Time after time, the Mets had opportunities to break Wednesday afternoon’s game open.

And time after time, their new-look lineup failed to come through.

The Mets went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Their struggles loomed particularly large late in the game, as the Mets went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position over the final three frames.

Those missed opportunities set the stage for a walk-off bloop single by the Cardinals’ Masyn Winn in the 11th.

“We’ve just got to get back to what we do well, which is controlling the strike zone, getting good pitches to hit and doing damage,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Good hitters that, right now for a couple of games, they’re not getting it done.”

The defeat was the second in a row for the Mets (3-3), who dropped two of three in St. Louis for their first series loss of the season.

The Mets are now 11 for 68 (.162) with runners in scoring position this year, including 0 for 15 in the last two games and 1 for 29 in the last three.

They have scored just one run over the past 23 innings, a stretch that includes Tuesday night’s 3-0 loss. After scoring 11 runs on Opening Day, the Mets have totaled just 12 runs in the five games since.

“I still believe in what we have,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “[President of baseball operations David] Stearns and the front office did a good job of putting a good team together, and we have a good team. … We are a couple of pitches away from continuing to get the ball rolling on our side.”

Wednesday’s missed opportunities became increasingly dramatic.

It was a 1-1 game entering the ninth, and Jorge Polanco led off the Mets’ half of the inning with a double against reliever Riley O’Brien.

But Luis Robert Jr. struck out and Brett Baty grounded out, sending pinch-runner Jared Young to third. Young was stranded there as Marcus Semien struck out to end the ninth.

The score remained the same going into the 10th, and Semien started the inning at second base as the automatic runner.

But Francisco Alvarez grounded back to reliever Justin Bruihl, who nabbed Semien at third base for a force out. Alvarez made it to second on the play, but Carson Benge popped out, Lindor walked and Juan Soto popped out on the first pitch he saw.

And after Tobias Myers kept the Cardinals off the board in the bottom of the 10th, the Mets loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 11th.

But Baty grounded into a force out, with Soto getting tagged out at home. Semien then flew out against reliever Gordon Graceffo, leaving the bases loaded.

“With runners in scoring position, there’s a few things there,” Mendoza said. “Ultra-aggressive at times. Expanding at times as well.”

That was the Mets’ final chance on offense.

With two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Wynn popped up a Myers cutter, and the ball landed just out of the reach of a diving Benge in right field, allowing the winning run to score from third.

The late-inning drama followed a pitchers’ duel between new Mets ace Freddy Peralta and Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore.

Liberatore retired the Mets’ first 14 batters, and he did not allow a run until the sixth inning, when Soto smacked his first home run of the season — a solo shot — off the bottom of the right-field foul pole.

That inning could have been bigger, however, had Lindor not been picked off at first base at the start of Soto’s at-bat.

Protecting a 1-0 lead, Peralta ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth, as rookie JJ Wetherholt led off with a single and Iván Herrera followed with a walk.

Peralta struck out Alec Burleson for the first out of the inning, then gave way to reliever Huascar Brazobán at 92 pitches.

Brazobán quickly blew the lead, serving up a two-out RBI single to Nolan Gorman that tied the score, 1-1.

That run was credited to Peralta, who finished with a line of 5 1/3 innings, one earned run, three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

“As a pitcher, I like to compete, and I always want to [stay] in the game,” Peralta said, adding, “I gave up a base hit to the leadoff guy. … I think at the end of the day, it was smart by Mendy. The game was on the line.”

Peralta took a no-decision. The right-hander has a 4.35 ERA through two starts with the Mets, who acquired him and Myers in an offseason trade that sent top prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee.

Next up for the Mets is a four-game series in San Francisco, beginning Thursday night. David Peterson, who threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his season debut, is set to start for the Mets, while Robbie Ray (0-1, 3.38 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Giants.

Tiger Woods released his first public statement since his rollover crash on Friday, announcing he would step away from golf to seek treatment in hopes of “lasting recovery.”

Woods’ statement today came soon after his attorney entered a plea of not guilty in a Florida court to charges stemming from the accident.

Woods, 50, is charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence with property damage, and refusal to submit to a urinalysis, according to court documents.

“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods’ statement read. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.

“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”

“Tiger Woods is a legend of our sport whose impact extends far beyond his achievements on the course,” the PGA Tour said in statement. “But above all else, Tiger is a person, and our focus is on his health and well-being. Tiger continues to have our full support as he takes this important step.”

Attorney Douglas Duncan represented Woods, who was not present in Martin County Circuit Court in Stuart, Fla. Duncan submitted the plea as well as the demand for a jury trial.

