Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese continue to fuel Rookie of the Year debate
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese both have been having historic rookie seasons on and off the court and the their performances continue to fuel the debates around the WNBA Rookie of the Year race.
The pair came into the league highly touted and haven’t disappointed.
Despite the record-setting play by both players, Clark is still the favorite to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Clark and Reese meet for the final time during the regular season on Friday when the Indiana Fever take on the Sky in Chicago.
Clark continued making headlines Wednesday night. After setting the rookie assists record on Aug. 18, the Fever guard set the rookie record for made 3-pointers in a win against the Connecticut Sun.
She is averaging 18 points, a league-leading 8.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Clark is on pace to break the overall assists record for a single season. She also has had at least 15 points and five assists in 22 games this season, more than any WNBA player ever.
Clark has helped lead the Fever to the most wins they’ve had since 2016 and the team is in position to make the playoffs for the first time since that season.
“She’s got special, special skills and those open things up for her,” said all-time assist leader Sue Bird. “Her range unlocks so much for her. Her pace of play, she’s either walking or sprinting, she even made a joke about it. That puts a lot of pressure on defense.”
One downside to Clark’s aggressive play is that it leads to turnovers. In addition to leading the league in assists, she also leads the WNBA in turnovers. But the pros outweigh the cons for Bird, one of the league’s iconic point guards.
“Her ability to find her teammates and create opportunities for her teammates,” Bird said, “it’s the combination of those three things that makes her a threat all the time. So you can never really exhale” when defending Clark.
Reese is getting her work done inside.
The 6-foot-3 forward is the league’s leading rebounder at 12.9 a game — the highest average in league history. She saw her unprecedented streak of three straight 20 or more rebound games come to an end on Wednesday in a loss to Washington. She’s currently tied with Tina Charles for the rookie record with 22 double-doubles this season. The Sky All-Star set the overall WNBA record earlier in the season with 15 consecutive double-doubles.
“They are two separate players having two great years,” said ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, who also made her presence felt in the paint as a player. “Not voting for Angel doesn’t diminish the historic season she’s having on the glass. No one has ever done it before. We can appreciate that while also understanding Caitlin Clark has separated herself as Rookie of the Year.”
Both Clark and Reese have areas they can definitely improve on.
Reese’s efficiency around the basket can definitely improve while Clark needs to cut down on the turnovers. Lobo believes both players will get better and that with all the attention on the rookie of the year race, people are paying more attention to their faults as opposed to appreciating the positives of in their games.
“If you didn’t have these happening at the same time people wouldn’t be pointing at the negatives for each player,” Lobo said.
Since 2008, 11 of the last 16 winners of the WNBA Rookie of the Year award have been the No. 1 pick in the draft, including the last two. Clark is looking to continue that trend.
Clark and Reese played on June 16 and drew the largest viewing audience for the league in 23 years. There have been 20 games that have had over a million viewers and Clark has played in all but three of those games. Reese’s game against Las Vegas last weekend drew the third highest viewership of the season.
Clark and Reese have overshadowed other players who are having stellar rookie seasons.
Rickea Jackson of Los Angeles, Kamilla Cardoso of Chicago and Leonie Fiebich of New York would be strong candidates for the top rookie award in any other season. But timing is everything and their impressive first-year campaigns are unfortunately for them colliding with unprecedented seasons by the Clark and Reese.
Northwestern hires Mark Jackson as its new AD
EVANSTON, Ill. | Northwestern hired Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson on Thursday to fill the same position, two months after former AD Derrick Gragg was moved into an advisory role with the university.
Jackson, 51, has been athletic director at Villanova since 2015, overseeing the athletic department that won 34 Big East championships in various sports and two men’s basketball NCAA tournament titles.
“Mark has been extraordinarily successful at Villanova in supporting students’ athletic and academic achievements. After talking to him, I trust that he will prioritize the welfare of our student-athletes and give them the support they need to succeed,” university president Michael Schill said in a statement. “I am fully confident in Mark’s ability to lead Northwestern Athletics to new heights and am excited to see how he will transform our program.”
In June, Gragg was bumped into a new role as vice president of athletic strategy after he became entangled in two coaching scandals.
The first involved the firing of longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald after allegations of hazing. The university initially suspended Fitzgerald before Schill — facing public pressure — fired the coach. Gragg was on vacation at the time of the controversy and never addressed the team in person.
Fitzgerald is suing the school for wrongful termination.
Later, the Chicago Tribune reported that a Northwestern investigation substantiated accusations of bullying behavior by baseball coach Jim Foster, who was hired by Gragg. Foster was not fired until after the investigation became public.
Jackson steps in as Northwestern football is transitioning to a new home with Ryan Field under renovations for the next two seasons. The Wildcats will play most of their games in a temporary lakeside stadium on campus this season and next.
“Northwestern University is world-class in all of its endeavors and its mission, values and pursuit of excellence in academics and athletics are not only aligned with my beliefs and approach but are a model for intercollegiate athletics,” Jackson said. “I cannot wait to engage with Wildcat student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, alumni and fans, and my family and I look forward to wearing the Purple!”
Jackson was an administrator at Southern California during the dominant run its football team had under coach Pete Carroll and at Syracuse before taking over at Villanova.
The Boston native also worked for the Oakland Raiders as director of football development from 2007-08 and did a stint with the New England Patriots as a coaching assistant it the late 1990s.
Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has joined Jacksonville Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has joined the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rees-Zammit arrived at the facility Thursday and signed a contract to be on team’s practice squad and was expected to be on the field with teammates afterward.
By signing with Jacksonville, Rees-Zammit could be in London for two NFL games in October. The Jaguars play the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13 and then face the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20.
Rees-Zammit signed with two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City in March as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. The running back/receiver was released Tuesday after carrying six times for 22 yards and catching one pass for 3 yards in the preseason.
He landed in Jacksonville, which lost IPPP tight end Patrick Murtagh to a season-ending injury in training camp. The former Australian rules footballer broke his right ankle in practice in early August and was carted off the field in an air cast.
Murtagh is rehabbing in Jacksonville and expected to get another shot in 2025.
The 23-year-old Rees-Zammit, one of the best wingers in rugby, announced in January that he was leaving the Welsh national team to pursue a dream of playing in the NFL.
He was one of 15 athletes from eight countries participating in the NFL’s international program. The prospects spent 10 weeks training at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and got a crash course in practicing the fundamentals of football and learning the intricacies of a game most have never played.
Rees-Zammit ran an official time of 4.43 in the 40-yard dash when the international players participated in the University of South Florida’s pro day. He drew a lot of attention from a crowd that included 51 scouts from 31 teams.
NFL teams get an extra roster spot on their practice squad for an international player.
Stephen Curry agrees
to $63 million extension with Warriors
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have agreed to extend his contract for the 2026-27 season, one in which the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader and Olympic gold medalist will earn nearly $63 million.
Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin with Octagon, confirmed the agreement on Thursday to The Associated Press. ESPN first reported the agreement between Curry and the Warriors.
Curry is now guaranteed about $178 million for the next three seasons; about $55.8 million for this season, about $59.6 million for 2025-26 and now about $62.6 million — the most the Warriors could offer by league rule — for 2026-27.
When that season ends, Curry’s on-court earnings will have reached about $532 million, which for now ranks as second-most in NBA history behind only LeBron James’ $580 million in player contracts.
The 36-year-old Curry is entering his 16th NBA season, all of them with the Warriors. He’s a 10-time All-Star and 10-time All-NBA selection, has been part of four championships with Golden State and is a two-time MVP. This summer, he also played for the U.S. team that won Olympic gold at the Paris Games, including a dazzling fourth-quarter display to help the Americans beat France in the title game.
He averaged 26.4 points for the Warriors last season, and has averaged 24.8 points in his regular-season career.
NFL places restrictions on Brady’s broadcasting access
Tom Brady’s pending bid to become a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders has triggered restrictions on his access to teams around the NFL as part of his role as a Fox Sports broadcaster, a league spokesperson said Thursday.
Brady is not permitted to attend in-person or online broadcast production meetings and may not have access to team facilities, players or coaches. Fox staff is not subject to these limitations.
He also must abide by the league constitution and bylaws that prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs, but is allowed to broadcast Raiders games.
Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, is working with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’s top NFL broadcasting team. He signed a 10-year deal with the network in 2022, but this is Brady’s first season announcing games.
His effort to become a minority owner in the Raiders organization has been scrutinized by league owners since Brady put in his bid in May 2023. Owners didn’t vote on the matter when they met in March in Orlando, Florida, because of concerns that Brady was receiving too much of a discount from Las Vegas majority owner Mark Davis.
Brady owns a piece of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, which also is owned by Davis.
—From AP reports
