Latest news with #Ausar
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
NBA's Thompson twins receive honorary degrees from Pine Crest. Plus state baseball honors
At the behest of their father, Troy, then 9-year-old twins Amen and Ausar Thompson were already manifesting greatness on a family vision board titled 'Amen and Ausar's 6'9' Dreams'. The first twins in NBA history to get drafted top 5, and to whom Lebron James describes as 'They different. They ain't like the rest of us. I've been able to go against some dudes in my career, and those two guys, man, they're just pure athleticism', tacked two major accomplishments onto that vision board recently. Amen (drafted No. 4 by Houston in 2023 and Ausar, taken No. 5 by Detroit) were bestowed honorary high school degrees by Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest School at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. 'It means a lot,' said Amen, minutes before receiving the honorary degree with his brother. 'This is where I grew up -- from 8th grade to 11th grade. I had to look for new opportunities in the 12th grade, but I always felt like a Pine Crest Panther. For them ... to present me with an honorary degree means a lot.' After winning a state title with the Panthers in 2021 and becoming Miami Herald Co-Players of the Year for classes 4A-2A as juniors, the 6-8 wings left high school for Atlanta-based Overtime Elite, a developmental professional basketball league, before entering the 2023 draft. The ceremony at FAU followed earlier news that day that Amen was selected to the All-NBA defensive first team. Amen's defensive tenacity, length and athleticism helped the Rockets rank fifth in defensive efficiency and finish with the fourth best record in the league (52-30). 'I have always taken pride in my defense since the Pine Crest days, even before that,' Amen said.'That was one of my goals going into this year was to make first team All-NBA on defense. So just being one of the youngest players to do that in my second year that is one of the goals I established for myself.' Ausar appears to be on a similar defensive trajectory as Amen and helped the Pistons enjoy a historic 30-game turnaround from last season and break a streak of 15 consecutive playoff losses. State baseball honors The Florida Diary Farmers announced the state's classification winners for FHSAA baseball, following balloting by a statewide panel of high school baseball coaches and prep media representatives. Each is eligible for Mr. Baseball honors, representing the best of the best. Coach of the Year recipients were also announced. They are eligible for the state's overall Baseball Coach of the Year accolades. Here are locals who won classification honors. ▪ 7A: Gio Rojas, Junior, Pitcher, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Player of the Year Led his squad to the state title with a 12-0 record. Posted an 0.72 ERA in 68 innings pitched with 119 strikeouts and 16 walks. Had a .388 batting average with 24 runs and 32 RBI. Committed to the University of Miami. 7A: Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas, Class 7A Coach of the Year Led his squad to a 31-2 record and a fifth consecutive Class 7A state title. ▪ 6A: Zack Malvasio, Senior, Outfield, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Player of the Year Helped his team to the Class 6A title by hitting .414 with 16 doubles, 16 home runs, 45 runs and 48 RBI. Signed with the University of Central Florida. 6A: Joe Wardlow, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 6A Coach of the Year Led his squad to a 29-6 record and the school's first state baseball title since 2018. ▪ 5A: Humberto Bencomo, Mater Academy, Class 5A Coach of the Year Led his team to a 27-6 record and the school's first state baseball title since 2014. ▪ 4A: Danny Machado, Senior, Shortstop, Archbishop McCarthy, Class 5A Player of the Year Helped his squad to a 19-13 record by hitting .442 with 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 36 runs, 20 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Signed with Florida Atlantic University. 4A Bruce Aven, Plantation American Heritage, Class 4A Coach of the Year In his second coaching stint at American Heritage, Aven finished as the 2024 state runner-up, and in 2025 led the program to the state title with a 29-6 record, It's Aven's second state championship (2012) with the Patriots. ▪ 3A: David Fanshawe, Miami Springs, Class 3A Coach of the Year Led his team to a 28-3 record and the Class 3A state championship, the school's first state title. ▪ Other locals who were in the top 3 in voting for top classification honors: 6A: 2. Gabriel Milano (Doral Academy). 5A: 2. Alfrin Rosario (Mater Academy). 4A; 2. Jordan Rich (Plantation American Heritage). Send sports results For high school and middle school athletes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have summer sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@ They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online. New athletic directors, coaches For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have new sports administration and/or coaching hires to announce, email hssports@ --- Compiled by Jim Varsallone jvarsallone@