The 15-time major champion waived his arraignment hearing that was slated for April 23. The defense has 10 days to file motions in the case, to be heard in Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit.

Woods told police he was looking at his cellphone and changing the radio station before his Land Rover crashed near his home in Jupiter Island, Fla., according to the arrest affidavit released on Tuesday by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Woods said he didn’t see a truck that was hauling a trailer slow down, per the affidavit, and his car clipped the trailer and rolled onto its side.

The golfer was jailed on a charge of suspicion of misdemeanor DUI with property damage following the accident and was released on a $1,000 bond about eight hours later.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said a breathalyzer test showed no signs of alcohol, but that Woods refused a urinalysis test for other drugs.

Woods was “sweating profusely” and his movements were “lethargic and slow” during an interview with sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar, she wrote in the arrest affidavit.

Another deputy “observed several signs of impairment and requested I conduct a DUI Investigation to ensure Woods was able to operate the motor vehicle in a safe manner at the time of the collision,” Levenar wrote in the affidavit.

During the field sobriety exercises, the deputy wrote that Woods was “limping and stumbling to the right.” Woods told the deputy he had undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 operations on his right leg since a major car accident near Los Angeles in 2021.

Duncan also represented Woods in that case. Woods, arrested on suspicion of DUI, later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and agreed to enter a diversion program.

Woods had said in the 2021 incident that he had taken a bad mix of painkillers. In the Martin County arrest report from last week, Woods denied consuming any alcohol but said he had taken “a few” prescription pills that morning.

Names of the medications were redacted in the affidavit, however, another Martin County Sheriff’s deputy found two hydrocodone pills in Woods’ left pants pocket. Hydrocodone was found in Woods’ system in his 2017 arrest.

Levenar noted in the report that Woods’ eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his pupils were “extremely dilated.”

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed his normal facilities were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.

Miles McBride didn’t rush back from injury too soon. But he may have returned for the wrong game. And now, the Knicks could once again be without one of the most important pieces in their playoff push.

McBride, making a hustle play midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, grabbed at the same area that required surgery just two months ago before exiting the game for good.

It was a routine basketball play—but maybe not the kind for someone so recently removed from surgery. And maybe not the kind of environment he should have been reintroduced into.

Because Sunday night in Oklahoma City felt like a potential NBA Finals preview, the Knicks as championship hopefuls against the defending champion Thunder. And McBride made a winning play. The kind that defines his game.

It may also end up costing both him and the Knicks dearly.

“I haven’t talked to medical yet, so I don’t know how it is, but it’s tough,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game. “[Deuce has] worked his tail off to be back.”

With 5:21 remaining in the third quarter, McBride and Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort chased down a loose ball. Dort dove to secure it. McBride followed, diving onto Dort in an effort to secure possession.

Then he reached for his midsection.

McBride underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia after suffering the injury on Jan. 27 against the Sacramento Kings. The procedure typically addresses damage to the tendons in the lower core—the same area McBride immediately grabbed.

It was a gutting moment for a Knicks team that had just welcomed its sixth man back following a 28-game, two-month absence. McBride played just under 11 minutes in his return. He did not score, but the energy he brought on both ends was noticeable.

And just like that, it was gone.

McBride remained on the floor for several moments before trainers helped him to his feet. He walked slowly to the bench, sat briefly, then headed to the locker room. He did not return. Brown didn’t have answers after the game, either.

“He didn’t make a shot the first half, but he gave us a lift,” Brown said. “You felt his presence, and he made us deeper. And because of the foul trouble that we had, we were a little shorthanded in that second half. That’s part of the reason they pulled away too.

“I haven’t spoken to medical. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anybody on [Deuce], yet.”

It’s fair to assume McBride could miss time following the scare. How much remains unclear, but the optics were concerning for a player whose game is built on physicality, effort and toughness.

Before the injury, McBride was in the midst of a breakout season in Brown’s system, averaging career highs of 12.9 points and 42% shooting from three-point range. Now there’s a possibility he could be back in rehab—and, quite frankly, for as long as it takes to ensure a full recovery.

Because if McBride isn’t right, stepping back onto the floor isn’t worth the risk. He signed a three-year, $13 million extension and has one year remaining before hitting unrestricted free agency. McBride has developed into a starting-caliber guard capable of commanding a significantly larger deal, but only if he stays healthy.

Right now, that health is a big concern.

