News

2023-10-11 01:52:30

The Chicago Sky are finalizing a deal to make Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon the team’s next head coach, league sources told The Athletic on Tuesday. The sides have been in discussions for weeks following she emerged as the leading candidate for the role. Here’s what you need to know:

Weatherspoon spent four years as an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans before the organization parted with her in the offseason.
The Sky announced last month that Emre Vatansever would not return as the team’s general manager/coach despite a late-season push to make their fifth consecutive postseason.
Vatansever took on the interim roles when then-coach and GM James Wade stepped down on July 1 to become an assistant with the Toronto Raptors.
Chicago finished 18-22 last season and was eliminated in the first round of the 2023 playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces.

What does Weatherspoon bring to the Sky?

Hiring Weatherspoon is significant for a Chicago franchise that is looking to re-establish itself as a championship-level organization. Although the team won the 2021 WNBA title, much of its championship-winning roster has left and Wade departed halfway through this past WNBA season for his assistant coaching job with the Raptors. Under Vatansever, Chicago finished the regular season with the No. 8 seed and was swept in the first round of the playoffs by Las Vegas.

After a stellar playing career, which saw her named to the WNBA’s 20th anniversary team, Weatherspoon has been a coach at numerous levels — most recently as an assistant and later head coach at Louisiana Tech and as an assistant with the Pelicans. Still, she has maintained ties to the WNBA and a current generation of players still speaks highly of what she can bring. “She pours into people,” Liberty center Jonquel Jones told The Athletic earlier this week. “You can feel her genuine energy.” — Ben Pickman, WNBA writer

Where does Chicago go from here?

The next big decision that will be made in Chicago is who will be the team’s general manager. Wade had held dual roles and Vatansever inherited both positions as well when he took over this summer. Hiring a coach before a GM is a bit unconventional but it was the decision that Sky ownership, which now features NBA legend Dwyane Wade, deemed was the right course of action if it meant bringing in Weatherspoon, who was going to be a sought-following candidate for future head coach openings. — Pickman

(Photo: Wendell Cruz / USA Today)

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2023-10-10 14:00:00

This Sunday followingnoon, a dealer was arrested in Molenbeek, reports the West police zone. The individual was driving “at high speed” on the Chaussée de Ninove in a Seat Leon with a Swiss plate.

Several packets of cocaine were found on the individual as well as a block of 1.138 kilos “under the passenger seat in a plastic bag”. “The driver was deprived of his liberty and transferred to the police station to be interviewed. An investigating judge was contacted who placed the suspect under arrest warrant.” Two mobile phones were also seized, as well as the car.

Also read: Thierry stored large quantities of drugs at his home in Boussu, in trafficking estimated, by the prosecution, at more than a million euros.
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#repeat #cocaine #dealer #arrested #Molenbeek #driving #high #speed #Chaussée #Ninove #Swiss #plate

2023-10-11 01:42:24

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida continues road action versus teams getting mention in the United Soccer Coaches poll. Sunday, the Gators were at Georgia – a team receiving votes in the poll. Now the Gators are at No. 10 Arkansas Thursday. One more ranked opponent awaits Florida later this month as the Gators close regular-season action playing host to No. 15 South Carolina.

No. 10 Arkansas (9-3-1, 5-1 SEC)

Date: Thursday, Oct. 12
Time: 7 pm ET
Site: Razorback Field

TV: SEC Network with Mike Watts and Marion Crowder calling the action
Stream: SEC Network
Live Results: StatBroadcast

Admission: $10 Adult, $5 Youth

Last Time Out:
Gators:

Florida and Georgia played to a scoreless tie Sunday, Oct. 8 on a sunny followingnoon in Athens, Ga. At 39 all-time meetings, Georgia is Florida’s most frequent opponent. This result was just the second scoreless tie and first since the debut meeting on Oct. 15, 1995 in Gainesville, Fla. It was Florida’s seventh shutout of the season, the most since also posting seven shutouts in 2018.

Razorbacks:

Arkansas lost its first SEC match in a 2-1 decision at Auburn. It was AU’s first win in the last 10 meetings versus Arkansas. The Tigers took an early lead off Anna Haddock’s goal in the third minute. A seven-minute second half span contained the final goals of the match. Arkansas’ Ava Tankersley tied the match with her goal at 53:14. Sydnie Thibodaux hit the game-winning goal off a right-footed strike in the 60th minute.

About Arkansas:

In 2022, Arkansas was 13-4-5 overall and third in the Southeastern Conference with a 6-2-2 record. The Razorbacks lost 1-0 at Florida State in NCAA Quarterfinal action. The Razorbacks return eight starters, including four-time All-American Anna Podojil who is the program’s career leader for goals and points.

At No. 10, Arkansas leads the three SEC teams on the current United Soccer Coaches poll. The Razorbacks have played three ranked teams on the road – then No. 12 Notre Dame (2-2 tie), then No. 4 North Carolina (3-1 loss) and then No. 9 Clemson (1-0 loss). The Razorbacks are coming off their first SEC loss of 2023 (2-1 at Auburn) and top the SEC standings with 15 points. Arkansas’ schedule in No. 12 in the NCAA’s 2023 Toughest Schedule Report. A league-high 15 Razorbacks have scored goals this season. Morgan White’s six goals and Podojil’s five assists lead the Razorbacks this season. Sierra Cota-Yarde has 12 starts in goal this season and owns a goals- once morest-average of 1.41.

Last UF-ARK Meeting:

An early goal was the difference as then No. 9 Arkansas edged Florida 1- 0 at Dizney Stadium on Oct. 6, 2022. It was Florida’s eighth of a 10 match span decided by a single goal. Razorback Sophia Aragon’s shot hit hard off the near post in the sixth minute. That deflection landed just above the six-yard box where Jessica De Filippo stepped up to score with a right-footed shot.

Florida’s Alexa Goldberg was replaced in goal by senior Francesca Faraci with seven minutes remaining in the opening half. Goldberg and Arkansas’ Anna Podojil collided, resulting in Goldberg’s head laceration. Goldberg returned to Florida’s starting lineup for its next match on Oct. 9 at Missouri.

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#Florida #Soccer #Arkansas