Latest news with #GrantHill
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Grant Hill, rising GOP star running for Congress spent three years in jail for child sex offences
A Republican challenging a sitting GOP Congresswoman spent almost three years in prison for sex offenses, can reveal. Grant Hill, 28, was convicted of indecently exposing himself to a minor and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in December 2022 according to Iowa 's sex offender registry. On April 22, he filed documents officially declaring he is running as a GOP candidate for Iowa's first congressional district, currently held by Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks. The seat, one of the closest in the country, covers Iowa City, Indianola, Burlington and Davenport. The 69-year-old incumbent is seeking re-election. Hill pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent exposure to a minor involving 'masturbation', after he exposed himself to a 13-year-old boy while working out at a gym in an apartment complex on the outskirts of Iowa City in 2021. According to police, he was general manager at an Iowa City cookie shop in 2022 when he called a new male staffer into the basement, asked him to watch a video on his laptop, then grabbed the man's penis. He was caught on CCTV grabbing the man's crotch a second time in the shop's kitchen, after pointing at the staffer's groin and saying 'pee-pee' in a 'toddler-type voice', police said. Hill was also accused of recording himself in his car masturbating while stopped at a red light in Coralville. He spent two years and nine months in prison and must remain on the sex offenders' registry for a decade after his February 20 release. Hill is classed as a 'Tier II' offender, meaning he has to report to the local sheriff's department with his residential address twice a year. He filed a 'Statement of Candidacy' with the Federal Election Commission on April 22, giving a name and address in Keota matching those on the Iowa sex offender's registry. The documents said he is running as a Republican, and his campaign committee is called 'The People's Hill'. He faces Miller-Meeks and previous Iowa District 1 contender David Pautsch in the 2026 primary. Pautsch received 43.9 percent of the vote to Miller-Meeks's 55.9 percent in the district's Republican primary on June 4, 2024. Hill appears to have previously attempted a run for Iowa's senate seat, as the bio for his neglected X social media account still says, 'Running for Iowa Senate 2022!' On the page, he described himself as a 'Future United States Senator. Student. Independent. Proud Trump Supporter. Inspired by @realDonaldTrump'. In his X bio, Hill described himself as a 'Future United States Senator. Student. Independent. Proud Trump Supporter. Inspired by @realDonaldTrump' Among his 2017 posts he uploaded a photo posing next to senior Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley in his hometown of Keota. His page is followed by nine accounts, including Democrat Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and 2024 Republican Pennsylvania congressional candidate Joshua Hall, who spent 20 months in prison for leaving threatening voicemails to California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell and his family. After Hill's release from prison, he founded a Christian company '1 Love Legacy', which describes itself as 'bringing balance to the world through love, faith, and understanding' and 'showing that God's love embraces everyone — regardless of their past or identity.' Co-founder Nic Wilson described himself on the company's website as a recovering addict who had 'a decade of treatment centers, jail cells, homelessness, and numerous suicide attempts'. Wilson said he went sober in 2021 after being offered a treatment program instead of prosecution for '10 felony charges and a potential 117-year prison sentence'. But despite his website biography saying 'Today, I'm sober, filled with hope, and ready to share the message that saved my life through 1 Love Legacy,' Wilson is currently languishing in a Polk County jail on charges of parole violation and domestic abuse assault by 'impeding air/blood flow causing bodily injury'. His bail is set at $100,000. His February 2025 mugshot shows him looking disheveled, with a bloodshot stare and a black eye. Wilson has previous convictions between 2016 and 2022 for felony burglary, domestic violence assault, a DUI, violating a restraining order, child endangerment and keeping a vicious dog. Hill's biography on the site says he was 'born in Russia and adopted into an American family at the age of three.' He alluded to his sex offenses, writing: 'In 2022, my life took an unexpected turn when I went to prison', and added: 'Coming from a small town, I never felt safe exploring who I was in a healthy way, which led me down destructive and ultimately illegal paths.' Hill told 'While my path has taken some difficult and humbling turns, it has always been my intention to serve – and I believe that real, lasting change only happens when people who've experienced deep hardship are willing to step forward and fight for something better. Referring to 1 Love Legacy, he added: 'Our nonprofit exists to help people like me – people who've made terrible mistakes, who carry heavy pasts, but who are still capable of change.'