The good news is New York went 20-8 while their backup guard rehabbed from surgery. The bad news: His return was expected to stabilize a rotation that has been pieced together in his absence. He now joins Landry Shamet on the injury report. Shamet has been sidelined with a knee injury since March 20 and did not participate in practice on Saturday.

The Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans shortly after McBride’s injury in late January, but his offensive production has fluctuated. After an efficient start —including an 8-of-13 performance from three on Feb. 11— Alvarado hit a prolonged slump, missing 29 of his next 34 attempts from deep. He has since begun to recover, hitting eight of his last 17 attempts and going 2-of-4 from three against Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Brown has also returned to Jordan Clarkson minutes to stabilize the second unit in McBride’s absence, but the options, particularly combined with Shamet’s absence, feel like a bandage.

And now, the Knicks are once again left waiting, hoping the cost of one winning play isn’t far greater than it seemed in the moment.

Baseball season is here, with hopes of a World Series alive in the hearts of 30 fanbases (and in the minds of maybe 20). We won’t know who the true contenders are for a couple of months, and one of my favorite parts of the early season is seeing which Hawaii-connected players make the major league cut and where the ones who are sent down land.

Of this year’s three locks — Isiah Kiner Falefa, Kirby Yates and Cade Smith — two are on new teams. IKF, a Mid-Pacific graduate, signed with the Boston Red Sox in February and started at second base in the season-opening win over the Cincinnati Reds. Yates, a relief pitcher out of Kauai, joined the Los Angeles Angels but has opened the season on the injured list (knee).

First-year Angels manager Kurt Suzuki seems to expect Yates back soon, telling reporters last week, “Nothing too concerning. We’re just playing it cautious, make sure that he’s right. We don’t want to rush him into the season and lose him for two months instead of taking care of it now for a little IL stint.”

Which brings us to another exciting thing to watch early this season — the Maui-born Suzuki’s arrival as an MLB manager. The Angels turned to Suzuki after finishing in the AL West cellar the past two seasons and out of the playoffs the past 11. Suzuki played the last two of his 16 big league seasons with the team and subsequently served as a special assistant to the GM but has never been a manager at any level.

The Baldwin graduate is the first MLB manager born and raised in Hawaii and he notched his first win quickly, as the Angels beat the Houston Astros 3-0 Thursday on Opening Day.

Back to the current players, along with the three locks, two of the three Hawaii players on the bubble to make major league rosters also got good news:

>> Kailua’s Joey Cantillo earned a spot in the Cleveland Guardians’ rotation and will try to build on an up-and-down rookie season. The 26-year-old had some impressive moments last season and averaged 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 34 appearances (the last 13 as the starter), but like many young pitchers, consistency will determine whether he keeps his rotation spot or winds up in the bullpen. His two quality starts came in the last month of 2025, but in his first start of 2026 on Saturday in Seattle, Cantillo lasted only 3-2/3 innings. He gave up only two runs, but allowed four hits and walked three while striking out five. University of Hawaii alum Smith — now the closer — wound up with the win after blowing the save.

>> Saint Louis and Hawaii Pacific alumnus Rico Garcia had a strong shot at a spot in the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen after his strong finish with the team in 2025, but after bouncing around seven organizations in a 10-year career, the right-hander surely entered camp taking nothing for granted. He made the big league squad and seems to have the trust of new skipper Craig Albernaz, who called on Garcia with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins with the score tied at 5. Garcia battled Twins cleanup hitter Matt Wallner for eight pitches before striking him out on a full count. The O’s scored three runs in the bottom half and Garcia wound up with his first major league win since 2020.

>> Former University of Hawaii standout Josh Rojas just missed making the Kansas City Royals roster out of camp after hitting two homers in 41 spring at-bats. The team sent him down to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers and Rojas is off to a hot start (4-for-12 with a homer, a double, three runs scored and four RBIs) with hits in all three games. Rojas is starting at third base and has major league experience at every position except catcher and center field, so he seems likely to get a shot to see action in a seventh MLB season, something that seemed 50/50 at best when the Chicago White Sox released him last August when he could not get going after starting the season with a toe injury.

The only other Hawaii player to land in Triple-A to start 2026 is UH alum Aaron Davenport, who is likely out for the season after having Tommy John surgery. Health has not been a major issue for Davenport through his first five pro campaigns and he had a shot at providing bullpen depth for the Guardians at some point this season.

Minor league assignments are still being sorted out below Triple-A, but among the other moves of note:

>> ‘Iolani grad Shane Sasaki chose to become a free agent last November and the speedy 25-year-old outfielder (140 career stolen bases) went on to sign with the Cincinnati Reds. He seems destined to start the year in Double-A with their Chattanooga Lookouts after going 3-for-5 (all doubles!) in spring ball.

