What’s the best word to describe how the University of Kansas’s men’s basketball team has entered this new era of college sports? 

Along with me, please point your internet browser to a thesaurus. 

For some other programs, you might choose “mercenary.” These teams have won big by luring away seasoned, proven, older players from other teams. In the mercenary column? Indiana University football and Michigan basketball. We prefer the word, “champions.”

You might tag still others with “profligate.” When an athletic department recruits a squad of young millionaires to a historic program, the expectations are higher than a March Madness second round loss (by almost 20). Yes, I am talking about you, Kentucky basketball. 

A handful of schools have gotten downright “litigious.” The University of Washington recently sued its quarterback, who waffled back and forth about whether he would return to campus last year. Meanwhile, the University of Georgia is seeking $390,000 from a former defensive end after he transferred to the University of Missouri. See you in court.

The atmosphere at Kansas basketball in the nascent days of the NIL era is different. Call it “dramatic.” During the past 12 months, the emotional rollercoaster ride has tested Jayhawk fans who previously basked in constant conference championships and juggernaut status. 

As an instructor at the Lawrence campus, I have watched the mood among students over the past few years go from disbelief (“There’s no way that we won’t win the Big XII!”) to protest (“It’s just not fair!“). This year I was surprised by the mid-week apathy among students. Basically no one was talking about the Jayhawks in my classrooms, a rare symptom from those in crimson and blue.

Many of the storylines that have defined this time at KU are tethered to the financial tumult that has shaken college sports. Athletes deserved compensation, but when the NCAA restrictions fell, pandemonium reigned.

The millions of dollars in players’ pockets have unsteadied all campuses, but perhaps “The Hill” most of all.

Things are looking up

Earning the word choice of dramatic means plenty of ups: Headlines! Recruits! Big wins! A star coach! 

Last week brought another highlight. Wednesday morning, my gym blared the news from sports channels on big screens in every direction: The nation’s top high school player is coming to Allen Fieldhouse. 

The consensus top recruit, Tyran Stokes, might carry the Jayhawks during his expected one-year stay in Kansas before departing as a forecasted No. 1 overall NBA draft pick. Landing a dominant player like this, one who can maraud down the lane but also square up from beyond the arc, signals recruiting swagger for Bill Self and his assistants.

Last year, the Jayhawks also landed the top recruit, Darryn Peterson. With Peterson at point, the Jayhawks climbed into the top 10 rankings from the Associated Press writers poll during Week 16. Eight wins in a row — two of them against the top two ranked teams nationally — would keep most fanbases happy for years.  

Combine this with the constant, historic revelry of Allen Fieldhouse. Students still camp out for choice game-day seats and the chance to be in front of the national TV cameras. 

These high points likely helped draw Stokes to Kansas.

Must it come down?

But oh how the drama has swerved: Early tournament exit! Possible retirement! Campus controversy! An aloof superstar!

One KU basketball narrative rose to the top this season. Fans nationwide knew both that KU both had a gamechanger in Peterson but also that he wasn’t playing as much as everyone expected. 

Fans and commentators threw shade about his commitment to the team, hinting that the big payout for his name, image and likeness should have spurred him toward being available to play more minutes for the Jayhawks. 

Perhaps, they whispered, he was saving himself for an even bigger NBA payday. This high-profile swirl of money and playing time is a mid-season college storyline that could only happen in 2026.

In this pay-for-play climate, many wonder how long veteran Hall of Famers like Bill Self will wait before retirement. Today’s college hoops atmosphere is certainly a world away from 1993, when he was recruiting players to an Oral Roberts University team that was 6-21. Losing in the second round of the tournament this year made the coaching situation still more precarious. 

Add in Self’s recent health troubles and it feels like the KU coaching throne is wobbling for the first time in decades, which should terrify the Jayhawks. 

Teams have surged up and down in the rankings for years before players were being paid. Nevertheless, Kansas this year yo-yo-ed in rankings from No. 19 preseason, to unranked, to No. 8, to an embarrassing last-second flame-out during the tournament. 

Consider also Nebraska, a team that didn’t receive a single vote in the AP preseason poll and also a team that didn’t crack the top 25 until week 6. They finished second to the national champions in the Big Ten standings and made it to the Sweet 16.

In watching college basketball today, we are crossing our fingers each season that a misfit band of transfer students gels together with heralded freshmen. But, in doing so, we often fail to evaluate these hastily assembled squads, this year’s KU team included.

All of this ignores the elephant in the room — or in this case, the elephant sitting smack dab in the middle of Jayhawk Boulevard. The athletic and academic interests on KU’s campus have confronted one another in a way I haven’t seen during my 13 academic years at KU. 

