AP Sports Summary for January 13th, 2024.
Kalen DeBoer hired to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, leaving national runner-up Washington
Alabama wasted little time in finding Nick Saban's successor, hiring Kalen DeBoer away from national runner-up Washington. The powerhouse program tapped DeBoer on Friday to replace Saban, just two days after the 72-year-old coach announced his retirement. DeBoer says in a statement that he "would not have left Washington for just any school." But he says the chance to coach Alabama "is the opportunity of a lifetime." Saban won six national titles with the Crimson Tide and seven overall. DeBoer went 25-3 in two seasons at Washington and has a career record of 104-12 at all levels of college football.
NFL All-Pro: McCaffrey, Hill, Warner unanimous; 14 first-timers
Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill and Fred Warner are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro Team. The 49ers' McCaffrey and Warner and the Dolphins' Hill received first-team votes from all 50 members of a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. Running back McCaffrey and linebacker Warner are joined by three San Francisco teammates, including left tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and tight end George Kittle. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson earned his second All-Pro selection, receiving 45 first-place votes. Dallas' Dak Prescott and San Francisco's Brock Purdy each received two first-place votes and Buffalo's Josh Allen got the other one.
Patriots name Jerod Mayo as next head coach, Bill Belichick's successor
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have named Jerod Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick as the franchise's 15th head coach. He becomes the first Black head coach in team history. Mayo played eight NFL seasons and won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots during the 2014 season. Mayo's hire comes a day after Belichick agreed to part ways with the Patriots after a 24-year run that included six Super Bowl wins. Mayo will be formally introduced at a news conference on Wednesday.
Bulls fans boo when Jerry Krause honored during Ring of Honor ceremony, leaving widow upset
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls fans booed former general manager Jerry Krause on Friday night during a halftime ceremony to honor the organization's greats, seemingly moving his widow to tears and drawing criticism from former players. Krause was one of 13 members of the inaugural class for the Bulls' "Ring of Honor," and was being recognized as the architect of their six championship teams. Having died in 2017, Krause was represented by his widow, Thelma, who was visibly upset by a torrent of booing from fans in the United Center and remained seated rather than acknowledge the crowd.
Lights, cameras, Clark: Iowa's superstar guard gets prime-time spotlight Saturday on Fox
Caitlin Clark has set records on and off the court. The University of Iowa's superstar guard is on track to do something never accomplished by a women's basketball player — appear on all four broadcast networks in the same season. Clark and the third-ranked Hawkeyes host No. 14 Indiana on Saturday night on Fox. Iowa is featured in four of the six Big Ten regular-season women's games that will air on either Fox or NBC. Both networks have left open the possibility of adding more games. Should the Hawkeyes reach the Big Ten Tournament final, that game will be on CBS. ABC will carry NCAA Women's Tournament games on weekend afternoons in the first two weeks, along with the Women's Final Four championship game in prime time on April 7.
Black leadership at head coach, QB to be more visible than ever during NFL playoffs
This year's NFL playoffs will feature a record number of Black men who have thrived in leadership positions they rarely were given the chance to hold in previous generations. Three Black head coaches have reached the playoffs, including Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles and Houston's DeMeco Ryans. No more than three Black coaches have reached the playoffs in any previous season. An all-time high of six Black quarterbacks are starting for playoff teams. They are Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts, Dallas' Dak Prescott, Green Bay's Jordan Love and Houston's C.J. Stroud.
Djokovic says his wrist is OK. He plans to start 2024 like he does most years: with an Aussie title
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic says his injured right wrist is OK and "it's all looking good" as he bids for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. Defending champions Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka will open their tournaments with night matches Sunday in the first Australian Open to be held over 15 days. That's one day longer than usual. Djokovic hurt his wrist playing for Serbia in the United Cup earlier this month and needed treatment during a loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur. He has practiced in Melbourne over the last week and hosted an exhibition that attracted almost a capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena. He says "I've been training well. Practice sessions pain-free so far."