>> St. Joseph alumnus Edgar Barclay also chose free agency but has yet to latch on with a team as he tries to come back from Tommy John surgery last May.

>> Carter Loewen (UH) reached the San Diego Padres Triple-A team in El Paso last season. An insurance issue kept him from pitching for Canada in the WBC and then he abruptly retired two weeks ago at age 27.

>> Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa is back with the Texas Rangers after a mysteriously lost 2025 with the White Sox organization. Texas dealt the Baldwin graduate to Chicago for major league outfielder Robbie Grossman in 2024. He pitched well in Double-A and ascended to Triple-A, but he never appeared in a game in 2025 and no reason was given. His time with the White Sox ended when he was released last July. The Rangers signed the righty in November and he was assigned Sunday to the High-A Hub City Spartanburgers in South Carolina.

>> Waiakea grad Kalai Rosario has not been assigned to Triple-A yet, but I’m hopeful he winds up there as the 23-year-old outfielder seems to have little to prove in Double-A after a strong 2025 with the Twins’ Wichita Wind Surge (25 HRs, 83 RBIs, 32 SBs).

>> After two strong years in the partner Pioneer League, UH outfielder Adam Fogel got the call from the Chicago White Sox in February. I’m excited to see what the 27-year-old can do in a major league organization. He smashed 69 home runs in 668 at-bats the past two seasons with the Missoula PaddleHeads, but who knows how that will translate in the MLB system?

>> Orioles shortstop Wehiwa Aloy was assigned to the High-A Frederick Keys on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see where some of last year’s other draft picks land. Shortstop Aiva Arquette (ranked the 45th best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline) was taken seventh by the Miami Marlins out of Oregon State but is starting the year recovering from a core muscle injury reportedly suffered during offseason workouts here in Hawaii. Two-way player Itsuki Takemoto has yet to appear in a pro game after the Athletics drafted him in the 19th round last year.

———

Reach Sjarif Goldstein at sgoldstein@staradvertiser.com.

Sunday night, the Orlando Storm will take the field for their inaugural game in the United Football League, and if you listen closely, you can already hear the whispers.

Correction: There will be more than just whispers when the Storm kick off against the Columbus Aviators at Inter&Co Stadium (8 p.m., ESPN). There will be undisguised, unadulterated skepticism.

And rightfully so.

The cynics are saying, HERE WE GO AGAIN.

Another spring football league. Another Orlando team. Another rich guy throwing money at a start-up everybody assumes will eventually fold.

Except this time, that rich guy is Mike Repole.

If you follow Repole’s career, you know this is basically his business model: Find something people say can’t be done, fund it anyway and dare the world to laugh. They laughed when he went up against Gatorade and Powerade with Vitaminwater. They laughed again when he did it with BodyArmor. They laughed again when he became the NIL sugar daddy for a Rick Pitino-coached St. John’s basketball program that had been left for dead but just made the Sweet 16 for the first time in decades.

And now they’re laughing again.

And that’s exactly the way Repole likes it.

“I love to prove people wrong,” he says.

Repole isn’t just a co-owner of the United Football League. He’s one of the main believers — and, more importantly, one of the main investors. In the startup world, belief is nice, but money is what keeps the lights on. Spring football leagues don’t die because of bad football; they die because they run out of money.

Repole knows that. It’s why people around the league say this version of spring football feels different. The UFL isn’t a fly-by-night operation running on promises and crossed fingers. It has television deals with ESPN and Fox. It has major investors. It has a partnership model that spreads out the risk. And in Central Florida, it has a billionaire who didn’t just buy into the Orlando Storm; he moved his family and his parents to Orlando five years ago.

Repole relocated from Queens to Orlando and has made it clear he’s not just investing in a team; he’s investing in a city. He has already committed NIL money to UCF and has tried to talk school administrators into changing the name of the school to “University of Orlando.” He talks about Orlando not only as a serial entrepreneur, but as citizen who loves living in the City Beautiful.

“I’ll always be Mike from Queens, but I chose this city to raise my daughter, and this is where my parents live,” Repole says. “When I moved to Orlando, my friends just thought this is where Mickey and Minnie Mouse lived, but this city is so much bigger and better than just Disney. I want to help build this city’s sports landscape and help it thrive.

“We have the Magic here. We have UCF here. We have Orlando City. We have a women’s soccer team, the Pride, who have won a championship. Now we have the Orlando Storm. And, who knows, maybe it’s the Storm today, and an NHL or Major League Baseball team in the future.”

