Latest news with #RunItBack
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for Aug. 8, 2025
Mainly cloudy, with a 60 per cent chance of showers or thunderstorms early this morning and a 60 per cent chance of showers late this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Widespread smoke. An air quality warning is in effect for the City of Winnipeg. High 25 C. Humidex 33. UV index 7 or high. Much of Manitoba had the worst air quality in Canada Thursday, as researchers warn the long-term effects of the smog are not yet fully realized. Nicole Buffie has more here. Smoke hangs over the Red River as people walk the River Trail at The Forks on Thursday. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) What's happening today The Run It Back Alumni Basketball Tournament, now in its third year, has already seen plenty of success, bringing together players from the graduating classes of 2022 all the way back to 1999 to face off against old rivals. This year, 16 teams will make their way to the Duckworth Centre downtown, starting today at 5:30 p.m. and continuing until Aug. 10, to compete in the tournament. For the full schedule, click here. Calvin Diaz (left) and Joseph Medrano, organizers of the third annual Run It Back high school alumni basketball tournament (Supplied) Advance polls in a historic federal byelection for Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot open today. For the first time ever, Elections Canada says voters must fill out a blank ballot. The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with voting day on Aug. 18. The Canadian Press reports. Today's must-read Winnipeg's police chief vowed Thursday to regain the public's trust after announcing a veteran officer — already accused of criminal wrongdoing last year — has been charged with more than a dozen new offences, including drug dealing while on duty and sharing a photo of a half-naked dead woman. Winnipeg Police Service professional standards investigators re-arrested Const. Elston Bostock, 48, on Wednesday, and took him to the city remand centre, where he remains locked up. Bostock was removed from his duties as a police officer — a job he's held for 22 years — last fall. 'These are very serious allegations which go directly against the values of the Winnipeg Police Service, tarnishing our reputation and eroding the public's confidence,' Chief Gene Bowers told a Thursday news conference, calling it a 'very sad day for the service.' Erik Pindera has the story. WPS Police Chief Gene Bowers (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press) On the bright side The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best picture yet of a high-speed comet visiting our solar system from another star. NASA and the European Space Agency released the latest photos Thursday. Discovered last month by a telescope in Chile, the comet known as 3I-Atlas is only the third known interstellar object to pass our way and poses no threat to Earth. The Associated Press reports. An image captured by Hubble of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21 (NASA/European Space Agency via The Associated Press) On this date On Aug. 8, 1962: The Winnipeg Free Press reported Manitoba Pool Elevators would build a meat packing plant in Brandon at a cost of $1.5 million to $2 million, replacing the Brandon Packers plant, which the pool bought a year earlier for $180,000. Scotland Yard detectives combed Britain for U.S. Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell while angry protests grew over his presence in Britain. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
So high school
Some high school rivalries never die, especially when it comes to sports. And reigniting that fire are Calvin Diaz and Joseph Medrano, who are giving alumni from high schools across Winnipeg the chance to run it back on the court and see if their school still has what it takes. The Run It Back Alumni Basketball Tournament, now in its third year, has already seen plenty of success, bringing together players from the graduating classes of 2022 all the way back to 1999 to face off against old rivals. SUPPLIED Calvin Diaz (left) and Joseph Medrano, organizers of the third annual Run It Back high school alumni basketball tournament, MC at last year's tourney. This year's contest, played at the Duckworth Centre from Aug. 8-10, features two divisions and 16 teams. This year, 16 teams will make their way to the Duckworth Centre downtown from Aug. 8-10 to compete in the tournament. 'It's just seeing the whole community come together,' Medrano said on what he's looking forward to. 'Seeing everyone from different generations really just mesh all together in one week, and everyone gets to compete again. You've got parents that haven't seen their children play in x amount of years, and then they get to do it all over in front of them.' Medrano and Diaz had been workshopping the idea of the tournament for several years before its debut, sparked by an assignment for a project planning class when the pair was wrapping up their last year at the University of Winnipeg. After lots of planning, support from family and the basketball community, and delays caused by COVID lockdowns, the tournament officially launched in 2023 — and was a huge success, featuring 13 teams. 'Our first year was real surprising,' said Diaz. 