Latest news with #MichaelConroy
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has always had to take the winding road to NBA success
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle listens during a news conference, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, right, motions to players on the court as assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, far left, talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon, left, holds the trophy near head coach Rick Carlisle after the Pacers won Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle stands on the sideline before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle stands on the sideline before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle listens during a news conference, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, right, motions to players on the court as assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, far left, talks with guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon, left, holds the trophy near head coach Rick Carlisle after the Pacers won Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle stands on the sideline before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the New York Knicks in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The drive between the little upstate New York towns of Lisbon and Ogdensburg, by Rick Carlisle's recollection, would take about eight minutes. In that part of the world, in the St. Lawrence valley just a few miles south of Canada, that's like going next door. That ride is probably a reason why Carlisle — the Indiana Pacers coach — is at the NBA Finals for a sixth time as a player, assistant coach and now a head coach. Advertisement The story behind the ride is this: Carlisle went to Lisbon Central, a school where everyone from kindergarten through 12th grade was housed in the same building — that's quite common in that part of the world — and was the first 1,000-point scorer there. But if he wanted to watch NBA games, the family had to hop in the car and head to Ogdensburg. The reason? There was no cable TV in Lisbon at that time, and the aerial antenna at the family home couldn't pick up any NBA games. 'We had a thing, you turn the rotor in the direction and the antenna would move and it would either go towards Kingston, Ontario, or Watertown, New York,' Carlisle said. And back in those days we only got the CBS affiliate, and they didn't have the NBA back in those early years. But we got Hockey Night in Canada." And yes, Carlisle played hockey in those days. He just liked basketball more. That's why that eight-minute drive would get made, over and over, so he could see NBA games. Advertisement Fast forward to now, and Carlisle — who won a title with Boston as a player and with Dallas as a head coach — is four wins away from another championship. 'I can't say enough about him and the respect I have for him,' said Mark Daigneault, whose Oklahoma City team will face off with Carlisle's Pacers when the NBA Finals start Thursday night. "I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. Almost consistently across every year he's ever coached, the team is better than their sum. I think that's a reflection of him. 'His teams play a clear identity, stay in character through all the ups and downs. That identity has changed over the years based on his teams, the league trends. But his teams are always in character. This year is certainly no exception.' There are parallels between Daigneault and Carlisle. Both are incredibly smart. Both might lean toward a dry sense of humor. And Daigneault isn't exactly a big-city guy, either. His hometown — Leominster, Massachusetts — has a population of about 43,000, which makes it an absolute metropolis compared to Lisbon and its population of about 4,300. Advertisement Big city, small town, no matter one's roots, Daigneault said everyone feels the same way getting to the finals. 'Every single person that's participating in this, whether it's coaches, players, staff, there was a time in their life when this was just a dream,' Daigneault said. 'This wasn't a foregone conclusion for them. That's every player that's participating. There's a time when they were in their driveway shooting 1-on-0 with a basket counting down the end of the game. That's what makes it so special to participate in.' Carlisle was close friends with Hal Cohen, who played at nearby Canton Central and was part of Jim Boeheim's first class at Syracuse. Cohen was one of the first players from that part of the world to play basketball at a Division I level; he showed Carlisle the way. Carlisle went to prep school for a year before starting his college playing career at Maine, his lone Division I offer. He wound up eventually transferring to Virginia and playing alongside Ralph Sampson. 'Changed my life forever,' Carlisle said. Advertisement Carlisle got drafted in the third round in 1984 — 'a round that no longer exists in the draft,' Carlisle says — and played in the league for parts of five seasons, with a brief stint with the CBA's Albany Patroons thrown in there as well. He was with the Patroons not long after one of their more successful coaches had left; that coach's name was Phil Jackson, who went on to win 11 NBA titles. The road here, just like that road between Lisbon and Ogdensburg, was more than a bit winding. 'Had great coaching and a lot of things that were very fortunate,' Carlisle said. 'I ended up getting drafted by Boston in a round that no longer exists in the draft. A lot of things fell my way. But I worked hard, too.' ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference finals trip, AP source says
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks with players during a timeout during the second quarter of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau yells from the sideline during the first half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau yells from the sideline during the first half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks with players during a timeout during the second quarter of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference final against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau yells from the sideline during the first half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday just days after their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night. They then decided to move on from Thibodeau, who led them to the postseason in four of his five seasons in New York. Advertisement The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, the person told the AP on the condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The firing was first reported by ESPN. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New York and Minnesota still leading the way, both unbeaten heading into Commissioner's Cup play
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) shoots in front of Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots in front of Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots in front of Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) shoots in front of Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots in front of Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx picked up right where they left off last season when reaching the WNBA Finals. Both teams have gone undefeated through their first seven games this year with the Lynx set to host Phoenix on Tuesday night in a Commissioner's Cup matchup. Advertisement The Liberty and Lynx faced off last season in the in-season tournament final with Minnesota coming away with the victory. New York got revenge, winning the WNBA championship for the first time in franchise history. The two teams are each 7-0 this season, marking the latest that more than one franchise had been undefeated this long into the season since both the Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks started 2016 winning their first 11 games. New York has dominated its opponents so far, averaging 91.9 points a game, and winning by nearly 23 points a contest. That