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Olympic great Sue Bird to be first managing director of USA Basketball women's national team
Sue Bird is giving another assist to USA Basketball, becoming the managing director of the women's national team. The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position Thursday and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff. "I played for USA Basketball for so long and always really enjoyed my time with them," Bird said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "I love representing my country. I love being competitive on that stage. To have that opportunity to do it in a different role is exciting." Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men's national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men's side. "We are really, really excited about Sue for so many reasons," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a phone interview. "Her pedigree and standing in the sport is so strong. Not just in women's basketball, but all of sport. She's a tremendous leader and we're very excited that she took this on for us." The men's team has had a managing director for two decades with Jerry Colangelo serving in that spot from 2005-21 before Hill took over. "She's had five Olympic gold medals herself and understands what's involved," Tooley said. "Having the managing director position makes it easier to work with the staff for long term vision of the program. It's hard to do that with a committee that comes and goes and gets together a handful of times." Tooley said Bird's term will be for four years — the same as the Olympic cycle — and the change to this structure has been in the works for a few years, well before the decision to not select Caitlin Clark for the 2024 Paris Games team that left some people upset. "Discussions happened after the '21 Olympics and Sue served on the board last quad," Tooley said. "We got in discussions about the managing director role and we sat with her awhile and she gave it a lot of consideration and thought. It's an enormous responsibility." Bird said she's used to the pressure of USA Basketball where it's basically win a gold medal or bust. The Americans have won eight straight, including one at last year's Paris Olympics. "This is a different type of pressure," she said. "I'm hoping to bring all that I learned as a player, all my experience, all my understanding. The whole goal is to win a gold medal and it feels at times that's the only option. ... I know what it's like to be a player, know what it's like as a player to build teams and have teams come together and see what clicks." Before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Americans will play in the FIBA World Cup in Germany next year. The first qualifying event will take place in November. Besides figuring out what players will be on that team, Bird will have to decide who will be coaching the squad. There is no clear-cut choice right now. "Of course I've started to think about it, jotting some names down here and there," Bird said. "It's the first priority without a doubt. There are so many qualified coaches in college and the WNBA." Bird said that she doesn't have a specific time frame to have a coach in place. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Olympic great Sue Bird to direct US women's basketball national team
Sue Bird is giving another assist to USA Basketball, becoming the managing director of the women's national team. The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position Thursday and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff. 'I played for USA Basketball for so long and always really enjoyed my time with them,' Bird said. 'I love representing my country. I love being competitive on that stage. To have that opportunity to do it in a different role is exciting.' Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men's national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men's side. 'We are really, really excited about Sue for so many reasons,' USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a phone interview. 'Her pedigree and standing in the sport is so strong. Not just in women's basketball, but all of sport. She's a tremendous leader and we're very excited that she took this on for us.' The men's team has had a managing director for two decades with Jerry Colangelo serving in that spot from 2005-21 before Hill took over. 'She's had five Olympic gold medals herself and understands what's involved,' Tooley said. 'Having the managing director position makes it easier to work with the staff for long term vision of the program. It's hard to do that with a committee that comes and goes and gets together a handful of times.' Tooley said Bird's term will be for four years – the same as the Olympic cycle – and the change to this structure has been in the works for a few years, well before the decision to not select Caitlin Clark for the 2024 Paris Games team that left some people upset. 'Discussions happened after the '21 Olympics and Sue served on the board last quad,' Tooley said. 'We got in discussions about the managing director role and we sat with her awhile and she gave it a lot of consideration and thought. It's an enormous responsibility.' Bird said she's used to the pressure of USA Basketball where it's basically win a gold medal or bust. The Americans have won eight straight, including one at last year's Paris Olympics. 'This is a different type of pressure,' she said. 'I'm hoping to bring all that I learned as a player, all my experience, all my understanding. The whole goal is to win a gold medal and it feels at times that's the only option. ... I know what it's like to be a player, know what it's like as a player to build teams and have teams come together and see what clicks.' Before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Americans will play in the Fiba World Cup in Germany next year. The first qualifying event will take place in November. Besides figuring out what players will be on that team, Bird will have to decide who will be coaching the squad. There is no clear-cut choice right now. 'Of course I've started to think about it, jotting some names down here and there,' Bird said. 'It's the first priority without a doubt. There are so many qualified coaches in college and the WNBA.' Bird said that she doesn't have a specific time frame to have a coach in place.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Olympic great Sue Bird to be first managing director of USA Basketball women's national team