When KU faculty members publicized a no-confidence vote in the university leadership this year, athletics was not just the subtext, it was the text. Associate professor Misty Heggeness (whom I once profiled for the Reflector) challenged the university’s plan to use KU’s general fund to cover athlete payments. 

“It’s just a little bit frustrating that there’s this disconnect that that we as a university have been put in the position to have to try to scrounge around for pennies in other coffers to cover these student athlete salaries,” she told KCUR.  

Social media predictably seized on the situation, claiming, “Kansas Faculty Revolts Over Athlete Pay…This Is Bigger Than You Think.”

Yet that headline might not even do it justice. After all, how many of these KU basketball storylines — for better or worse — do you connect to the new atmosphere of college sports? In short, it is defining the sport. 

And maybe the university. 

The lauded signing of Tyran Stokes might be the ticket to a national championship — money well spent by a university that loves basketball and has a generational coaching talent to guide him. 

But the era of NIL tells us that the next year could also be a plummet. Perhaps a high school superstar, already famous for his temper, becomes disenchanted with the college game and dooms his team (a campus?) to not only basketball losses, but financial peril. 

In the high stakes Wild West of 2026 college sports, where fortunes lean on the compensation of 18-year-olds, we must brace for both: winning and losing.

Eric Thomas teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

The transfer portal — and the debate surrounding it — dominates college sports.

Now, a similar concept is being debated in Ohio high school athletics — whether students should be allowed to play for schools they do not attend.

That idea is part of a broader set of proposed rule changes that could reshape how Ohio handles athletic transfers if approved in a statewide vote of school districts.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association released its list of referendum issues earlier this month, with voting open through May 15. A simple majority is needed to change bylaws.

The main focus of many of the issues proposed include how transfers may be approved or even allowed — including potentially playing for a different school than the one a student attends.

The proposed Issue 2B would alter the bylaws by creating an exception to allow certain students playing sports at schools they do not attend.

The exception would state that if an athlete’s current school does not sponsor a team sport — such as football, soccer and tennis — and another school does that is located within 20 miles of what is described as the “most direct route,” that student could join the other school’s team. Superintendents of both districts would need to agree to the arrangement to grant the exception.

The exception would also allow a student who lives in a multi-school district to have their superintendent assign them directly to another school’s team within the district for the same reasoning.

A similar measure was voted on and turned down by a 406-393 margin in 2022. The language differed slightly in that vote, stating the new school district had to directly border the student’s current school.

Currently, all students attending a public school are only allowed to play sports for their school. Students attending private schools may play for a public school’s team only if they reside within the district.

An example of 20 miles in the Miami Valley is the distance between Centerville High School and Vandalia Butler High School, or Dunbar High School to Xenia High School.

Other transfer-related bylaw changes proposed would alter the definition of a transfer to allow a student that changed schools but returns to their original one to immediately participate in sports without penalty. Another could let a student maintain full eligibility if transfers are needed to “protect the student’s physical or mental well-being” as agreed upon by superintendents.

Modified NIL language is also being proposed. A new bylaw specifically stating athletes may enter into agreements with agents solely for marketing purposes would be created, and another could modify current rules to make all athletes report all NIL deals within 14 days of disclosure.

These votes take place each year to keep ahead of changing times. It is unusual to see close to a singular focus for many of the issues presented.

“It is an oddity,” Northmont athletic director Micah Harding said. “A lot of the bylaws relate to transfers, and every year they’re revising and editing language that’s in there to accommodate the changes that are coming up, a new situation that has never occurred, and trying to make sure they have that covered.”

What concerns are being raised?Call it school pride. Representing your community. Creating a sense of belonging.

Playing for the school you attend helps create all of that when an athlete gets to compete. If the sport isn’t an option for public school students, they currently are out of luck.

“There’s opportunities for private school kids to go play, but there’s not those opportunities for public schools,” Harding said. “I’m not crazy about the idea of kids going to one school and playing at another. There probably are some exceptions. … Probably not an ideal situation to have kids crossing over borders and things like that, but I think they’re trying to account there’s an option for private school kids and not public school kids.”

Many school districts also do not have open enrollment. It has not been clarified how the bylaw potentially could play a part in choosing potential school options for those districts.

Tippecanoe athletic director Kregg Creamer said he believes keeping the benefits of living within the school district played a key role in the district choosing not to invoke open enrollment.

He said the environment is controlled so future plans and opportunities for students both in and out of the classroom can be properly developed based on the overall enrollment numbers they wish to achieve.

“The concern I have is if these new opportunities, for some, would be coming at the expense of others? Meaning, would an opportunity for some students enrolled in a different district potentially take away opportunities from students that live in our district? That is something that I struggle with,” he said.

Creamer added he does not know the right answer to those questions.

