Latest news with #NBA-style
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Top recruit Babatunde Oladotun reclassifies to 2026
Babatunde Oladotun, considered the top high school recruit in the class of 2027, is reclassifying to the class of 2026 as he prepares to graduate next spring from Maryland's Blake High School. Oladotun, 16, expects to remain a top-10 prospect when the next recruiting rankings are updated. He will turn 17 in December. "First and foremost, I am ahead of schedule academically and will graduate next year," Oladuton told ESPN. "Most of my life, I have played up in age and after playing in the 17U division for Team Durant, I felt comfortable. I have gained 20 pounds over the last year and it never felt like I was playing up." Several high-profile programs are already attempting to land the 6-foot-9 forward, including Maryland, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Gonzaga. Oladotun plans to visit Maryland and Virginia Tech first, and previously made unofficial visits to UCLA and USC last year. "We are looking for a coach that has a long history of teaching and winning," his father, Ibrahim, told ESPN. "Someone who knows how to use a big guard and has a history of coaching big guards. A coach that also plays an NBA-style offense with quick actions." Oladotun burst onto the scene after adding 20 pounds over the past year and starring for Team Durant's 17U team, combining sharp-shooting ability from 3-point range with a deft touch inside the arc. By reclassifying, Oladotun becomes a favorite to be invited to next year's McDonald's All American boys game with the potential to be a top-10 draft pick in 2027. Oladotun's father, Ibrahim Oladotun, played two years at Virginia Tech in the early 1990s after beginning his journey in junior college, averaging 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Babatunde follows the path taken by former top prospects AJ Dybantsa and Cooper Flagg, who also reclassified to begin their college careers early. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
The Advertiser
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Clarkson makes feelings known on in-season tournament
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has urged the AFL to focus more on equalising the draw rather than introducing an NBA-style in-season tournament. The in-season tournament is being strongly considered by league heavyweights to add more intrigue to what could otherwise be considered a lacklustre part of the campaign. As it stands, only nine of the 18 teams are legitimately in the race for a top-eight finals berth. Sydney, who sit in 10th spot with a 7-9 record, are three wins and percentage adrift of eighth position and would likely need to win their remaining seven games to reach the finals. If an in-season tournament is introduced, it would likely come following the arrival of Tasmania in 2028. The home-and-away campaign would be cut to just one match-up between each team (19 games per club), alongside a potential rivalry round and Gather Round. The in-season tournament would then make up the numbers to ensure the current length of the campaign isn't reduced. Games in the in-season tournament would count as normal in the race for the top eight. The concept has received mixed reaction and Clarkson thinks there are more important things to fix first. "It's probably a topic just because there's commentary around, 'is the eight or nine set already' and last week's games, top nine versus the bottom nine," Clarkson said on Thursday. "It's easy commentary to have, but it's just probably a moment in time thing. "I think we've probably got to get the overall equality of the draw focused on more so than the mid-season tournament. "If we ever get to 20 teams, we've got a whole heap of flexibility of what we can do. "You can make it four divisions of five or two conferences of 10. You can do a lot of really special things with the game. "In the meantime, while it's 18 and then in a couple of years time 19 - pretty awkward numbers." Trying to reduce the extensive travel loads of WA-based clubs West Coast and Fremantle have become a bigger talking point this year. North Melbourne's deal to sell two games a season to WA over the next three years has given the Eagles and Dockers an extra game in their home state, but both clubs want further concessions to even up the travel load. The Kangaroos (4-11-1) will be back in action on Sunday when they take on fellow strugglers Melbourne (5-11) at the MCG. North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has urged the AFL to