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PHOENIX – High school athletic directors and football coaches are eager to kick off the season – assuming the season even happens – but the COVID-19 pandemic likely means no fans in the stands, tough safety protocols for players on the field and tighter budgets for high school sports. That could lead to cuts to.

PHOENIX – In a sports world driven by stats, Tristen Turlington, Eric Amkraut and Kristy Salazar each boast an impressive one: 5.0. That’s the cumulative GPA these Arizona high school athletes managed during their academic and athletic careers. With dreams ranging from investment banker to environmental forensics expert to environmental scientist, they epitomize the term.

PHOENIX – The Cactus Bowl has had its fair share of sponsors over the more than 30 years it’s been played in Arizona, with several national companies putting their name to the annual Arizona-based college football bowl game. Another change came in late May, when Cactus Bowl’s most recent sponsor, Cheez-It, announced on their website.

PHOENIX – When Ray Anderson, Arizona State’s vice president for university athletics, first heard about the possible long-term heart issues connected to coronavirus, it immediately made him think of his father’s sudden death from a heart attack when Anderson was just 9 years old. Anderson feared a similar outcome might await an ASU athlete if.

PHOENIX – Former ASU Men’s basketball player Eric Jacobsen continues to make a living overseas, even as it remains uncertain when that happens. Jacobsen has agreed to re-sign with the Sendai 89ers in the B2 League in Japan, according to a report from asia-basket.com. The 6’10″ power forward, who graduated from ASU in 2016, is.

PHOENIX – Arizona State University’s fledgling men’s tennis and hockey programs have emerged as powerhouse players in college recruitment, landing recruits in the top 10 this year. In men’s hockey, of six athletes joining the team from the 2020 signing class, two players are National Hockey League draft picks and three players are 4.25 star.

Every year for 46 years, hundreds of runners met at the village of Shungopavi, Second Mesa, on Hopi land, to race in honor of Louis Tewanima, a Hopi who won a silver medal in the Olympics in 1912. It was a gathering of community. “We see the camaraderie when all the runners are there, they.

PHOENIX – At 17, Adam Stewart was convicted of armed robbery and aggravated assault. Tried as an adult, he faced a maximum of 21 years. If that sounds like a lot, for Stewart it was the norm, going back decades. “My … dad, his brothers and grandpa: prison, prison, prison, prison, drugs,” Stewart said. But.

GILBERT – The most unusual Pac-12 football season will officially begin Sept. 26 and for Arizona State football, that’s definitely the case. ASU will open its season in Tucson, the conference announced Friday. It would be the first time since 1937 in the rivalry’s history that both Arizona schools begin their season against each other..

PHOENIX – When Rickie Fowler knocked his tee shot just 9 feet short of the pin in the third round of the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open, the rowdy fans at 16 roared their approval. So did viewers at home, who had a better understanding of the shot’s trajectory than even those in the stands..

PHOENIX – Research into sports-related concussions started with football injuries but has since spread to other activities where hits and falls are routine, such as hockey, soccer and cheerleading. The long-term effects of concussions, however, are still being studied. It is a subject important to Stephanie Cahill. She played club volleyball from 14 to 16.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC found itself on the positive end of an unfortunate situation. The team was scheduled to play New Mexico United on Aug. 8 in New Mexico, but travel restrictions and a mandatory 14-day quarantine because of the coronavirus have halted those plans. The teams are still scheduled to play, but the.

PHOENIX – Jason Franklin’s personality had taken a dramatic turn. The former Arizona State University linebacker, often described as upbeat and social by his friends and family, was withdrawn. He “would get lost in long, blank stares. He was not sleeping well. He was having memory problems,” his mother, Jan Franklin, later wrote of that.

PHOENIX – As the coronavirus pandemic disrupted practice schedules and cut short seasons, Ray Anderson challenged Arizona State coaches to find a way to make their programs stronger. Swimming and diving coach Bob Bowman came up with a unique solution: He is having every member of his team redshirt for the 2020-21 season. “The biggest.

PHOENIX – After Gov. Doug Ducey unveiled his plan Thursday for schools to reopen, the Arizona Interscholastic Association continued to prepare for a season of fall sports. Ducey’s plan calls for school districts and charter schools to begin distance-learning by the first day of their traditional instructional calendar. Schools will then use data from public.

PHOENIX – The Northern Arizona Suns leaving Prescott Valley for Phoenix is not a slam dunk after all. Despite a town news release July 7 that said the team would “be playing at a location, to be determined, in the Phoenix metro area” for the 2020-21 NBA G League season, the organization has not yet.

PHOENIX – The WNBA and NBA have allowed players to choose a variety of social justice messages they would like on the back of their jerseys once regular season basketball resumes. The Phoenix Mercury will be honoring the life of Breonna Taylor by showcasing her name on the back of every player’s uniform when their.

PHOENIX – Eight years ago, Jon Rahm came to Arizona State with little grasp of the English language. Today he is the No. 1 golfer in the world. Rahm’s victory in the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Sunday thrust him to the top of the World Golf Rankings. For those close to him, including friends,.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes learned quickly that the coronavirus is no joke. “It put me on my butt for a good week,” he told Stadium on Wednesday. “I slept for four days straight.” Baynes revealed Wednesday he had tested positive for COVID-19 after it was reported Monday by the Arizona Republic that.

PHOENIX – Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement Tuesday that fans will not be allowed to attend college sporting events in the state of New York during the fall shed light on an interesting discrepancy between New York and Arizona. One has a lot of colleges. The other does not. New York has 102 schools that sport.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks caught their first glimpse of pandemic baseball. Cardboard cutouts and piped in fan noise were among the oddities as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 9-2 in an exhibition game Sunday at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Diamondbacks fans saw the team in game action since March.

PHOENIX – A new rivalry is brewing in the Southwest. Phoenix Rising FC and New Mexico United, despite playing only three games against each other, have the makings to be the USL Championship’s next great showdown. Why? Seventeen yellow cards, three games level past 90 minutes and a surprising offseason decision have all contributed to.

PHOENIX – Coach Monty Williams and the Phoenix Suns continue to prepare for the NBA restart at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The team has held several intrasquad practices but has not yet scrimmaged or played simulated games against other teams. Until that happens, Williams said the team’s readiness for the restart is unknown. “I.

PHOENIX – On the same day the NFL Players Association reported 72 positive tests for league athletes, it shared a map that tagged Phoenix as the No. 2 hotspot for the virus among the 32 metropolitan areas where the NFL plays. The NFLPA has voiced concerns about players reporting to training camp on July 28.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC is set to play its first away match of the season Thursday. The opponent is Orange County FC in California, which was shut down Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This included a number of things, but maybe most important, restaurants. “There are three things a football player needs: a good.

PHOENIX – Two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long and his foundation are donating $100,000 to the Navajo Nation to improve access to water on the reservation. The money, which will go to DigDeep’s Navajo Water Project, will be used to install 1,200-gallon solar-powered water systems under hundreds of homes to ensure that families have reliable,.

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury have been inside the WNBA’s “bubble” at IMG Academy for about a week now and, despite the chatter from other players on social media, they seem to be adjusting well. Mercury guard Diana Taurasi sounded excited when asked how life inside the bubble was treating her. “It’s really like the.

PHOENIX – On the heels of a report that the NFL Players Association is concerned about opening training camps in “hot spot cities,” season ticket holders for the Arizona Cardinals are awaiting news on their options for 2020. The Washington Post reported the NFLPA is concerned about beginning practices in places that have been hit.

PHOENIX – Washington’s NFL team on Monday officially dropped its name, a derogatory term for Native Americans that the team has held since 1933. Native leaders and supporters in Arizona hailed a change activists have been working toward for years. The reactions ranged from relief to reflection. Reflecting on a victory years in the making.

PHOENIX – With the Suns inside the NBA’s Orlando “bubble” for almost a week now, Devin Booker is adjusting to a new lifestyle pace. While some players have shared images on social media of fishing or participating in other activities, Booker told reporters on a Zoom call Monday that his days “just consist of practice.

PHOENIX – Following the lead of the Big Ten and others, the Pac-12 Conference announced its football teams will play only conference games in 2020. “Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics support the Pac-12’s announcement of a strictly conference schedule for the 2020 football and fall sports season,” said Ray Anderson, ASU’s vice president.

PHOENIX – Amid pressure from sponsors including Nike and FedEx, Washington’s NFL team is undergoing discussions to change its name, a move some prominent voices in the Arizona Native American community feel is long overdue. “A lot of Native American people do not want to be looked at as a sidekick, a caricature or a.

PHOENIX – When his high school coach reached out for a jersey donation, Arizona Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez was on board. Soon, however, he decided it wasn’t enough. As he watched the COVID-19 pandemic affect families financially in his hometown of Deer Park, Texas, Gonzalez, a former standout at Arizona State, decided to provide scholarships.

PHOENIX – Citing economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northern Arizona Suns announced they will leave Prescott Valley for a location closer to the Phoenix metropolitan area. “I don’t think that anywhere else could host the Suns in the state like Prescott and Prescott Valley can,” team public address announcer George Werner said.

PHOENIX – Playoff hockey is arguably the most electric postseason in all of sports, a grueling four rounds and best-of-seven series that culminate with lifting the Stanley Cup. This NHL postseason, however, is going to be different for players who have been off the ice for two months. The NHL regular season was cut short.

PHOENIX – Jenaye Coleman, a former Division I lacrosse player at Marquette University, saw many teammates experience gruesome knee injuries in practice and games. During her four years playing on artificial turf, it created a dark cloud of fear about stepping onto the field. “Once we saw probably like, I don’t know, four girls tear.

PHOENIX – The news that gyms would be shut down as part of Gov. Doug Ducey’s latest executive order to slow the spread of COVID-19 has blindsided those who work in the fitness industry. “We had just been getting things going,” said Maddi Briguglio, a personal trainer at Jab Fitness in Tempe. “Clients had just.

PHOENIX – Win your state. Keep the top talent home. These tried and true recruiting maxims have informed the recruiting strategies of nearly every Division I football program. Yet in Arizona in the class of 2021, high school prospects are committing to programs everywhere but in state. Top prospects Ty Thompson and Bram Walden are.

PHOENIX – Riot Games’ “Valorant” could be the next big collegiate esport in Arizona. The free-to-play game is blend of “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” style gameplay and objectives and “Overwatch” style abilities and player characters has drawn players from those games. Grand Canyon University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona are fielding teams that.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks announced their 60-man roster for their upcoming summer training camp Monday, but the biggest news was which player on that list would not be joining the team. Mike Leake, a key rotation piece and pending free agent, notified the club that he will exercise his ability to opt out of.

PHOENIX – Several Scottsdale bars and restaurants labeled “bad actors” by Gov. Doug Ducey have shut down temporarily, and they’re pushing back on his allegations that they disregarded safety protocols meant to curb the spread of COVID-19. Ducey labeled eight Scottsdale establishments “bad actors” at a news conference Thursday. The admonishment came after city authorities.

PHOENIX – Just about two weeks away from the United Soccer League restarting, Phoenix Rising FC has been drawn into a group consisting of teams mainly from the West Coast. Group B also includes La Galaxy II, Las Vegas Lights FC, Orange County SC and San Diego Loyal SC. These four teams plus the Rising.

PHOENIX – Making a college decision is hard enough. Add in a deadly global pandemic and continued participation in a dangerous full-contact sport, and the decision becomes harder. Yet nearly 1,300 class of 2021 high school football prospects have already committed to Division I universities according to 247Sports, a number that grows by the day..