Sue Bird is giving another assist to USA Basketball, becoming the managing director of the women's national team. The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position Thursday and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff. 'I played for USA Basketball for so long and always really enjoyed my time with them," Bird said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. 'I love representing my country. I love being competitive on that stage. To have that opportunity to do it in a different role is exciting.' Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men's national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men's side. 'We are really, really excited about Sue for so many reasons,' USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a phone interview. 'Her pedigree and standing in the sport is so strong. Not just in women's basketball, but all of sport. She's a tremendous leader and we're very excited that she took this on for us.' The men's team has had a managing director for two decades with Jerry Colangelo serving in that spot from 2005-21 before Hill took over. 'She's had five Olympic gold medals herself and understands what's involved,' Tooley said. 'Having the managing director position makes it easier to work with the staff for long term vision of the program. It's hard to do that with a committee that comes and goes and gets together a handful of times.' Tooley said Bird's term will be for four years — the same as the Olympic cycle — and the change to this structure has been in the works for a few years, well before the decision to not select Caitlin Clark for the 2024 Paris Games team that left some people upset. 'Discussions happened after the '21 Olympics and Sue served on the board last quad,' Tooley said. 'We got in discussions about the managing director role and we sat with her awhile and she gave it a lot of consideration and thought. It's an enormous responsibility.' Bird said she's used to the pressure of USA Basketball where it's basically win a gold medal or bust. The Americans have won eight straight, including one at last year's Paris Olympics. 'This is a different type of pressure,' she said. 'I'm hoping to bring all that I learned as a player, all my experience, all my understanding. The whole goal is to win a gold medal and it feels at times that's the only option. ... I know what it's like to be a player, know what it's like as a player to build teams and have teams come together and see what clicks.' Before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Americans will play in the FIBA World Cup in Germany next year. The first qualifying event will take place in November. Besides figuring out what players will be on that team, Bird will have to decide who will be coaching the squad. There is no clear-cut choice right now. 'Of course I've started to think about it, jotting some names down here and there,' Bird said. 'It's the first priority without a doubt. There are so many qualified coaches in college and the WNBA.' Bird said that she doesn't have a specific time frame to have a coach in place. ___
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
It's the only Olympic basketball event the U.S. hasn't won. Can Jimmer Fredette fix that?
'JimmerMania' still exists inside the United States' men's 3×3 basketball program, it just took an elevator ride from the court up to the C suite. The hope is still that Jimmer Fredette will bring Olympic gold to the only USA Basketball team that doesn't have one; only he'd do it by making a phone call instead of swishing a winning shot. Advertisement On Monday, USA Basketball named Fredette, 36, the 2011 college national player of the year and a former NBA lottery pick, as its first managing director for its 3×3 men's team. The announcement follows Fredette's announced retirement from his playing career last week, the final two years of which he spent knocking around the FIBA 3×3 World Tour and playing for the USA in international events such as the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics. Think of it as the 'Grant Hill' role for 3×3 — an accomplished, universally respected player in the sport whose job it is to find coaches and players for the big international tournaments like the Olympics and World Cup. Because the international 3×3 game is not open to NBA players (more on that later), there really isn't a player the USA might target who wouldn't take Fredette's call. And he'll be calling. The 3×3 version of Dr. Naismith's game has been in two Olympics now, and the American men have exactly zero medals to show. Last summer in Paris, the men's 3×3 team was the only U.S. basketball team not to win a medal. An injury to Fredette early in the Paris Olympics dealt the U.S. a serious blow, but it would seem the American program should be farther along than it is. And with the next Summer Olympics set for Los Angeles in 2028, there is little time to waste. 'I think that one of the big things for USA basketball is they want to be consistent with how they go about their teams,' Fredette said in an interview. 