focus more on equalising the draw rather than introducing an NBA-style in-season tournament. The in-season tournament is being strongly considered by league heavyweights to add more intrigue to what could otherwise be considered a lacklustre part of the campaign. As it stands, only nine of the 18 teams are legitimately in the race for a top-eight finals berth. Sydney, who sit in 10th spot with a 7-9 record, are three wins and percentage adrift of eighth position and would likely need to win their remaining seven games to reach the finals. If an in-season tournament is introduced, it would likely come following the arrival of Tasmania in 2028. The home-and-away campaign would be cut to just one match-up between each team (19 games per club), alongside a potential rivalry round and Gather Round. The in-season tournament would then make up the numbers to ensure the current length of the campaign isn't reduced. Games in the in-season tournament would count as normal in the race for the top eight. The concept has received mixed reaction and Clarkson thinks there are more important things to fix first. "It's probably a topic just because there's commentary around, 'is the eight or nine set already' and last week's games, top nine versus the bottom nine," Clarkson said on Thursday. "It's easy commentary to have, but it's just probably a moment in time thing. "I think we've probably got to get the overall equality of the draw focused on more so than the mid-season tournament. "If we ever get to 20 teams, we've got a whole heap of flexibility of what we can do. "You can make it four divisions of five or two conferences of 10. You can do a lot of really special things with the game. "In the meantime, while it's 18 and then in a couple of years time 19 - pretty awkward numbers." Trying to reduce the extensive travel loads of WA-based clubs West Coast and Fremantle have become a bigger talking point this year. North Melbourne's deal to sell two games a season to WA over the next three years has given the Eagles and Dockers an extra game in their home state, but both clubs want further concessions to even up the travel load. The Kangaroos (4-11-1) will be back in action on Sunday when they take on fellow strugglers Melbourne (5-11) at the MCG. North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has urged the AFL to focus more on equalising the draw rather than introducing an NBA-style in-season tournament. The in-season tournament is being strongly considered by league heavyweights to add more intrigue to what could otherwise be considered a lacklustre part of the campaign. As it stands, only nine of the 18 teams are legitimately in the race for a top-eight finals berth. Sydney, who sit in 10th spot with a 7-9 record, are three wins and percentage adrift of eighth position and would likely need to win their remaining seven games to reach the finals. If an in-season tournament is introduced, it would likely come following the arrival of Tasmania in 2028. The home-and-away campaign would be cut to just one match-up between each team (19 games per club), alongside a potential rivalry round and Gather Round. The in-season tournament would then make up the numbers to ensure the current length of the campaign isn't reduced. Games in the in-season tournament would count as normal in the race for the top eight. The concept has received mixed reaction and Clarkson thinks there are more important things to fix first. "It's probably a topic just because there's commentary around, 'is the eight or nine set already' and last week's games, top nine versus the bottom nine," Clarkson said on Thursday. "It's easy commentary to have, but it's just probably a moment in time thing. "I think we've probably got to get the overall equality of the draw focused on more so than the mid-season tournament. "If we ever get to 20 teams, we've got a whole heap of flexibility of what we can do. "You can make it four divisions of five or two conferences of 10. You can do a lot of really special things with the game. "In the meantime, while it's 18 and then in a couple of years time 19 - pretty awkward numbers." Trying to reduce the extensive travel loads of WA-based clubs West Coast and Fremantle have become a bigger talking point this year. North Melbourne's deal to sell two games a season to WA over the next three years has given the Eagles and Dockers an extra game in their home state, but both clubs want further concessions to even up the travel load. The Kangaroos (4-11-1) will be back in action on Sunday when they take on fellow strugglers Melbourne (5-11) at the MCG.