PHOENIX – The 2020-21 school year for Maricopa County community colleges may not include sports, as administrators from the district await a decision to be made next week by Chancellor Steven Gonzales. Despite reports of the cancellation being completed Thursday morning, Matt Hasson, the chief communications officer for the Maricopa County Community Colleges District, said.

PHOENIX – A somber Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday addressed Arizona’s record surge in COVID-19 cases, urging individuals to slow down and “do the right thing” but taking no new actions. “This is Arizona’s first wave and it will not be our last wave,” he said in a teleconference. “Where we are right now and.

PHOENIX – First it was the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Coyotes. Now, just as sports were beginning to start up again, players on the Phoenix Rising and Grand Canyon University men’s basketball team have tested positive for COVID-19. Phoenix Rising FC General Manager Bobby Dulle announced Wednesday that four players on the team tested positive.

PHOENIX – When Major League Baseball canceled the remainder of spring training games on March 12 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was with the initial hope of holding Opening Day for the 2020 season on April 9. That hope never manifested as the spread of the coronavirus forced the league and its players.

PHOENIX – Much has changed from four years ago, when the Phoenix Mercury were fined for wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts over their warmups. These days the WNBA is encouraging its players to find their voices, one piece of a complicated puzzle the league faces as it prepares to return to play. ”This is our.

PHOENIX – Stephen Shackleford had to make a tough decision when the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated in March. As the co-founder of SAK Gaming, a grassroots esports organization that organizes tournaments in Arizona, Shackleford closed down the SAK Gaming Lounge, an esports venue in Tempe where high school and college-age Arizona residents gathered regularly to play.

PHOENIX – Typically soft spoken, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t pause when asked Wednesday about the possibility of kneeling during the national anthem this season. “Yeah, I will be kneeling. Like I said, I stand for what is right and that’s the bottom line,” he said. “You know, I call it like I see. What’s.

PHOENIX – The only thing Phoenix Rising FC players knew is that they would return to play on July 11. Finally, it appears additional details are about to surface. The USL Championship announced June 4 that its Board of Governors had voted in favor of returning to play for the 2020 season. On Wednesday, several.

GLENDALE – Alex Meruelo made history in July when he became the first Latino controlling owner in NHL history after he purchased the Arizona Coyotes. He made more history on June 8 when he announced the hiring of Xavier A. Gutierrez to become the new CEO and President of the Coyotes, the first time a.

PHOENIX – Arizona State, determined not to suffer a similar fate as the University of Houston, is testing all its athletes for COVID-19 as part of the protocol for them to return to campus. Members of ASU’s athletic administration detailed plans for resuming voluntary workouts in a Zoom call with news media on Friday. Athletes.

PHOENIX – The first time Deric Ladnier, the Diamondbacks’ director of amateur scouting, saw Bryce Jarvis, he knew he wasn’t ready for the big leagues. “The stuff that was coming out was very marginal. And I remember telling (his father Kevin Jarvis), I said, ‘I like him. He’s not where he needs to be,’” Ladnier.

PHOENIX – As a NASCAR decision to ban Confederate flags at future events sparked heavy debate, Tucson driver Alex Bowman said he supported the decision. “There’s no reason to have anything that makes anybody uncomfortable to come to a NASCAR race,” Bowman said. “I think it’s a family event. We wanna put on a great.

PHOENIX – Rick Monday. Floyd Bannister. Bob Horner. And now, Spencer Torkelson. When the Detroit Tigers selected the Arizona State slugger No. 1 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft on Wednesday, Torkelson became the fourth ASU baseball player drafted No. 1 overall. “It’s unbelievable to be in the same conversation as those amazing players and.

PHOENIX – Masks during workouts and daily health checks are among the phase 1 requirements the University of Arizona has put in place for its athletes to return to sports participation. Members of the school’s athletics administration spoke Thursday via Zoom about a re-entry plan that is scheduled to begin Monday. “Our plan as a.

PHOENIX – They grew up on different continents nearly 8,000 miles apart, with different life experiences in matters of race. But what two Arizona professional athletes did share is a desire to speak out about the protests over the death of George Floyd. Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk grew up in Scottsdale, the son of.

PHOENIX – Nearly two weeks after protests for George Floyd’s death began to spread across the country, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said he wants the dialogue about race to continue, on his team and throughout the world. “As an organization, we recognized what happened to George Floyd was a terrible tragedy. It was a.

PHOENIX – After an unprecedented postponement of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suns are going to be playing basketball again. The NBA return-to-play plan is expected to be ratified by owners on Thursday. The story was first reported Wednesday by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and later detailed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN..

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury had a deadline. By June 1, the team had to cut its roster to 12 to ensure players would receive paychecks despite the suspension of the season. It did, one of many surreal scenarios faced by a league that was supposed to start May 24 but saw its season stalled.

PHOENIX – Derek Stepan was ecstatic over the news that the Arizona Coyotes would be returning to the ice this season. “We got a second chance, and we get to play in the playoffs,” the forward said. “I’ve been saying it since I got down to Arizona. This type of series hockey is just so.

PHOENIX – Unrest over George Floyd’s death continues to spread, prompting reaction from many, including those in the sports world. In Arizona, the only state in the country with African-American coaches overseeing an NBA team and two Power Five football teams, coaches at all levels are feeling a responsibility to speak up in a sports.

PHOENIX – It looks like the Phoenix Suns just might play basketball again after all. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently reported that the NBA is in favor of, and most likely going to approve a return-to-play format that involves 22 teams, one of them being the Phoenix Suns. The 22-team format brings back every team.

PHOENIX – In the days since Gov. Doug Ducey announced the reopening of Arizona schools this fall and youth sports this summer, the Arizona Department of Health Services has reported 2,173 new cases of COVID-19, with Friday and Saturday setting successive single-day records of 702 and 790 cases, respectively. The state has issued guidance on.

PHOENIX – Arizona schools will reopen this fall, and youth sports will return this summer, Gov. Doug Ducey told reporters Thursday. The move comes despite the fact Arizona remains in phase one of federal guidelines for reopening. Although different schools will have different needs and reopen dates, Ducey said, “we can tailor guidance to meet.

PHOENIX – Eliminating high fives, coaching in groups of 10 people or less and administering regular temperature checks are among the recommendations the Arizona Interscholastic Association is endorsing for high school athletes as they begin practice for the fall sports season. The AIA, the state’s governing body for high school sports, is following guidelines produced.

PHOENIX – Although the Pac-12 has suggested an on-time start to the college football season is possible, the conference still must wait to see how the six states where the teams are located are handling the pandemic. The league said in a statement Tuesday that it will allow voluntary in-person athletic workouts for all sports.

PHOENIX – Teaching, mentoring, planning. Just because Pac-12 football coaches have to practice social distancing with their players, their work hasn’t stopped. The needs of their players still have to be met. On a Zoom webinar, UCLA’s Chip Kelly, Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith and Arizona State’s Herm Edwards dished on how they’re handling the unusual.

PHOENIX – It was a common sight to see Michael Fletcher walk the halls of Trevor Browne High School with a stern look on his face that made him seem unapproachable. That stone cold expression would quickly turn into a smile when he greeted familiar faces. After more than 20 years of coaching Trevor Browne’s.

PHOENIX – About this time eight years ago, Justyce McClain, a 15-year-old softball standout at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in north Phoenix, sealed her path to higher education with a verbal commitment to attend McNeese State University in Louisiana on a full-ride athletic scholarship. Her sister, Syd Williams, who’s 12, aspires to follow in.

PHOENIX – It’s 4 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2001. An insignificant time and date for most people, but not for Steven Anderson, who’s celebrating in his living room. Awakened by the racket, his mother quickly reminds him he’s still expected to go to school that day. He doesn’t care. The Arizona Diamondbacks are shocking the.

SURPRISE – In early March, Texas Rangers pitchers and catchers would frequently walk from their clubhouse to the back fields together, talking and laughing. The moments symbolized how important the relationship between pitcher and catcher is in baseball, similar to a marriage, where communication is key. Among the nuances impacted by the postponement of the.

PHOENIX – At this point, hockey players have come up with just about every creative way to manage their time while quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rollerblading? Tried it. In-home gyms? Everybody has one. Doing squats while using the family dog as weight? Check. But Kyle Aucoin, 17, a top NHL prospect whose father is.

PRESCOTT VALLEY – Tucked away in the city’s center is the Findlay Toyota Center, an arena known to many for housing the NBA G League’s Northern Arizona Suns. But not too long ago, it was the home of the Arizona Sundogs, a professional minor league hockey team that brought together a community. The Sundogs played.

TEMPE – Although wrestling is thriving at the developmental level in the West, the same can’t be said of the sport at Division I universities. And it’s prompting some of the best young talent to head east. Of the country’s 79 Division I programs, only 18 are west of the Mississippi River and just 10.

PHOENIX – In the midst of uncertainty surrounding the NHL season, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun finds solace in the piano handed down from his grandmother. “She always says that now that I have it in my house that it’s like I always have a little piece of me with her, so it’s really special,”.

SURPRISE – The 2019 season was Chris Woodward’s first as manager of the Texas Rangers, but his leadership style was years in the making. He was looking forward to employing more of those lessons in his second season – before Major League Baseball shut down due to COVID-19. He and his wife, Erin, a nurse.

PHOENIX – For Pedro Gomez, the analogy came easily. “This was a lightning bolt.” In more than 30 years covering baseball, first for newspapers and now ESPN, Gomez has seen just about everything. But nothing produced a jolt quite like March 12 when Major League Baseball abruptly suspended spring training and put the 2020 season.

TEMPE – The Arizona State men’s and women’s basketball teams were on their way to NCAA Tournament berths before the outbreak of COVID-19 shut down their sport. They believe they still have something to celebrate. During this final week of spring semester classes, the programs can reflect on their commitment to the “student” part of.

LOS ANGELES – Although Michael Jordan is one of the most famous athletes in the world, there’s a lot that isn’t known about the NBA legend. However, the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance” – a revealing glimpse behind the scenes of the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls’ road to their sixth NBA title in eight years –.

PHOENIX – For sports fans such as Jake Santo, a team’s promotional schedule is just as important as its game schedule. Santo and many other memorabilia collectors monitor the calendar for bobblehead giveaways – a staple event for professional sports teams – and a big reason they attend games. “I think what makes it special.

PHOENIX – Cole Walsh stood on the runway, gazing at a large mat 100 feet away. The Arizona heat blistered the high school freshman as he prepared for his first-ever vault. With a pole held next to his hips, Walsh’s feet started shuffling. The approach began. Sprinting closer and closer to the mat, Walsh lowered.

PHOENIX – Spencer Torkelson sat on a Zoom call, his hat perched backward, AirPods in place, fielding questions from a virtual scrum of reporters from his family’s California home. A candidate to be the No. 1 pick in June’s Major League Baseball Draft, the Arizona State slugger spoke about the heartbreaking suspension of his junior.

PHOENIX – As the world wages war with the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional institutions are adjusting to a new normal. The phrase “social distancing” has entered the modern lexicon, and “flattening the curve” isn’t something from the dictionary of baseball jargon. Nobody knows when games will begin again, or whether fans will even be allowed to.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – April 2004 was a significant month in Phoenix Suns history. For an NBA record $401 million franchise selling price, businessman Robert Sarver and.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Entering the 1997 NBA Playoffs, no one in league history had drained more than eight 3-pointers in one postseason game. That record was.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – As dusk falls, the sky above the city turns from baby blue to cotton candy, streaked with orange and purple. Sunsets are one.

