Photos showing how a basketball coaching program has provided self confidence for incarcerated men
VACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) — The UK-based Twinning Project is partnering with the Golden State Warriors in a program to teach incarcerated men at Solano State Prison in Vacaville, California, how to coach basketball. The program has provided a purpose and self confidence for these men, some of whom are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
___
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
14 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
NASCAR set for summer stretch March Madness style. Will new tournament end summer schedule malaise?
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — It's time to bust out the brackets, pick an upset or two, and follow winners on the road — a journey over city streets, concrete and bricks — to the final four and beyond. Totally awesome, baby? Forget all the upset specials in March. NASCAR will find out soon enough if its attempt to snap out of a mid-summer malaise with its first in-season tournament is a success with drivers and fans as it strives to boost engagement and build buzz in the staid regular season. The concept has already juiced enthusiasm in NASCAR to levels not seen since the halcyon days when Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough duked it out in the 1979 Daytona 500. 'To be really honest with you,' 2020 NASCAR champion Chase Elliott said, 'I have not paid any attention to it.' Maybe a look at the matchup will get NASCAR's most popular driver pumped! Elliott is seeded fifth against No. 28 seed Austin Dillon in the first round of the head-to-head showdown in the race-within-the-race set for this weekend at the track better known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. Here's a refresher for Elliott and any other sports fan who missed out on the specifics of NASCAR joining the in-season tournament party, much like attempts in the NBA, NHL, and, of course, throughout the world in soccer. NASCAR is set to start the engines on a five-race, bracket-style tournament called the In-Season Challenge in the midst of the summer slate, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner. The final 32-driver field was set by results of the last three races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. The drivers are paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments. Buoyed by a win at Michigan and a runner-up finish at Pocono, Denny Hamlin earned the top seed. He'll square off — race off? — against No. 32 seed Ty Dillon. Pocono winner Chase Briscoe is the No. 2 seed and is pitted against No. 31 seed Noah Gragson. Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Elliott fifth, among notable names. The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at the street race in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four on the lone concrete track in the series at Dover and the final two over the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Challenge is part of NASCAR's media rights deal that includes TNT, and the Atlanta-based cable network will broadcast all five races in the tournament, starting with the 400-miler in Atlanta. Aside from a shrug from Elliott and a few others, drivers are intrigued by the idea of increasing the stakes in each race beyond a playoff berth, trophy and the winner's purse. 'I love it. I think it's great,' three-time Cup champion Joey Logano said. 'I think it's placed perfectly where it is in the season. This is kind of that moment where the newness is worn off. We're into the rhythm, we're racing every week. It's starting to start a little bit of, who's going to be in the playoffs, who's not, the cutoff line all those types of things. But it's not really the main story quite yet.' Stories are what sell, of course, and the sizzle in Pocono over the weekend had little to do with which drivers or teams are the ones to beat for the 2025 championship. Rather, it was whether two pedestrian drivers were going to fight, the end of Amazon Prime's run of wildly-popular telecasts and Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s win in his first race as a crew chief. 'This really spices up the mid-part of the season,' Logano said. So does placing a few bucks on No. 11 to win. But as of Monday afternoon, most sports gambling sites did not offer odds on specific matchups headed into Atlanta. NASCAR is offering $1 million to a winning fan with a perfect bracket in its fantasy game. There are some quirks to the bracket: Shane van Gisbergen won the Cup race in Mexico City and is not in the field while series points leader William Byron is only a No. 9 seed. The tournament boasts matchups in the first-round of past Cup champions (Kyle Busch-Brad Keselowski), former teammates (Briscoe-Gragson), and even best friends (Bubba Wallace-Daniel Suarez). The idea for the challenge was largely championed by Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion who floated the idea of a mid-season tournament on his 'Actions Detrimental" podcast. When NASCAR bought into the idea and announced the creation of the tournament last year, Hamlin called the tournament on social media 'such a win for our sport and drivers.' He jokingly added, 'I will collect my 1M royalty next season.' Hamlin's on deck and clearly a favorite to win it all, with three wins this year for Joe Gibbs Racing and the top seed. (And let's not haggle over who gets credit in court.) 'I'm a sports guy, so I'm going to be engaged with it," Hamlin said. "I'll know who I will have to beat next week. I've told the team, we are going to try and do what we can. We are going to be up against it because we are going to tracks that aren't very favorable to me. But we are going to try to do our best to beat that one car for the next four to five weeks.' NASCAR will present the tournament winner at Indianapolis with a ring, jackets, trophy and — oh yeah, a million bucks. That's enough cash to get anyone's attention — even Elliott's. 'I don't know what you get. You get anything,' Elliott asked. 'Oh, a million dollars to the winner? Then yeah, we want to win.'