'It was just a project we were getting up and running, and I think we must have had over 500 spectators.' The following year, it doubled in size to 21 teams and introduced a women's division. However, this year there wasn't enough interest to bring the women's league back, forcing Diaz and Medrano to put it on hold. Still, the pair hopes the division can return in the future, as they continue working to grow the event. 'I think room for improvement is just getting a bit more exposure through word of mouth, social media,' said Diaz. 'I feel we could have done a better job at just getting the word out. That's just disappointing on our end. We would have loved to have the women's division back up and running this year. It was super exciting when we brought them out last year. But yeah, can't always be perfect and ideal.' 'Our first year was real surprising. It was just a project we were getting up and running, and I think we must have had over 500 spectators.'–Calvin Diaz The tournament features two divisions: the Legends Division, made up of seven teams of ex-pro and college players, and the All Time Division, which has nine teams made up mostly of recreational players. Each division has rosters of about 10 to 12 players. 'Both divisions, we've seen the last years have just been equally as competitive,' said Medrano. The Legends Division has crowned different champions each year, with Sisler High School taking the inaugural title and Miles Macdonell Collegiate winning in 2024. In the All Time Division, the Maples Collegiate Marauders have won back-to-back. The tournament has adopted the target score ending format, used in the CEBL, a fan favourite according to Diaz and Medrano. 'One thing that really differentiates us, too, is that we also provide jerseys for the teams,' said Medrano. 'Just to kind of help make our tournament stand out. So if anyone's coming down for like photography, videography, we always want to make sure that everything is presentable and professional at the very least.' A new addition this year is a rural Manitoba team, made up of players from schools outside the city coming together to form a squad. The tournament has even been gaining recognition outside its home province, as talks of teams from Saskatchewan potentially entering are underway for future years. SUPPLIED 'The sport of basketball never dies,' said Calvin Diaz (left) (Supplied) 'The sport of basketball never dies,' said Diaz. 'It's just the competitive spirit kind of rekindling those rivalries. Sisler against Miles Mac, they're trying to run the championship game back. Sturgeon (Heights Collegiate) is a big team as well. A lot of teams are just coming out being really competitive.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Lakers HC On Magic Johnson's Competitive Nature: "Wanted To Destroy You, Whether It Was For $2 Or $2 Million"
Former Lakers HC On Magic Johnson's Competitive Nature: "Wanted To Destroy You, Whether It Was For $2 Or $2 Million" originally appeared on Fadeaway World. When Mike Dunleavy Sr. took over as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1990, he wasn't just stepping into a storied franchise, he was stepping into a locker room still fueled by the fire of one of the most competitive athletes the NBA has ever seen: Magic Johnson. Dunleavy, a first-time head coach at the time, inherited a veteran squad led by Johnson and quickly learned that Magic's reputation for intensity was no exaggeration. On the Run It Back TV show, Dunleavy shared candid memories of coaching Magic, offering a firsthand glimpse into the relentless mindset that made the Lakers legend an icon. "Magic Johnson, you know, as a rookie head coach with the Lakers, Jerry West would get on me sometimes. He'd say, 'Mike, dude, you had the game won. You didn't have to play Magic those extra two or three minutes.' And I'd tell him, 'Jerry, I don't have that game won. I'm a rookie coach. I've got to bank wins."' "So I'd plan to give Magic the day off in practice. I'd say, 'Irvin, I played you 38, 39 minutes last night. Why don't you just sit out today?' And he'd look me in the eye and say, 'Coach, if I sit out, the rest of these guys think they got the day off too.'" "That's who he was. When I played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Sidney Moncrief was defensive player of the year, same mentality. All those guys had it. I played pickup with Magic in the offseason." "We could be playing for $2 or $2 million. Didn't matter. He was going for the jugular every single time. He wanted to win every single game he played." That exchange highlighted not just Dunleavy's rookie nerves, but also Magic's iron will to compete, even when logic said rest was the better call. Magic didn't want minutes off. He didn't want practices off. He didn't want days off. Dunleavy once tried to give him a break after a 38- or 39-minute night. Magic's leadership wasn't just vocal, it was physical. He led by example, never easing up even in low-stakes situations. That type of competitive DNA defined Magic Johnson's career and helped Dunleavy in his first year guide the Lakers past Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1991 Western Conference Finals. With Magic running the show alongside Vlade Divac, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals. Although they lost to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in five games, that run marked the end of an era, one that would come to a sudden halt months later. In October 1991, shortly after winning the McDonald's Open in Paris, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and retired. The Lakers still made the playoffs that season, but the loss of their floor general and locker room heartbeat was a blow from which they wouldn't recover for years. Yet Dunleavy will always remember those precious months when he saw the fire up close, the competitor who didn't care if the stakes were pocket change or a championship ring. Because of Magic Johnson, every game was a war worth story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