'You know, the 5-on-5 (men's) team has been doing this for a while with Grant Hill, and he's done an incredible job. And they see the success that that's kind of implemented. And I think that with (3×3), it's such a new sport, that they didn't really have anybody that was necessarily fit for that job, because most of the guys that had been playing from the beginning of (3×3) for USA were still playing. … There's no better person to be involved (than) someone who's actually been in it, been through it, just like Grant has on the men's side.' Advertisement The U.S. women's 3×3 team, which won the first Olympic gold in the sport in Tokyo in 2021 and won bronze in Paris, is also looking to make a hire for the managing director's role. The women's 5-on-5 program has won eight consecutive Olympic gold medals, and the men have won five straight. Fredette, who lives with his wife and children in Denver, is a partner at Tandem Ventures, a venture capital firm in Utah, and will remain in that role in addition to overseeing the U.S. 3×3 men's program. The rules set forth by FIBA — the international governing body for basketball — for men's players to be eligible for the biggest tournaments (again, like the Olympics and World Cup) are that players must compile enough points by competing on the 3×3 World Tour, which lasts over the late spring, summer, and early fall months. That's why active NBA players are not an option for the U.S. or any other country; NBA players are not allowed to play in other leagues, and the World Tour counts as one. Fredette burst onto the basketball scene with his jaw-dropping shooting and scoring performances at BYU, where he won the award for the top player in Division-I college basketball in 2011. Drafted 10th overall that June by the Sacramento Kings, the best of Fredette's six NBA seasons was his first one, when he averaged 7.6 points in 60 games. His last full NBA season was in 2014-15, when he played 50 games for the New Orleans Pelicans. Fredette matriculated overseas, to China, where he was handsomely paid and starred. In 2016-17, his first season in the Chinese pro league, he scored 50 or more points four different times and dropped 73 points against Zhejiang Guangsha that season, and in his last year with Shanghai, in 2020-21, at age 31, he drained 11 3s and rung up another 70-bill against Sichuan. Advertisement Fredette joined the World Tour late in 2022, at the urging of Fran Frischilla, the former college coach and current ESPN broadcaster who was an adviser to USA Basketball for 3×3. Jimmer said he made more than $100,000 in each of the two full summers he spent on tour, eventually played his way to a No. 1 world ranking as an individual, was on the U.S. team that finished second in the 2023 World Cup, and won gold medals at smaller international tournaments featuring teams from the Americas. 'He's perfect (for managing director),' said Frischilla, whose son, James, was an assistant coach for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics. 'Jimmer brought notoriety to the sport here in the States that we couldn't have paid for. I think guys are going to want to play 3×3 because they saw Jimmer do it.' In the 3×3 game, the shot clock is only 12 seconds. After a made basket, the opposite team throws the ball in bounds from underneath the hoop, and it has to be taken back to the 2-point line (it's a 2-point, 1-point game). After a miss, if the defending team rebounds the ball, it has to go out to the 2-point line. Offensive actions are often limited to one screen-and-roll, maybe one backdoor cut or off-ball screen if the ballhandler is working in isolation. Precision passing and conditioning are key. Also, the U.S. men's program has had some really bad luck. Because of the global pandemic in 2020 that postponed the Olympics and shut down the World Tour, the American men had to qualify for the Tokyo Games through a single qualifying tournament. After weeks of preparation, one of the players — Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry's son, Canyon — suffered a back injury just before the tournament. The last-minute replacement for Barry didn't fit with the other three players, and the Americans failed to qualify for Tokyo. With Fredette on board for the 2024 Olympic cycle, the U.S. was ranked No. 1 in the world heading into the Paris Games. The Americans opened the 2024 Olympics with a loss to Serbia, and early in the second game, Fredette suffered a torn adductor, knocking him out of the tournament. The Americans were not allowed to replace him, so Barry and the remaining two U.S. players Dylan Travis and Kareem Maddox — who was also battling injury — had to play the remaining games without a substitution. The U.S. finished 2-5. Advertisement 'It's just one of those things where you can look back on it in hindsight, people that don't know the sport and haven't really followed it, and say, 'Oh man, that didn't work. We didn't even come close to medaling,' Fredette said. 'But we were the No. 1 team in the world going into that event and really kind of hitting on all cylinders. And then one unfortunate thing like that happens, and it can mess it all up.' Fredette said his main objective, or a change he would try to implement, is to make 3×3 more of a full-time job for players who are fully committed to the sport. In addition to Fredette, who was still working as a venture capitalist while playing 3×3, his teammates in Paris all have regular jobs. Barry is a rocket scientist. Maddox is a video coordinator with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Travis, currently the highest-ranked 3×3 player from the U.S. (16th in the world), is a school teacher in Omaha. One way to create a wider pool of players who are both good enough and available is to encourage and target G League players not under contract with an NBA team to give the 3×3 game a try. 'As the sport grows, I think there is a space for more full-time 3×3 athletes,' Barry said. 'I know Jimmer will do an amazing job leading the charge. … The game and sport is so volatile with such a condensed game that anyone can win the Olympics, and that's part of why it's so exciting.' Yes, there are going to be more variables out of the Americans' control than in, say, a 40-minute, full-court, 5-on-5 Olympics game. One injury, especially to a player like Fredette, can be devastating. The games are so short, a hot shooting stretch by an opponent for even a few minutes can be enough to sink the U.S. But with the Games coming to L.A., and the 3×3 Olympic tournament expanding from eight to 12 teams, the U.S. wants to make sure it is as organized, prepared, and deep as possible for a country so otherwise rich in basketball talent and tradition. Advertisement 'We want to make sure that we're out in front of it and finding the right guys, building an actual culture, building a program, getting them as professionals, and just continuing to get better and better at this game,' Fredette said. 'And I think if we can build that way, we're going to be in good shape.' (Top photo of Jimmer Fredette: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images for the USOPC)
