lost to Boston in five games. Thompson is a four-time champion after spending his first 13 seasons with the Warriors. The Mavs appeared to need a more dangerous third scoring option even as they advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning the franchise's only title in 2011.Even after ditching the mask, Mbappé's Euro 2024 comes to a disappointing end with loss to SpainMUNICH (AP) — Even without the mask Kylian Mbappé was outclassed by a 16-year-old wonderkid at Euro 2024. Mbappé ditched the vision-restricting mask that he had been wearing since breaking his nose in France's opening match but Les Bleus fell to a 2-1 loss to Spain in the semifinals as Lamine Yamal became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship. Yamal is heading to the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, the day after his 17th birthday, while Mbappé will be on holiday before joining new team Real Madrid. The France superstar should have scored and sent the match into extra time but blasted a great chance over the bar with four minutes remaining.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUE		Kansas City	at	St. Louis	1:45 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Chicago Cubs	9	Baltimore	2	Final	Houston	4	Miami	3	Final	San Francisco	4	Toronto	3	Final	Seattle	8	San Diego	3	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Minnesota	at	Chi White Sox	5:55 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Tampa Bay	5	N.Y. Yankees	3	Final	Cleveland	9	Detroit	8	Final	Boston	12	Oakland	9	Final	Texas	5	L.A. Angels	4	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Philadelphia	10	L.A. Dodgers	1	Final	N.Y. Mets	7	Washington	5	Final	Cincinnati	12	Colorado	6	Final	Pittsburgh	12	Milwaukee	2	Final	Atlanta	6	Arizona	2	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Minnesota	82	Los Angeles	67	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Kansas City	at	St. Louis	1:45 p.m.			Chi Cubs	at	Baltimore	6:35 p.m.			Seattle	at	San Diego	6:40 p.m.			Kansas City	at	St. Louis	7:45 p.m.			Miami	at	Houston	8:10 p.m.			Toronto	at	San Francisco	9:45 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Minnesota	at	Chi White Sox	2:10 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Chi White Sox	5:55 p.m.			Cleveland	at	Detroit	6:40 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Tampa Bay	6:50 p.m.			Oakland	at	Boston	7:10 p.m.			Texas	at	L-A Angels	9:38 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		L-A Dodgers	at	Philadelphia	7:05 p.m.			Colorado	at	Cincinnati	7:10 p.m.			Washington	at	N-Y Mets	7:10 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	Milwaukee	8:10 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Arizona	9:40 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		New York	at	Connecticut	11 a.m.			Atlanta	at	Chicago	12 p.m.			Washington	at	Indiana	12 p.m.			Las Vegas	at	Seattle	3 p.m.			Dallas	at	Phoenix	3:30 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Wichita Wind Surge lost 7-6 in 10 innings against the Springfield Cardinals in the series opener at Hammons Field. While Wichita led 5-0 halfway through the third, they fell victim to four unanswered Cardinal runs after back-and-forth scoring and now stand 1-12 on the season against Springfield and 2-7 in extras.

On the game's third pitch,&nbsp;Luke Keaschall&nbsp;dinged a leadoff home run off the foul pole down the left field line for his third round-tripper with the Wind Surge and 10th total on the season. This year, Keaschall has slapped eight leadoff homers between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita.&nbsp;Tanner Schobel&nbsp;totaled RBI #33 on a single up the middle, while both he and&nbsp;Carson McCusker&nbsp;would trot home on wild pitches as the Wind Surge batted around in the top of the first for a 4-0 lead.

Andrew Cossetti&nbsp;worked a full count with two outs in the top of the third before pulling a single into the left field corner, allowing McCusker to score standing from first for the fifth straight Wichita run and Cossetti’s 23rd RBI of the season.

Springfield started to chip away at the Wind Surge lead in the bottom of the third after MLB rehabber Tommy Edman singled a ball to left field for his first hit in his first game played in 2024 to plate the first Cardinals run. Two more came home on an infield error that Jimmy Crooks sent to the right side two batters later; then Mike Antico flew out to&nbsp;Jeferson Morales&nbsp;to end the inning with a 5-3 score that remained in favor of Wichita.

Jake Rucker&nbsp;would hit a sacrifice fly to shallow left field in the top of the fourth, where&nbsp;Ben Ross&nbsp;slid home safely against a throw that bounced past the Cardinals catcher in Crooks. Bryan Torres beat out an infield single in the bottom half of the frame, where Nathan Church scored from third to keep Springfield hot on the heels of the Wind Surge in a two-run game at 6-4.

Donuts appeared on the scoreboard for the next inning and a half until Church left the yard for the seventh time this season, and second against Wichita, on a solo shot to right field to open the bottom of the sixth. Noah Mendlinger nearly went back-to-back, but he smacked a long foul ball just to the right of the foul pole before flying out to Ross for the inning’s first out. Springfield would tie the game 6-6 two-thirds of the way through the contest on an RBI base knock up the middle from Torres.

Keaschall grounded a single, his third hit of the night, up the middle to begin the top of the ninth. After advancing to second on a walk and third on a double play, Brandon Komar would strand the go-ahead run on a swinging strikeout.&nbsp;Miguel Rodriguez&nbsp;retired the Cardinals in order to push this series opener to extras in the Ozarks.

Kyler Fedko&nbsp;entered as the automatic runner on second in the top of the tenth. He advanced to third on a groundout, again as the go-ahead run. Although Cossetti saw nine pitches before holding back on a check swing to earn a walk and put runners on the corners, a fly out to center kept a runner 90 feet away from a new Wind Surge lead for the second straight inning.

Antico singled the other way to left to put runners on the corners in the bottom of the tenth. Jacob Buchberger followed with a game-winning sacrifice fly to center field for a 7-6 final score in Springfield.