PHOENIX – Josh Jones sat in his house Friday night, wondering why he hadn’t been selected as the NFL Draft moved into the third round. Despite a late-first round to late-second round projection, Jones was still on the board early into the third. Shortly afterward, the Arizona Cardinals drafted the offensive tackle from Houston with.

PHOENIX – The start of the 2020 NFL Draft shaped up favorably for the Arizona Cardinals. Three quarterbacks were selected in the top six picks leaving Arizona, picking eighth, with a lot of talent to pick from in an effort to bulk up a weak offensive line or add firepower to the defense. The Cardinals.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Dennis Green made a promise to Larry Fitzgerald Sr. on April 24, 2004. “‘If your son’s there at No. 3,” Fitzgerald Sr. remembers.

PHOENIX – Josh Christopher was still in high school when he jumped into the game of college trash talking. As Utah was about to play Arizona State in men’s basketball, Utes freshman Hunter Mecum started talking smack with Christopher, his former Mayfair High teammate. Christopher, a consensus five-star recruit, was visiting Tempe that weekend in.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns broadcaster Tom Leander said he’s proud his daughter, an intensive-care nurse, stood up to demonstrators protesting stay-at-home orders at the state Capitol this week. In photos that have gone viral, Lauren Leander is seen in her scrubs silently facing down protesters who arrived at the Capitol to demand Gov. Doug Ducey.

PHOENIX – Entering his sixth season, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is trying to prove that last year wasn’t a one-off, that he is worth the three-year, $30 million contract he signed this offseason with the Arizona Cardinals. After posting a career-high 9½ sacks for the Buffalo Bills last year, more than he had in the.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. GLENDALE – For a hockey franchise still trying to find its roots in the desert, the Coyotes sure knew how to make their playoff series.

PHOENIX – At a time when COVID-19 has stiff-armed sporting events, the television industry’s opinionated personalities are front and center. After all, you don’t need competition to spout an opinion. The changing landscape has shined a spotlight on television’s hierarchy: TV sports personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless yield multi-million dollar salaries for.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. TEMPE – In the culmination of the NFL’s marketing campaign to celebrate the league’s 100th anniversary, a spot aired during Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl.

PHOENIX – Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Justin Pugh did not spend his draft day in the green room at Radio City Music Hall. He did not bro-hug the commissioner or have a jersey and hat presented to him on national television. Despite being drafted 19th overall by the New York Giants in 2013, Pugh was.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – It has been eight years since the Arizona Coyotes, still known as the Phoenix Coyotes at the time, last reached the NHL playoffs..

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – During the 1998 baseball offseason, the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks had just completed their inaugural season under the watchful eye of manager Buck Showalter,.

PHOENIX – The life of a college athlete can be stressful. Balancing academic and sports or taking the game-winning shot against a Top 10 team involves pressure. Former Arizona State basketball player Michelle Tom did both, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to down No. 7 Washington in 1999. Now she deals with more serious stress: treating.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The buzzer sounded inside Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum as coach John MacLeod’s team inched one step closer to the ultimate prize, an NBA.

PHOENIX – The cancellation of the 2020 Native American Basketball Invitational means more to that community than simply taking a summer off from playing ball. Its loss could have a major impact on the lives of many young native people. A major purpose of the event is to help players attend college, whether as a.

PHOENIX – A month ago, Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly didn’t expect he would have time for some of his hobbies. The Arizona State product was in the middle of his second spring training with the club, looking to build on a solid rookie season and earn a spot at the back end of an.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – By the time the 1997 NFL Draft rolled around on this day 23 years ago, Jake Plummer had already built quite the reputation.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On a Tuesday night in 2006 at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks’ Luis Gonzalez drove an RBI double off of San Francisco’s Matt Morris.

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury selected Virginia guard Jocelyn Willoughby 10th overall in the first round of the 2020 WNBA Draft Friday. However, she did not stay for long. The Mercury traded the reigning ACC scoring leader to the New York Liberty for point guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. “I was in shock but excited,” Willoughby said.

GLENDALE – Newly acquired Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is already making an impact in the Valley, familiarizing himself with his new teammates and showing leadership through philanthropic work. Since arriving in Arizona as the centerpiece of an offseason trade with the Houston Texans, Hopkins said the outpouring of support from the Red Sea.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – With the infield pushed in, on a 2-2 count in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single.

PHOENIX – The WNBA Draft might be a virtual event this year, but the player the Phoenix Mercury come away with Friday night will be the real deal. At least, that’s the plan. The Mercury are mulling its options to find a player who will best complement the team’s newly-formed “big three,” said coach Sandy.

PHOENIX – Imagine an empty Chase Field as a ballgame between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers is played. All 48,519 seats are vacant, save for a few cardboard cutouts, and every sound carries through the entire stadium: the crack of the bat, the pop of a catcher’s mitt, communication between teammates. It.

LOS ANGELES – One month ago, every sporting event in the nation came to a screeching halt to thwart the rapid spread of deadly COVID-19. The first to shut down were the professional leagues – and then came the biggest competition in college basketball: March Madness. “For those of us who love and treasure college.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. TEMPE – In 2004, the shocking news that Pat Tillman, a former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinals defensive standout, had been killed in action while.

PHOENIX – Several members of Arizona State’s women’s basketball team were getting treatment in a training room at Weatherup Center in Tempe on March 12, knowing that in just four days the entire team would be watching ESPN’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Special together. The Sun Devils were fresh off of a disappointing first-round exit.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Despite a franchise-worst 7-27 season, the Phoenix Mercury were optimistic about the franchise’s future as the 2013 WNBA Draft approached. And why not?.

PHOENIX – Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley received headline-making news Monday night when five-star guard Josh Christopher from Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, announced his commitment to the Sun Devil men’s basketball program. In the latest ESPN rankings, Christopher is rated as the 10th-best player in his class, and he will join the No..

PHOENIX – Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals is viewed by many analysts as the greatest NBA game ever played. It included wild swings of fortune and emotion. It included the storied Boston Celtics and the upstart Phoenix Suns. It included three overtimes. One man remained calm amid the chaos at Boston Garden that.

PHOENIX – Zoom meetings, online film sessions and remote workouts. Those are just some of the creative solutions that high school football coaches are employing to conduct spring practices in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Spring football is typically a three-week session. It is, as three Arizona coaches noted, a crucial part of the.

TEMPE – Americans continue to live in a world without sports, open restaurants, bars and most stores. Many states have enacted lengthy stay-at-home orders in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus, but people are still permitted to go outside and get exercise as long as they practice safe social-distancing. Those living.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Coyotes announced Friday that 50% of their staff will be furloughed through June 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the pausing of the NHL and AHL seasons. Coyotes owner, chairman and governor Alex Meruelo said the decision was necessary, given the unlikelihood of the NHL season resuming in the.

PHOENIX – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Phoenix Children’s Hospital is receiving financial support from FaZe Adapt, a popular member of the local gaming community. In a Twitch stream to support the local hospital and in partnership with Extra Life, Adapt and FaZe Swagg – both Phoenix natives – raised more than $2,000 that will benefit.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On this day in 2009, the Arizona Diamondbacks got their wish. “Major League Baseball is proud to announce that the Arizona Diamondbacks will.

PHOENIX – Hidden within the exploding global esports movement lies Grand Canyon’s burgeoning program, headed by athletic esports coordinator Albert Lee. GCU has emerged as one of the premier universities in the country housing esports, offering a diverse set of games in the competitive scene, and being one of the first schools to offer scholarships.

TEMPE – Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Jack Johnson all had something in common before becoming hockey superstars. The trio are alumni of the prestigious Shattuck-Saint Mary’s school and hockey program in Minnesota. Duncan Shin, a 15-year-old from Chandler, Arizona, attends the elite school where those players once roamed and is following in their skates..

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On April 10, 2010, the then-Phoenix Coyotes wrapped up the franchise’s best regular season in Arizona, finishing with 107 points after a shootout.

PHOENIX – Sydney Wiese knew something wasn’t right. “I know my body and I don’t get sick that often,” Wiese said. “When I get a cold, I know what that feels like. I know what it’s like to have the flu. This felt different.” A Phoenix native who plays guard for the Los Angeles Sparks.

PHOENIX – Despite the lack of organized team activities and the general uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury believes familiarity among players and staff will help the team kick it into gear once football resumes. With the sports world on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in the NFL is adjusting..

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The long hours spent at the free throw line. Shot after shot after shot after shot. It’s a tedious, monotonous grind, and every.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX — Ask anybody and they’ll tell you: Ice in a desert won’t last very long. Yet 23 seasons and a couple name changes later,.

PHOENIX – On Tuesday, March 31, despite a raging pandemic, the Arizona Coyotes live-streamed their game against the Colorado Avalanche on their YouTube, Facebook and Twitch accounts. Like every other Coyotes broadcast, it started with pregame analysis from play-by-play broadcaster Matt McConnell and analyst Tyson Nash, with both emphasizing how critical the game was to.

PHOENIX – Nearly a month has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the sports world to a halt. Every active league postponed or canceled seasons, including Major League Baseball. But MLB is working on a plan to reboot the sport in a move that will be judged bold or foolish, depending on how it unfolds..

PHOENIX – The NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship game was supposed to unfold Monday with more than 70,000 fans watching at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and millions more tuning in on television or streaming the game live. Instead, March Madness ended before it ever started, wiped out by COVID-19. But recently, a Twitter account –.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The Phoenix Coyotes faced a lot of obstacles during the 2011-12 NHL season. The biggest ones were off the ice. Despite back-to-back playoff.

GLENDALE – When Ahron Cohen took over as president and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes in the summer of 2018, expanding the hockey culture – especially the Coyotes’ hockey culture in the desert – was pinned at the top of his to-do list. “Our mentality has been to attack this state from a grassroots perspective.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Gil Morgan made a name for himself on the PGA Tour, winning seven tournaments in a career that spanned more than two decades..

PHOENIX – Doctors have stressed the importance of children remaining physically active in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to prevent kids from tumbling down a dangerous, unhealthy path due to the absence of school and structure. “The important thing that I would push is a schedule, a routine, trying to schedule a bit.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Weeks have passed without sports. Television shows and movies can only be watched so many times. New hobbies don’t always last because shooting.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Fresh off their inaugural season, the Arizona Diamondbacks went for the biggest fish in a loaded free agent ocean during the winter of.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The Phoenix Mercury beat the odds in the WNBA draft lottery following the 2006 season, emerging with the No. 1 overall selection despite.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On Opening Day in 2001, the Diamondbacks were a team loaded with veteran players and the dynamic one-two punch of ace pitchers Randy.

PHOENIX – With the sports world at a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic, one platform may change how fans take in sports for years to come. Virtual reality could serve as a way to provide fans with experiences previously thought only possible at in-person events. During the first session of a two-part virtual conference called.

PHOENIX – March 12 was an odd day for many people, including Arizona Coyotes broadcaster Matt McConnell. The NHL had canceled morning skates, but the Coyotes were still slated to take on the Vancouver Canucks that night at Gila River Arena. McConnell met with his broadcast partner, Tyson Nash, and producer Graham Taylor at a.

TEMPE – Brinson Pasichnuk recalls when he first realized he wanted to play in the National Hockey League. “I think (Sidney) Crosby said a quote. I heard it when I was young. It said, ‘Imagine waking up everyday and your job isn’t work,’” the ASU senior defenseman said. “It’s not the exact quote, but imagine.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. TEMPE – Tuesday, April 2, 2019, was an ordinary day for defensive lineman Dylan Wynn and his Arizona Hotshots teammates – until it wasn’t. It.