I love the fact that Repole isn’t just positioning this endeavor as another spring football story; he’s turning it into an Orlando sports story.

Because if you’ve lived here long enough, you’ve seen this movie before. The Continental Football League. The USFL. The XFL. The AAF. Teams have come and gone, leagues have launched and collapsed, and every time one of them fails, the narrative is always the same:

Orlando isn’t a big-league sports town.

But history says otherwise. For the most part, Orlando fans supported those spring leagues. They supported the Renegades, the Rage and the Apollos. In just about every case, the teams drew crowds, but the leagues ran out of money or patience or both.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Orlando didn’t fail spring football. Spring football failed Orlando.

That’s an important distinction, and it’s why Repole is doing everything possible to make sure this league actually succeeds. For instance, the Storm aren’t playing in the cavernous Camping World Stadium, where 20,000 fans look like 2,000. They’re playing at Orlando City’s Inter&Co Stadium, a 25,000-seat venue that potentially will sound loud and look full.

Hopefully, it will look —and this is important — major league.

Because that’s what Orlando wants to be.

This is a city that talks openly about landing a Major League Baseball team someday. It already has the NBA, MLS and a growing college sports presence. But if Orlando truly wants to prove itself as a major league sports town, it will support a team that’s not major league.

If Orlando fans show up at Storm games this spring, it sends a message. It says this isn’t a small-time market. It says this is a city that will support pro football — especially with the NFL’s Jaguars expected to announce this week that they will play the 2027 season in Orlando while Jacksonville renovates its stadium.

Mostly, it says this is a city that billionaire entrepreneurs like Mike Repole are smart to bet on.

And make no mistake, this is a bet.

Repole made a fortune challenging giants. Vitaminwater and BodyArmor went head-to-head with Gatorade. Most people would call that crazy. Repole called it another day at the office.

Spring football might be his biggest challenge yet. Not because people don’t like football, but because every other league has eventually collapsed under the weight of reality: travel costs, payroll, television ratings, attention spans and the simple fact that the NFL owns the sport’s calendar.

But Repole has never been interested in doing things the easy way.

If history tells us anything, it’s that betting against Mike Repole just because something sounds impossible is usually a bad idea.

People said you couldn’t challenge Gatorade.

People said St. John’s basketball was finished.

And people say spring football will never work.

Mike Repole hears all of that and sees opportunity in his adopted hometown.

We’re about to find out if he’s right again.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

CLEVELAND – The Miami Heat’s desire remains to get to the playoffs for a franchise-record seventh consecutive season.

Friday night’s game offered a reminder of what can happen when you get there as an overmatched opponent.

Last year, the Heat were swept out of their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers by an NBA-record margin of 30.5 points in those four games.

Friday night, with the Cavaliers closer to full strength than they were in Wednesday night’s home loss to the Heat, Cleveland rolled to a 149-128 dismantling of Erik Spoelstra’s team at Rocket Arena, as if the two sides were back in the 2025 playoffs, this time with the Cavaliers’ lead peaking at 36.

Making it to the playoffs took a decided step back for the Heat with their sixth loss in their last seven games, still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference play-in race, at No. 10 in the conference.

With the Cavaliers injecting the 7-foot length of Jarrett Allen and the outside shooting of Max Strus back into their rotation, after the two sat out Wednesday night’s 120-103 loss to the Heat, it was a game decided even before halftime, a juncture when Cleveland led 81-46.

Strus, who scored 22 in the first half, led Cleveland with 29 points. Allen, who had missed the previous 10 games with a knee issue, returned to add 18 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes.

For the Heat, there was little in response, save for a 20-point performance from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Four Degrees of Heat from Friday night’s game:

1. Game flow: It was humbling practically from the outset, including a stretch in the first quarter when the Cavaliers got 16 consecutive points from the combined scoring of former Heat players Strus and Thomas Bryant.

That helped stake Cleveland to a 40-27 lead after the first quarter.

And then came the avalanche, with the Heat outscored 41-19 in the second period, a quarter the Heat shot 1 of 10 on 3-pointers, allowed .586 Cleveland shooting from the field, with six turnovers in the period to one by the Cavaliers.

The 35-point halftime lead was Cleveland’s largest this season, 11 more than their previous high.

Then, to add insult to injury, the Cavaliers carried a 109-87 lead into the fourth when Cleveland’s Evan Mobley ended the third quarter with a successful 32-foot buzzer-beating heave. Mobley closed with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

2. Strus loose: Held out of Wednesday night’s game, much to his chagrin as he regains his stride from an offseason foot injury, Strus made his first four 3-pointers after entering in the opening period.