Rodriguez drops to 1-6 on the season after being pinned with loss, giving up the winning run while surrendering a hit and striking out two in one and two-thirds innings of relief.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720599362099.jpeg" alt="Wind Surge drops 110 inning game to Springfield" />
 <figcaption>Wind Surge drops 110 inning game to Springfield</figcaption>
 </figure>SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Wichita Wind Surge lost 7-6 in 10 innings against the Springfield Cardinals in the series opener at Hammons Field. While Wichita led 5-0 halfway through the third, they fell victim to four unanswered Cardinal runs after back-and-forth scoring and now stand 1-12 on the season against Springfield and 2-7 in extras.On the game's third pitch,&nbsp;Luke Keaschall&nbsp;dinged a leadoff home run off the foul pole down the left field line for his third round-tripper with the Wind Surge and 10th total on the season. This year, Keaschall has slapped eight leadoff homers between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita.&nbsp;Tanner Schobel&nbsp;totaled RBI #33 on a single up the middle, while both he and&nbsp;Carson McCusker&nbsp;would trot home on wild pitches as the Wind Surge batted around in the top of the first for a 4-0 lead.Andrew Cossetti&nbsp;worked a full count with two outs in the top of the third before pulling a single into the left field corner, allowing McCusker to score standing from first for the fifth straight Wichita run and Cossetti’s 23rd RBI of the season.Springfield started to chip away at the Wind Surge lead in the bottom of the third after MLB rehabber Tommy Edman singled a ball to left field for his first hit in his first game played in 2024 to plate the first Cardinals run. Two more came home on an infield error that Jimmy Crooks sent to the right side two batters later; then Mike Antico flew out to&nbsp;Jeferson Morales&nbsp;to end the inning with a 5-3 score that remained in favor of Wichita.Jake Rucker&nbsp;would hit a sacrifice fly to shallow left field in the top of the fourth, where&nbsp;Ben Ross&nbsp;slid home safely against a throw that bounced past the Cardinals catcher in Crooks. Bryan Torres beat out an infield single in the bottom half of the frame, where Nathan Church scored from third to keep Springfield hot on the heels of the Wind Surge in a two-run game at 6-4.Donuts appeared on the scoreboard for the next inning and a half until Church left the yard for the seventh time this season, and second against Wichita, on a solo shot to right field to open the bottom of the sixth. Noah Mendlinger nearly went back-to-back, but he smacked a long foul ball just to the right of the foul pole before flying out to Ross for the inning’s first out. Springfield would tie the game 6-6 two-thirds of the way through the contest on an RBI base knock up the middle from Torres.Keaschall grounded a single, his third hit of the night, up the middle to begin the top of the ninth. After advancing to second on a walk and third on a double play, Brandon Komar would strand the go-ahead run on a swinging strikeout.&nbsp;Miguel Rodriguez&nbsp;retired the Cardinals in order to push this series opener to extras in the Ozarks.Kyler Fedko&nbsp;entered as the automatic runner on second in the top of the tenth. He advanced to third on a groundout, again as the go-ahead run. Although Cossetti saw nine pitches before holding back on a check swing to earn a walk and put runners on the corners, a fly out to center kept a runner 90 feet away from a new Wind Surge lead for the second straight inning.Antico singled the other way to left to put runners on the corners in the bottom of the tenth. Jacob Buchberger followed with a game-winning sacrifice fly to center field for a 7-6 final score in Springfield.Rodriguez drops to 1-6 on the season after being pinned with loss, giving up the winning run while surrendering a hit and striking out two in one and two-thirds innings of relief.

⚾ Wind Surge drop extra inning game to Springfield

AUGUSTA, Kan.-The Hutchinson Monarchs continued their winning ways Tuesday night with a 3-1 victory over the Kansas Cannons in Augusta.

Jaden Gustafson went two for four, scored two runs including his third home run of the season. Jarrett Flaggert added another RBI to help the Monarchs run their record to 19-7 on the season.

Ian Regal was impressive only giving up two hits over six innings pitched to get the win and improve his ERA to 1.51 on the season.

With the win, the Monarchs are now on top of the Jayhawk Summer League standings at 18-7. The Derby Twins and Kansas Cannons are each a game back in the second half of the season standings.

The Monarchs return home on Wednesday night vs the Newton Rebels. Hutch plays seven of their final nine games at home over the next eleven days.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720598268242.png" alt="Final vs Cannons July 9th&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Final vs Cannons July 9th&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>AUGUSTA, Kan.-The Hutchinson Monarchs continued their winning ways Tuesday night with a 3-1 victory over the Kansas Cannons in Augusta.Jaden Gustafson went two for four, scored two runs including his third home run of the season. Jarrett Flaggert added another RBI to help the Monarchs run their record to 19-7 on the season.Ian Regal was impressive only giving up two hits over six innings pitched to get the win and improve his ERA to 1.51 on the season.With the win, the Monarchs are now on top of the Jayhawk Summer League standings at 18-7. The Derby Twins and Kansas Cannons are each a game back in the second half of the season standings.The Monarchs return home on Wednesday night vs the Newton Rebels. Hutch plays seven of their final nine games at home over the next eleven days.

⚾ Monarchs edge Cannons in Augusta

WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23449&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Chris Klieman Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23450&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Chris Klieman Interview with ESPNU</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvhQO0YJPis" target="_blank">Avery Johnson Interview with ESPNU</a>

LAS VEGAS&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman’s press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson’s Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman’s press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kstatefb" target="_blank">X (formerly Twitter)</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatefb" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/kstatesports" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.

We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.

Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.

Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.

There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.

Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.

I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.

Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.

It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.

But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.

There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait until

But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.

Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister has played a lot.

And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.

But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.

Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league now?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.

I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get five

But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.

Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.

So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.

I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.

Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.

But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.

And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.

And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.

The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht will play a lot of football that's been around.

We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.

Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.

But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.

But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.

Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.

We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.

Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward. Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?

CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.

DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.

So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.

Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720572550247.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas State AthleticsWATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23449&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Chris Klieman Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=23450&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Chris Klieman Interview with ESPNU</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;WATCH:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvhQO0YJPis" target="_blank">Avery Johnson Interview with ESPNU</a>LAS VEGAS&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman’s press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson’s Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman’s press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/kstatefb" target="_blank">X (formerly Twitter)</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatefb" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/kstatesports" target="_blank">YouTube</a>)CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait untilthe fall to unveil that.But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister has played a lot.And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league now?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get fiveand five.But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht will play a lot of football that's been around.We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward. Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?CHRIS KLIEMAN:&nbsp;It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?CHRIS KLIEMAN: Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.

🏈 K-State previews 2024 season at Big 12 Media Days

The Cardinals have announced that Tuesday night's 6:45 p.m. CT game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather.

The two teams will make up Tuesday's postponed game Wednesday, July 10, at 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium as part of a split doubleheader before the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.&nbsp;

<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW Radio</a> will not carry the first game of the doubleheader, but will carry the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695315090950.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City RoyalsThe Cardinals have announced that Tuesday night's 6:45 p.m. CT game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather.The two teams will make up Tuesday's postponed game Wednesday, July 10, at 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium as part of a split doubleheader before the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.&nbsp;<a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW Radio</a> will not carry the first game of the doubleheader, but will carry the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.

⚾ Royals-Cardinals rained out Tuesday; doubleheader Wednesday



MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State will take on George Washington to conclude the first round of the 2024 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Friday, November 22, as tournament organizers announced the complete bracket for the tournament on Tuesday morning&nbsp;(July 9).

The annual Paradise Jam will run from Friday-Monday, November 22-25, 2024, at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. This will mark the tournament's 24th&nbsp;year with K-State appearing for the third time (2002, 2018, 2024) in its existence, including a championship in 2018.

K-State and the Atlantic 10's George Washington will meet for the sixth time in their respective histories in the final game of the first day of the tournament at 7 p.m., CT on Friday, November 22. Big South Tournament champion Longwood and AAC Tournament champion UAB will meet in the tournament opener at 11:30 a.m., CT followed by Illinois State and Southland Conference champion McNeese at 2 p.m., CT. Louisiana and Liberty will open the evening session at 4:30 p.m., CT followed by the Wildcats and Revolutionaries.

The K-State/GW winner will advance to face the winner of the contest between Louisiana and Liberty on Sunday, November 24 at 7 p.m., CT, while the two remaining teams will play on Saturday, November 23 at 4:30 p.m., CT.

In the opponent bracket, the winner of the first game between Longwood and UAB will play the winner of the second game between Illinois State and McNeese on Sunday, November 24 at 4:30 p.m., CT, while the two remaining teams will play on Saturday, November 23 at 2 p.m., CT.

The winner of each bracket will face off in the championship game on Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m., CT. There will be three consolation games that will precede the title contest at 11:30 a.m., CT (seventh-place game), 2 p.m., CT (fourth-place game) and 4:30 p.m., CT (third-place game), respectively.

All games will be streamed on ESPN platforms.

Six of the eight teams in the Paradise Jam won 18 or more games in 2023-24, while Longwood, McNeese and UAB all advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Fan travel packages are currently available via the Paradise Jam&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballtravelers.com/paradise-jam/">website</a>&nbsp;or by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://checkout.eventcreate.com/2024-paradisejam-fanpackages/select-buy">here</a>. All packages include tickets, transportation to/from games, a tournament gift as well as dedicated tournament staff at The Westin Beach Resort &amp; Spa at Frenchman's Reef (can view&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sttwi-the-westin-beach-resort-and-spa-at-frenchmans-reef/overview/">here</a>).Tournament capsules

This will mark K-State's third appearance in the Paradise Jam with the Wildcats winning the 2018 event with victories over Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67). The team is 4-2 all-time in the tournament, posting a 1-2 mark in its inaugural appearance in 2002.

Previous winners of the Paradise Jam include Big 12 members BYU (2002), Baylor (2007) and Colorado (2017) as well as Arkansas (2004), Wisconsin (2005), Alabama (2006), UConn (2008), Purdue (2009), Marquette (2011) and Creighton (2016). Last season, Missouri State defeated Abilene Christian, 87-69, in the championship game.

The Wildcats won the Cayman Islands Classic in head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>'s&nbsp;first season in 2022 before finishing as the runner-up at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in 2023.

K-State has already announced several aspects of its non-conference schedule, including the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle at St. John's on Saturday, December 7 and the Wildcat Classic matchup with Drake on Tuesday, December 17 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Other games will be released in the coming weeks.

In addition to their non-conference slate, the Wildcats will play a 20-game Big 12 schedule that includes 10 home games with NCAA Tournament teams Arizona, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech as well as Arizona State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

K-State finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 record, including an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play, and advanced to the NIT. Among the Wildcats' 19 victories were 4 over Top 25 teams, including 3 in the Top 10. The team has won 45 games in Tang's first two seasons, including consecutive postseason appearances.

The Wildcats return 3 lettermen (senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/david-n-guessan/11220">David N'Guessan</a>&nbsp;and sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/taj-manning/11219">Taj Manning</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/macaleab-rich/11225">Macaleab Rich</a>) in 2024-25, along with the 10 newcomers, which includes 8 Division I transfers, a junior college All-American (Mobi Ikegwuruka) and a top-50 high school prospect (David Castillo).

The transfer class is considered one of the best in the country and includes notable additions&nbsp;Achor Achor&nbsp;(Samford),&nbsp;Coleman Hawkins&nbsp;(Illinois),&nbsp;Dug McDaniel&nbsp;(Michigan) and&nbsp;Ugonna Onyenso&nbsp;(Kentucky) as well as&nbsp;Baye Fall&nbsp;(Arkansas),&nbsp;Brendan Hausen&nbsp;(Villanova),&nbsp;C.J. Jones&nbsp;(UIC) and&nbsp;Max Jones&nbsp;(Cal State Fullerton).

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are currently available, with prices starting at less than $18 per game. Fans can purchase now to see the Wildcats all year including matchups against KU, Iowa State, Houston and conference newcomer Arizona by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;or calling (800) 221.CATS.

How to follow the 'Cats:&nbsp;For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/">www.kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;and follow the team's social media channels on&nbsp;<a href="mailto:@KStateMBB">X</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatembb/?hl=en">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kstatembb/">Facebook</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720542347544.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State will take on George Washington to conclude the first round of the 2024 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Friday, November 22, as tournament organizers announced the complete bracket for the tournament on Tuesday morning&nbsp;(July 9).The annual Paradise Jam will run from Friday-Monday, November 22-25, 2024, at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. This will mark the tournament's 24th&nbsp;year with K-State appearing for the third time (2002, 2018, 2024) in its existence, including a championship in 2018.K-State and the Atlantic 10's George Washington will meet for the sixth time in their respective histories in the final game of the first day of the tournament at 7 p.m., CT on Friday, November 22. Big South Tournament champion Longwood and AAC Tournament champion UAB will meet in the tournament opener at 11:30 a.m., CT followed by Illinois State and Southland Conference champion McNeese at 2 p.m., CT. Louisiana and Liberty will open the evening session at 4:30 p.m., CT followed by the Wildcats and Revolutionaries.The K-State/GW winner will advance to face the winner of the contest between Louisiana and Liberty on Sunday, November 24 at 7 p.m., CT, while the two remaining teams will play on Saturday, November 23 at 4:30 p.m., CT.In the opponent bracket, the winner of the first game between Longwood and UAB will play the winner of the second game between Illinois State and McNeese on Sunday, November 24 at 4:30 p.m., CT, while the two remaining teams will play on Saturday, November 23 at 2 p.m., CT.The winner of each bracket will face off in the championship game on Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m., CT. There will be three consolation games that will precede the title contest at 11:30 a.m., CT (seventh-place game), 2 p.m., CT (fourth-place game) and 4:30 p.m., CT (third-place game), respectively.All games will be streamed on ESPN platforms.Six of the eight teams in the Paradise Jam won 18 or more games in 2023-24, while Longwood, McNeese and UAB all advanced to the NCAA Tournament.Fan travel packages are currently available via the Paradise Jam&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballtravelers.com/paradise-jam/">website</a>&nbsp;or by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://checkout.eventcreate.com/2024-paradisejam-fanpackages/select-buy">here</a>. All packages include tickets, transportation to/from games, a tournament gift as well as dedicated tournament staff at The Westin Beach Resort &amp; Spa at Frenchman's Reef (can view&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sttwi-the-westin-beach-resort-and-spa-at-frenchmans-reef/overview/">here</a>).Tournament capsulesGeorge Washington<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 15-17 (4-14 in Atlantic 10/15th)</li><li>Head coach Chris Caputo (31-33/3rd season)</li><li>K-State leads 4-1 (Last meeting: W 67-59/Nov. 14, 2017)</li>
 </ul>Liberty<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 18-14 (7-9 in C-USA/t-4th)</li><li>Head coach Ritchie McKay (244-127/12th season)</li><li>First meeting</li>
 </ul>Louisiana<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 19-14 (10-8 in Sun Belt/5th)</li><li>Head coach Bob Marlin (266-189/15th season)</li><li>K-State leads 1-0 (Last meeting: W 66-63/March 15, 1973)</li>
 </ul>Illinois State<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 15-17 (9-11 in Missouri Valley/t-7th)</li><li>Head coach Ryan Pedon (26-38/3rd season)</li><li>K-State leads 2-0 (Last meeting: W 83-79/March 18, 2009)</li>
 </ul>Longwood<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 21-14 (6-10 in Big South/t-5th - NCAA Tournament)</li><li>Head coach Griff Aldrich (109-86/7th season)</li><li>K-State leads 1-0 (Last meeting: W 89-60/Dec. 5, 2005)</li>
 </ul>McNeese<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 30-4 (17-1 in Southland/1st - NCAA Tournament)</li><li>Head coach Will Wade (22-2/2nd season)</li><li>K-State leads 1-0 (Last meeting: W 74-59/Dec. 21, 2021)</li>
 </ul>UAB<ul>
 <li>2023-24 record: 23-12 (12-6 in AAC/4th - NCAA Tournament)</li><li>Head coach Andy Kennedy (101-37/5th season)</li><li>First meeting</li>
 </ul>This will mark K-State's third appearance in the Paradise Jam with the Wildcats winning the 2018 event with victories over Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67). The team is 4-2 all-time in the tournament, posting a 1-2 mark in its inaugural appearance in 2002.Previous winners of the Paradise Jam include Big 12 members BYU (2002), Baylor (2007) and Colorado (2017) as well as Arkansas (2004), Wisconsin (2005), Alabama (2006), UConn (2008), Purdue (2009), Marquette (2011) and Creighton (2016). Last season, Missouri State defeated Abilene Christian, 87-69, in the championship game.The Wildcats won the Cayman Islands Classic in head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/jerome-tang/2353">Jerome Tang</a>'s&nbsp;first season in 2022 before finishing as the runner-up at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in 2023.K-State has already announced several aspects of its non-conference schedule, including the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle at St. John's on Saturday, December 7 and the Wildcat Classic matchup with Drake on Tuesday, December 17 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Other games will be released in the coming weeks.In addition to their non-conference slate, the Wildcats will play a 20-game Big 12 schedule that includes 10 home games with NCAA Tournament teams Arizona, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech as well as Arizona State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.K-State finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-15 record, including an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play, and advanced to the NIT. Among the Wildcats' 19 victories were 4 over Top 25 teams, including 3 in the Top 10. The team has won 45 games in Tang's first two seasons, including consecutive postseason appearances.The Wildcats return 3 lettermen (senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/david-n-guessan/11220">David N'Guessan</a>&nbsp;and sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/taj-manning/11219">Taj Manning</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/macaleab-rich/11225">Macaleab Rich</a>) in 2024-25, along with the 10 newcomers, which includes 8 Division I transfers, a junior college All-American (Mobi Ikegwuruka) and a top-50 high school prospect (David Castillo).The transfer class is considered one of the best in the country and includes notable additions&nbsp;Achor Achor&nbsp;(Samford),&nbsp;Coleman Hawkins&nbsp;(Illinois),&nbsp;Dug McDaniel&nbsp;(Michigan) and&nbsp;Ugonna Onyenso&nbsp;(Kentucky) as well as&nbsp;Baye Fall&nbsp;(Arkansas),&nbsp;Brendan Hausen&nbsp;(Villanova),&nbsp;C.J. Jones&nbsp;(UIC) and&nbsp;Max Jones&nbsp;(Cal State Fullerton).Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are currently available, with prices starting at less than $18 per game. Fans can purchase now to see the Wildcats all year including matchups against KU, Iowa State, Houston and conference newcomer Arizona by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>&nbsp;or calling (800) 221.CATS.How to follow the 'Cats:&nbsp;For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/">www.kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;and follow the team's social media channels on&nbsp;<a href="mailto:@KStateMBB">X</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatembb/?hl=en">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kstatembb/">Facebook</a>.