“How do you explain that to some of your district residents and taxpayers?” Northeastern athletic director Jake Buchholtz said. “Your kid goes here, but he’s not playing or she’s not playing in a particular sport, because another kid from another school district is coming here and is better than yours. That’s a challenge.”

Potential impactsSome schools in the northern Miami Valley — like Russia, Newton, Botkins and Houston, for example — don’t offer football. What if 30 kids from those schools decide they want to play at a nearby school that offers football?

Wayne Local Schools recently tabled a vote which could have imposed a $750 pay-for-play per sport to all student-athletes.

The costs to conduct athletics does not seem to be going down. School districts are trying to find ways to keep things affordable, but unexpected costs associated with new roster numbers would keep budgets on edge.

Buchholtz believes some of the transfer rules make sense to level the playing field, but after taking a deeper look sees several potential ripple effects that could create new financial and competitive balance issues.

“As an athletic director, that’s 30 extra helmets, 30 extra pairs of shoulder pads,” he said. “It’s (tough) in sports where it is really expensive kind of per pupil. If your school’s district is one that charges pay to play, you do get that money, but it’s not like your district is seeing an increase in tax revenue to help offset those costs.”

Harding said he estimates Northmont is losing out on $1.5 million in state funding during the coming year based on recent state legislation. He believes lawmakers are constantly keeping the OHSAA on their toes to remain in alignment.

“I think it’s a combination, honestly, of two things that are constantly changing,” Harding said. “They’re encountering new situations, and so the OHSAA is trying to do their best to make sure they have everything covered, and then state legislators, you know, keep poking their nose into high school sports.”

Many districts are members of conferences with similar enrollment numbers to keep playing fields equal from the standpoint of potential contributors.

The 4-3-1 bylaw would only affect those participating in team sports — golf is not included while tennis is — but it wouldn’t take much of an influx of kids from outside of the district coming in to start shifting levels of competition.

“If we’re the Ohio Heritage Conference and we’re a predominantly Division V conference with a few D-VI and D-VII (schools) and Northeastern gets 30 players (from a school that doesn’t offer football), do you think the OHC is going to be super thrilled with Northeastern?” Bucholtz said. “I would venture to say no. I mean, it would be a good problem for us in terms of numbers right? And that’s where things could get a little murky.”

Inquiries from parents occur all the time, Harding said. Northmont being surrounded by smaller communities leads to interested parties finding out what they need to do to get their kids playing sports their school may not offer.

How has NIL been working?The noise surrounding name, image and likeness deals for Ohio high school athletes has been quiet since passed in late 2025.

The exact number of student-athletes agreeing to deals is unknown, however it’s estimated to be under 100 reported deals in total over the six months it has been in effect.

As predicted by experts like Dr. Scott Grant, such as when he told this outlet before the emergency November 2025 vote to expect most NIL compensation to involve free food, apparel and the like, that seems to be the case that administrators are hearing. Thousands of dollars, let alone millions, does not have a market in Ohio.

“There’s a lot of getting a kid to post on his Twitter, his Instagram or whatever kind of deal they’ve come up with and gets a free donut or whatever, a lot of that,” Harding said. “Obviously the most pressing part is (Jamier Brown) at Wayne transferring to Big Walnut as that’s right next door to us in our league, but that’s one of the outliers. There’s very few of the Browns.”

Harding believes it would be positive if agents got involved with brokering NIL deals. He said having experienced eyes look over the language of the contracts would be more beneficial than the average person figuring out what’s good and what’s not.)

OHSAA REFERENDUM ITEMS

Here are summarized language of all 12 referendum issues for high schools, middle school and administrative issues.

Constitution Articles (1 Issue – Voted on by High School Principals):

ISSUE 1C – Constitution Article 8, Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws (Modification)

Would allow the OHSAA Board of Directors to reinstate a bylaw or constitutional provision that was previously removed to comply with state law, if that law is later repealed. This eliminates the need for an emergency referendum and allows the rule to take effect immediately as it was last approved by the membership.

7th & 8th Grade Ballot (3 Issues):

ISSUE 1B – Bylaw 4-2-2, Exceptions 1 & 2, 7th & 8th Grade Age Exceptions (Modifications) AND

ISSUE 2B – Bylaw 4-3-4, Exception 1, 7th & 8th Grade Semesters Exception (Modification)

Would revise the current requirement that a student must have no impact on the outcome of a contest to qualify for the requested exception, changing it to require that the student does not have a significant impact. This allows students who play a limited role to still be eligible.

ISSUE 3B – Bylaw 4-4-5 Exception 1, 7th & 8th Grade Academic Hardship Exception (Modification)

Would remove the requirement that a student must have been withdrawn or removed from school during the immediately preceding grading period for the exception to apply. Instead, the student or family must provide documentation showing that a hardship existed at the time their ineligibility occurred.