Strus’ 12 points in the opening period represented his highest scoring quarter in his six games this season. His 10-point second period was his second-highest quarter.

With Strus held out, the Cavaliers made only three 3-pointers in Wednesday night’s first half. This time they were 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, with 12 3-pointers by the intermission.

The 22 points were one off the high-scoring half of Strus’ career, when he had 23 for the Heat against the Magic on Dec. 17, 2021.

He closed 10 of 14 from the field, 8 of 11 on 3-pointers, with it his highest-scoring game with the Cavaliers since leaving the Heat in 2023 free agency.

3. About it: About all that could be said from the standpoint of the Heat’s starting lineup is Bam Adebayo closed with a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 16 rebounds in his 31 minutes, before sitting out the final period.

In addition, Adebayo extended his streak of games with at least one steal to 15, making it the longest such streak of his career.

4.Onward: The Heat conclude their three-game trip Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, before returning for a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.

_____

Mar. 26—MOSES LAKE — Though March Madness has wrapped up for Washington college teams, there are still plenty of teams in the state competing in spring athletics ahead of their break. See where your favorite team is heading this week.

BBCC

Baseball (7-11)

March 28 @ Wenatchee Valley, 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

April 1 vs Spokane, 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

Softball (4-9)

March 27 vs Blue Mountain, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.

March 28 vs Treasure Valley, noon, 2 p.m.

CWU

Baseball (9-15)

March 27 vs Northwest Nazarene, noon, 3 p.m.

March 28 vs Northwest Nazarene, noon, 3 pm.

Softball (7-19)

March 27 @ Western Washington, noon, 2 p.m.

March 28 @ Western Washington, noon, 2 p.m.

EWU

Tennis (8-6)

March 28 @ Northern Arizona University, 10 a.m.

Men's Golf

March 30-31 @ Seattle U Redhawk Invitational, Chambers Bay Golf Course

Gonzaga

Baseball (9-12)

March 27 @ Pacific, 6 p.m.

March 28 @ Pacific, 3 p.m.

March 29 @ Pacific, 1 p.m.

March 30 vs Nevada, 1 p.m.

April 2 vs Pepperdine, 6 p.m.

Men's Golf

March 30-31 @ Seattle U Redhawk Invitational, Chambers Bay Golf Course

Rowing

March 28-29 @ San Diego Crew Classic, Mission Bay, CA

Men's Tennis (6-5)

March 27 vs Santa Clara, 2 p.m.

March 29 vs San Diego, 11 a.m.

Women's Tennis (8-7)

March 28 @ Pacific, 10 a.m.

March 29 @ Saint Mary's, 10:30 a.m.

UW

Baseball (10-14)

March 27 vs Northwestern, 7 p.m.

March 28 vs Northwestern, 7 p.m.

March 29 vs Northwestern, 1 p.m.

March 31 @ Oregon State, 6 p.m.

April 2 vs Valparaiso, 7 p.m.

Softball (27-6)

March 27 @ Iowa, 4 p.m.

March 28 @ Iowa, 11 a.m.

March 29 @ Iowa, 10 a.m.

April 2 @ Saint Mary's, 2 p.m.

April 2 @ Stanford, 5 p.m.

Men's Golf

March 26-28 @ The Goodwin, Stanford CA

Rowing

March 27-28 @ Sarasota, FL

Gymnastics

April 2 @ NCAA Regionals, Corvallis, OR, 2 p.m.

Men's Tennis (7-10)

March 27 @ Nebraska, 3 p.m.

March 29 @ Wisconsin, 11 a.m.

Women's Tennis (13-1)

March 27 vs Northwestern, 4 p.m.

March 29 vs Illinois, noon

Track and Field

March 28 @ Peyton-Shotwell Invitational, 11 a.m.

April 2 @ Texas Relays, Austin, TX

WSU

Baseball (10-12)

March 27 vs Nevada, 4 p.m.

March 28 vs Nevada, 2 p.m.

March 29 vs Nevada, noon

March 31 @ Seattle U, 4 p.m.

April 2 @ San Jose State, 6 p.m.

Men's Golf

March 26-28 @ The Goodwin, Stanford, CA

Women's Golf

March 29-31 @ Silicon Valley Showcase, Millbrae, CA

Rowing

March 28 @ San Diego Crew Classic, 10 a.m.

March 29 @ San Diego Crew Classic, 9:20 a.m.