PHOENIX – Grand Canyon University’s beach volleyball program was on the doorstep of making school history, with all the pieces falling into place for the Lopes to contend for a national title in May. Then, like so much in society during 2020, GCU’s dream season was derailed by something with far more historic significance. The.

LOS ANGELES – Athletes everywhere are refocusing and reworking their training regimens now that the 2020 Summer Olympics have been pushed back a year. One of them is Canadian swimmer Taylor Ruck, 19, of Scottsdale, who took off a year from Stanford University to train for Tokyo. “The only thing that’s changing is based on.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The kid came out of Jersey City from a legendary basketball family, already something of a star. With Bobby Hurley running the point,.

PHOENIX – Brett Hundley loves to run. Not just when he steps under center on an NFL field, or when he made Pac-12 defenses look silly at UCLA. He has had a deep passion for it most of his life, from running through his local neighborhoods to racing across the world in the offseason. “When.

PHOENIX – Opening Day has come and gone, but the main attraction, the centerpiece of it all, wasn’t there. In 2020, it was just a date on a calendar. There was no baseball on March 26, when all 30 major league clubs were scheduled to play. There was no call from the plate umpire to.

GLENDALE – Michael Bidwill’s Tuesday morning wasn’t about the upcoming NFL Draft or sharing his excitement over the team acquiring wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. It was about blood. Bidwill was included among the 500-plus people who donated blood Tuesday at State Farm Stadium during a Cardinals blood drive with partners Dignity Health and Cigna. Due.

PHOENIX – Although records of women playing organized tackle football can be found as early as the 1920s, the sport has struggled to sustain any momentum. That could be changing with the emergence of more women in NFL coaching positions and the presence of teams such as the Phoenix Phantomz. The Phantomz are members of.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – With Bank One Ballpark’s novel retractable roof opened to reveal a clear and star-filled night sky, the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Colorado Rockies.

PHOENIX – Throughout his life, Suns play-by-play broadcaster Jon Bloom was unknowingly preparing for March 27. Growing up as a video game fan and future commentator, Bloom would often do play-by-play of the games he was playing. He has even used NBA 2K20, the video game, to prepare for Suns games this year by going.

TEMPE – After learning of Gov. Doug Ducey’s decision to keep schools closed through the end of the spring semester, the reality hit hard for high school coaches and athletes who won’t have the opportunity to play and coach sanctioned sports again. “It makes me feel really sad and defeated,” said Summer Duran, one of.

Gov. Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order on Monday to prevent further spread of deadly COVID-19, which has claimed 20 lives in Arizona to date. The “Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected” initiative will go into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, and run through the end of April. “This decision was made with.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – One word best described the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns’ playing style: pace. Fifteen years ago today, that pace helped the team clinch its first.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Lute Olson’s No. 4 Arizona Wildcats battled in close games throughout the 1997 NCAA Tournament. After opening with an eight-point win over No..

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On March 28, 2010, the professional wrestling world had its eyes on Glendale, as 72,219 spectators filled what is now known as State.

PHOENIX – Could the high rate of COVID-19 infections in New Orleans be a harbinger for the Phoenix area? That’s what some are wondering after a recent spike in Louisiana is being attributed, in part, to the influx of visitors during Mardi Gras celebrations, which occurred about the same time as MLB spring training and.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – The Arizona Wildcats, with four appearances in the NCAA Final Four, two trips to the championship game and an NCAA title in 1997,.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Some people still call it the greatest Elite Eight game ever. Some still feel nauseous when they dare think about it. Some, like.

PHOENIX – For new Arizona Cardinals linebacker Devon Kennard, a homecoming to the Valley wasn’t expected, but it was definitely more than welcome. Despite being a team captain the past two seasons and recording seven sacks in back-to-back years, the Ahwatukee native and Desert Vista High School product was released by the Detroit Lions on.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – On March 25, 2016, sophomore Ryan Hingst did what only nine other pitchers in Arizona State baseball history had done before him. Hingst.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – There is no sugarcoating it. History making moments have been few and far between during the last decade of Phoenix Suns basketball. But.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Former Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson accomplished a lot during a 22-year Hall of Fame career. The “Big Unit” was a 10-time All-Star, won.

LOS ANGELES – The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be postponed because of the relentless spread of deadly COVID-19, longtime Olympic official Dick Pound said Monday. Since early March, sports officials across the globe have had to cancel events as the deadly respiratory disease continues to expand its reach to every continent but Antarctica. “On.

PHOENIX – Ella Johnston was a 13-year-old cheerleader when she suffered a concussion during practice that was so severe she needed speech, occupational and physical therapy. Months later, she returned to the mat while still working on her recovery – underlining the dangers and the joys of cheerleading. “It’s such a high leading moment. You.

With the sports world on hold, Cronkite News will take a daily look at this day in sports history and reflect on some of the biggest moments in Arizona sports. PHOENIX – Kobe Bryant terrorized the Phoenix Suns for two decades, making many enemies in the Valley. For one night in 2016, all of that.

PHOENIX – The suspension of the NBA on March 11 jarred the sports world. Major League Baseball was next, suspending its spring operations. The NCAA followed suit, canceling its men’s and women’s postseason tournaments. Fans have shuddered at what the coronavirus is doing, and what it will do, to the sports landscape. But this global.

TEMPE – When Desert Vista sophomore Dasean Lecque – the younger brother to Phoenix Suns rookie Jalen Lecque – transferred from New Jersey to high school in Arizona, he was on a mission to showcase his skills. “I felt like I was very underrated,” Lecque said. “I think some people think that I am just.

TEMPE – Oh! I’m on a high right now! Those were the words of Katie McGovern after receiving Player of the Game honors following the first game of the recent Dream Gap Tour at Oceanside Ice Arena. McGovern, a former standout for the storied University of Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey program, scored the game-winning goal in.

PHOENIX – The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant, far-reaching impact on sports, including baseball. The Cincinnati Reds announced Wednesday that one of the team’s employees who worked at the spring training facility in Goodyear has tested positive for COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. The employee worked at the complex.

LAS VEGAS – At a time when basketball fans were anticipating “One Shining Moment,” the NCAA announced in one defining moment March 12 that there will be no NCAA Tournament this season. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a stop sign up on the road to the Final Four of men’s and women’s basketball. Games were.

PHOENIX – These are stressful times for those in sports, those who follow sports and those who make their livelihood through the games others play. With cancelations and postponements of countless high-profile events, the novel coronavirus outbreak has left a stain of uncertainty on the sporting world. Now some of Major League Baseball’s most valued.

PHOENIX – The global spread of COVID-19 has disrupted sporting events over the world, but the Arizona Interscholastic Association provided a hint of normalcy on Monday. The AIA Board announced that it still hopes to resume spring sports at some point soon, including holding the respective sports’ championships. Gov. Doug Ducey and State Superintendent of.

PHOENIX – With spring training suspended and the start of the 2020 season postponed, the Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to adapt to a new normal. Instead of players working out in batting cages, employees are cleaning them. Instead of administering tests for speed and agility, the team had to administer a test to a minor-leaguer.

TEMPE – At the historic Boston Marathon, Carla Simon will be writing her own piece of history. Simon, 32, will be the first female Special Olympics athlete from Arizona to toe the line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, at the start of the world’s oldest annual marathon. It will take the autistic athlete a little longer than expected..

PHOENIX – The ever-changing sports world due to the coronavirus pandemic was epitomized Thursday as Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley reflected on the uncertainty of his sport. “I feel like we’re all kind of in a holding period,” he said at the team’s spring training site at Salt River Fields. Sure enough, a few hours later,.

PHOENIX – Amid news that NCAA basketball tournament games would be played without fans in attendance, the Pac-12 Tournament was in full swing Wednesday in front of a crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. The Pac-12 has not given any indication it will alter its course because of coronavirus concerns. Other conference tournaments are underway.

LAS VEGAS – Arizona coach Adia Barnes believes that Oregon superstar guard Sabrina Ionescu made the best decision in her life when she returned for her senior season – even if it didn’t turn out so well for Barnes and the Wildcats. Ionescu and the Ducks knocked Arizona out in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. But.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Football Club has been known to pick up young players who go on to succeed in their soccer careers, and in January, they signed Bryce Duke of Casa Grande, Arizona, who was 18. View this post on Instagram Bryce Duke is Black & Gold. #LAFC A post shared by.

LAS VEGAS – Arizona coach Adia Barnes has the Wildcats on the verge of hosting the opening rounds in NCAA Tournament play, something she didn’t want her team to think about as it traveled to the Pac-12 Tournament. It’s clear the Wildcats didn’t. No. 4 seed and No. 13 Arizona (24-6) won 86-73 against No..

LOS ANGELES – Athletes and fans alike fear that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo may be canceled or postponed because of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease that has killed more than 3,200 people around the world. Opening ceremonies are slated for July 24, and the International Olympic Committee has announced it will have.

LAS VEGAS – After the game, Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne immediately thought about 2009.  On Thursday, No. 24 ASU (20-11) entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the conference, but the Sun Devils ultimately fell short 71-67 against No. 12 seed California (12-18) in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

PHOENIX – As the world continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19, a novel strain of the coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people and infected more than 95,000 others across the world, concerns have seeped into the Arizona sports community. The 15 Cactus League teams that hold spring training in Arizona received.

PHOENIX – Arizona Snowbowl will replace an aging chairlift in need of repair with a much faster one, opening next season as part of a multimillion dollar, multiyear expansion, resort officials said Thursday. The lift will replace the Agassiz Chairlift, which has been used since the early 1960s. Mechanical problems put the lift out of.

TEMPE – As Reili Richardson made a move and drove toward the basket, she noticed Ja’Tavia Tapley out of the corner of her eye. Richardson flicked a precision pass that afforded Tapley an easy layup in a win against Washington at Desert Financial Arena recently. It was a play that Arizona State coach Charli Turner.

LOS ANGELES — Around 20,000 fans, celebrities, players and legends of the NBA gathered Monday to celebrate the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, who were killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash Jan. 27. At the Staples Center, where the former Laker’s number 8 and 24 jerseys hang in the rafters, host.

PHOENIX – The popularity of collegiate esports is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. Universities are offering scholarships and funding programs, including providing state-of-the-art facilities decked out with all of the essentials needed to be successful on the virtual playing field. But one thing is being left behind: The involvement of.

TEMPE – Two continents. Ten states. It’s tough being the lone Division I men’s hockey program in the Southwest. That’s the fate of Arizona State, which started its schedule with five exhibition games in Beijing, China, and ends it in Madison, Wisconsin, for games today and Saturday before postseason play begins. Flying might not seem.

PHOENIX – The NFL scouting combine is known to be all about numbers and measurables. How high can you jump? How fast can you run? What’s your 40 time, and can you maneuver through a collection of cones? Most important: How will all your numbers stack up against your peers? Those answers are often found.

PHOENIX – Overuse injuries are often attributed to factors such as specialization in youth sports. But the unique circumstances of women’s professional basketball has made WNBA players especially susceptible. Will the league’s new collective bargaining agreement change that? The recent deal provides a 53% increase in total cash compensation to players, and the game’s stars.

PEORIA – Picture this: “Pinball Wizard” blasting through AZ Ice Peoria. The rink split with hockey players in jerseys modeled after the Arizona Coyotes. Creative goal celebrations as players circle around the rink several times. That’s what a game with the One Step Coyotes looks like. The organization, founded in 2016, is Arizona’s first hockey.

