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Miami Herald
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Vlad Goldin makes strong first impression on Heat in summer league: ‘He plays so freakin' hard'
Miami Heat center Vlad Goldin's summer league stats aren't going to draw much attention. After all, Goldin averaged a pedestrian 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and one block per game in his six appearances with the Heat during this year's summer league. But Goldin still made a strong first impression on Heat coaches during his first summer league with the organization. 'Vlad was really good for us,' Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said of Goldin's showing. 'He plays so freakin' hard out there. He plays so physically. You'd like to have him on the floor even longer, but he goes so hard, sometimes he burns himself out. That's why we love him.' That's also why the Heat signed Goldin to a two-way contract shortly after he went undrafted out of Michigan last month. A look beyond the surface-level stats reveals that Goldin was efficient in his looks around the basket with a two-point field-goal percentage of 66.7%, effective on the offensive glass with eight offensive rebounds in six games and recorded an excellent plus/minus of plus-41 in his 105 minutes of playing time during summer league. Goldin also seemed to get better as summer league went on, turning in his best performance in the Heat's final game. He totaled 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Heat's summer league finale on Friday in Las Vegas. 'It has been amazing,' Goldin, 24, said of his first summer league experience with the Heat. 'It's a completely different style of basketball compared to what I played the last four years. So it definitely takes a little bit more time to adjust. Simple things like now it's 24 seconds on the shot clock instead of 30 seconds, the three-second violation on offense and defense. 'So it has been great to be able to adjust because everybody is helping so much, trying to explain where to go and how to go. Everybody is so cooperative, so I think they made it so much easier compared to what it would be if I would be trying to do it on my own.' Goldin brings plus size to the center position at 7-1 and 250 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan, and steadily improved throughout his five-year college career. Goldin, who is from Russia, spent his first college season at Texas Tech before spending time in South Florida at Florida Atlantic for the next three seasons. He was the starting center on the FAU team that made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2023 before losing to San Diego State in the national semifinals. Goldin then followed former FAU coach Dusty May to Michigan, where he averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 60.7% from the field and 11 of 33 (33.3%) on threes as a fifth-year senior last season. The scouting report on Goldin indicates he's a solid screener, an efficient player around the basket and a quality offensive rebounder. He shot an impressive 69.3% at the rim in half-court situations and averaged 2.4 offensive rebounds per game last season at Michigan. But Goldin didn't take many three-pointers in college and was just 0 of 1 from three-point range during his six summer league appearances with the Heat. There are also questions about his defense at the NBA level. 'I mean, he's big,' Glass said when asked about Goldin's NBA fit. 'He'll be the biggest guy on our roster. He's probably the same height as Kel'el [Ware], but he's much bigger muscular-wise. He's a big voice. I hate comparing players, but if you remember Meyers Leonard, where he just got that big barrel-chested voice that just echoed through the gym, which is so important for your five-man to be able to communicate like that and set the defense. Those are two things I love. 'We've been on him about his rebounding. ... So if he can continue to do that and roll to the basket and do all those kinds of things, it'll be just fine.' Goldin adds much-needed size to the Heat's roster, as the Heat's center depth is currently limited to Bam Adebayo and Ware. If Adebayo and Ware start together this upcoming season like they did for much of the second half of last season, Goldin will be Miami's only reserve center as long as he's not in the G League as part of his two-way deal. Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team's active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time and do not come with playoff eligibility. 'As a player, we always dream about playing in the NBA, having minutes and being the key player,' Goldin said when asked about the possibility of playing minutes as an undrafted rookie due to the Heat's lack of depth at center. 'I'm not the exception. I dream about that, too. I'm going to do everything to win as many games and try to benefit this team. If that's going to be my role, I'm going to accept my role.'