Women's Tennis (9-6)

March 28 @ Saint Mary's, 10:30 a.m.

March 29 @ Pacific, 11 a.m.

Track and Field

April 2 @ Mike Fanelli Invitational, San Francisco, CA

Wenatchee Valley

Baseball

March 28 vs BBCC, 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

April 1 @ Columbia Basin, 1 p.m., 4 p.m.

Softball

March 27 vs Columbia Basin, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.

March 28 vs Walla Walla, noon, 2 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA — In the waning days of this Chicago Bulls season, Patrick Williams has begun to fade out of focus.

The forward is hardly playing. When he makes it onto court, he often flashes a brief, promising display of the same talent that lured the Bulls to select him with the No. 4 draft pick nearly six years ago — a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, a sudden lurch toward the rim for an offensive rebound. Then, just as quickly, Williams dissolves into the background. Easy to miss. Hard to explain. A question that the Bulls seem incapable of answering.

The trade deadline was supposed to offer a change. Or, at the least, an opportunity. The Bulls traded away seven of their most important players, clearing the runway for the remaining young core to earn significant playing time. But even in that environment, Williams can’t win.

Since the All-Star break, Williams has spent 240.8 total minutes on the court. Only five players have logged fewer minutes in that span: two-way players Yuki Kawamura and Lachlan Olbrich, and injured teammates Jaden Ivey, Jalen Smith and Anfernee Simons. Williams tallied five blocks and 25 rebounds in that span. And new addition Leonard Miller — a second-year forward who barely cracked the rotation in Minnesota — has nearly doubled his playing time.

How does the forward handle his plummet down the team’s list of priorities?

“I just try to learn from all of it,” Williams told the Tribune. “That’s where I’m at.”

Williams couldn’t offer a clear-cut reason for his lack of playing time. The forward said he hasn’t talked with the coaching staff or the front office about his role reduction. He’s trying to learn from each game, make the most of the minutes he receives and absorb the feedback given by the coaching staff.

But coach Billy Donovan had a simple explanation: nothing has changed.

In his sixth season, Williams is still struggling with the same weaknesses that plagued the first years of his career. The forward is the longest-tenured player on the Bulls roster. He was the first player drafted under Donovan, the first project to which the coach fully committed himself in Chicago. And six years later, Donovan is still prodding and cajoling the forward to crash the boards and control his dribble and contribute physically to the game.

“It bothers me because there are things I see in him that I want to see him do more consistently,” Donovan said. “I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed. … But when someone shows signs of being able to do something, you feel like you want to try to get him to do it more consistently. He’s just got to take ownership of those minutes and just try to make them as valuable as possible.”

More often than not, Donovan and his staff find themselves mulling over the same questions: What do we need to do to motivate Williams to play this way more consistently? What are we missing? What does he need?

Those questions have not changed since his rookie season. They’ve grown more flustered, more confounding. Donovan doesn’t fully understand why Williams doesn’t pursue offensive rebounds at a higher rate. He can’t wrap his head around the forward’s lack of finishing ability as a dunker. He doesn’t know why this player — big, strong, smart, dedicated — can’t get this thing to click after years of trying.

Internally, the Bulls coaching staff has reached a point of bafflement with the forward. To those who work with Williams, none of this makes sense. As a one-and-done who mostly came off the bench at Florida State, it’s not as if the forward was never a surefire guarantee as a top-5 pick. Still, Williams always had the makings to meet a baseline of physicality and finishing that he’s simply never reached in Chicago.

Stardom is more nuanced than height and weight and wingspan, but Williams clearly has the physical gifts and general profile of a solid NBA player. His teammates often marvel at his strength both in the weight room and in team drills. He has a yawning reach, deft hands and light feet. So why has that never translated into consistency — of any kind — on the court?

This is the worst season of Williams’ career. He is averaging the fewest points (6.8) and rebounds (2.8) of his six years in the league. He logs less than one offensive board per game. His 2-point shooting percentage has dropped below 40%. His assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly 1-to-1.

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As a result, Williams’ career trajectory has stalled out to a standstill. There are still three years left on the forward’s five-year, $90 million deal. The Bulls did not seriously pursue trade options for Williams at the deadline due to a lack of interest on the market, per a source. Perhaps that will change once he nears the end of his contract. But in the meantime, Williams is treading water — and retreading the same talking points that have defined the last three years of his development.

“I kind of look at it as — whenever I do get out there, what can I learn from it?” Williams said. “To be completely honest, we’re not competing for a championship this year. So when I’m out there, I’m trying to learn different things. I’m trying to work on things in a game. It might look a little bit crazy, but that’s kind of what the development part of it is for me.”

Williams still talks like a young player at the start of his career. When he thinks about this season in the big picture, the forward points to foundational aspects of his game that he hopes to improve — playing at a higher pace, filling in the gaps in an undersized frontcourt.

“I hope that in Year 10, Year 12, Year 15, these lessons will start to come back around again,” Williams said. “I’ll say, ‘OK, I learned that early on when I was in Chicago.’”

There’s some sense to this outlook. After all, Williams is only 24 years old. Life is long.

But NBA careers are not. And as he fails to fight for minutes even on a floundering Bulls roster, Williams is only adding to the stagnation of his career — and the team as a whole.

Mar. 25—Carol Perroz was a softball standout among the three sports she played at Freeport, and she continued in softball in college at Slippery Rock.

Though she was dedicated to her school teams in the spring, her diamond exploits didn't end when her scholastic seasons came to a close.

Many of her summer days, starting in the late 1970s and into the early '80s, were full of softball for amateur club teams locally and throughout the region.

With more than 45 years of competition under her belt, Perroz, now 63, doesn't expect to slow down any time soon.

Her love of the game and her passion drives her desire to still play.

"It is just a part of me. I enjoy it so much," said Perroz, who grew up the youngest of seven siblings.

"It's been a part of our family for as long as I can remember. My brother, Dick, and my brother, Bill, still play in their senior league. I also play in a guys league Mondays and Fridays in the summer at Kunkle Park (in Washington Township). That also keeps me competitive and keeps me going."

Her longstanding, dedicated, and accomplished career as a shortstop and her success at the plate has earned her many accolades, and USA Softball of Pennsylvania recently celebrated her with induction into its hall of fame for an "outstanding ability as demonstrated in softball competition, sportsmanship, integrity, character and contribution to the sport of softball."

"Growing up, you never expect something like this," Perroz said of the hall-of-fame honor.

"I just played the sport because I loved it. To get that call and to have people recognize you for what you've done, it was just a wonderful feeling."

Perroz's Amateur Softball Association experience continued to take off while playing locally for Wiegands Brothers from 1982 to 1984. She helped Wiegands win multiple state titles.

"I joined the Wiegands team because of a girl I played with in college," Perroz said. "We were a team all from around here. It was a fun time meeting up with college friends in the summer and playing with them."

Perroz continued to rise up the amateur ranks to the Major level and played for the Pittsburgh Debs after graduating from Slippery Rock in 1985.

"Major was the top level you could play," Perroz said. "The Debs' storied history went back a long way, and I came along at the end of it. They were 'the team' in Pittsburgh back in their heyday. Those were the ladies you looked up to and wanted to be like. It was what you knew. When I played for Wiegands, we would play Debs. From my standpoint, they carried themselves differently."

When the Debs closed operations in 1988, Perroz joined the Conneaut Lake Lakerettes and enjoyed more than a decade and a half of success which included Class A national titles in 1998 and 1999 and championships in the 35-and-over league from 1999 to 2004 and also in 2006.

Perroz twice was named nationals Most Valuable Player, first in 1999 and again in 2004.

"Back then, the seasons were from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and some seasons, we would play a total of 100 games, just on weekends, because of all the local and regional tournaments we went to," she said.

"There were times where we would get home at 12:30 or 1 in the morning after a long tournament and have to get up and go to work the next day. The next weekend, we would do it all over again."

Perroz is a member of the ASA All-Time team, received numerous ASA All-American honors and was named to the ASA All-Decade team for the 1990s. She was part of a 2010 Class C national championship team.

Perroz now plays for Homegrown Legends, a senior tournament team based in Arkansas.

"We have players from Ohio, Michigan, Texas, all over," she said. "We have our next tournament in two weeks in Alabama. Our tournaments are all over the country as opposed to local travel. We have to do what we can to get there."

The USA Softball of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame enshrinement comes 13 years after her softball accomplishments were honored with induction into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

At that time, Perroz was in her ninth season as Valley's coach while closing in on 30 years of coaching area athletes in multiple sports, including basketball and volleyball. She led the Vikings to several section titles and WPIAL playoff appearances. Valley captured WPIAL titles in 2007 and 2010 with the crown jewel being a PIAA state title in 2011.

She stepped away from coaching in 2023.

"I really appreciated my time as a coach and working with all the kids, but I try to stay away from the fields because I know I would be right back there because it's just something that is in me," Perroz said.

"I am definitely enjoying just playing the game right now. It is a lot less stressful and demanding."

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.