🏀 MBB: K-State to open Paradise Jam with George Washington

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, July 9th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Tuesday, July 9th, 2024</figcaption>
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🎧 LISTEN: ⚾ Monarchs continue winning streak; 🏎 Electric NASCAR Racecar? 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson homered, Miles Mikolas pitched into the seventh inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-0. Burleson drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who took three of four games in the series and have won six of eight overall. St. Louis is 33-18 since Mother’s Day, good for second-best in the majors behind Cleveland. Goldschmidt’s 12th homer of the season came off Mitchell Parker in the fourth. The 36-year-old slugger has 352 career home runs, tying Ryan Braun and Ellis Burks for 96th place in big league history. He needs 11 hits to reach 2,000. Burleson had a two-run single and his 14th homer. Mikolas scattered six hits over 6 1/3 innings.

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Cam Sutton for the first eight games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension stems from Sutton’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence dispute in Florida in March. Sutton eventually surrendered to authorities and entered a pretrial diversion program in April after the charges were reduced from a felony to misdemeanor battery. His agreement with prosecutors required Sutton to take a mental health evaluation. The NFL did its own investigation into the incident, leading to the suspension. Sutton will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on Oct. 29.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn and men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley have agreed to a six-year, $50 million contract through the 2029-30 season, nearly a month after he turned down a lucrative offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley, who passed on guiding the storied NBA club to return to the two-time defending NCAA champions, can also earn more through performance-based incentives, a Monday release from the school stated. He will receive $6.375 million next season, in addition to his $400,000 base annual salary, which includes compensation from speaking, consulting and media obligations. Hurley is 141-58 in six seasons with the Huskies.

UNDATED (AP) — Keegan Bradley is the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. The PGA of America made the surprise announcement on Monday. It follows months of negotiations with Tiger Woods. That was the first choice. Woods was trying to decide if he had time to fulfill all the duties. Bradley will be one of the most inexperienced captains when the Americans try to win back the cup from Europe. He has played on only two Ryder Cup teams and both ended in losses. He last played in 2014 in Scotland. Bradley has never been an assistant.

LONDON (AP) — Taylor Fritz has come back after dropping the opening two sets to defeat two-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3 and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Fritz is a 26-year-old from California who equaled his career-best showing at a major tournament. Monday's match was the 35th to go five sets at the All England Club this year, tying the record for the most at a Slam event in the Open era. And Fritz's comeback is the 11th from a two-set deficit in this edition of Wimbledon, more than in any other year. Fritz faces Lorenzo Musetti next.