Bylaw Articles (8 Issues – Voted on by High School Principals):

ISSUE 1B – Bylaw 4-1-4, Member of an Interscholastic Team (Modification)

Would add language to clarify that a school is considered to have sponsored a sport once its team participates in a regular-season contest and not a preseason event. This helps determine student eligibility to participate elsewhere, either under state law or Issue 2B’s bylaw exception if to be approved, when their school of attendance cancels its season.

ISSUE 2B – Bylaw 4-3-1, Enrollment & Attendance, Exc. 8, Non-Enrolled Participation (New Exception)

Would allow students at an OHSAA member public school that does not sponsor a particular team sport to participate in that sport at another OHSAA member public school, provided on two conditions. The first would be the other school is within 20 miles and the superintendents of both schools approve the arrangement. Google maps will be used to help determine the distance.

In multi–high school districts, students whose school does not offer a specific sport may be assigned to participate at another school within the same district.

ISSUE 3B — Bylaw 4-4-1 Exception 1, High School Academic Hardship Exception (Modification)

Would remove the requirement that a student must have been withdrawn or removed from school during the immediately preceding grading period for the exception to apply. Instead, the student or family must provide documentation showing that a hardship existed at the time their ineligibility occurred.

ISSUE 4B – Bylaw 4-6-2, Exceptions 4 & 6, Residency Exceptions (Modifications)

Modifications to Exception 4 would permit a student whose parents live outside the state of Ohio, but who have been continuously enrolled within the same member public school district since the start of 6th grade, to participate at the member high school in which they are enrolled. The modification would bring consistency to requirements.

Parallel modifications to two other exceptions would add language to permit students whose parents live outside the state of Ohio, but who have been continuously enrolled within the same member school district since the start of 4th grade, to participate within that district/system in 7th and 8th grade. Applicable for both public and non-public members.

ISSUE 5B – Bylaw 4-7-2, Definition of Transfer (New Note)

Would exempt a student from being subject to the transfer bylaw when they change their enrollment to a different but return to the same school of attendance without participating in any sport while enrolled at the other school.

ISSUE 6B – Bylaw 4-7-2, Exception 1, Bona Fide Change of Residence (New Definition)

Would codify a formal definition of a bona fide change of residence. The definition would require a student’s parents to fully relinquish all responsibility for their previous residence, such as by selling it, leasing it to a non-family member, transferring it to an LLC for business purposes, or terminating the lease, in order for this exception to apply. The new language also gives discretion to review and address cases where this requirement has not been fully met.

ISSUE 7B – Bylaw 4-7-8, Superintendent’s Memorandum of Understanding, Transfer (New Bylaw)

Would allow a transfer student to have their eligibility fully restored upon a transfer if the Superintendents or Heads of School from both OHSAA member school systems enter into a memorandum of understanding confirming that the transfer is necessary to protect the student’s physical or mental well-being or to address other appropriate extenuating circumstances. This exception may be used up to two times during a student’s high school career. If approved, three other bylaws would be stricken.

ISSUE 8B – Bylaw 4-11 NIL (Modifications and New Section)

Would add clarifying language on two bylaws to ensure consistent application within NIL regulations. Also creates a new bylaw to allow students to enter into agreements with athlete agents solely for marketing purposes. Any such agreement must also be disclosed within 14 days.

The Gophers men’s basketball program picked up a commitment from Villanova transfer guard Malachi Palmer on Sunday, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press.

The 6-foot-6 native of Harrisburg, Pa., will have two years of eligibility remaining for the U.

As a sophomore at Villanova, he put up 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game last season. Palmer had a bigger role in March and had 11 points in Villanova’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Utah State. His best game was a 15-point outing in a win over Seton Hall on Feb. 4.

Villanova coach Kevin Willard said: “Malachi is a tough, physical guard that plays on both sides of the ball. He is an elite on ball defender and a natural scorer at the offensive end. His athleticism and size make him a perfect fit for the Big East. Malachi is a gym rat who keeps getting better, a tough shot-maker who knows how to put the ball in the basket. ”

As a true freshman at Maryland, Palmer played sparingly, only 185 minutes in 22 games.

The three-star recruit from Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore reportedly picked the Terrapins over Seton Hall, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Florida State.

Palmer takes one of two remaining spots on the Gophers’ roster for next season. Minnesota has now added five transfer to next year’s squad.

Related Articles

• Men’s basketball: Niko Medved on his four transfer portal additions
• With Kai Shinholster back, how does the Gophers’ roster break down?
• Men’s basketball: Gophers beat out Hawkeyes for transfer guard Kyan Evans
• Men’s basketball: Gophers add 7-foot-2 German center via Michigan transfer
• Men’s basketball: Gophers add Michigan transfer Winters Grady out of portal

After 37 ties over the final two sets, a simple Southern California touch of the net on Hawaii’s seventh match point meant the Rainbow Warriors are fighting on.