25-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Golden State Warriors' big man praises organization
The Golden State Warriors are one of the most successful franchises of the modern era. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson led a dynasty, winning four championships and ushering in a new phase in the NBA's evolution. Outside of those achievements, the Warriors are also one of the most well-functioning franchises in the league. In a recent episode of FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," former Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins detailed what makes the Warriors such a great organization to play for. From the additional plane to family members, to how the team monitors a player's nutrition, Cousins was clearly impressed by his time in the Bay Area. "Definitely one of the top organizations in the NBA," Cousins said. "They treat their players well, they treat their players' families well, from meal plans on the road to traveling... during the playoffs, they have their own separate plane just for players' family members." The organization's approach to taking care of its players is likely part of the reason why the Warriors have tasted so much success in recent years. After all, when you ensure everyone is healthy, happy, and their fitness is on point, good results usually follow. Cousins played 30 games for the Warriors during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists, shooting 55.1% from 2-point range but just 27.4% from deep. This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"LeBron James Going To Hold His Cards Close To His Chest Until He Gets What He Wants"
"LeBron James Going To Hold His Cards Close To His Chest Until He Gets What He Wants" - Lou Williams originally appeared on Fadeaway World. One of the biggest storylines of this offseason has been the future of LeBron James in the NBA. After he picked up his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers, there were rumblings around the league about his future with them. Amid all the reports of a growing rift between the Lakers' front office and James, former NBA veteran Lou Williams expressed his feelings about what to expect from James in the offseason. Williams appeared on the most recent episode of FanDuel's 'Run It Back' show and revealed his thoughts on James, while particularly focusing on how cleverly James had chosen his silence. 'We've seen this movie before. LeBron, he's going to hold his cards close to his chest until he gets what he wants out of this scenario. He's going to put pressure on the Lakers' brass to bring in guys that's going to give him an opportunity at 41-42 years old, to compete for a championship." 'Luka was a great start, but they got to round out the edges, right? He's going to be non-committal till they put the pieces in place for him to be successful in the purple and gold.' 'I mean, it's LeBron James, what are you gonna do? He has the leverage.' There have been rumors that James wants to stay in LA and report for training camp as per the team's schedule. However, there have also been reports of James' growing frustrations with the team ever since they traded Russell Westbrook away. Therefore, uncertainty is the tool that James allegedly uses to his benefit, which Williams claims we have seen him do over the years. What Has LeBron James Been Up To This Summer? Even after LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option, James did not directly address his future, and rather sent a cryptic message to the Lakers' front office through his agent, Rich Paul. Following this, James was spotted playing golf with his buddies while the rumor mill generated reports of James allegedly losing control of the front office and drifting apart from them. Fans felt James could possibly be preparing himself for retirement as he picked up a sport common among retired men. Now, several teams have also shown interest in James, including the Warriors and Mavericks, where he could play alongside his close friends Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving. He is still playing at an All-NBA caliber level and could convert either the Warriors or Mavericks into instant championship contenders if he joins them. Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds and made the All-NBA second team, alongside his 21st All-Star appearance. In some dream scenarios for James, teams like the Cavaliers or Heat could also be interested in him, especially if he gets bought out by the Lakers. But those seem unlikely at this point. James has recorded two podcast episodes in the offseason so far, but in both of those episodes, he has chosen to remain silent on the issue of his future with the Lakers. At one point, there were also reports that James felt disrespected by the Lakers when they decided to rebuild around Luka Doncic. Many unanswered questions surround LeBron James' future. We could witness LeBron James get traded for the first time in his career if the Lakers and James don't reach a consensus on his future soon. Related: 9 NBA Players Expected To Retire Before 40-Year-Old LeBron James This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