SCOTTSDALE – Less than an hour before MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred took the microphone Tuesday and addressed the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, four-time NBA MVP LeBron James tweeted his displeasure on the subject, saying if it happened in his league, his emotions would be “irate” and “uncontrollable.” Listen I know I don’t play baseball but.

TEMPE – Madison Preston wanted to play softball on a big stage, under the brightest lights, when she made the decision to play at Alabama out of Centralia High School in Missouri. Preston, the 2016-17 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, believed Alabama was the perfect place. The Crimson Tide play in the Southeastern Conference,.

PRESCOTT VALLEY – Boys high school wrestling participation numbers are dropping, but girls high school wrestling is booming in Arizona since it became a sanctioned sport two years ago. The Arizona Interscholastic Association, which governs high school sports in the state, added girls wrestling to its list of sanctioned sports for the 2018-19 school year,.

PHOENIX – Cameron Johnson dribbled to his right, past Anthony Davis, and dashed into the lane. Between the Phoenix Suns rookie and the rim, JaVale McGee, the 7-foot Los Angeles Lakers center, slid into position to challenge him. With the towering McGee in his way, the 6-foot-8 Johnson soared to the hoop and converted in.

TEMPE – As the Arizona State campus begins to slow down on a Friday night, gamers throughout the community are arriving with their PCs, monitors and consoles for the ASU Esports Association LAN party. The parties connect members of the association for a night of fun and games. But this LAN party has a much.

TUCSON – Arizona baseball coach Jay Johnson has two of the Pac-12 Conference’s most dynamic sluggers in Dayton Dooney and Branden Boissiere, who burst onto the scene as freshmen last season. They starred in an Arizona offense that finished among the best in the country, averaging 9.8 runs per game, the most offensive production by.

TEMPE – When Danny Marshall arrived last fall as a walk-on pitcher for the No. 3 ASU baseball team, the former Queen Creek High standout, who also played the outfield in high school, never imagined he would get his first crack at playing time in center field. But with hand injuries to starting center fielder.

PHOENIX – Jalen Lecque basically lives a double life. A different city, a different jersey and a different league depending on the day. Since the beginning of 2020, he has been recalled or assigned by the Phoenix Suns to or from the Northern Arizona Suns five times. This occurs when an NBA player is on.

GLENDALE – Jeff Chychrun remembers the first time his son, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, wore full equipment on ice. Jakob, then 3, emerged from a skate with Florida Panthers mascot, Stanley C. Panther, sweating in his gear. “He looks up at me with the big blue eyes, ‘Daddy, I’m all wet. I need a.

GLENDALE – A Native-owned fight-promotion company that holds MMA events at Arizona casinos hopes to expand its audience with an event in downtown’s Glendale Civic Center it has dubbed the Valentine’s Day Massacre. Officially called RUF 38, the event will unfold Saturday with a card of amateur fighters who aspire to reach the highest levels.

TEMPE – Arizona State freshman Jalen Graham has donned Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 since playing for Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, and the 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward continues to wear the number of his favorite player as a Sun Devil. But as Graham stood with his back against the wall answering questions from reporters, another.

PHOENIX – Representatives of the LGBTQ community gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday to protest a bill that would ban transgender girls from competing in women’s sports. The event, tagged Equity Lobby Day, was in response to a bill proposed by Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix. House Bill 2706, the Save Women’s Sports Act, would require.

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant was only 18 when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and the winner of five championship rings inspired a generation of young NBA basketball players to mirror the way he played the game. “Before I even knew him personally, he had shaped my life,” Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker,.

PHOENIX – Elmer Ugarte, 33, copes with feelings of isolation by competing on the rough fields of rugby. Shaun Barlow, 40, escapes to the woods for hunting and camping to combat his feelings of depression and isolation. Jean-Paul Villont, 48, channels his hyper-alertness and paranoia by competing in jiu-jitsu. What they all have in common.

PRESCOTT VALLEY – Not much has been given to Keljin Blevins. But that hasn’t stopped him from reaching basketball’s professional realm. The Northern Arizona Suns rookie has found a productive role as the season has progressed, logging more than 20 minutes off the bench in multiple games. While averaging only 4.0 points, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound.

PHOENIX – Andy Stankiewicz ticked off the list of talented pitchers he’ll have on his roster in 2020, the guys he’ll lean on to take Grand Canyon to its first NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The list seemed never-ending. “Kade Mechals, Pierson Ohl, Jack Schneider, Dawson McCarville, Cal Lambert,” he said, pausing and pondering before.

TEMPE – In her 26th season as a head coach in Division I women’s basketball, Charli Turner Thorne reached a significant milestone in January, recording her 500th career victory when Arizona State beat Southern California in Tempe. It placed Turner Thorne in select company. Only 81 coaches have reached or exceeded the 500-win plateau in.

PHOENIX – The science and research to back cupping therapy, the popular recovery method, is still fuzzy, but it remains widely used. Those in the sports therapy industry are lauding its simplicity, which has allowed the method to spill into the high school scene. Cupping, sometimes referred to as vacuum therapy, suctions the skin using.

TEMPE – Junior forward Willie Knierim’s breakout season on the third line for No. 11 Arizona State this season has helped propel the youngest hockey program in Division l into position for a second-straight NCAA tournament appearance. Knierim has turned up his game for the Sun Devils over the past month, scoring seven goals and.

TEMPE – The Arizona State football team has cracked the Top 25 of many top recruiting services for its 2020 class. Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports all have the Sun Devils on the rise, and it’s reflected in the work that coach Herm Edwards is witnessing when he looks at the field and sees his players.

PHOENIX – A Super Bowl ad by the NFL that features the late Pat Tillman has divided a football community debating its intent. The statue of the former Arizona State and Cardinals defensive player at State Farm Stadium is part of a commercial celebrating the league’s 100th anniversary. In it, a young athlete experiences Forrest.

TEMPE – Arizona State‘s competitive “Call of Duty” team is playing in its first tournament since the team’s inception over the summer, and the outcome could have long-term implications for the program. Team captain Steffen Fallini believes that placing high or winning the tournament could bring much-needed attention to the team, which is playing short-handed.

TEMPE – The Arizona State track and field season is only a month old, but throwers Turner Washington and Samantha Noennig have already put the Sun Devils among the national contenders. Both rank among the top three for the longest shot-put throw in NCAA competition this season. While their successes have mirrored each other’s this.

SCOTTSDALE – Born 10 weeks premature, D.J. Gregory has had 11 surgeries in his lifetime: five on his legs and six on his eyes. One of those involved having the abductor muscles in his legs cut, leaving Gregory unable to balance. As a result, he went from crawling on his stomach around the house as.

PHOENIX – How many days did he take off last year? How many days did he truly spend not working? Greg Prudhomme had to stop and think about that. He tilted his head back, and looked upward, as if the answer might be etched under the brim of his hat. “I did take a couple.

SCOTTSDALE – The well oiled machine, that is to say, the faithful denizens of the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s 16th hole, were already in full swing by 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. Golf fans from Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Canada and even New Zealand were among the early ones limbering up for the most important part.

SCOTTSDALE – For many golfers, the kinetic atmosphere at the Waste Management Phoenix Open can be daunting. Some of the world’s most prolific pros annually sit out of the Valley’s only PGA Tour event because of the party-like setting at TPC Scottsdale. Not Joel Dahmen — he embraces the chaos. “It’s fun,” Dahmen said. “It.

PHOENIX – Earl Mitchell’s long, winding road to the NFL’s ultimate event has featured several starts and stops and what appeared to be an early deadend. Now, the former University Arizona tight end-turned defensive lineman is preparing to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a long way from where his.

SCOTTSDALE – The first day of a tournament week on the PGA Tour is usually the least eventful. Many golfers are still traveling from the location of the previous week’s competition, or simply taking a day off after an exhausting week before arriving at their next tour spot. There was no lack of vigor on.

PHOENIX – Transgender females would be restricted from competing in Arizona sports under a bill proposed by Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix. The Save Women’s Sports Act would require interscholastic and intramural leagues to classify separate co-ed, men’s and women’s sports. If approved, House Bill 2706 would apply to all public and private interscholastic schools, including.

TEMPE – Arizona State basketball coach Bobby Hurley fondly remembers the one time he crossed paths with then 18-year-old Kobe Bryant. “His rookie year, my last,” Hurley said. “I remember playing him in L.A. I made a move and he made a comment about Duke because I had played there. ‘Don’t try that Duke stuff.

SCOTTSDALE – Alex Smalley walked onto the driving range at TPC Scottsdale with a smile on his face as he absorbed his new surroundings. As he walked to his spot on the range, other professionals noticed him — someone younger than almost everyone else competing at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “Good luck, kid,” one.

PHOENIX – Two years ago, Arizona State baseball coach Tracy Smith continued to insist that everything happening was for the bigger picture. The Sun Devils’ 2018 season ended up being one of the worst in the history of the program in terms of record. That second straight losing season, however, also presented optimism for the.

PHOENIX – Whether it was winning NBA championships, securing Olympic gold medals or serving as an ambassador for the international game, Kobe Bryant’s impact stretched far and wide. That included his support of women’s basketball. “He had a voice,” said Ann Meyers Drysdale, Phoenix Mercury vice president and television analyst. “He gave it credibility. ….

PHOENIX – Megan Morris spent less than 10 minutes with Kobe Bryant, just enough time for him to make a dramatic impression. It’s a common refrain for those who have met Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Southern California. Whether a student, a team executive or a reporter, those who crossed paths.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Tom Brady sat in a coffee shop off Fairfax Avenue, completely unnoticed. People walked past without batting an eye at his athletic physique, or pausing to listen to his distinct voice. If Brady minded, he didn’t show it. Instead, he smiled and reminisced about last season’s championship win. He acknowledged his.

TEMPE – As Friday night approached, Arizona State women’s basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne told media that this version of the Oregon Ducks is the best team that she has scouted to play against as a coach. “I mean, there is nothing that they don’t have,” Turner Thorne said before the game. “… They are.

PHOENIX – Steak, white rice, black beans, salsa and cheese, please. It’s a combination of burrito ingredients known to almost anyone who has visited a Chipotle Mexican Grill, but not so familiar to Arizona State golfer Ryggs Johnston. Hailing from Libby, Montana, a small town of 2,700 about an hour south of the Canadian border.

LOS ANGELES – The 1995 Rose Bowl featured an Oregon Ducks team that hadn’t played in the storied Pac 12 title game in 37 years. That improbable leap forward for the football program changed how the college football community saw their sport for years to come. After the Ducks’ 1994-95 season, former Oregon track runner.

SAHUARITA – Whether it’s following the yellow brick road, capturing the golden snitch or saving the world from Thanos, a performance by the Walden Grove High School Performing Arts Crew is destined to go viral. The PAC’s last three homecoming shows – honoring “The Wizard of Oz,” “Harry Potter” and “The Avengers” – have combined.

GLENDALE – With this decade almost finished, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney started to reflect on an era with his football program he still and always will describe as “Little Ole’ Clemson.” After a 6-7 season in 2010, Swinney said at media day before Saturday’s PlayStation Fiesta Bowl that much money had probably been bet on.

GLENDALE – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shouted a thundering “no,” toward the referee. Restrained by another Ohio State staffer, Day soon saw his team’s strong start to the College Football Playoff semifinal evaporate after the game’s most monumental call. A second-quarter sack from Buckeyes slot cornerback Shaun Wade on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

TEMPE – The Arizona State women’s basketball team found itself in an unfamiliar position against its arch rival. ASU had gone 18-4 against Arizona this decade, and the final Territorial Cup matchup before 2020 came Sunday afternoon at Desert Financial Arena. This season, though, a rising Arizona program came into Tempe undefeated and No. 18.