No. 2 seed Hawaii closed out the Trojans 25-22, 24-26, 25-23, 32-30 in the first NCAA Tournament regional it has ever hosted and played in on Saturday to advance to its seventh NCAA Final Four in the past nine seasons.

A season-high, sold-out Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 9,943 broke the NCAA Tournament record for the largest single-match attendance.

The thunderous roars never stopped from player introductions until USC (20-8) was called for a net violation to bring a stunning end to a match that lasted two hours, 40 minutes despite not going to a fifth set.

“All four sets were close obviously, and it’s two closely matched teams and both teams thought they have a chance to win a national championship this year and we’re fortunate enough to advance,” Hawaii coach Charlie Wade said. “These guys have played a lot of high-level volleyball. There’s nothing out there that we haven’t seen before.”

Hawaii sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski put down a match-high 19 kills and Adrien Roure added 13 kills, six digs and a career-high seven aces.

Louis Sakanoko added 12 kills, five blocks and four digs as all three UH pin hitters had their moments, which the ’Bows (28-5) needed.

Hawaii took a 2-1 lead in the third set when Tread Rosenthal served a ball out of a USC timeout and a Trojans player’s return hit the scoreboard on the second touch. The set was tied 19 times before Hawaii scored the final two points to earned a much-needed set win after USC won the second.

“Tread had an uncharacteristically poor night serving and a lot of times that’s why we start him serving to get the most opportunities,” Wade said. “He’s got the clutch gene and when the game is on the line, he is going to give you a good effort.”

Rosenthal finished with a match-high 56 assists, six digs, three blocks and three kills.

Roure gave UH a 20-13 cushion in the fourth set with four of his seven aces to put UH on the verge of a win.

The Trojans rallied to score 12 of the next 17 points and set the stage for a deuce set that just seemed to keep on going.

“We’ve been saying that since the beginning of the year that when that last ball drops, we won’t have no regrets,” said USC senior outside hitter Dillon Klein, who overcame a slow start to finish with a team-high 16 kills. “I just credit that fourth set, the end of it, to our mentality (we’ve had) all year.”

All four sets were decided by three points or fewer and two went to deuce.

USC hit .294 with 51 total kills but was helped out by 27 UH service errors.

Hawaii hit .328 with 61 total kills. Both teams had 9.5 blocks, but UH doubled up the Trojans in aces, 9-4, with Roure leading the way.

“Everyone gave their all. There wasn’t one play that wasn’t full effort on both sides,” USC coach Jeff Nygaard said. “In our own gym, we’ll see we’ve got to be prepared for 23, 24, 25, 26, but that extends to 32-30. Every point matters. Every touch matters. That’s how we approach the game.”

Klein had back-to-back kills after UH’s first match point at 24-23 to give USC set point.

Roure, who hit .458 with two errors in 24 swings, got one back for UH and then Rosenthal curled a serve in the back corner for his only ace.

Hawaii committed three more serving errors on set point, including one that left Wade spinning around grabbing his head in frustration.

Klein gave USC its final point with a kill before USC served out. He was then called for the net violation to end it.

“The fans really brought so much energy for us, so even if USC got a good couple of runs, there are so many people watching you and it gives you a boost in energy and you cannot not give energy for one point,” Roure said. “I think we kind of had the same issue against Long Beach (in the Big West tournament final), so I think we were kind of scared this was going to happen again, but I’m really happy we stayed together and managed to win.”

Justin Todd, who was injured in last week’s Big West tournament semifinal win over UC San Diego and missed the final, returned to the starting lineup and had six kills and three blocks.

Fellow middle blocker Trevell Jordan had eight kills on 12 swings with four blocks to give UH some needed offense in the middle.

Titriyski, who missed last season’s NCAA Tournament with an injury, got off to a hot start with six kills in the first set and was in on three blocks.

“I hadn’t played in one yet, so I’m really happy to play in this and win a game and now we’re going to play a semifinal with Long Beach,” Titriyski said. “It’s a different feeling, especially when you start the tournament at home with a full gym and everyone supporting you and you can’t even hear our own thoughts. I’m pretty thankful for that.”

All three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament lost on Saturday. The Final Four at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles will consist of and UC Irvine meeting Ball State on Saturday.

The final will take place two days later.

Agyeman Addae doesn’t need to look far when it comes to what he wants to accomplish this season. The UCF running back points to a banner hanging in the Nicholson Fieldhouse that proudly commemorates the program’s three appearances in New Year’s Six bowl games.

“I want us to go back,” he said. “I want us to go even further than that … to go to a national championship.”

It’s been nearly seven years since the Knights’ last appearance in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, but anybody who knows Addae wouldn’t be shocked by his bold prediction.

The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Addae has been proving people wrong throughout most of his life.

As a true freshman walk-on, Addae stepped up to the plate after Taevion Swint faced a season-ending surgery for a meniscus injury in fall camp and Stacy Gage went under the knife for a lower-leg injury he suffered against West Virginia on Oct. 18.

Addae quickly found himself on the field helping out as starters Jaden Nixon and Myles Montgomery, especially later in the season.

Although he finished with just 12 carries for 50 yards throughout the season, it was in the season finale at BYU on Nov. 29 that Addae truly shone. The Miami native delivered a standout performance with five receptions for 62 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

But it was a 4-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Tayven Jackson late in the third quarter that left people stunned.

“(I threw) a little bit in Little League, but not in high school,” Addae said of the pass.

“It was fun to get in there and show them what I could do and show the world what I could do, but that was just a flash of it and I hope to do more of it this year and in the coming years,” Addae added about last season.

UCF running backs coach Jimmy Beal offers nothing but praise for the job Addae did last season.

“His ability to understand the game, his maturity and his approach allowed him to get on the field because he knows his job. He knows the system,” Beal said.

The true freshman made a seamless transition from his days at Miami’s Columbus High School to college football in Orlando.

“It felt so natural,” Addae explained. “Columbus was run like a college. So, when I came here, it was like, ‘Dang, this is just like high school all over again, but just a little bigger.” So I felt comfortable going into it (the season).”

Beal has been so impressed with Addae as a person that he’s reached out to his father, Jahmile, who’s spent more than two decades as a coach and is currently the Miami Dolphins’ cornerbacks coach.

After 3 seasons, UCF edge rusher Isaiah Nixon is ready for his moment

“I’ve got my son and he’s 10, so I’m asking, ‘How do you do it? I need this knowledge,’ ” Beal said. “AG is kind of like my son. He has the ability, the mindset and a work ethic, and I love it for him.”

“My father is my everything,” Addae said. “My mom, too, but my dad has shown me how to be myself and how to take what he has done in the coaching world and apply it to myself to be a professional and a hard worker. My dad’s a really hard worker, and that’s one thing that’s translated from him to me.”

Father and son communicate frequently, especially about football.

“If I have a question, I’ll just hit him up and be like, ‘Dad, what do you think about this play? Do you think I could have done it better?’ ” Addae recalled.

UCF needed to restructure its running back unit with the departures of Montgomery and Nixon, so the Knights added a pair of transfers in Landen Chambers (Central Arkansas) and Duke Watson (Louisville), coupled with returners Swint, Addae and Chance Nixon. The unit also signed a pair of high school standouts in Kaj Baker and Arthur Lewis IV.

“Is there even a weakness?” Addae said. “We can do everything and that’s what makes our running back group so special. And in fact, the new running backs coming in here are getting it even faster than we did last year.”

Addae hopes to get bigger, stronger and faster before fall camp opens in August. Either way, he wants to do whatever is necessary to win games.

“I could do whatever you need,” he said. “I could throw the ball or run it in … I can do it all.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

AMHERST, MASS. (WETM) – One local grad made it a special senior day at the NCAA Division I level.

(Photo Courtesy: @UMassSoftball on “X”)

Horseheads grad Olivia Packard celebrated her senior day in style, on Saturday. In storybook fashion, the UMass softball senior helped the Minutewomen to a 10-4 victory over Ohio, crushing her 1st home run of the season, in what was potentially her final career game. The 2nd inning blast was also Packard’s 2nd career home run and 1st since her freshman season.

The former Blue Raider and UMass catcher closed out the season, going (2-4) with the run and RBI from the memorable homer. In her career, which saw her play alongside sister Abby for 2 college seasons, Olivia totaled 22 RBI, 12 runs, 6 doubles, and 2 home runs on 36 hits, over 85 games.

UMass ends their season with a special victory, despite a (19-30) overall record.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.

It was a clear two-horse race in the Big East for the entire 2025-26 men’s basketball season as UConn and St. John’s separated into a tier above the rest.

Villanova, in year one under coach Kevin Willard, ascended back into the conversation and gave the conference three NCAA Tournament bids, but the Wildcats never threatened the top of the league and their postseason run was short-lived with a first-round loss to Utah State. Seton Hall did more with less under Shaheen Holloway, but didn’t collect enough strong wins outside of the conference to flip onto the right side of the March Madness bubble and declined any other postseason invitations.

None of the eight other teams finished the year with an overall record better than .500.

The league ended the season ranked last of the five power conferences by KenPom, which had a tight group of three at the top in the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12. There was a bit of a gap before the ACC and the Big East, and a similar-sized drop off from the Big East to the Mountain West.

But if this offseason is any indication, the league should see some positive momentum in 2026-27.

UConn, coming off of its third national championship game appearance in the last four years, has built what figures to be another contender. Dan Hurley was able to retain a core trio of Silas Demary Jr. (a Big East Player of the Year candidate), Braylon Mullins and Jayden Ross, while adding four transfers (and counting) to the rotation and a pair of top-50 freshmen who are likely to impact games right away.

Rick Pitino didn’t make the same splash in the transfer portal as he did last season, but the Hall of Famer went back overseas for a handful of international players after time expired on his dominant frontcourt trio of Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins. The Johnnies added Beacon Falls native Avery Brown from Columbia and Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, who was a UConn target at some level before the Huskies signed Nik Khamenia from Duke.

There will be at least seven international players on the St. John’s roster, including British point guard Quinn Ellis and Serbian 7-footer Lazar Stojkovic, who joins returner Ruben Prey (Portugal) in the front court after the Red Storm missed out on multiple big-name centers in the portal.

Still, the reigning back-to-back dual champions in the league figure to be ranked somewhere in the top 25 nationally heading into the season.

Villanova lost four of its top five scorers as double-double machine Duke Brennan and veteran sixth-man Devin Askew saw their eligibility expire, and both Bryce Lindsay (Indiana) and Acaden Lewis (Miami) departed through the portal. But the Wildcats are set to return leading scorer Tyler Perkins and wing Matt Hodge, whose ACL injury tempered expectations down the stretch of the season. And they have a highly regarded transfer class coming in, highlighted by former Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr. and Ohio State wing Devin Royal, who had interest from UConn early in the portal process. Willard complimented that pair with a handful of high-scoring mid-major guards.

The expectations on Seton Hall were so low last season that a fourth-place finish in the league meant a unanimous coach of the year vote for Holloway, who didn’t have much to work with when assembling his roster. The Pirates find themselves in a similar position again after their best players moved on: Najai Hines to UConn, Budd Clark to Ole Miss, Tajuan Simpkins to Mississippi State, and a handful of others. Trey Parker is sticking it out as one of the few returners as former St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher comes over from Texas and Roddie Anderson III comes from Xavier to highlight the Pirates’ portal haul.

Elsewhere around the league, Providence has made a splash early into the tenure of new head coach Bryan Hodgson, who came from USF to replace Kim English. Richard Pitino has been very active ahead of his second year at Xavier, as has Chris Holtmann in his third year at DePaul. Both Creighton and Marquette have made moves that could help them return to the national conversation.

Hodgson’s portal haul is ranked No. 7 nationally by 247Sports with Miles Byrd coming from San Diego State, Malik Mack from Georgetown, Devin Vanterpool from FAU, and big men Arrinten Page from Northwestern and Samson Aletan from Yale. The Friars also dipped into the pros to add Dink Pate, a former five-star wing prospect in the 2023 class who chose the G League over college and has been there since.

Xavier’s portal class was ranked No. 14 nationally after its 10th-place finish in the league last season. The Musketeers lost almost all of their key pieces aside from forward Jovan Milicevic and added a haul highlighted by former UAB guard Chance Westry and former LSU center Mike Nwoko, along with Ruben Dominguez from Texas A&M and Tru Washington from Miami.

DePaul had one of its best years in recent history and Chris Holtmann doesn’t plan on slowing down. The Blue Demons are set to return Layden Blocker and Kruz McClure, while adding center Magoon Gwath from San Diego State and a handful of mid-major guards after losing leading duo CJ Gunn and NJ Benson.

Creighton, with Alan Huss stepping in as head coach after Greg McDermott’s retirement, has a strong group of returners that includes Jackson McAndrew, Jasen Green and Austin Swartz, among others. The Blue Jays added one of the best rim protectors in the Big East in former Providence center Oswin Erhunmwunse, as well as guards Wes Enis from USF, BJ Davis from San Diego State and Kayden Edwards from TCU. Incoming freshman Katrelle Harmon is the No. 60 prospect in ESPN’s top-100 rankings.

And Shaka Smart had no choice but to fill holes on Marquette’s roster through the transfer portal, adding center Sananda Fru from Louisville and guard Nolan Minessale, a Milwaukee native who spent last season at St. Thomas. Marquette will feature Big East Freshman of the Year Nigel James Jr. as well as returners Royce Parham, Adrien Stevens and Damarius Owens. Incoming wing Alex Egbuonu is the No. 73 player in the 2026 high school class.

Ed Cooley brought in a strong quartet of transfers to Georgetown in Kansas’ Elmarko Jackson, Kentucky’s Jaland Lowe and FAU’s Josiah Parker, as well as center Chol Machot from the College of Charleston. The Hoyas also have a top-50 recruit coming in 6-foot-8 wing Alex Constanza, but they have plenty of spots to fill after the departures of Vince Iwuchukwu, Julius Halaifonua, Malik Mack, KJ Lewis and others.