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson softball officially adds four transfers to its 2025-26 roster
Clemson softball is bolstering its roster with four new additions from the transfer portal ahead of the 2025-26 season, head coach John Rittman announced this week. The Tigers have landed Kiley Channell (FAU), Abby Dunning (Boston College), Corri Hicks (Oklahoma) and Sierra Maness (USC Upstate) as they look to build on their recent ACC Tournament title and another NCAA Super Regional run. Channell, an infielder from Keystone Heights, Florida, brings an impressive bat after two standout seasons at FAU. She earned 2025 AAC Second Team honors and was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 2024. Channell batted .330 this past season with 59 hits and 44 RBIs, and she set a school record with five hits in the game that clinched the AAC regular-season title against Tulsa. She also ranked among the nation's top doubles hitters as a freshman, finishing with 19 two-baggers in 2024. In the circle, Clemson adds a big arm in graduate transfer Abby Dunning. The Burr Ridge, Illinois native was a mainstay for Boston College, earning spots on the 2024 All-ACC Third Team and ACC All-Tournament Team. She fanned 172 batters last season — third-most in the conference — and posted a 2.46 ERA while limiting hitters to a .207 average over 33 appearances. Dunning was also recognized on the College Sports Evaluators Preseason Top 50 Pitchers List for 2025. Behind the plate, Corri Hicks comes in from Oklahoma with two years of eligibility remaining. Hicks played in 24 games for the Sooners, including a postseason appearance where she homered in an 8-0 Norman Regional win. She wrapped up her freshman year with three home runs and showed flashes of power and run production whenever called on. Rounding out the incoming transfer group is Sierra Maness, a junior right-hander from USC Upstate. Maness was a force in the Big South, earning First Team All-Conference honors this spring after striking out 120 batters in 166 innings. Over two years with the Spartans, she notched 34 wins, three saves and 244 total strikeouts with a career ERA of 2.34. The new transfers will join a core group of 13 returners who helped guide Clemson to its first ACC Tournament crown and third Super Regional berth in the past four seasons. They'll also be part of a large 2025-26 signing class that includes seven incoming freshmen: Sarah Breaux, Sophie Burmeister, Keira Crosby, Lexie Hames, Maddie Johnson, Mac Pavese and Sarah Rocheleau. With a mix of experienced talent and young prospects, Rittman and the Tigers look poised to stay in the national conversation and build on the momentum they've created in recent years. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Miami Herald
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Meet the Heat's new two-way contract player Vlad Goldin. What to know about the undrafted center
The Miami Heat's 15-man standard roster is currently full, but the Heat still has a few open two-way contract slots. However, one of the Heat's three two-way contract spots is occupied by undrafted Michigan center Vlad Goldin, who formally signed his new two-way deal with the Heat on Wednesday. Goldin also took part in his first summer league practice on Wednesday, with the Heat opening its summer league training camp in San Francisco. 'It shows that all the work I've been putting in since I was a child and as a student athlete, it just shows I've been doing the right things,' Goldin said Wednesday of his two-way contract with the Heat. 'There are so many emotions I feel at the moment because I understand I'm doing something right and I'm just excited about that.' Goldin, 24, is expected to make his summer league debut when the Heat plays the first of its three games at the California Classic on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs' summer squad at Chase Center in San Francisco (4:30 p.m., NBA TV). 'To be honest, I talked to some coaches and I ask them what they want to see from me,' Goldin said of the advice he has received from Heat coaches in the short time he has been with the team. 'They tell me they want to see from me who I am and not trying to do things that I wasn't doing. It's a blessing to understand that this team wants you for who you are and not just to rebuild you.' Goldin brings plus-size to the center position at 7-foot-1 and 250 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, and steadily improved throughout his five-year college career. Goldin spent his first college season at Texas Tech before spending time in South Florida at Florida Atlantic for the next three seasons. He was the starting center on the FAU team that made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2023 before losing to San Diego State in the national semifinals. That time at FAU even gave Goldin a chance to watch a few Heat practices, when the Heat held training camp at FAU's home basketball arena in Boca Raton while he was playing for the Owls. 'I've kind of been around Miami because they had training camp at Florida Atlantic,' said Goldin, who is from Russia. 'So that's something that we've been watching, to be honest, all their practices and how they practice and how they act. It was definitely something that taught me and taught probably a lot of guys on that team — how the NBA looks like and what it takes to be in the NBA. 'We could watch it from the stands. So the only thing we could do was watch and take pictures after.' Goldin then followed former FAU coach Dusty May to Michigan, where he averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 11 of 33 (33.3 percent) on threes as a fifth-year senior last season. Some mock drafts had Goldin being taken in the second round of this year's draft, but he ended up falling out of the draft and then committed to the Heat on a two-way contract as an undrafted prospect. Goldin didn't work out for the Heat during the pre-draft process since he thought he would be a second-round selection and the Heat didn't have a second-round pick this year. 'As soon as I talked to my agent and he explained to me how things are going, he explained to me that we're probably going to sign a two-way and we're probably going to look for the best opportunity,' Goldin said. 'Then Miami came into the conversation and that was the best option I could dream about. 'Everybody knows about Miami and how they develop their players and they give chances to young players. It's something that they're known for. So it wasn't the hardest decision of my life, but there were different options.' The scouting report on Goldin indicates he's a solid screener, an efficient player around the basket and a quality offensive rebounder. He shot an impressive 69.3 percent at the rim in half-court situations and averaged 2.4 offensive rebounds per game last season at Michigan. 'For a player of my size and my type of player, that's what I'm going to try to focus on,' Goldin said. 'Set good screens for my teammates and just kind of play for them.' But Goldin didn't take many three-pointers in college and there are questions about his defense at the NBA level. 'I try to be a team player first because I try to make my teammates better,' Goldin said of his approach. 'If they can be more efficient scorers, if they can have less turnovers because I'm available in the right spot at the right time. Just trying to be the guy who knows what he has to do and who can be reliable.' Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team's active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time and do not come with playoff eligibility. If Goldin remains on the Heat's roster past summer league and into the start of training camp in late September, there's a chance that he could again be practicing at FAU. The Heat held training camp at FAU two years ago and there's a possibility it could return to the Boca Raton campus for training camp this year, but it hasn't been officially decided yet. 'I'm going to be honest, whenever training camp starts [and if it's at FAU], I already know what I'm going to say,' Goldin laughed. ''That's my house!' Or something like that.'