PHOENIX – As the Cheez-It Bowl approached, questions swirled about the dynamic of having a triple-option attack of Air Force face the air raid of Washington State. Air Force set the tone early on Friday night, starting the game with a goal-line stand and answering with a vintage 20-play, 98-yard drive that took 12:23 from.

SCOTTSDALE – Since the College Football Playoff system started in 2014, there has never been a semifinal matchup featuring an undefeated conference champion playing an undefeated conference champion. That changes on Saturday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where the hype and buzz surrounding No. 2 Ohio State (13-0) and No. 3 Clemson (13-0).

SCOTTSDALE – Ohio State coach Ryan Day has made the long trek from Columbus to Arizona before. Not to field endless questions from the media inside Scottsdale’s Camelback Inn for the Playstation Fiesta Bowl Media Day. Not to work on final details for the highly anticipated College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson. And as much.

SCOTTSDALE – Saying that Washington State and Air Force differ in offensive styles would be an understatement. At the Cheez-It Bowl on Saturday night inside Chase Field, each football program will try to move the ball down the field in vastly different fashions. Washington State (6-6) will utilize an air-raid passing attack while Air Force.

PHOENIX – Injuries in young athletes are common occurrences. What is not common is the level of treatment and rehabilitation received when those injuries happen. Cathy Corlett, a goalkeeper at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, has experienced her fair share of injuries, including four concussions that occurred while playing soccer. “One time I was.

PHOENIX – Throughout baseball’s online fan community, Jimmy O’ Brien (aka @Jomboy), Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) and other notable social media personalities have reignited baseball’s cultural relevance and rekindled interest in the game among casual fans. Their work is a form of grassroots marketing that promotes baseball to a sizable audience of young, digitally savvy adults.

BELLFLOWER, Calif. – The office of the football coaches at St. John Bosco High School isn’t typical. Well-polished trophies line the room, representing such championships as the Mission Viejo High School Football Classic and the Battle of the Beach. Framed articles from the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and other publications highlight state.

TEMPE – Three years ago, Brindon “Breezyyy” Keesey tried out for the Arizona State University League of Legends team and didn’t make the cut. Now, Keesey has signed a contract to play for 100 Thieves and has become the second ASU player to go pro in any esport. The deal shines a spotlight on a.

PHOENIX – Like many sports fans, Antonio Saldivar has imagined what it would be like to represent the local NBA franchise. “I would love to play for Phoenix,” he said. “That’s like every kid’s dream growing up … to play for their hometown team.” Their NBA 2K League team that is. The league, a professional.

PHOENIX – When Dani George was a freshman at Arizona State University, the only thing that kept her from transferring was esports. She was depressed and had no friends, she said, but discovering the ASU Esports Association turned her life around. Now a junior and the club’s vice president, George wants to transform the organization.

PHOENIX – Dillon Clark-Oden started playing dodgeball at a local Jumpstreet Indoor Trampoline Park five years ago, just for fun. He never imagined it would take him around the world and turn him into a professional athlete. “I started in 2014 and I made the U.S. team in 2016,” Clark-Oden said. “So, going into that.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The excitement was palpable for the final race of the Breeders’ Cup. At the bell, the gates flew open to the exhortations of thousands of spectators packed into the grandstand at Santa Anita Park. Other fans, salivating over a possible big payout, gradually made their way toward the betting windows. “Nothing beats.

LOS ANGELES – Between the sumptuous eats and endless sweets, the holiday season can turn into one long cheat day. Motivation to hit the gym can lag when it’s the perfect season to pull on a sweater and plant roots indoors. But athletes who train hard all year have to stay trim and resist the.

TEMPE – The progression of rookie quarterback Kyler Murray may be the primary measuring stick for this Arizona Cardinals season. Along with the obvious correlation between Murray’s success and the team’s overall play, the quarterback’s performance acts as a direct reflection on the job performance of first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury. As the team closed the.

PHOENIX – Before most players in the National Football League wore a pro jersey, they had to put on a college jersey. Before they wore college colors, they probably donned a high school jersey, and, before that, many wore youth football jerseys. That unbroken progression has existed for generations, but lifelong players are becoming more.

TUCSON – Khalil Tate sat on the cramped podium for postgame interviews at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, reflecting on the final collegiate game of his career for the University of Arizona. His other time in the Territorial Cup, the quarterback was a sophomore who had just set the college football world on fire with.

TEMPE – Basketball is a family affair for the Bagleys, which made four-star small forward Marcus Bagley’s decision to join the Arizona State men’s basketball team in 2020 all the sweeter. On Nov. 13, Bagley signed his national letter of intent to join coach Bobby Hurley’s program. It marks a return home for Bagley, who.

MESA — Hidden along a pleasant stretch of downtown Mesa, tucked between a sleepy vegan cafe and a local art gallery, you’ll find the Nile. Nearing its centennial, the converted movie theater now operates primarily as a music venue. But eight days a year, about 250 rowdy Arizonans line up at its back alley entrance.

TEMPE – Led by individual champion Kyla Roy, Arizona State won a fourth consecutive USA Triathlon Women’s Collegiate National Championship in November at Tempe Town Lake, establishing the Sun Devils as an emerging force in an emerging sport. Now, the Sun Devils hope to become a permanent fixture in a permanent sport. ASU has won.

PHOENIX – When Saguaro High School takes the field at Sun Devil Stadium for a state title this Saturday, it won’t be to defend its three consecutive football championships in the 4A Conference. The Sabercats will be playing for something bigger: the championship in the inaugural Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Open Division and a claim.

PHOENIX – The news that Phil Mickelson will skip the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2020 shook the Arizona golf world Monday, but tournament officials remain optimistic fans will still arrive in droves for the golf spectacle at TPC Scottsdale. Mickelson, a fan favorite who first competed in the tournament in 1989 as an Arizona.

TEMPE – Trailblazing must be in Marlee Smith’s DNA. One day, while cheering on her dad’s football team, the squad found itself a player short and an unexpected opportunity arose for the 8-year-old. “He looked at me and he said, ‘I’m taking Marlee,’” her mom, Christie Smith, recalled. “He took her off the sideline, threw.

TEMPE – The Arizona Cardinals have begun their search for answers following a puzzling 34-7 loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams. The defeat, Arizona’s fifth straight, was especially painful because the 28-point margin is the largest defeat the team has experienced in what is fast becoming a lost season. “The product, in all three.

PHOENIX – Schools take different approaches to recruiting for their esports programs because there is no defined standard. Esports didn’t exist 20 years ago. For Arizona universities, their methods run the gamut. Grand Canyon University has a wide range of tools to bring in prospective esports athletes, with a state-of-the-art facility stocked with top-of-the-line gaming.

LOS ANGELES – Thursday wasn’t a typical offseason day for the Dodgers. The club spent the day distributing more than 1,000 turkeys and fixings to needy Angelenos, through their partnership with Smart & Final and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “This is amazing. This is awesome. I think it’s great for the community, great for.

TEMPE – On November 25th, 2001, then-Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora walked up to the microphone after a blowout loss and went on a rant that still has life. “Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game,” Mora said. Almost 18 years to the day, ASU.

PEORIA – With a goal to improve gender diversity in the world of baseball scouting, the Women’s Sports School held a five-day event that included the opportunity to learn from several baseball professionals. Twelve women took part in the inaugural Scouting Baseball! program in mid-October. Jennifer Blatt, founder of the school, had the idea after.

SURPRISE – Starting a college football program is usually a long-term process. Not so for Ottawa University of Arizona. In 2017, the newly built school in Surprise had no football team. There were no players, no facilities and no field. Now, just two years later, the football team has secured a berth in the National.

PHOENIX — After a lifetime as an Arizona resident and working in high school sports, including a dozen years at the Arizona Interscholastic Association, David Hines knows how people in the state react to inclement weather. “We’re a little spoiled here in Arizona,” quipped Hines, who has been the executive director for the AIA since.

PHOENIX – A couple of years ago, it took Aron Baynes 75 games to make his first three-point shot of the season for the Boston Celtics. He ended that season an unsightly 3-of-21 from behind the arc, but in that season’s playoffs, the veteran role player provided a glimpse of what kind of player he.

PHOENIX – Somalian refugee Mahad Mohamed started a soccer team in 2008 to provide a sense of community for other African refugees in Arizona. He called the team Walalaha, the Somali word for brothers. One of its best players, Kadar Abdifidhin, who joined the 28-player team as an 8 year old, said Walalaha FC Phoenix.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – When Rashad Ross walked onto the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium recently, he looked like a professional football player. In addition to his athletic 6-foot frame, black L.A. Wildcats sleeveless shirt, bright gold receiver gloves and black mesh shorts adorned with the Arizona State pitchfork on the thigh, he carried himself.

TEMPE – The perplexing season of Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson took another disappointing turn Sunday when the former All-Pro back failed to record a single touch in the Cardinals 36-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Acting as the team’s backup running back behind newly acquired Kenyan Drake, Johnson was not on the.

PHOENIX – Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is investing heavily in his team, emotionally and literally. Standing with General Manager James Jones, coach Monty Williams and other officials, Sarver recently broke ground on the team’s new state-of-the-art training facility. The ceremony took place amid a surprising start by the Suns, who took a 7-4 record.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Tracy Cortez’s entire life has been a fight, whether outside the cage or in it. Her wrestling coach, Angel Cejudo, recalls Cortez wrestling with boys before it turned into a fist fight, ending with Cortez making them cry. “She was a fighter from day one,” he said about Cortez, who will make.

AVONDALE, Ariz. – The Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway featured five drivers who call Arizona home. Alex Bowman and Matt Levin hail from Tucson; J.J. Yeley is from Phoenix; Michael McDowell was born and raised in Glendale; and 17-year-old Jagger Jones is a third-generation NASCAR driver and a student at Notre Dame Prep in.

TEMPE – Walk into the Arizona State wrestling room during a practice session, and dozens of wrestlers will be sparring on the mats. Coach Zeke Jones is likely to be sitting on his exercise ball along the padded wall, chirping instructions to his athletes. Working in a far corner of the room, there will be.

CHANDLER – A first impression can reveal a lot about a person, but for Brenden Rice, there is more than meets the eye. Rice, a three-star college recruit out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, is the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. That simple fact inevitably leads to comparisons, not all.

PHOENIX – Those who have the opportunity to talk with Ricky Rubio surely notice two things. The first, obviously, is his well coiffed beard. The second is that he can barely be heard. Deandre Ayton described him as the kind of person you need to go out of your way to make eye contact with.

TEMPE – In his time as head coach of the Arizona State men’s basketball program, Bobby Hurley has established a culture that reflects many of his own values as a former player: hard work, calculated decision-making and passion. Over the past week, Hurley and his players have experienced an entirely different form of culture, but.

PHOENIX – J.D. Johnson’s football career may be over, but that won’t keep him from rooting for his high school team as it begins the state playoffs, and it won’t keep the University of Michigan from honoring the scholarship it offered him. Johnson, a quarterback at Pinnacle High School, announced Oct. 30 that he no.

TEMPE – Patrick Minnis knows his commercials are on television. A lot. He understands that the popularity of his co-stars, two of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks, is the reason the ads seem to air on a loop. He feels your pain. Still, Minnis feels a tinge of pride when he hears those familiar four notes.

SCOTTSDALE – Most people associate Rockford, Illinois, with the Rockford Peaches, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team depicted in Penny Marshall’s 1992 film “A League of Their Own.” A few years from now, Rockford may be the home of women’s baseball. Yes, you read that correctly. Women’s baseball. There’s a long history of girls.