Butler, hiring alum Ronald Nored after Thad Matta’s retirement, figures to have some tough sledding ahead after losing stars Finley Bizjack to West Virginia and Michael Ajayi to the NBA Draft and could see another year in the basement as the rest of the league rises.

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W. Va. — When one looks back on the final three seasons of what the Shawnee State softball program has accomplished at the NAIA level, one will be pretty impressed.

The Shawnee State softball program scored a 9-4 victory over Brescia (Ky.) but fell by marks of 5-3 to Rio Grande and 7-2 to Indiana-Columbus on Friday to see its season come to a close. It capped off a three-year stretch in the River States Conference where the Bears won 99 games and went 72-28 in RSC action during regular season play.

Shawnee State softball (36-15)

Playing as the No. 2 seed in the River States Conference Softball Tournament, the Shawnee State softball program was able to score a 9-4 win over Brescia to remain alive in consolation play after an earlier setback to Rio Grande previously in the tournament.

Shawnee State jumped out on Brescia early as a RBI bunt single by Jenna Christopher, a steal of second base by Christopher and a wild pitch was followed by a walk and a steal by Sierra Dunnagan.

With runners on second and third base, Shawnee State senior first baseman Gabby Adams drove in two runs with a single to left field, putting the Bears ahead by a 2-0 margin to end the top half of the first frame of play.

The score remained at a 2-0 margin heading into the fourth inning, where both Kennedy Davis and Christopher — Huntington natives and Spring Valley High School graduates — drew walks with two out in the bottom half of the frame. Two-hole hitter and Wheelersburg graduate Haley Myers then lofted a two-out, two-RBI single to right field, bringing in both Davis and Christopher to push the margin to a 4-0 lead.

Adams, who led off the fifth inning, then pushed Shawnee State's lead to a 5-0 margin, lofting a 1-0 pitch to the left center field gap, moving to third on an RBI groundout and scoring on Keegan Uhl's sacrifice fly to center field to push the lead out to that number.

Brescia answered with a four-run frame in the top half of the sixth as a three-run triple by Emma Kate Elrod was the catalyst in bringing the Bearcats within 5-4, but Shawnee State answered with a four-run sixth in the bottom half as Lexie Lockwood's leadoff single to left, a sacrifice bunt by Davis that moved Lockwood to second and a walk by Christopher was followed by a one-out RBI single by Haley Myers that scored Lockwood.

Then, with two gone and following a wild pitch that allowed Myers to move to second and Christopher to third, a one-out single to left by Adams brought in Christopher while Wheelersburg's Sydney Skiver followed with a two-out double to left to score both Myers and Adams, giving Shawnee State the 9-4 lead and the win.

Shawnee State sophomore Gabby McConnell picked up the win in that game as the Circleville native spun a seven-hitter in the contest.

Adams and Myers led the Bears in the win by going 6-for-8 with a double, six RBI and three runs scored between them.

In the 5-3 loss to Rio Grande, Shawnee State attempted to rally from a 5-0 deficit by placing the first five batters on base in the sixth inning. Christopher was hit by a batter while Myers, Sierra Dunnagan, Adams and Skiver all reached with four straight singles, resulting in three runs coming across. A double play, however, extinguished the remaining threat after the early runs.

The day's action ended with Shawnee State taking an early 2-1 advantage over Indiana-Columbus, one where Myers hit an RBI double to left center field and Adams singled back up the middle to give the Bears an early lead.

Shawnee State, who will move up to NCAA Division II beginning on July 1, 2026, finished its season at 36-15. The Bears will see seven individuals — Adams, Christopher, Lockwood, Mack Bailey, Hailee Bay, Haley Hawes and Andi Webb — graduate from the program.

Adams was a multi-year all-conference player at first base who transferred to Shawnee State from Rio Grande in 2026 while Lockwood started in every season she played in her college softball career.

Christopher, meanwhile, obliterated Shawnee State's single-season stolen base record, finishing her SSU career with an incredible 70 swipes in three seasons.

The six seniors who played at Shawnee State for each of the last four seasons accumulated a 99-44 overall record over their final three years at Shawnee State for a winning percentage of 69.2 percent.

"No words can truly express what softball means to me or how much it’s taught me throughout my whole career," Christopher, a team captain and three-year starter at Shawnee State, said. "I'm forever grateful for the memories and the people."

Head coach Kristen Bradshaw and her staff has directed the Bears to the above record behind two 36-win seasons in three years. Shawnee State hadn't had a 36-win season since 1999 prior to Bradshaw's arrival on campus.