includes a 48-point victory over Connecticut, the second-largest margin of victory in WNBA history. Minnesota has been finding ways to win close contests. Before beating Golden State by 11 on Sunday, the Lynx had won their previous four games by a total of 18 points. Advertisement The Lynx and Liberty won't play in the regular season for a few more months with their four matchups coming in the span of a few weeks — the first of which is on July 30. Power poll rankings New York led the way as the No. 1 team in the power poll again this week. Minnesota was right behind in second. The national voting panel chose Phoenix third and Atlanta fourth. The Dream moved up three places. Las Vegas, Seattle and Indiana were the next three. Washington, Golden State and Chicago followed. Los Angeles, Dallas and Connecticut rounded out the poll. Commissioner's Cup The WNBA will play its annual in-season tournament over the next few weeks. Each team will play the other teams in their conference one time during that window. The West will have six games with the addition of expansion team Golden State. The East will play five. The teams with the best record in each conference will face off in the title game. The winning team receives a $500,000 cash prize pool to divvy up as well as each player on that squad will get $5,000 in cryptocurrency from Bitcoin. Advertisement Player of the week Allisha Gray of Atlanta earned Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. The Dream guard, who also won the award in June 2023, averaged 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Atlanta win both its games last week on the road over Los Angeles and Seattle. Other players receiving consideration included A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas, Napheesa Collier of Minnesota and Sabrina Ionescu of New York. Game of the week Indiana at Chicago, Saturday. Caitlin Clark may still be sidelined with a quad strain for this rematch between the Fever and Sky. The game will be broadcast on CBS in primetime, the first for the network in WNBA history. ___ AP WNBA:
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
JK Rowling's women's centre to host conference on internet pornography
The female-only service opened in December 2022 and has had 624 referrals so far, from over-16s in the Lothians who have experienced sexual violence. The conference on Tuesday will examine the impact of internet pornography and social media influencers, and how this may be fuelling the increasing levels of reported violence and abuse experienced by young women, according to organisers. Speakers include Michael Conroy, the director of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers professional training in supporting the healthy personal development of boys and young men. Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from internet pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which he described as 'worrying' and increasingly normalised. READ MORE: Mary Sharpe, chief executive of The Reward Foundation, a relationship and sex education charity, will also speak and warned that internet pornography was 'addictive' and could provide a gateway to criminality. It is hoped the conference will spark 'concrete ideas' for ways to tackle the issue and is part of a series of events, Unseen, Unheard, focused on violence against women. Mr Conroy said: 'It's increasingly clear from working with a range of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations around sex and intimacy shaped by porn in harmful ways. 'So-called 'choking', or sexual strangulation, is a really worrying emerging feature of this influence and we have to do all we can to stop its normalisation. 'Unfortunately, there is evidence that some of that normalisation is coming from organisations who should know much better.' Ms Sharpe said: 'Internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls. It's designed to be addictive. 'Some consumers escalate to violent porn and to child sexual abuse material. The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves. 'The multibillion-dollar porn industry has actively suppressed evidence of the many porn-related health risks. The Reward Foundation provides free, evidence-based training materials for schools, professionals and parents.' Other speakers include national co-ordinator of the Women's Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, consultant gynaecologist in sexual health services, and nurse lead for the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE. Founded and funded by JK Rowling, Beira's Place employs 10 support workers. Directors of Beira's Place include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith. Lesley Johnston, chief executive of Beira's Place, said: 'We are delighted to be hosting this conference and are thrilled to be platforming so many excellent speakers, all of whom have considerable experience and insights to share. 'We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.'
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Women's centre founded by JK Rowling to host conference on internet pornography
Beira's Place, in Edinburgh's New Town, was founded and funded by the Harry Potter author to meet what she described as an 'unmet need' for women after a row over transgender people in rape crisis centres. The female-only service opened in December 2022 and has had 624 referrals so far, from over-16s in the Lothians who have experienced sexual violence. The conference on Tuesday will examine the impact of internet pornography and social media influencers, and how this may be fuelling the increasing levels of reported violence and abuse experienced by young women, according to organisers. Speakers include Michael Conroy, the director of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers professional training in supporting the healthy personal development of boys and young men. Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from internet pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which he described as 'worrying' and increasingly normalised. Mary Sharpe, chief executive of The Reward Foundation, a relationship and sex education charity, will also speak and warned that internet pornography was 'addictive' and could provide a gateway to criminality. It is hoped the conference will spark 'concrete ideas' for ways to tackle the issue and is part of a series of events, Unseen, Unheard, focused on violence against women. Mr Conroy said: 'It's increasingly clear from working with a range of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations around sex and intimacy shaped by porn in harmful ways. 'So-called 'choking', or sexual strangulation, is a really worrying emerging feature of this influence and we have to do all we can to stop its normalisation. 'Unfortunately, there is evidence that some of that normalisation is coming from organisations who should know much better.' Ms Sharpe said: 'Internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls. It's designed to be addictive. 'Some consumers escalate to violent porn and to child sexual abuse material. The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves. 'The multibillion-dollar porn industry has actively suppressed evidence of the many porn-related health risks. The Reward Foundation provides free, evidence-based training materials for schools, professionals and parents.' Other speakers include national co-ordinator of the Women's Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, consultant gynaecologist in sexual health services, and nurse lead for the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE. Founded and funded by JK Rowling, Beira's Place employs 10 support workers. Directors of Beira's Place include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith. Lesley Johnston, chief executive of Beira's Place, said: 'We are delighted to be hosting this conference and are thrilled to be platforming so many excellent speakers, all of whom have considerable experience and insights to share. 'We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.'