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Amen And Ausar Thompson Confirm They Could Play For Jamaica In Future FIBA And Olympic Competitions
Amen and Ausar Thompson made waves during their sophomore seasons in the NBA, and they hope to do the same on the international stage someday. During a meet and greet session organized by the Jamaica Basketball Association and the Bob Marley Foundation at the S Hotel in Kingston on Sunday, the twins stated they're open to representing Jamaica. "Ever since I was a kid, I used to watch the Olympics and see Usain Bolt, [Yohan] Blake," Amen said. "And I always was like, Jamaica represents gold medal culture to me... I always wanted to see a basketball team, I always wanted to picture basketball players with the Jamaica jersey on, and I've always wanted to wear one too. Advertisement "So, just getting the opportunity, you know," Amen continued. "I could either play for USA [or] Jamaica, but being able to be here and even it be an option, means a lot to me. Jamaica Observer's Daniel Blake reported that Amen and Ausar have started the process of obtaining Jamaican citizenship. They are eligible thanks to their father, Troy Thompson, who is Jamaican. Their uncle, Mark Thompson, also represented the nation in the men's 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics. "Yeah, it definitely means a lot," Ausar said. "It's something I would be open to doing 1000 percent. Just the culture, like he said, gold medal culture since I was a kid." As things stand, though, only one of the brothers will be able to play for Jamaica. FIBA rules stipulate that a team can only have one "naturalized player" on the roster at their tournaments and the Olympics. It means that just one foreign-born player with bloodline connections to the country can be on the team. Advertisement The Thompson brothers were born in Oakland, California, and will need FIBA to change the rule if both are to represent Jamaica together. Time will tell if that happens. Jamaica sure would love to have both of them on the roster. LeBron James once stated that Amen and Ausar "aren't like the rest of us," and for good reason. Their athleticism is just off the charts. Amen averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Houston Rockets in 2024-25. He was voted into the All-Defensive First Team and is just the seventh player aged 22 or younger in NBA history to make it. Ausar's 2024-25 campaign wasn't quite that impressive, but he still ended up with solid averages of 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Detroit Pistons. He missed the first 18 games due to a blood clot issue that had cut short his rookie season, and you'd expect Ausar to get more and more comfortable on the court with time. Advertisement Team USA would surely love to have these two among their ranks, too. They're the kind of tough, defensive players you want next to the superstars. With the rest of the world slowly but surely closing the gap to the U.S., they would want to put out the best possible team at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Related: Amen Thompson Mocks Ausar Thompson For Messing Up Lob Attempt: "That's Why You Can't Trust No Piston"
Associated Press
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Utah runs away from Arizona State in 2nd half, earn first win under interim coach Eilert, 99-73
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ezra Ausar scored 25 points and Utah put up 58 points in the second half to pull away from Arizona State to earn its first win under interim coach Josh Eilert, 99-73 on Saturday. Eilert took over the program for the final three games of the regular season after the school fired Craig Smith on Monday. It's the second straight season Eilert finishes the year as interim coach. He was interim coach at West Virginia a year ago. Arizona State held a 43-41 halftime lead after freshman Joson Sanon hit 4 of 5 3-point attempts to score 20 points. Alston Mason scored at the basket to give the Sun Devils their final lead, 52-51 with more than 15 minutes left, but Ausar hit two free throws, Keanu Dawes scored at the basket and Gabe Madsen knocked down a 3 to put the Utes up by six. Sanon converted a three-point play with just under 12 minutes left to get ASU within five, 63-58, but it did not score again until Basheer Jihad hit two free throws with 6:44 left to make it 76-63. Utah (16-13, 8-10 Big 12) hit 10 of 25 from behind the arc while shooting 56.5% from the field. Ausar was 11 of 14 from the free-throw line and the Utes were a combined 19 of 27. Mike Sharavjamts hit 3 of 6 from deep and finished with 14 points and Michael Madsen added 13 points. Sanon finished the game hitting 11 of 20 from the field to lead Arizona State (13-16, 4-14) with a career-high 28 points. Jihad added 16 points and Mason contributed 13. Utah closes out the regular season at home against West Virginia on Tuesday and Saturday at No. 25 BYU. Arizona State plays at No. 22 Arizona Tuesday and hosts No. 10 Texas Tech Saturday. ___
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Q&A: Detroit's Ausar Thompson explains why he's the NBA's best perimeter defender
Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson is having a breakout campaign, earning a spot in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend. Thompson — who was the No. 5 overall pick by the Pistons in the 2023 NBA Draft selected just one spot after his twin brother Amen — has made significant strides during his second season in Detroit. After missing part of his rookie season due to health concerns related to a blood clot, the 22-year-old is now one of the most impactful young players in the league. This no surprise to Thompson, though, who feels confident about his abilities on the floor. The numbers reflect his impact, but especially on defense. He currently ranks second-best among all NBA players in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus, per For The Win caught up with the Pistons wing to discuss NBA All-Star Weekend and various other topics. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What were your impressions of All-Star Weekend in your hometown? Ausar: It's super exciting. My whole family came out to see me participate in my first All-Star Weekend in the Rising Stars Challenge. That was a dream come true. Hopefully, I come back. Maybe not here to the Bay Area because I don't know when they'll host again. But hopefully I come back to NBA All-Star Weekend as an All-Star. FTW: Is that something you would add to your dream board? Ausar: If I were to add something to my dream board, it would be a multiple-time NBA champion. Maybe multiple All-Star. But actually, I am just going to say multiple-time NBA champion for now. That's the main goal. Everything else could come with it. Would you participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest? Ausar: Yeah, definitely. I would definitely participate in it. I would just need to practice some dunks over the summer. I think I could do some cool stuff. I haven't worked on a dunk in like three years. But once I get that back down, I'm ready. I think Mac McClung is ridiculous when it comes to dunking. People were talking about the car dunk. I think his second dunk: He acted like he was about to reverse it and 360. I think that dunk was crazy. Nobody is talking about that one quite as much. I think Stephon Castle was going off in it. He honestly surprised me. I swear I don't remember him jumping like this. He was dunking on people. NBA DUNK CONTEST: Ja Morant was inspired by Mac McClung to maybe participate (and Giannis would join him) You and Amen pretended to be each other in an interview. Have you tried that before? Ausar: We actually didn't. We thought about doing it during the Rising Stars Challenge but we have different accessories. He didn't want to wear what I wore and he didn't want to wear what I wore. So we just gave up on it. [Pauses] Or maybe we switched and nobody knew? FTW: Did you know you had exactly the same points per minute as Amen this month? Ausar: It's not something I was aware of until I saw it all over the internet. Does it surprise me? Nah, not at all. We both work for it. But I thought Amen's was higher, though. I'm not going to lie. That is the only thing. I knew I was averaging exactly 14.6 points per game in February, though. What else did you do during All-Star Weekend beyond the Rising Stars Challenge? Ausar: I was doing a lot of stuff. I was doing some content with TikTok and social media influencers. I was teaching people how to dunk and doing 3-point contests on mini hoops. It's a lot of stuff. I did some stuff with Panini. I'm here signing cards and doing photoshoots. It's super cool. Kids get so excited for just a fist bump. So just seeing kids that could possibly have the same dream that I had as a kid is special. A couple years when I was growing up, I asked for cards for Christmas. Amen and I would play a game where we would have to pick a random card and whoever had the best player won that card and got to take the other card, too. So we used to do that. How do you rate your defensive abilities right now and where is it headed? Ausar: I think I'm the best perimeter defender in the league. That's what I believe. I don't think I'm a near and finished product, though. I think I can get over screens better. I think I can be locked in at all times better. I want to be NBA Defensive Player of the Year. But it's so hard with Wemby because he is going to get four blocks every game. It's something that I think is possible though. Do you like Jalen Williams' idea to have a perimeter DPOY and big DPOY? Ausar: I don't like it. I like the idea of it, but I'm kind of an OG guy. I like how the awards are. But I wouldn't be mad. I just think they need to factor in how much a perimeter defender really runs around. Because if they did that, I don't think they would need to have two different awards. I think perimeter players would get more awards because guarding the best perimeter player is a very tiring task. Actually, you know what? Now that I've said all that, I actually do like the idea. If perimeter players aren't going to get the award anyway, they might as well do this. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jalen Williams' self-serving idea actually makes a lot of sense Who are the other best perimeter defenders you have had to face? Who is underrated just overall? Ausar: Dyson Daniels. Amen Thompson. I think Jalen Williams is a pretty good defender. He's pretty long. I would say he's pretty good at defense. Those are the first three I think of. Underrated is a great question, though. Jalen Johnson. I feel like Franz Wagner is killing and he's still underrated. I'm putting Dyson Daniels in there, too. He has a mean spin move. Would you ever consider becoming a general manager one day? Ausar: Maybe! I'm a big 'two-way player' type of guy. If I were a GM, that's who I would be drafting. I used to do it in NBA 2K. I feel like I invented something when I did that. I remember in the old 2K, Giannis was an 80, and I would draft him every time, and I would put him as my 2-guard. I would have a bunch of long defenders and they would just play defense and get fast breaks and I would win every game. My brother would get so mad at me. It's kind of funny because I kind of play like that now. What do you credit for your individual improvements this season? Ausar: I'm more in 'attack' mode. I'm more aggressive on offense and defense. I'm getting the rebound and running the floor. I'm trying to play half-court as little as possible. Who really wants to play against a set defense all game? So I'm forcing mistakes and making the other team call the first timeout. FTW: What is the most underrated part of your game? Ausar: I think my facilitating. I think I'm a really good passer and decision-maker. I think I'm a good ball-handler and fast with the ball. I can push the break. My passing is the most underrated part of my game. What have you seen in the growth from Cade Cunningham this season? Ausar: Oh, he's a killer. He went out with something to prove. He's been playing like All-NBA. But I don't know if you want to hear it. I think he's been different. He's led us to a lot of wins and I think he's All-NBA. What has led to the increase in wins for the Pistons this season? Ausar: The culture is different. Everybody is excited. We brought in some vets who know how an NBA season works and know that you can't get through it if you're sulking about a loss for a week, so you just have to move on to the next game. It's so different. I mean, last year we were getting booed in the first quarters. Where do you think this team is able to go with continued success? Ausar: Every year, I'm trying to win the championship. When we went 14-68, I thought this team could go to the championship. I'm going to stick with that every year. I don't want to just make it to the playoffs or the second round. That's a waste of time. We might as well go for it all.
Reuters
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Utah hangs on to clip Kansas St.
February 18 - Ezra Ausar scored 21 points and hauled in eight rebounds to lift Utah to a 74-69 win over Kansas State on Monday night in Salt Lake City. Ausar scored 15 points in the second half and went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line for the game, a performance that included a pair of clutch makes with five seconds remaining to help the Utes (15-11, 7-8 Big 12) follow their upset win over then-No. 17 Kansas with another big victory. Lawson Lovering contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds and Gabe Madsen added 13 points as Utah earned its fourth straight home win. Brendan Hausen scored 17 points while making five 3-pointers while Dug McDaniel and Max Jones each posted 13 points as the Wildcats (13-13, 7-8) dropped their second straight game in the Beehive State. Kansas State lost at BYU on Saturday to snap a six-game winning streak. The Utes dominated the boards with their height advantage, outrebounding the Wildcats 51-28 overall. Utah often crashed the glass on its own end, finishing with 21 offensive boards to make up for 38.1 percent shooting from the field. Ausar had one of the biggest offensive rebounds, scoring on a putback and turning it into a three-point play to give Utah a six-point lead, 67-61, with 1:17 left in the game. Kansas State had just erased Utah's nine-point, second-half lead just under two minutes earlier on a runner by C.J. Jones. The Wildcats pulled within two, 69-67, in the final minute thanks to threes by Coleman Hawkins and Hausen. Kansas State forced a Utah turnover with 44 seconds remaining to get a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but the Wildcats then had a giveaway of their own. Utah then beat the ensuing press defense, resulting in a Mike Sharavjamts dunk and a four-point lead. With his team down 72-69, Hausen missed a long 3-point attempt with seven seconds left. Ausar grabbed the defensive rebound and got fouled, leading to his free throws with five seconds to go. Utah didn't make a field goal for the final 7:55 of the first half -- after a Jake Wahlin layup gave the Utes a 25-18 lead -- but still managed to go into the locker room tied at 32. The Utes took a 44-35 lead by opening the second half on a 12-3 run, but the Wildcats eventually caught up before Utah clutched up in the end.