Carl Yuan gets a gift from Jon Rahm going to LIV. He's already taking advantage of it at Sony Open
HONOLULU (AP) — Carl Yuan missed keeping his full PGA Tour card by one point last year. And then right when the 26-year-old from China was preparing for Q-school, Jon Rahm joined LIV Golf. That meant Yuan moved up a spot in the FedEx Cup and had his card. That's how he got to the Sony Open, and Yuan already is taking advantage. He shot a 65 on Friday for a three-way share of the lead. Austin Eckroat and Byeong Hun An also shared the lead. Fifty-year-old Stewart Cink was one shot behind. Only seven shots separate first from worst.
The Australian Open and what to know: Earlier start. Netflix curse? Osaka's back. Nadal's not
Iga Swiatek and other tennis players are shrugging off the Australian Open's decision to begin on a Sunday instead of a Monday, creating a 15-day event. The top-seeded Swiatek said it doesn't really matter. She will not be playing on Sunday. But there are players — including defending champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka — who were picked to compete on Day 1, 24 hours earlier than usual. That's been the schedule at Roland Garros for more than 15 years; the U.S. Open and Wimbledon have stuck to the traditional Monday opening. When the French Open shifted to a Sunday start, stars such as Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova were hardly thrilled about it.
Jordan Hicks and Giants agree to $44 million, 4-year contract, AP source says
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Free-agent pitcher Jordan Hicks and the San Francisco Giants have agreed on a $44 million, four-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced by the team. The hard-throwing Hicks has spent most of his time in the bullpen during five major league seasons, compiling 32 career saves. But he made eight starts for St. Louis in 2022, and the Giants intend to add him to their rotation. Hicks went a combined 3-9 with a 3.29 ERA and 12 saves over 65 outings spanning 65 2/3 innings last year between St. Louis and Toronto.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Indiana 126 Atlanta 108
Final Houston 112 Detroit 110
Final Philadelphia 112 Sacramento 93
Final L.A. Clippers 128 Memphis 119
Final Minnesota 116 Portland 93
Final Golden State 140 Chicago 131
Final San Antonio 135 Charlotte 99
Final Miami 99 Orlando 96
Final Utah 145 Toronto 113
Final Denver 125 New Orleans 113
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Nashville 6 Dallas 3
Final OT Philadelphia 4 Minnesota 3
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Houston at Boston 7 p.m.
Washington at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
New York at Memphis 8 p.m.
Orlando at Oklahoma City 8 p.m.
Chicago at San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Utah 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
N-Y Rangers at Washington 1 p.m.
San Jose at Ottawa 4 p.m.
Vancouver at Buffalo 4 p.m.
New Jersey at Florida 6 p.m.
Anaheim at Tampa Bay 7 p.m.
Colorado at Toronto 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Montreal 7 p.m.
Los Angeles at Detroit 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Winnipeg 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Carolina 7 p.m.
Seattle at Columbus 7 p.m.
Arizona at Minnesota 8 p.m.
Boston at St. Louis 8 p.m.
Dallas at Chicago 8 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Nashville 8 p.m.
Calgary at Vegas 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Cleveland at Houston 4:30 p.m.
Miami at Kansas City 8:10 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn St. at (1)Purdue 2:15 p.m.
(2)Houston at TCU 6 p.m.
(9)Oklahoma at (3)Kansas 2 p.m.
(5)Tennessee at Georgia 12 p.m.
(6)Kentucky at Texas A&M 2 p.m.
Syracuse at (7)North Carolina 12 p.m.
(8)Arizona at Washington St. 6 p.m.
Georgia Tech at (11)Duke 5 p.m.
Cincinnati at (14)Baylor 8 p.m.
Northwestern at (15)Wisconsin 12 p.m.
LSU at (16)Auburn 6 p.m.
(18)BYU at UCF 4 p.m.
(19)San Diego St. at New Mexico 2 p.m.
(20)Utah St. at UNLV 3 p.m.
Boston College at (21)Clemson 3 p.m.
St. John's at (22)Creighton 1 p.m.
(25)Texas at West Virginia 6 p.m.