Latest news with #Mitchell
West Australian
4 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Hawks 'villains' out to spoil Blues' Docherty farewell
Hawthorn have accepted the role of "villains" as they set out to boost their AFL finals hopes in Carlton hero Sam Docherty's farewell match. Fresh off a win over Port Adelaide, the fifth-placed Hawks (12-6) enter Thursday night's MCG contest as warm favourites intent on locking in a top-eight spot. But the embattled Blues (7-11, 12th) eased pressure on coach Michael Voss with a much-needed win over Melbourne last round and have plenty to play for despite their lowly ladder position. Docherty, who has twice beaten testicular cancer, will play his 184th and final match in a celebrated career that has included three knee reconstructions, a best-and-fairest award and All-Australian selection. Carlton will be desperate to send off Docherty in the right manner and give vice-captain Jacob Weitering something to celebrate in his 200th game. "We've been dealt the cards of the villain for this one," Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said. "The thing about Sam is it's beyond sport. He's got the three knee reconstructions and coming back from that and still being an All-Australian type player. "But then obviously his cancer treatments and coming back from that means it transcends sport. It's such an inspirational person that he's been. "We'll certainly be trying to ruin his party, but after that I certainly think he's one of the players of this season that needs to be celebrated." Hawthorn have beaten Carlton in their last two meetings, but Mitchell is wary, noting the Blues are the highest-scoring team in first quarters this season. "You can see that they're more than capable and they're going to be playing for a bit with Docherty and a 200th game as well," Mitchell said. "They're going to have a fair bit on, so you'd expect them to come out with a lot of energy and vibrancy." Hawthorn sit two games clear of ninth but face a tough run home, with games against finals-bound Adelaide, Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions in the last month of the home-and-away campaign. "Every game is as good as a final," Mitchell said. "We understand where we sit and we need to make sure we're very focused on getting the best outcome we can." The Hawks will be bolstered by the return of young gun Will Day from a foot injury when they play their first game at the MCG since May. Mitch Lewis has recovered well from his comeback match last week and will back up, but teammate Finn Maginness has been ruled out for the rest of the season because of a lacerated kidney. Carlton key forward Harry McKay is able to return for his first game since round 11 after recovering from minor knee surgery.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
TJ Brown expects Bryce Mitchell to have career resurgence at bantamweight
ABU DHABI – TJ Brown thinks Bryce Mitchell will finally be competing at his natural weight class at UFC on ABC 9. Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on Saturday's main card (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Mitchell says his submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314 was a wakeup call, and Brown agrees. "I think personally he's always been a '35'er," Brown told MMA Junkie. "His last couple of fights, I think these guys, he got in there and realized they were way bigger than he's used to fighting. So, I think '35 is going to be a great move, and it's almost like his resurgence. I think it's going to be a great comeback fight, and we're looking forward to it." Most of Nurmagomedov's finishes have come by submission, but Brown expects Mitchell to have a big advantage on the ground. "Said is a great kicker," Brown said. "He does a great job at range, but stylistically, I think this is a great fight for us. Bryce puts him on his back, and we're right where we want to be. I think he's a good fighter, all respect to him, but I think there's levels to it, and Bryce is a world-class grappler."
7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Teenage boy killed and second fighting for life after horror jet ski crash
EXCLUSIVE Two teenage boys involved in a horror jet ski crash that killed one and left the second fighting for life have been identified. Mitchell Irvine, 15, and friend Noah Watkins, 14, were riding jet skis in the Georges River, when they crashed near Tom Uglys bridge, at Sylvania in Sydney's south, just after 6pm on Tuesday. Emergency services rushed to the scene, where they found Noah in the water with one of his arms severed. A police officer rushed into the water and pulled him to safety before he was rushed to Sydney Children's Hospital in a critical condition. Mitchell was later found dead in the water and was unable to be revived. Police are investigating whether the boys hit an obstacle in the water while riding in the dark. Tributes have begun to flow online as devastated friends grieve Mitchell's death and send well wishes to Noah. One friend described Mitchell as the 'purest boy you could ever meet', who had 'many great friendships' with his mates. 'Rest up lad, I'm going to miss you,' another boy wrote. 'Praying for you too Noah. Love you lad.' 'LLM (long live Mitch),' a third post read. 'You will never be forgotten.' Footage has emerged of one of the jet ski crash victims riding on a jet ski in numerous posts to Instagram. In recent weeks, Noah shared several videos on Instagram of his jet ski adventures with mates. One video shows a jet ski rider blasting through a river before the vehicle ends up tangled in mangroves. Another clip shows two boys riding a boat through a waterway, driving with its bow lifted in the air. The alarm was first raised on Tuesday night when two girls on the shoreline saw the jet ski wreckage in the water and heard Noah calling out for help. It is understood Mitchell's distraught relatives were at the scene when his body was recovered from the water. Inspector Timothy Carter described the officers' actions as 'heroic'. 'The police have done their best to try and save these kids' lives,' he said. 'And it's, you know, we obviously feel great empathy towards the families.' A crime scene has been set up and investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Summer League thoughts: What Ajay Mitchell, others did to stand out