SCOTTSDALE – As Solomon Asante stood on the sideline, all he could do was pray that Phoenix Rising FC would win a penalty shootout against Austin Bold FC. Coach Rick Schantz didn’t want to substitute the likely United Soccer League MVP before the shootout, and he said Asante selflessly told him, “We will be fine.”.

SCOTTSDALE – Racial taunts directed at a girls volleyball team from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community reflects the larger societal issue of Native American oppression, a spokesperson for the high school said. “The whole Valley is traditional homelands of the Oʼotham and Piipaash people,” said Taté Walker, a Lakota storyteller who promotes cultural competency..

PHOENIX – League of Legends and Rocket League joined cornerstone sports such as football and basketball as mainstays of the fall and winter season for Arizona high school sports on Monday. In a major move forward for the high school esports community, the Arizona Interscholastic Association has partnered with PlayVS to run an esports league,.

PHOENIX – Jayden Daniels, in his Sun Devils gear, appearing on a TV commercial for BoSa Donuts? That may finally be a possibility. In a unanimous vote, the NCAA Board of Governors voted to permit students participating in athletics the “opportunity to benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness in a manner.

PHOENIX – A midseason matchup between Top 20 teams is the exact thing that a football television network with a smaller base would love to have on its broadcast schedule. And when the 17th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils went to Salt Lake City to take on the 13th-ranked Utah Utes on Oct. 19, getting that.

PASADENA, Calif. – Thirty-two players on the Arizona State football roster are from Southern California. Saturday’s trip to Pasadena to play UCLA was more than an opportunity for ASU to move up in the college football rankings or to grab another conference win in the Pac-12 South standings. It was a homecoming of sorts for.

TEMPE – Midway through his rookie season, Kyler Murray rarely finds himself surprised. Equipped with unflappable confidence, he has handled the stresses of the NFL season with ease, always appearing firmly in command on and off the field. Yet as he and the rest of the Cardinals recover from their 31-9 loss Sunday to the.

PHOENIX – As shocking as the news that Deandre Ayton had tested positive for a banned substance was, what the NBA found in his system was equally surprising. No trace of a performance-enhancing drug, which the New York Knicks’ Wilson Chandler was suspended for in August. Nothing like what was found in the system of.

SCOTTSDALE – After a record-breaking regular season, Phoenix Rising FC is preparing for the next obstacle heading into the USL Championship Playoffs. “It is a new season,” coach Rick Schantz said. “We have to refocus, and the guys have had some player meetings and we have had some staff and owner meetings to remind everyone.

CHANDLER – Before Bob Wylie became a viral sensation on the HBO show “Hard Knocks,” he put together a long and storied career as a professional football coach. Wylie worked for six Division I schools including Syracuse, two Canadian Football League teams and eight NFL organizations, including the Cleveland Browns in 2018, and the Arizona.

PHOENIX – Two years ago, the only baseball players that Spencer Torkelson and Alika Williams could compete against in the fall were each other and their fellow Sun Devils. Today, they’ll face Team USA. Arizona State is hosting USA Baseball’s Professional National Team for its final exhibition scrimmage of the fall, serving as a practice.

SCOTTSDALE – The 1987 movie “RoboCop” warned us of a future in which robots take over and police our every action. It’s starting to look as if the future that the classic film depicted has arrived – at least in the Arizona Fall League. During the 2019 AFL season, Major League Baseball tested out an.

PHOENIX – Arizona State and Arizona are regarded as the pillars of collegiate athletics in the state, and the same is proving true in collegiate esports. Both schools recently showed their potential at the inaugural Arizona Esports Collegiate Cup at the Arizona State Fair. The Sun Devils defeated the Wildcats for first place in the.

PHOENIX – Even after tying for the second-worst record in the league last year, a fresh attitude overtook the Phoenix Suns last season.  It came after the arrival of Kelly Oubre Jr., whose charismatic nature and fashion sense captured the attention of fans. The trade in mid-December was made to adjust the Suns’ timeline and.

PHOENIX – At this year’s Arizona State Fair, organizers took advantage of interest in the growing esports industry by hosting a huge gaming exhibit for the first time. The building features dozens of top of the line gaming stations, as well as a stage suited for the many tournaments held throughout the fair’s duration. By.

PHOENIX – Bashing the Phoenix Suns has become a trend around the NBA, and with four straight seasons at the bottom of the league and no playoff appearances since 2010, it’s easy to understand the criticism. “The way people view the Phoenix Suns has to change,” guard Devin Booker said. The organization embraces the idea..

PHOENIX – The Arizona Interscholastic Association has decided not to punish any of the teams named in the Mountain Pointe High School recruiting scandal but did express concern that the story didn’t surface sooner. “The best thing we can take away is, why is a school from out of state letting everybody know, ‘I think.

TEMPE – There was 2:35 left on the clock, and it was 4th and 15. It was the point in the game that resurrects fans from their seats. In years past – and for much of this season – it was the point an opposing quarterback would drive right through the Arizona Cardinals’ leaky defense.

PHOENIX – Professor Edwards? That’s what students in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication will be calling Arizona State football coach Herm Edwards in the spring when he begins his teaching gig at the university. It was announced this summer that Edwards would be joining the faculty as a professor of practice..

TEMPE – Two years ago, Cristian Zendejas was a preferred walk-on for the Arizona State football team, unsure where his role would take him. Today, he is the starting kicker for the 17th-ranked team in the country that is preparing to play one of the biggest games of the season. If anyone knows about expectations,.

SCOTTSDALE – Metro Phoenix is one of 13 markets in the country with teams from all four major professional sports leagues. Of those, only three – Phoenix, Detroit and Denver – lack an esports team in the Overwatch League or the Call of Duty World League. Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the nation, is.

TEMPE – With two and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Arizona State found itself down by three points to Washington State. “I walked over to Jayden (Daniels) like I always do. He said, ‘I know.’ I said, ‘All right, well, go do it. This is it. No more. We won’t get the.

TEMPE – He has seen his young team go into two tough road environments and pull out hard-fought, scrappy wins at Michigan State and California. Yet when Arizona State coach Herm Edwards talks about what his players have accomplished — and in particular, the 29 freshmen that have played this season — a bit of.

PHOENIX – When back-to-back meniscus tears for Jaylen Fisher nearly derailed his career, he responded to the adversity by joining fellow guard Isiah Brown, who also sought a fresh start, at Grand Canyon. The two roommates represent the newest class of players drawn to GCU by the program’s track record for success among transfers under.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — I knew that participating in a mock College Football Playoff (CFP) selection would be a worthwhile learning experience. I didn’t expect to leave the Gaylord Texan Resort with the impression that the CFP selection committee may be the most democratic governing body in sports. Last week, that evenhandedness was apparent when I.

PHOENIX – Hundreds of loved ones donning “WVB” pins filed into St. Xavier Francis Catholic Church on Tuesday to celebrate the life of Cardinals owner William Vogel “Bill” Bidwill, who had been a part of the organization for eight decades. Bidwill died Wednesday at age 88. Before the ceremony, several buses loaded with former and.

GILBERT – Topgolf got its start as an innovator in the tradition-laden sport of golf. Now the company is innovating again by providing an alternative to traditional sports. Topgolf recently announced a partnership with TCL, the Chinese television and consumer electronics manufacturer, to roll out esports lounges at select Topgolf locations, including Scottsdale, in an.

GLENDALE – A puck that changes colors? Welcome to the latest technological advancement with the National Hockey League’s rubber disk. For the 2019-20 season, game pucks will come with a thermochromic coating that is purple when frozen but turns clear as the pucks thaw above freezing temperatures. That change should make it easier for officials.

PHOENIX – As the sun disappears behind the bleachers and the stadium lights begin to illuminate the field, the Pinnacle High School football team disperses. Amid the chaos, senior quarterback J.D. Johnson is hard to miss. Maybe it’s his 6-foot-4 frame, or the University of Michigan ball cap that he wears proudly. “I honestly just.

TEMPE – It’s been more than a month since Mountain Pointe football coach Rich Wellbrock came to the ultimate discovery that an assistant on his team, Justin Hager, was sending out game plans, strategies and information to Pride opponents. It’s been more than two weeks since the scandal broke publicly, Sept. 16, and brought all.

SCOTTSDALE – The flight from Parma, Italy, to Tel Aviv, Israel, is just under four hours. That’s long enough to sit back and flip on a movie or catch up on much-needed sleep, but you could imagine that Jeremy Wolf did neither. He had plenty on which to reflect. Just a few years ago, he.

TEMPE – In many ways, Bill Bidwill was not a typical NFL team owner. He wasn’t a high-strung businessman, or the son of an oil tycoon. In an era where corporate sponsorships, multi-billion dollar endorsement deals and political tensions define the NFL, football for Bidwill was, at its core, a family business. And Bidwill was.

SCOTTSDALE – The last time two No. 1 overall picks competed in the Arizona Fall League was in 2011 when Gerrit Cole (2011) and Bryce Harper (2010) headlined the league. Since then, the two have combined for nine All Star Game nods, an MVP and a Rookie of the Year award. Eight years later, two.

TEMPE – Coming into the 2019 season, those associated with the Arizona Cardinals were quick to keep expectations modest. While there was excitement stemming from the hiring of coach Kliff Kingsbury and the drafting of quarterback Kyler Murray, it was understood the team would take time to develop. And yet, a quarter of the way.

PHOENIX – A controversial law signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that could change the landscape of the NCAA has drawn mixed reactions from Arizona sports figures. Newsom signed SB 206, also known as the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” on the set of HBO’s “The Shop” on Friday and news broke Monday when the.

MESA – On a fall Friday night, Julia Chamber’s cheering section at Skyline High School takes up an entire corner of the bleachers. “Every time she touches the ball or is on the field, people are cheering. It is pretty inspiring for me. I get goosebumps every time I hear them,” Skyline football coach George.

PHOENIX – With a 34-man roster that includes 14 international players from 10 countries, Grand Canyon’s soccer team has turned diversity into a team strength, despite the challenges that come with a collection of players from different cultural backgrounds. It’s no easy task. In addition to the United States, Grand Canyon has players from Cyprus,.

TEMPE — A moment came during Monday’s press conference when Herm Edwards realized just how far back his connection with California, Arizona State’s next opponent, runs. “We’re talking about 1972,” Edwards said. “It’s … wow, it’s that long ago. It’s a long time ago.” The Sun Devils’ Friday night matchup with the Golden Bears will.

CHANDLER – When the clock struck 7 p.m. on Friday, Jim Sawitzke was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to do. As the co-president of the Mountain Pointe High School Football Booster Club and football player Kevin Sawitzke’s dad, he was on the sideline at Hamilton High School,.

TEMPE – “We have to have answers for that.” Speaking from the podium at the Arizona Cardinals’ practice facility in Tempe, coach Kliff Kingsbury was referencing his defense’s notably poor play against opposing tight ends. But he could have just as easily been talking about any of a number of issues the still-winless team needs.

GLENDALE – Just five years ago, Lyndsey Fry was on the ice in Sochi, Russia. As a member of the 2014 United States women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics, Fry had the opportunity to play on the sport’s biggest stage and helped lead Team USA to a silver medal. Fry was the only player.

TUCSON — Before Kliff Kingsbury made the move from Lubbock, Texas, to Arizona in 2019, Whitney Norman did the exact same in 2013, sparked by a high school visit to see a childhood friend in Chandler. “I was like, ‘Chandler? What’s that? I’m from Texas, what is Chandler, Arizona?’” Norman said. “I come out to.