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top Michigan State basketball transfer suffers season-ending knee injury
The post Top Michigan State basketball transfer suffers season-ending knee injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Michigan State basketball team received some bad news on Wednesday as top transfer Kaleb Glenn is going to miss the entire 2025-26 season. Glenn was a big addition to this Spartans squad, but a torn patellar tendon is going to keep him on the sidelines next season. Glenn started his college basketball career in 2023 at Louisville, and then he transferred to FAU for the 2024-25 season. He was back in the college basketball transfer portal this offseason, and he landed with Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Advertisement 'Michigan State forward Kaleb Glenn has suffered a torn patellar tendon and will miss the entire season, he told @On3sports,' Joe Tipton said in a post. 'The plan is for the transfer from Florida Atlantic to redshirt this upcoming season. Averaged 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game at FAU.' This is obviously a major disappointment for the Michigan State basketball team as Kalen Glenn was expected to have a big role next season. Tom Izzo doesn't like to take a ton of players from the transfer portal, but Glenn is one that he saw a lot of potential in. Unfortunately, he will have to wait another year before he makes his debut with the Spartans. Glenn is a four-star transfer portal prospect, according to 247Sports. He is the #81 transfer portal player and the #15 small forward. Glenn got a lot of attention from top teams in the country, and Michigan State did enough to secure a commitment. 'Kaleb Glenn is a 6-foot-7 off-ball wing who shot 40% from downtown on 3.3 attempts per game,' Glenn's transfer scouting report reads. 'Down the stretch, he looked like the best player on a deep Florida Atlantic club. He's an awesome offensive rebounder for a wing, and Glenn is a heady cutter who keeps defenses honest. Glenn is a serviceable defender who should be a rock-solid 3-and-D guy for Tom Izzo at Michigan State.' Advertisement Glenn got a decent amount of playing time as a freshman at Louisville as he appeared in 32 games and started in 11. He averaged 14.9 minutes per game, 3.9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game, and then he decided that it was in his best interest to hit the transfer portal. Last season at FAU was a strong one for Glenn. He appeared in 34 games, typically coming off the bench. He ended the year averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.8 RPG. His 41% mark from three is one of his most attractive statistics. Tom Izzo and the Michigan State basketball team are getting a good one, but it is unfortunately going to happen later than expected. Hopefully Kalen Glenn can make a speedy recovery and come back strong in 2026. Related: Will Wade loses NC State basketball commitment from big man after Ven-Allen Lubin signing Related: South Carolina's Dawn Staley hypes up ex-South Carolina player's 2nd chance with Golden State
Reuters
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Michigan State's Kaleb Glenn out for 2025-26 season
June 20 - Michigan State forward Kaleb Glenn will miss the 2025-26 season after tearing his patellar tendon. Glenn, Michigan State's top-rated incoming transfer, reportedly suffered the injury during a non-contact shooting drill. The Florida Atlantic transfer was scheduled to have surgery on his right knee on Thursday. The 6-foot-7 Glenn averaged 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds with a 53.1 field goal percentage for FAU last season as the team's leading scorer. One of three incoming transfers to the Spartans' 2025-26 team, Glenn ranked as the No. 15 small forward and the No. 81 overall player in the transfer portal. The Louisville, Ky. native was also a second-team All-American Athletic Conference honoree. Glenn transferred to Michigan State in April and will now have to redshirt for the upcoming season. He has two more years of eligibility. "I feel terrible for Kaleb and for his family, but we will be with them throughout this process," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said in a statement. "It's awful that this happened just a couple of weeks after he got here in East Lansing and was working out with the guys and getting to know them. "In just a short time with us since he committed, we have really enjoyed having him and his family as part of our program. We're going to do everything that we can to support him and get him back on the floor." --Field Level Media