Business Wire
20 minutes ago
- Business Wire
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games Welcomes Target as Platinum Partner and Official Tennis Sponsor
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games is welcoming Target as a Platinum Partner and the official Tennis sponsor. The partnership represents a significant investment in one of the country's largest celebrations of ability, unity and achievement – set to bring more than 3,000 athletes, thousands of coaches and volunteers and tens of thousands of fans to the Twin Cities, June 20–26, 2026. Target joins U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Worldwide Technology and others as official partners of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. Share As the official Tennis sponsor, Target's support will help bring together more than 80 Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners as they compete in singles, doubles and Unified doubles matches at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus. 'Target is proud to become a Platinum Partner of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games,' said Kiera Fernandez, Executive Vice President and Chief Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Target Corporation. 'Our team members across the country are inspired by the determination and spirit of these athletes, and we look forward to engaging in volunteerism and celebrating their incredible achievements – right here in our hometown. This partnership gives us an opportunity to support inclusivity for all and a movement that uplifts so many.' Target has a longstanding commitment to strengthening and serving the more than 2,000 communities where it operates. It joins U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Worldwide Technology and others as official partners of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. "It's hard to imagine hosting the 2026 USA Games without Target by our side," said Christy Sovereign, CEO of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games." As a company with deep Minnesota roots and a long tradition of community leadership, Target's partnership is incredibly meaningful to us, and their commitment to supporting our mission sends a powerful message of support to every athlete, family and fan. We can't wait to create lasting change together." The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will be one of the largest sporting events in the U.S. that year, bringing together thousands of athletes of all abilities, coaches, volunteers and fans from all 50 states. To learn more about the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, please visit About Target Corporation Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at nearly 2,000 stores and at with the purpose of helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. Additional company information can be found by visiting the corporate website and press center. About Special Olympics USA Games The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games – scheduled for June 20-26, 2026, across Minnesota's Twin Cities with sports competitions at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine – is a national celebration of inclusivity, changing perceptions and the ability of the human spirit rising above limitations. The USA Games, with co-presenting partners Jersey Mike's Subs and UnitedHealthcare, will be one of the biggest U.S. sporting events of the year, drawing tens of thousands of fans to celebrate the ability of over 3,000 incredible athletes from all 50 states as they compete in 16 Olympic-type team and individual sports. As a state with a long history of championing inclusion, the USA Games now brings an unrivaled opportunity to Minnesota and beyond to spark new energy around the Special Olympics movement and create a lasting legacy of positive change.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
National champion LSU Tigers pack punch offensively, but they hang hats on pitching under Johnson
LSU players celebrate their 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson throws against Coastal Carolina in the first inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) Jack Diesing, Jr., right, presents the John Diesing, Sr., Most Outstanding Player award to LSU pitcher Kade Anderson following their win against Coastal Carolina in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU starting pitcher Kade Anderson (32) throws against Coastal Carolina in the first inning of Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU's Chase Shores pitches against Coastal Carolina in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU's Chase Shores pitches against Coastal Carolina in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU players celebrate their 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU starting pitcher Anthony Eyanson throws against Coastal Carolina in the first inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) Jack Diesing, Jr., right, presents the John Diesing, Sr., Most Outstanding Player award to LSU pitcher Kade Anderson following their win against Coastal Carolina in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU starting pitcher Kade Anderson (32) throws against Coastal Carolina in the first inning of Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) LSU's Chase Shores pitches against Coastal Carolina in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz) OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — During its rise as a national power in the 1990s, LSU built its identity on prodigious home run numbers, a style coined 'Gorilla Ball.' The game changed over the decades, and so did the Tigers. They still have plenty of offense, but pitching is the name of the game in the bayou nowadays. Advertisement LSU's pitching prowess was omnipresent in the College World Series as the Tigers won their second national championship in three years with a two-game sweep of Coastal Carolina in the finals. The Tigers posted a CWS-best 2.60 ERA over five games, and opponents batted .205 and just .145 with runners in scoring position. Most Outstanding Player Kade Anderson, who threw a three-hit shutout in Game 1 of the finals, had an 0.56 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 16 innings over two starts. Anthony Eyanson turned in a strong start in Sunday's 5-3 win in Game 2, striking out nine over 6 1/3 innings. Chase Shores made four relief appearances, earned two saves and retired seven of the Chanticleers' last eight batters in the title-clinching win. Advertisement 'If you're a pitcher and you don't want to come here right now, you're out to lunch,' Tigers coach Jay Johnson said. 'You're not thinking clearly, because that's three dudes that pitched in the series that are all going to be in the major leagues within 18 months.' The 2023 championship team had one of the most potent offenses in the country with Dylan Crews and Tommy White, but it didn't overshadow the pitching staff. Paul Skenes, the CWS Most Outstanding Player, was the No. 1 pick in the MLB amateur draft, right ahead of Crews. Ty Floyd, the Tigers' No. 2 starter, also was a first-rounder. Since 2022, Johnson's first season at LSU, 18 of the Tigers' 26 draft picks have been pitchers. That includes two of four in 2022, eight of 13 in 2023 and eight of nine in 2024. Advertisement Three of the four LSU players listed among top 85 prospects for next month's draft are pitchers. Anderson's performances in Omaha could put him in line to be the second No. 1 overall pick in three years for LSU. The Tigers have maintained consistency on the mound even though they've had three pitching coaches in four years. The first was Jason Kelly, who left to become head coach at Washington. Wes Johnson was in charge in 2023 and left to become head coach at Georgia. Nate Yeskie just finished his second year after being hired away from Texas A&M. 'He always says he's coaching us for the player he thinks we're going to be rather than the player we are right now," Shores said. 'So just holding us to the higher standard just allows us to go out there and just work really hard and do our job.' Johnson said he was happy Shores was on the mound when LSU locked down the championship. The 6-foot-8, 252-pound right-hander was a weekend starter to open 2023 and injured his right arm six weeks into the season. He had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 season. He was throwing 100 mph as he closed out Coastal Carolina on Sunday. Advertisement 'He had to go through the 18-month recovery rehab and persevered through all of that,' Johnson said. 'And there's nobody I would have rather had finish the game tonight for the second national championship than Chase Shores.' Shores originally pledged to Oklahoma State before flipping to LSU three years ago. Johnson laid out a plan for him and told him he would make a run at a national championship if he went to LSU. Shores won two. 'Coach Johnson just made me feel wanted," he said. "He was persistent in the way he was recruiting me. Once you get to campus, he keeps recruiting you, because that's just the coach he is. I'm really thankful I ended up coming to LSU.' ___ AP college sports:
