Veteran skip Carruthers pulls out of curling Pre-Trials to focus on coaching

CTV News15 hours ago

Manitoba-Carruthers skip Reid Carruthers reacts to his shot while playing Alberta-Jacobs during the playoffs at the Montana's Brier in Kelowna, B.C., on Saturday, March 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
OTTAWA — Team Reid Carruthers has pulled out of the Home Hardware Pre-Trials in October and has been replaced by Team Jayden King, Curling Canada said Wednesday.
Carruthers, from Winnipeg, plans to focus on his coaching commitments with Team Kerri Einarson, the sport organization said in a statement.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the 40-year-old skip, who won national and world titles in 2011 with Jeff Stoughton, planned to continue curling next season.
Carruthers guided his team to a Manitoba title last winter and an appearance in the Page Playoff 3-4 game at the Montana's Brier in Kelowna, B.C.
He was eliminated after dropping a 6-5 decision to Alberta's Brad Jacobs, who went on to win the title.
A message left with Carruthers wasn't immediately returned. He has served as the Team Einarson coach throughout the current quadrennial.
King, from London, Ont., filled the vacancy in the eight-team Pre-Trials men's field as the highest-ranked rink that had yet to qualify.
Curling Canada announced the draw schedules for both the Pre-Trials and the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials on Wednesday.
The winners of the Oct. 20-26 Pre-Trials in Wolfville, N.S., will secure the final berths in the eight-team fields for the Nov. 22-30 Trials in Halifax.
The Trials will determine Canada's representatives in four-player men's and women's curling at the 2026 Milan Olympics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.
The Canadian Press

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Toronto Raptors select Collin Murray-Boyles ninth overall in NBA Draft

CTV News

5 hours ago

CTV News

Toronto Raptors select Collin Murray-Boyles ninth overall in NBA Draft

Collin Murray-Boyles poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected ninth by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) Collin Murray-Boyles shook his head when his name was called at the NBA Draft, appearing to let out a curse word. But Murray-Boyles said he wasn't disappointed, just in disbelief when the Toronto Raptors selected him ninth overall on Wednesday and quickly cleared the air when he spoke with media shortly after. 'What I said was not a bad thing by any means," laughed Murray-Boyles, noting that Toronto was the first team he had worked out for after declaring for the draft. "I'm just very thankful for it. That was a surreal moment to hear my name called by this organization that has a good history and have really good players right now. "It was a crazy moment. Obviously, thankful for the opportunity that they're giving me and taking it full on and ready to do whatever it takes and whatever they need me to do." General manager Bobby Webster said he didn't interpret Murray-Boyles's initial reaction to being drafted by the Raptors as a sign the 20-year-old was disappointed to be headed to Toronto. "A lot of teams will tell the players that they are getting picked, (but we don't) so I don't think he knew," said Webster. "I think it was truly a reaction to it happening." Added Webster with a laugh: "Maybe we should leak it to them. He knew we had interest." Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 32 games last season as a sophomore forward for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists as a freshman, starting in 19 games and playing in nine others. "Something I bring to the team is my physicality and my willingness to do whatever the coach needs me to do," said Murray-Boyles in a video conference call from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. "Something with me is I've been a role player, I've been a guy coming off the bench and I've been the guy. I've had it all. "Whatever the coach needs me to do, especially early on, I'm just trying to find my role as quick as possible and help the team win." Murray-Boyles was named to the Southeastern Conference's All-Freshman Team in 2024 and was on the second-team All-SEC team this year. He built his reputation as a stalwart defender, averaging a steal and a block per game in his first year of U.S. collegiate basketball, then 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this past season. "It's hard to be productive as a rookie," said Webster. "I do think the one thing that gets you on the court as a rookie is your defence, and so I think that gives him a leg up." One of Murray-Boyles's main takeaways from that initial workout with the Raptors was that they want to win now. "That's something that I feel like I could be doing for them," he said. "The physicality that they wanted, and the defensive mentality that they wanted. "Wanted to build a new identity with that, and I feel like I'm somebody that can fulfil that and my defensive prowess and just how hard I play." Duke University forward Cooper Flagg was taken first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. The Raptors finished the season with a 30-52 record, seventh worst in the league. Toronto dropped down to the ninth overall pick in the draft lottery, however. Webster said that because the Raptors were one of the few teams willing to trade their pick there were a lot of rumours swirling around them, even though no deal materialized. "That's probably where a lot of the noise came from," said Webster at OVO Athletic Centre, Toronto's training facility. "So we had a lot of those discussions because of that. "I think some people thought it was sort of a seven- or eight-player draft so the draft really started with us. A lot of teams that were trying to move into the draft, they felt like right around where we were is where it kind of was unknown." The Raptors also have the 39th overall pick, which will be selected on Thursday in the second round of the NBA Draft. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press