PHOENIX– A scouting report from 1952 describes Roberto Clemente as “well-built” and predicts the 18-year-old Puerto Rican native will “mature into a big man.” Those words were at once wrong and eerily prescient. Clemente didn’t become a big man, he became a great man, and long after his death is widely considered the consummate example.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Before the Arizona State football team started its final drive against Michigan State, freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels stood in Spartan Stadium and communicated a quick yet not so simple message: “We are going to win this football game.” He was right, thrusting the 3-0 team into the Top 25 poll and.

MARICOPA – The rapid growth of esports may be best reflected in a recent decision by the City of Maricopa. The city announced it is kicking off its inaugural season of recreational league esports, funded by taxpayer dollars and city sanctioned. It is believed to be the first league of its kind in Arizona and.

SCOTTSDALE – It was supposed to be a night of celebration. Phoenix Rising FC, on a tear the likes of which the USL Championship has never seen, was a mere six minutes from securing the top spot in the Western Conference playoffs when an object rained down from the stands of Casino Arizona Field. Referees.

TEMPE – It isn’t unusual for a quarterback to call his offensive coordinator in the booth. So after Arizona State’s Jayden Daniels threw a 72-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter against Sacramento State, he called Rob Likens. “We talk after every series,” Likens said. “After we threw the touchdown pass to Eno (Benjamin),.

TEMPE – On the field they compete against teams from all over America. Off the field they are educators, healthcare professionals and even the guy who scoops your ice cream. What brings them together is a passion for a game they call “footy”. Twice a week a group of athletes come together at parks across.

PHOENIX – As Hurricane Dorian approached the Bahamas, Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton had a good idea about what was in store. Ayton grew up in the Bahamas, where his family experienced storms like Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which formed near there before spinning into the Gulf of Mexico and slamming into the Gulf Coast..

FLAGSTAFF – Nothing says rugged masculinity like a block of wood and a revved-up chain saw, a reporter for The Telegraph said. It’s a competition that summons primal aggression, according to the New York Times. There’s no doubt about it. Lumberjacks are paragons of male strength, if we are to believe recent logging sports coverage..

PHOENIX – Brittney Griner can’t imagine where the Phoenix Mercury would be this season without Leilani Mitchell. “We honestly may have not made the playoffs,” Griner said. Mitchell has been a difference-maker, persevering through a challenging family dynamic and news that she was cut before this season. She has also thrived despite a tag as.

TEMPE – To say the 2019 Arizona Cardinals are different would be stretching the limits of understatement. Equipped with a flashy new coach, 40-year-old Kliff Kingsbury, and high-voltage first overall pick Kyler Murray at quarterback, Cardinals fans spent the offseason dreaming of what this suddenly loaded offense could achieve. They saw it but not until.

ALLEN, Texas – When Kyler Murray showed up to his first team event at Allen High School after transferring to the school in the summer of 2012, the team’s senior starting quarterback and captain had a pretty quick and clean reaction. “I laugh at it now, but I was like ‘… that guy,’” said Oliver.

Updated at 1:55 p.m. Sept. 5, 2019 PHOENIX – Even 2,100 miles away, Hurricane Dorian has impacted the Arizona sports community. Many standout athletes from the Valley have found homes at universities along the coast of South Carolina, which witnessed the Category 2 storm’s arrival Thursday. “I was telling one of my friends that it.

SCOTTSDALE – At 35 and 22, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are at opposite ends of their respective NFL career spectrums. But that age gap didn’t keep the Arizona Cardinals receivers from reacting in the same way to the sudden retirement of 29-year-old Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Their message? Let the man do what.

TEMPE – On nights when Phoenix Rising is playing, a cloud of red smoke often hangs in the air above Casino Arizona Field, home of the Valley’s professional soccer club. Inside, behind the goal, supporters wave flags and reveal banners in a “tifo,” a choreographed display fans organize to demonstrate their support for the club..

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. GOLD CANYON – Bobbi.

PHOENIX – In a lifetime of basketball, Diana Taurasi has dealt with plenty of injuries. But she’s never had issues persist like this year. “This is really the first one that I’ve had in my career where it’s months and months of tedious work to try and get back on the court,” Taurasi said Saturday..

PHOENIX – Spending an afternoon at the ballpark comes with a warning on the back of the ticket. Whether they realize it or not, fans assume the risk of being hit by a foul ball or errant splinter from a broken bat. When balls enter the stands, fans clamor to collect a souvenir, but some.

PHOENIX – For young people faced with poverty and unemployment, gang life can offer power and control. But the International Federation of Muaythai Associations wants Thai boxing to be the gang for disenfranchised youth. The federation, in collaboration with the Peace and Sport Organization, has conducted the “Sport Is Your Gang” initiative since 2011, focusing.

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. SCOTTSDALE – Travis Bagent.

Arizona in Focus is a podcast from Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS. Each season we dive deep into a particular topic or story to bring you stories you haven’t heard elsewhere. Check out the rest of our episodes here, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. GILBERT – School’s out.

PHOENIX – Despite a sports market with little elbow room, limited media coverage and obstacles including a canceled season, the Arizona Rattlers have stiff-armed adversity and remain a player in the Arizona sports scene. Proof? They just completed their 27th season. Among the Valley’s professional teams, that’s longer than Major League Baseball’s Diamondbacks, the NHL’s.

PHOENIX – In an attempt to address issues surrounding summer basketball that sparked the involvement of the federal government, the NCAA Basketball Academy made its four-region debut recently. One of the sites was Grand Canyon University. The camp, also held at Illinois, Connecticut and Houston, was designed to give top high school basketball players an.

TEMPE – Marvin Lewis had options. Rejoining his old friend Herm Edwards felt like the best one. With Arizona State’s opener just weeks away, Lewis, the longtime Bengals coach, said joining the ASU staff in the offseason had a lot to do with the goals he shared with Edwards. “I had a few opportunities, but.

MESA – Speakers sit in each corner, resting atop a wooden floor covered in nicks and dings from years past. Conrad Rodriguez uses his left hand to push himself into the air, his perfect landing defined by a spin on his head. The room isn’t just another cluttered space, it’s a canvas for a dancer’s.

TEMPE – Few positions in college sports garner more attention, criticism and praise than a university’s starting quarterback. Typically the face of the team and invariably the program, the demands anointed to a team’s starting quarterback can be taxing. With a void at the position following the departure of three-year starter Manny Wilkins, coach Herm.

GLENDALE – The new majority owner of the Arizona Coyotes said he is determined to keep the team in Arizona but also wants to expand the team’s fan base to reflect the state’s diversity. Alex Meruelo, the first Hispanic majority owner in NHL history, met the media for the first time Thursday after purchasing controlling.

GLENDALE – Change often brings opportunity. Two former Arizona State players hope to benefit from the transformation of the Arizona Cardinals. The team has been in the spotlight this offseason with the hiring of head coach Kliff Kingsbury and the drafting of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, first overall. Discussion has been less about the NFL’s.

PHOENIX – Zack Greinke’s start on Wednesday ended early, thanks to rain that pelted Yankee Stadium. His tenure with the Diamondbacks also came to a quick conclusion after he stepped of the mound in the Bronx. Multiple sources reported a little after Major League Baseball’s trade deadline that the Houston Astros had acquired the 35-year-old.

TEMPE – Chase Lucas peered at his iPhone, his eyes skimming the news, and was taken aback by what he read. “I saw that on Twitter, and I don’t know, I kind of questioned that like, ‘Whoa, that’s a bit early,’” the Arizona State cornerback said. The redshirt junior was reacting to a suggestion by.

PHOENIX – In a storied 15-year career that includes WNBA championships, Olympic gold medals and a number of individual accolades, few firsts remain for Diana Taurasi to accomplish. Yet as she works to make her way back from a debilitating injury that has kept her off the court for most of this season, Taurasi is.

PHOENIX – Ask people about Phoenix Mercury rookie Sophie Cunningham and the same handful of words pop up. Competitor. Tough. Winner. Then watch the 6-foot-1 guard, and it is quickly evident that the words fit. With her trademark rolled-up shorts, ponytail pulled taught and smile seemingly etched permanently on her face, it’s easy to see.

PHOENIX – The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, as it tends to do, and with it comes an annual question: buy or sell? That question is harder to answer this trade season than in years past. For one, nearly every team in baseball has at least an outside shot at the playoffs. That’s especially.

PHOENIX – The sons of two NBA legends are among the high school standouts attending an NCAA Basketball Academy at Grand Canyon University. Among the 2,400 players participating in this week’s first NCAA academy, two names jump out: Zaire Wade and Shaqir O’Neal. Both players were placed in the west region of the academy, hosted.

TEMPE – The storms that blew through the Valley earlier this week were a welcome sight for at least one Phoenix Rising player. “The heat’s been getting to me lately,” said Mustapha Dumbuya, who joined Rising over the winter after playing a few seasons with Partick Thistle in Scotland’s top-flight and living in the cool,.

PHOENIX – Professional basketball returned to its roots in the heart of Phoenix Wednesday when the Mercury announced they will play their home games during the 2020 season at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum while Talking Stick Resort Arena undergoes a $230 million renovation. Dubbed the “Madhouse on McDowell” by longtime Phoenix Suns broadcaster Al McCoy,.

TEMPE – Arizona State’s hockey team is trading one wonder of the world this summer for another. Before the Sun Devils begin their fourth NCAA Division I season, they’ll depart the Grand Canyon State on a journey that will take them to the very foot of the Great Wall of China. Coach Greg Powers and.

PHOENIX – For most baseball fans, seeing Adam Jones in anything besides orange and black was an adjustment. Jones spent 11 years with the Baltimore Orioles before arriving in the desert on a one year, $3 million deal with the Diamondbacks. Entering Monday, Jones has played in 90 of the Diamondbacks’ 100 games this season.

TEMPE – Phoenix Rising’s not-so-secret weapon – Dollar Beer Night – struck again as the team tied the USL Championship win streak record with a 6-0 thumping of Austin Bold on Friday. It was a tale of two halves for Rising, as they also extended their perfect record on home Dollar Beer Nights to 12.

TEMPE – Sometimes, a win can be worth more than just a win. “It’s very important to be remembered,” Phoenix Rising captain Solomon Asante said. “To make history is very important. So we are making everything possible like you saw today at training. We are doing everything possible for tomorrow’s win so that our name.

PHOENIX – As five former Arizona State golfers compete on an international stage at the British Open, their alma mater is preparing for its own big event. ASU will host both the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I golf championships at Grayhawk Golf Club for the next three years, a competition that has helped shape.

PHOENIX – Despite orchestrating an offseason that has garnered widespread criticism, the Phoenix Suns continue to exude confidence when describing their long-term trajectory. As the franchise looks to secure its first winning record in six seasons, Phoenix’s front office assured onlookers that the moves they’ve made this summer will provide both immediate and long-term success..

TEMPE – Liverpool product Corey Whelan may be a new player for Phoenix Rising, but he’s expected to solve a problem that’s been there for a while for coach Rick Schantz. “From the beginning, we’ve always wanted to have four center backs, mostly for training and competition,” Schantz said. “It took a little while, but.

LAS VEGAS – In a league populated by can’t-miss prospects, Brandon Clarke was someone talent evaluators seemingly skipped over time after time. Despite putting up impressive numbers throughout his college career, Clarke’s lack of eye-popping intangibles limited his opportunities. Yet now, as he wraps up an impressive NBA Summer League that included both a championship.