Perth Now
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Clarkson makes feelings known on in-season tournament
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has urged the AFL to focus more on equalising the draw rather than introducing an NBA-style in-season tournament. The in-season tournament is being strongly considered by league heavyweights to add more intrigue to what could otherwise be considered a lacklustre part of the campaign. As it stands, only nine of the 18 teams are legitimately in the race for a top-eight finals berth. Sydney, who sit in 10th spot with a 7-9 record, are three wins and percentage adrift of eighth position and would likely need to win their remaining seven games to reach the finals. If an in-season tournament is introduced, it would likely come following the arrival of Tasmania in 2028. The home-and-away campaign would be cut to just one match-up between each team (19 games per club), alongside a potential rivalry round and Gather Round. The in-season tournament would then make up the numbers to ensure the current length of the campaign isn't reduced. Games in the in-season tournament would count as normal in the race for the top eight. The concept has received mixed reaction and Clarkson thinks there are more important things to fix first. "It's probably a topic just because there's commentary around, 'is the eight or nine set already' and last week's games, top nine versus the bottom nine," Clarkson said on Thursday. "It's easy commentary to have, but it's just probably a moment in time thing. "I think we've probably got to get the overall equality of the draw focused on more so than the mid-season tournament. "If we ever get to 20 teams, we've got a whole heap of flexibility of what we can do. "You can make it four divisions of five or two conferences of 10. You can do a lot of really special things with the game. "In the meantime, while it's 18 and then in a couple of years time 19 - pretty awkward numbers." Trying to reduce the extensive travel loads of WA-based clubs West Coast and Fremantle have become a bigger talking point this year. North Melbourne's deal to sell two games a season to WA over the next three years has given the Eagles and Dockers an extra game in their home state, but both clubs want further concessions to even up the travel load. The Kangaroos (4-11-1) will be back in action on Sunday when they take on fellow strugglers Melbourne (5-11) at the MCG.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wild 'NBA-style' Saints trade idea would land star Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Saints get Tua Tagovailoa, Falcons get Saints' draft pick in 4-team proposal The New Orleans Saints already have a current plan in place for the immediate future of the quarterback room, but what would it look like if they took a bigger swing? NFL teams are notoriously risk-averse, and we'll probably never see the likes of this week's seven-team NBA trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. But somehow, someway, some team is going to kick that door open. The Saints already tried a first-of-its-kind sign-and-trade which was rejected by the league office, but eventually someone will get it done. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently came up with a couple of wild "NBA-style" trade proposals involving multiple teams, and one of them would net the Saints a new franchise quarterback. Under one proposed deal titled "The Shanahan Shakeup," New Orleans would end up with current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for just a third-round and fifth-round pick in 2026 as a part of a four-team deal. That isn't the focus of this big trade -- which would send Brock Purdy (and his big new contract) to the Dolphins and Kirk Cousins, along with a couple of draft picks, to the San Francisco 49ers -- but it would be a big deal for the Saints. They would be sending their 2026 third-round pick to the 49ers with a 2026 fifth rounder going to the Atlanta Falcons. It's hard to argue that getting Tagovailoa wouldn't make Kellen Moore's job easier in 2025, if he can stay healthy. He completed 72.9% of his passes in the 11 games he played in with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He could run whatever offense Moore had in mind for this season better than either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough, but the question becomes less clear down the road. It's unlucky, but Tagovailoa has a very concerning injury history. He's only played one full season in his first five years, and granted that season was fantastic. Longevity is a question, and of course, one has to wonder how much better he can get. Rattler has shown some potential early on and even got some in-game experience towards the end of last year. He's just 24 and was a fifth-round selection; it would be foolish to count him as a finished product. He will need that chance to play, though, and Tagovailoa would make that nearly impossible. Shough would have even more of a gripe, given that he was this staff's second-round selection just earlier this year. Moore wouldn't have pushed for him if didn't think he could at least function in the offense this year. Right now, even though the idea of adding a Pro Bowl quarterback might seem fun, it might be better for the team to just let these young guys develop.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
AFL shouldn't be spooked by NRL's Origin behemoth as it weighs up mid-year competition
Whether the AFL proceeds with the concept of a mid-year competition, separate from the home-and-away season, it is clear that there is a wish to generate – or maintain – interest for teams that are losing or have lost the finals fight. It is completely reasonable to consider an NBA-style tournament, which, in effect, might represent a reprise of the old night series – the Ansett Cup was one version – that sat inside the regular season. It is not to this column's jaded taste, and I doubt that most fans will support a mid-year tournament, given their innate opposition to radical reforms. Many, however, will favour the parallel proposal, as The Age's Sam McClure reported, of a regular season that is cut back to 20 games, when the Tasmania Devils arrives, with one game added for rivalry round (showdowns, derbies, blockbusters in Melbourne) and another for Gather Round. The Devils' scheduled entry in 2028 provides a great opportunity to re-shape the fixture. It was this recognition that framed the proposal. The old night series had some value – and was even taken semi-seriously by clubs. Kevin Sheedy certainly used to cite night premierships on his resume, as did Denis Pagan. But the franchise diminished over time, as night footy became entrenched in the 'real' season, and it dwindled further into irrelevance once the good teams used it merely as a vehicle to prepare for the season proper. What the AFL and some clubs have recognised, though, is that their competition does not have any meaningful prize besides the premiership cup (the same applies to the AFLW); Michael Voss, unlike Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, does not have another trophy on the line to salve his reputation/job (not that it saved Ange).