LONDON (AP) — Maybe the Centre Court spectators were saluting Novak Djokovic’s opponent by saying his name. Maybe they were booing Djokovic, trying to rattle him. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was sure it was the latter — and he let everyone know he was not happy about it. Djokovic easily beat 15th-seeded Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in just over two hours Monday night to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals, then made sure to get a message across to those fans he thought were against him. Rune’s supporters at various tournaments often will stretch out his last name, saying, “Ruuuuuune!” — which sounds rather similar to “Boooooo!” — and that happened again Monday.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — For Ukrainian athletes, the Paris Olympics are more than just sports. They're a way to draw attention to their country's fight for survival against Russia — a sort of war on another battlefield. But an Associated Press analysis found Russia's war is making it increasingly difficult for Ukraine, once a post-Soviet sports power, to get those headline-capturing medals. Ukrainian performances began dipping after 2014, the year of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. Ukraine’s haul of 11 medals at the 2016 Rio Games was its smallest as an independent nation and it tumbled to a low of 22nd in the country rankings. Ukraine recovered to 16th at the pandemic-delayed Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 but just one of its 19 medals was gold — another new low.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, July 9th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, July 9th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="AP Sports Summary for July 9th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=8zwfu-1662b49-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson homered, Miles Mikolas pitched into the seventh inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-0. Burleson drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who took three of four games in the series and have won six of eight overall. St. Louis is 33-18 since Mother’s Day, good for second-best in the majors behind Cleveland. Goldschmidt’s 12th homer of the season came off Mitchell Parker in the fourth. The 36-year-old slugger has 352 career home runs, tying Ryan Braun and Ellis Burks for 96th place in big league history. He needs 11 hits to reach 2,000. Burleson had a two-run single and his 14th homer. Mikolas scattered six hits over 6 1/3 innings.NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Cam Sutton for the first eight games of the 2024 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The suspension stems from Sutton’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence dispute in Florida in March. Sutton eventually surrendered to authorities and entered a pretrial diversion program in April after the charges were reduced from a felony to misdemeanor battery. His agreement with prosecutors required Sutton to take a mental health evaluation. The NFL did its own investigation into the incident, leading to the suspension. Sutton will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on Oct. 29.STORRS, Conn. (AP) — UConn and men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley have agreed to a six-year, $50 million contract through the 2029-30 season, nearly a month after he turned down a lucrative offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley, who passed on guiding the storied NBA club to return to the two-time defending NCAA champions, can also earn more through performance-based incentives, a Monday release from the school stated. He will receive $6.375 million next season, in addition to his $400,000 base annual salary, which includes compensation from speaking, consulting and media obligations. Hurley is 141-58 in six seasons with the Huskies.UNDATED (AP) — Keegan Bradley is the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black. The PGA of America made the surprise announcement on Monday. It follows months of negotiations with Tiger Woods. That was the first choice. Woods was trying to decide if he had time to fulfill all the duties. Bradley will be one of the most inexperienced captains when the Americans try to win back the cup from Europe. He has played on only two Ryder Cup teams and both ended in losses. He last played in 2014 in Scotland. Bradley has never been an assistant.LONDON (AP) — Taylor Fritz has come back after dropping the opening two sets to defeat two-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3 and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Fritz is a 26-year-old from California who equaled his career-best showing at a major tournament. Monday's match was the 35th to go five sets at the All England Club this year, tying the record for the most at a Slam event in the Open era. And Fritz's comeback is the 11th from a two-set deficit in this edition of Wimbledon, more than in any other year. Fritz faces Lorenzo Musetti next.LONDON (AP) — Maybe the Centre Court spectators were saluting Novak Djokovic’s opponent by saying his name. Maybe they were booing Djokovic, trying to rattle him. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was sure it was the latter — and he let everyone know he was not happy about it. Djokovic easily beat 15th-seeded Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in just over two hours Monday night to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals, then made sure to get a message across to those fans he thought were against him. Rune’s supporters at various tournaments often will stretch out his last name, saying, “Ruuuuuune!” — which sounds rather similar to “Boooooo!” — and that happened again Monday.KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — For Ukrainian athletes, the Paris Olympics are more than just sports. They're a way to draw attention to their country's fight for survival against Russia — a sort of war on another battlefield. But an Associated Press analysis found Russia's war is making it increasingly difficult for Ukraine, once a post-Soviet sports power, to get those headline-capturing medals. Ukrainian performances began dipping after 2014, the year of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. Ukraine’s haul of 11 medals at the 2016 Rio Games was its smallest as an independent nation and it tumbled to a low of 22nd in the country rankings. Ukraine recovered to 16th at the pandemic-delayed Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 but just one of its 19 medals was gold — another new low.MONDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLAMERICAN LEAGUEFinal Detroit 1 Cleveland 0Final Minnesota 8 Chicago White Sox 6Final Texas 9 L.A. Angels 4NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal Pittsburgh 8 N.Y. Mets 2Final St. Louis 6 Washington 0

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

NEWTON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs scored three runs in the top of the first inning and tacked on three more in the fifth to provide enough runs to defeat the Newton Rebels 8-6 in Newton on Monday night.

Blake Bradford continued to hit the ball well with three RBI's on the night and&nbsp;Cole Toureau pitched seven innings only giving up two hits to get the win.

Things got a little shaky in the eighth when the Rebels rallied for five runs but Jace Minor came on in relief for Camden Cornelius to shut the door on the Rebels.

Hutchinson will be on the road again on Tuesday night in Augusta taking on the Kansas Cannons with first pitch scheduled for 7pm.

The Monarchs will return home on Wednesday at Hobart-Detter field versus the Newton Rebels.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720522126608.png" alt="Final Box score @ Newton July 8th&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Final Box score @ Newton July 8th&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEWTON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs scored three runs in the top of the first inning and tacked on three more in the fifth to provide enough runs to defeat the Newton Rebels 8-6 in Newton on Monday night.Blake Bradford continued to hit the ball well with three RBI's on the night and&nbsp;Cole Toureau pitched seven innings only giving up two hits to get the win.Things got a little shaky in the eighth when the Rebels rallied for five runs but Jace Minor came on in relief for Camden Cornelius to shut the door on the Rebels.Hutchinson will be on the road again on Tuesday night in Augusta taking on the Kansas Cannons with first pitch scheduled for 7pm.The Monarchs will return home on Wednesday at Hobart-Detter field versus the Newton Rebels.

⚾ Monarchs winning streak continues with win over Newton

<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen.html">More Information</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/tee-times/2024-usao-tee-times.html">Tee Times</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-mens-overall.html">Men's Scoring</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-womens-overall.html">Women's Scoring</a>

NEWTON, Kan. — Hutchinson native Kirk Holmberg is currently tied for 54th place after Day 1 of the U.S. Adaptive Open at Sand Creek Station Golf Course. 

Holmberg shot a 9-over 81 opening round. He is currently tied for 9th place in the Neurological Impairment flight.

Kipp Popert (England) is currently atop of the leaderboard after shooting a 7-under 65. Juan Postigo (Spain) is in second place after posting a 5-under 67.

The U.S. Adaptive Open is open to both male and female professional and amateur golfers with a Handicap Index of 36.4 or less and an eligible impairment confirmed by a WR4GD Pass. The championship is contested over 54 holes of stroke play. Multiple sets of tees are utilized, and carts are permitted for all players and caddies. A player’s Handicap Index® is the primary factor in determining the field, with the USGA reserving at least five male player spots and two female player spots per impairment category. The tournament also has a cut for the first time.

The oldest competitor in this weeks event is Bruce Hooper (78) and Dennis Walters (74), while the youngest are Ryder Barr (15), Russell Aide (17), and Sophia Howard (17). The average age of the field is 36.4.

There are 32 states represented in the field, led by Michigan with six golfers. California and Tennessee each have five golfers, while Arizona, Florida and Texas each have four.&nbsp;

This is the second USGA championship conducted at Sand Creek Station, a public course that opened in 2006 and is managed by KemperSports. In 2014, Byron Meth defeated Doug Ghim in 37 holes in the 89th and final U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship ever contested. The course was designed by Jeffrey D. Brauer and is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. It takes its name from the Sand Creek, which borders several holes, and the town’s long history as a stop on the Atchison, Topeka &amp; Santa Fe Railway.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720448221934.png" alt="Photo Courtesy USGA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy USGA</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen.html">More Information</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/tee-times/2024-usao-tee-times.html">Tee Times</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-mens-overall.html">Men's Scoring</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-womens-overall.html">Women's Scoring</a>NEWTON, Kan. — Hutchinson native Kirk Holmberg is currently tied for 54th place after Day 1 of the U.S. Adaptive Open at Sand Creek Station Golf Course. Holmberg shot a 9-over 81 opening round. He is currently tied for 9th place in the Neurological Impairment flight.Kipp Popert (England) is currently atop of the leaderboard after shooting a 7-under 65. Juan Postigo (Spain) is in second place after posting a 5-under 67.The U.S. Adaptive Open is open to both male and female professional and amateur golfers with a Handicap Index of 36.4 or less and an eligible impairment confirmed by a WR4GD Pass. The championship is contested over 54 holes of stroke play. Multiple sets of tees are utilized, and carts are permitted for all players and caddies. A player’s Handicap Index® is the primary factor in determining the field, with the USGA reserving at least five male player spots and two female player spots per impairment category. The tournament also has a cut for the first time.The oldest competitor in this weeks event is Bruce Hooper (78) and Dennis Walters (74), while the youngest are Ryder Barr (15), Russell Aide (17), and Sophia Howard (17). The average age of the field is 36.4.There are 32 states represented in the field, led by Michigan with six golfers. California and Tennessee each have five golfers, while Arizona, Florida and Texas each have four.&nbsp;This is the second USGA championship conducted at Sand Creek Station, a public course that opened in 2006 and is managed by KemperSports. In 2014, Byron Meth defeated Doug Ghim in 37 holes in the 89th and final U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship ever contested. The course was designed by Jeffrey D. Brauer and is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. It takes its name from the Sand Creek, which borders several holes, and the town’s long history as a stop on the Atchison, Topeka &amp; Santa Fe Railway.&nbsp;

⛳ Hutchinson's Holmberg completes Day 1 at U.S. Adaptive Open

ATLANTA, GA. — Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman has been named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy preseason watch list, the organization announced on Monday.

Klieman is one of 21 college football coaches selected to the preseason list.

Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football's most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy.

Klieman is 39-24 in five seasons as the head coach in Manhattan. Klieman helped guide the Wildcats to a 9-4 record in 2023.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program's Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2024 season.&nbsp;

 A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose program embodies the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693397650993.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ATLANTA, GA. — Kansas State head football coach Chris Klieman has been named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy preseason watch list, the organization announced on Monday.Klieman is one of 21 college football coaches selected to the preseason list.Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football's most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy.Klieman is 39-24 in five seasons as the head coach in Manhattan. Klieman helped guide the Wildcats to a 9-4 record in 2023.The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program's Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2024 season.&nbsp; A midseason watch list – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose program embodies the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈 Klieman named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689246922958.jpeg" alt="Kansas head football coach Lance Leipold speaks at the NCAA college football Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas head football coach Lance Leipold speaks at the NCAA college football Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero)</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
ATLANTA &ndash;&nbsp;Kansas Head Coach&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(73, 73, 73);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/lance-leipold/116" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Lance Leipold</a></dfn>&nbsp;is one of 21 college football coaches named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Dodd Trophy presented by PNC Bank, the organization announced on Monday.&nbsp; Managed by Peach Bowl, Inc. and presented by PNC Bank, The Dodd Trophy, college football&apos;s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity &ndash; the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd&apos;s coaching philosophy. &nbsp; The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. taking into consideration each program&apos;s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2024 season. &nbsp; Entering his fourth season leading the Jayhawks, Leipold has put his track record as a proven program builder on full display during his time at Kansas. He has guided the Jayhawks to back-to-back bowl games, including a 49-36 victory over UNLV in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, which was KU&apos;s first bowl victory since 2008. Prior to Leipold&apos;s arrival, Kansas had only made consecutive bowl game appearances once in program history (2007-08).&nbsp; &nbsp; Kansas was picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll, announced on July 2, which is the Jayhawks&apos; highest preseason ranking since the league went to a non-divisional format in 2011. Leipold is one of four coaches from the Big 12 Conference on The Dodd Trophy watch list. &nbsp; A midseason watch list &ndash; adding to or narrowing the field &ndash; will be released in the fall. A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. &nbsp; Starting in September on a weekly basis, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also honor coaches whose program embodies the award&apos;s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week. &nbsp; Kansas will play all six home games in the Kansas City Metro area as work continues on the University of Kansas Gateway District. Fans can purchase the 2024 Kansas Football 4-game season ticket package that includes all home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The season ticket package features prices starting as low as $230 for general stadium seating. &nbsp; Other ticket options include the popular Family Zone as well as available Premium Seating opportunities. Purchasing a 4-game season ticket package also continues to enhance your priority to pick seats in the reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for the 2025 season. 6-game season ticket packages which include the first two games at Children&apos;s Mercy Park are sold out. &nbsp; Single game tickets to the contest played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will become available early-August. For those interested in getting more information from the Kansas Athletics Ticket Office on ticket options for the 2024 season, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.fanthreesixty.com%2F2024_ticket_interest_form_waitlist%3Fmnemonic%3Dku&data=05%7C02%7Caeisch%40ku.edu%7C83dfee1557bd4bf1982108dc9f66ccaa%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638560511081937118%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=x7qKUnKA2jCu7aLonoefObKyLeYm%2FJGHcxI1alwF3uU%3D&reserved=0" title="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.fanthreesixty.com%2F2024_ticket_interest_form_waitlist%3Fmnemonic%3Dku&data=05%7C02%7Caeisch%40ku.edu%7C83dfee1557bd4bf1982108dc9f66ccaa%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C6" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 81, 186);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;">here</a>.</div>

🏈 Leipold named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720468817752.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Bethel College Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Bethel College Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Bethel College Athletics
 
NORTH NEWTON, Kan.&nbsp;- The Bethel College Athletic Department has announced the resignation of Head Football Coach&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://bethelthreshers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/a-b-stokes/529" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(177, 16, 43);">A.B. Stokes</a></dfn>&nbsp;and the appointment of&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://bethelthreshers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/daylon-markham/532" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(177, 16, 43);">Daylon Markham</a></dfn>&nbsp;as Interim Head Coach for the upcoming season. &nbsp; &quot;We want to thank Coach Stokes for his time at Bethel College,&quot; stated Athletic Director Tim Swartzendruber. &quot;Coach Stokes is a first-class person and led our program with class both on and off the field.&quot; &nbsp; AB Stokes took over the helm during a time of uncertainty for the Threshers. He took over a program that had just come off of back-to-back KCAC Conference Championships and had nearly the entire coaching staff leave. &nbsp; &quot;I&apos;m very thankful for my time at Bethel. I wish nothing but the best for the coaches, players and Bethel Community,&quot; Stokes said. &quot; I&apos;m very confident in the plans for the future and have the utmost respect for Tim and Coach Markham in all they do. I&apos;m also excited to get back to Oklahoma and continue the ministry I started there two and a half years ago.&quot; &nbsp; During Coach Stokes&apos; career, the Threshers won a conference championship in 2022, finishing with a 9-1 record. In 2023, the Threshers finished with a 6-5 record including a 20-13 victory over #20 Southwestern College. &nbsp; Stokes coached 44 All-KCAC selections and seven NAIA All-American&apos;s during his short return to the Threshers. &nbsp; &quot;My family and I can&apos;t thank Bethel enough for the opportunity, God bless,&quot; Coach Stokes finished. &nbsp; <dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://bethelthreshers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/daylon-markham/532" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(177, 16, 43);">Daylon Markham</a></dfn>, the Defensive Coordinator under Coach Stokes, will take over as Interim Head Coach for the upcoming 2024 Football season. &nbsp; &quot;I am excited to have Coach Markham as our Interim Head Coach. Our defense has excelled under Coach Markham since he arrived at Bethel College,&quot; AD Swartzendruber stated. &quot; In order to have a great program, I firmly believe you must have a great defense. I am confident that Coach Markham can continue our success in the football program.&quot; &nbsp; In the 2023 season, Markham finished his third season with the squad, his first as the Defensive Coordinator. &nbsp; &quot;I am excited for this opportunity and I would like to thank Tim for believing in me,&quot; Markham said. &quot;I am ready to keep this program going in the right direction. The staff and players are ready to get back to work and have a great season.&quot; &nbsp; Under Markham, the Threshers held their opponents to 23.3 points per game, giving up just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt and 5.44 yards per attempt through the air. The Thresher defense allowed just over 31% on third-down conversions. &nbsp; Markham concluded by thanking Coach Stokes, &quot; I would like to thank Coach Stokes for everything he&apos;s done for this program, we wish him well on his next endeavor.&quot; &nbsp; Prior to his coaching career, Markham played at Harding University, where he compiled 155 solo tackles and five interceptions. He was able to earn a nod on the Don Hansen NCAA DII All-America team in 2016, while also helping Harding win a conference championship in the same season. Markham received his undergrad degree in Criminal Justice as well as an MBA from Harding University.</div>

🏈 Bethel College announces Stokes resigns as head coach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals slugger Bobby Witt Jr. has announced he will participate in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby on Monday, July 15 in Arlington, Texas.

The 24-year-old Witt is a Colleyville, Texas, native and grew up just north of Arlington. Witt becomes the fourth player to announce his spot in the eight-player field behind Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

You can find out more information on the T-Mobile Home Run Derby <a href="https://www.mlb.com/all-star/home-run-derby">here</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713141208340.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits a double against the New York Mets during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. hits a double against the New York Mets during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals slugger Bobby Witt Jr. has announced he will participate in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby on Monday, July 15 in Arlington, Texas.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">See you all in Texas.. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HRDerby?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HRDerby</a> ⭐️ <a href="https://t.co/7KmxIZaEks">pic.twitter.com/7KmxIZaEks</a>&mdash; Bobby Witt Jr (@BwittJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/BwittJr/status/1810358682607124676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The 24-year-old Witt is a Colleyville, Texas, native and grew up just north of Arlington. Witt becomes the fourth player to announce his spot in the eight-player field behind Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.You can find out more information on the T-Mobile Home Run Derby <a href="https://www.mlb.com/all-star/home-run-derby">here</a>.

⚾ Royals slugger Witt Jr. to participate in Home Run Derby

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720459913538.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan. &ndash; Kansas Head Coach <dfn><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/brandon-schneider/255" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Brandon Schneider</a></dfn> has announced that <dfn><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/morgan-paige/256" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Morgan Paige</a></dfn> has been promoted to Associate Head Coach of the Kansas Women&apos;s Basketball program.
Paige has served as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the Jayhawks during the past three seasons. Schneider also announced the recruiting coordinator duties will now be shared by assistant coaches <dfn><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/karyla-knight/257" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Karyla Knight</a></dfn> and <dfn><a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/brock-mcginnis/258" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Brock McGinnis</a></dfn>.
&quot;Morgan&apos;s infectious energy and enthusiasm make an instant positive impact on every environment she&apos;s part of,&quot; Schneider said. &quot;Our players greatly respect her ability to teach the game and cultivate relationships. She is a terrific mentor and role model for our young women, and we are all excited for her promotion to associate head coach.&quot;
Kansas has reached the postseason in each of the Paige&apos;s three seasons in Lawrence, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2024, and capturing the 2023 WNIT Championship. With Paige on the sidelines, KU has won at least 20 games in each of the past three seasons, the longest such streak for the program since 2011-13.
Last season, Kansas recorded two wins against Top 10 opponents and three wins over Top 25 foes, both of which marked the first time a KU team had accomplished since the 1999-2000 season. The Jayhawks earned the program&apos;s first win over Baylor since 2014, defeating the then-No. 4 Bears 87-66 on Jan. 10, 2024, which was the program&apos;s third win over a Top 5 opponent in school history and first since 2009. Kansas finished the season 20-13 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where KU faced top-seeded USC in one of the five most-watched second round games in tournament history.
&quot;I am grateful to Coach Brandon for this opportunity to continue growing in my coaching career,&quot; Paige said. &quot;He has always supported personal growth and goals, and I am so fortunate to have him in my corner as a mentor. I look forward to the new challenges and expanded role in the continued success of Kansas Women&apos;s Basketball.&quot;
Before coming to Kansas, Paige spent five seasons (2016-21) on staff at North Dakota State, first as an assistant coach before adding recruiting coordinator duties in 2019. While at NDSU, Paige aided former Kansas assistant Jory Collins as the Bison completed a program turnaround in two seasons, going 15-9 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season for NDSU&apos;s first winning season in over a decade. She also spent one year in the Big 12 as a graduate assistant at Iowa State.
Season tickets for the 2024-25 Kansas Women&apos;s Basketball campaign are now on sale. For as low as $95, fans can reserve their seat at historic Allen Fieldhouse for the entire season. Season tickets can be purchased by visiting <a href="https://kuathletics.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=WBN&linkID=kansas&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">KUAthletics.com</a> or calling 800-34-HAWKS.</div>

🏀 WBB: KU promotes Paige to Associate Head Coach

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720457312513.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Wichita State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Wichita State Athletics
 
WICHITA, Kan. &ndash;&nbsp;Head coach&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/coaches/chris-lamb/1221" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Chris Lamb</a></dfn>&nbsp;and the Wichita State volleyball program finalized their 2024 schedule on Monday, highlighted by the return of the Shocker Volleyball Classic to Charles Koch Arena and a showdown at 2023 national runner-up Nebraska. Among the 11 non-conference teams the Shockers have on the schedule, five qualified for the 2023 NCAA tournament and seven finished the season in the top 100 of the RPI. Only one of the 11 finished the year with an RPI below 114. The Shockers take part in four non-conference tournaments and have one standalone match against in-state foe Kansas. Wichita State will also host a home exhibition for the second consecutive season, taking on Kansas State on Saturday, August 24. The regular season begins in earnest at the Kennesaw State tournament in Kennesaw, Georgia, where Wichita State will play the host Owls to open the season on Friday, August 30 and against on Saturday sandwiched around a match against Big Ten opponent Indiana. From there the Shockers head to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks on Wednesday, September 4 before a quick turn-around to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Wooo Pig Invitational, beginning on Friday, September 6 against host Arkansas. Wichita State takes on Little Rock the following day to round out the competition. The final road tournament of the season takes Wichita State to Lincoln, Nebraska for a high-profile weekend against three of the nation&apos;s top programs. WSU opens the tournament against Arizona State on Thursday, September 12 before battling Long Beach State the following day. The Shockers wrap up their stay in Lincoln against Nebraska on Saturday. Wichita State returns to the friendly confines of Charles Koch Arena for the Shocker Volleyball Classic, beginning Thursday, September 19 and running through Saturday, September 21. The Shockers welcome Cal Poly, Northern Colorado and Omaha for the round-robin tournament, which will feature two matches each day. The Shockers then open American Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, September 25 against Memphis. The Shockers are coming off a 26-8 season in 2023 capped off by a dominant run to the NIVC title, the program&apos;s first national postseason tournament championship. All-Conference selections&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/morgan-stout/7491" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Morgan Stout</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/izzi-strand/7498" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Izzi Strand</a></dfn>&nbsp;return to the roster in 2024, in addition to outside hitters&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/emerson-wilford/7495" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Emerson Wilford</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/brooklyn-leggett/7500" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Brooklyn Leggett</a>&nbsp;and a group of veteran defensive specialists led by&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/annalie-heliste/7485" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Annalie Heliste</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/katie-galligan/7484" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Katie Galligan</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/reagan-anderson/7591" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">Reagan Anderson</a>. Head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/coaches/chris-lamb/1221" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Chris Lamb</a>&nbsp;enters his 25th season at the helm in 2024 with 508 career wins, just the ninth active NCAA coach to reach 500 victories at a single school. 2024 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased&nbsp;<a href="https://goshockers.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=VBST&linkID=wichita&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">HERE</a>. Season ticket holders receive an exclusive discount on all-session tickets to the AAC Tournament that takes place at Charles Koch Arena from November 22-24. For information on single-match and season ticket availability and releases, sign up to receive email communications from Wichita State Athletics&nbsp;<a href="https://app.goshockers.com/signup" style="text-align: start;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size: 16px;">HERE</a>.</div>

🏐 WSU finalizes 2024 schedule

<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen.html">More Information</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/tee-times/2024-usao-tee-times.html">Tee Times</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-mens-overall.html">Men's Scoring</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-womens-overall.html">Women's Scoring</a>

NEWTON, Kan. — The third annual U.S. Adaptive Open teed off on Monday morning at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.&nbsp;The U.S. Adaptive Open is sanctioned by the United States Golf Association (USGA).

Among the 96 entries is Hutchinson native, Kirk Holmberg, the lone Kansan in the field. Holmberg teed off at 7:30 a.m. Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720448221934.png" alt="Photo Courtesy USGA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy USGA</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen.html">More Information</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/tee-times/2024-usao-tee-times.html">Tee Times</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-mens-overall.html">Men's Scoring</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen/2024/scoring-womens-overall.html">Women's Scoring</a>NEWTON, Kan. — The third annual U.S. Adaptive Open teed off on Monday morning at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.&nbsp;The U.S. Adaptive Open is sanctioned by the United States Golf Association (USGA).Among the 96 entries is Hutchinson native, Kirk Holmberg, the lone Kansan in the field. Holmberg teed off at 7:30 a.m. Monday.The U.S. Adaptive Open is open to both male and female professional and amateur golfers with a Handicap Index of 36.4 or less and an eligible impairment confirmed by a WR4GD Pass. The championship is contested over 54 holes of stroke play. Multiple sets of tees are utilized, and carts are permitted for all players and caddies. A player’s Handicap Index® is the primary factor in determining the field, with the USGA reserving at least five male player spots and two female player spots per impairment category. The tournament also has a cut for the first time.The oldest competitor in this weeks event is Bruce Hooper (78) and Dennis Walters (74), while the youngest are Ryder Barr (15), Russell Aide (17), and Sophia Howard (17). The average age of the field is 36.4.There are 32 states represented in the field, led by Michigan with six golfers. California and Tennessee each have five golfers, while Arizona, Florida and Texas each have four.&nbsp;This is the second USGA championship conducted at Sand Creek Station, a public course that opened in 2006 and is managed by KemperSports. In 2014, Byron Meth defeated Doug Ghim in 37 holes in the 89th and final U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship ever contested. The course was designed by Jeffrey D. Brauer and is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. It takes its name from the Sand Creek, which borders several holes, and the town’s long history as a stop on the Atchison, Topeka &amp; Santa Fe Railway.&nbsp;

⛳ Hutchinson's Holmberg among field in U.S. Adaptive Open in Newton

⚾ NBCWS announces 2024 Terry Brewster Award recipients 

DENVER, Colo. — The Denver Nuggets have announced their roster for NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 in Las Vegas from July 12-22 at Cox Pavilion and the Thomas &amp; Mack Center on the UNLV campus. Nuggets assistant coach&nbsp;Andrew Munson&nbsp;will assume head coaching duties for the team’s Summer League entry. On the roster will be former KU forward and Burlington, Kan. native Parker Braun.

The 19th NBA 2K Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing at least five games each.&nbsp; After every team plays four games, the top four teams with the best records will advance to the playoffs and participate in a semi-final game (July 21), and the two semi-final game winners will then participate in the championship game (July 22). The 26 teams that do not play in the Championship Game will play a fifth game on July 20th or 21st.&nbsp;

All of the Nuggets’ summer league contests will be broadcast live on Altitude Television in addition to ESPN’s coverage. For comprehensive and behind the scenes coverage of the Denver Nuggets at Summer League, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nuggets.com/">Nuggets.com</a>. Tickets for NBA Summer League are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="https://nbaevents.nba.com/">https://nbaevents.nba.com/</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720437097329.jpeg" alt="Parker Braun-Photo Courtesy KU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Parker Braun-Photo Courtesy KU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER, Colo. — The Denver Nuggets have announced their roster for NBA 2K25 Summer League 2024 in Las Vegas from July 12-22 at Cox Pavilion and the Thomas &amp; Mack Center on the UNLV campus. Nuggets assistant coach&nbsp;Andrew Munson&nbsp;will assume head coaching duties for the team’s Summer League entry. On the roster will be former KU forward and Burlington, Kan. native Parker Braun.The 19th NBA 2K Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing at least five games each.&nbsp; After every team plays four games, the top four teams with the best records will advance to the playoffs and participate in a semi-final game (July 21), and the two semi-final game winners will then participate in the championship game (July 22). The 26 teams that do not play in the Championship Game will play a fifth game on July 20th or 21st.&nbsp;All of the Nuggets’ summer league contests will be broadcast live on Altitude Television in addition to ESPN’s coverage. For comprehensive and behind the scenes coverage of the Denver Nuggets at Summer League, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nuggets.com/">Nuggets.com</a>. Tickets for NBA Summer League are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="https://nbaevents.nba.com/">https://nbaevents.nba.com/</a>.Prior to Las Vegas Summer League, the Nuggets will hold a mini-camp beginning on Monday, July 8th&nbsp;and running through Thursday, July 11th.&nbsp;