Usually, the NBA champion has little to look forward to in the Summer League. With low draft picks, they spent the two-week extravaganza rewatching playoff highlights on their way to the Larry O'Brien trophy. But the Oklahoma City Thunder remain an exception to the rule. The Thunder had a productive Summer League. They played eight games in Utah and Las Vegas. Nikola Topic's debut after sitting out last season recovering from a torn ACL was worth the watch. The Thunder lost to the Charlotte Hornets in the playoff semifinal. Reflecting on the 2025 Summer League one last time, let's give one quick thought for the 16 players that suited up. Thunder Wire will divide the entries into three separate articles: Ajay Mitchell A couple of weeks removed from playing in the NBA Finals, Mitchell entered the Summer League as a player who knew he was too good to be there. The 23-year-old was the Thunder's undisputed top scorer. He averaged over 20 points and constantly drove to the rim. You have to be encouraged by the free-throw numbers. Mitchell received plenty of calls at the Summer League. That's always the next step of a scorer. If he can carry that over to the regular season, he has a real chance to pen himself into the rotation and stick out from other bench players. Branden Carlson After missing time from an ankle sprain, Carlson suited up for the Thunder's final three Summer League games. It didn't take long for the two-way player to dominate the competition. He averaged 15 points and six rebounds. The seven-footer used his size to finish inside and knocked down his catch-and-shoot looks. Carlson is the perfect player to have on your two-way deal. The 26-year-old can stretch the floor in a minimized NBA role. In the G League, he can put up numbers and destroy the competition. Easy to see why they brought him back on a two-way deal. Chris Youngblood Speaking of two-way deals, Youngblood made a strong case for the Thunder to give him the final spot. The 23-year-old was the best of the undrafted rookie bunch. As the event progressed, he gained more minutes and even received starts. The outside shot is his bread and butter. Youngblood shot 52% from 3 on five attempts at Vegas. The numbers are eye-popping, but the type of outside attempts he took was also impressive. He took catch-and-shoot looks but also created off the dribble. He was an active movement shooter. His quick release gave him plenty of spice on his attempts. Zack Austin While he was in the rotation, Austin didn't have an impact. He was given a start but didn't do much with it. The stats weren't pretty, but it's tough to take much away from them with such a small sample. Maybe he showed enough in the predraft process to stick around. Austin went undrafted out of Pittsburgh. He could try to get a G League spot elsewhere, but tough to see the Blue sign him from the little he showed in the Summer League. Let's see what the rest of the offseason looks like for him. Maddy Sissoko Given the first few starts because Carlson was out, Sissoko struggled to take advantage of the opportunity. Instead, foul trouble was what he was most known for. Which isn't great considering the Summer League allows players to commit 10 fouls. Sissoko is an undersized center. He's also not athletic enough to overcome that. That puts him in an awkward tweener spot. It was a subpar Summer League for the undrafted rookie. He saw his playing time dwindle by the end of the event.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ajay Mitchell named to 2025 Summer League Second Team
Now that the 2025 Summer League is in the books, the NBA announced its award winners for the 10-day event. Every July, the league migrates to Las Vegas for nearly two weeks to see the top rookies and young players suit up for their teams. Fresh off an NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a couple of notable names on their roster. Ajay Mitchell was one as the 23-year-old was their best player. He was named to the 2025 Summer League Second Team. Mitchell averaged 20 points on 51.4% shooting, six rebounds and 4.3 assists in three games. Only his Las Vegas performances factored into this accolade. The Thunder also participated in Utah's four-team Summer League. The other Summer League Second Team members were Kon Knueppel, Ron Holland II, KJ Simpson and Isaac Jones. The Summer League First Team members were SL MVP Kyle Filipowski, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jordan Miller, Nique Clifford and David Jones-Garcia. The Thunder hope Mitchell can carry his momentum into the 2025-26 season. He had a productive rookie year before a toe injury sidelined him for three months. He has a real shot to win the backup point guard spot and help navigate the bench lineups.
