Latest news with #SouthRegion
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mississippi College softballs thoughts before they head to South Region 2
WJTV speaks with first year head coach for Mississippi College and two freshmen before they head to South Region 2 at Saint Leo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.
NBC Sports
01-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Michigan State's Tre Holloman and Xavier Booker enter transfer portal
NEW YORK — Michigan State's Tre Holloman plans to end his college career at another school and Xavier Booker is shooting for a fresh start. Holloman's agent, Brandon Grier, said the guard entered the transfer portal and informed coach Tom Izzo of his decision. The program later confirmed Booker and Gehrig Normand also entered the portal. Holloman averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 assists as a junior for the Big Ten champion Spartans, whose season ended against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. He was 0 for 10, including five 3-point attempts, and scored two points in a six-point loss to the top-seeded Tigers in the South Region final. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Minneapolis native had a career-high 20 points in a win over Michigan and made a career-high four 3-pointers in a first-round victory over Bryant in the NCAA Tournament. Booker signed with the Spartans as one of Izzo's highest-rated recruits and didn't approach expectations, averaging 4.7 points last season as a sophomore and 3.7 points as a freshman. He fell so far out of the rotation that he didn't play in the team's last three NCAA Tournament games. The 6-11, 240-pound center from Indianapolis, though, will likely field a lot of offers because of his size and flashes of potential he had over two seasons. Connecticut freshman forward Liam McNeeley, who averaged 14.5 points a game, announced on social media he's entering the NBA draft. Normand joined Holloman and Booker in the portal after scoring a total of eight points in 13 games as a redshirt freshman last season. At St. John's, coach Rick Pitino has been busy replenishing his roster in the portal. Coming off its most successful season in decades, the school announced that former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon and ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins were signing with the Red Storm. The duo should help replace RJ Luis Jr., a second-team All-American and the 2025 Big East player of the year. Luis is declaring for the NBA draft while retaining his eligibility and entering the portal, his agent said. St. John's also loses seniors Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, meaning four of its top five scorers from 2024-25 won't be back next season. They teamed with power forward Zuby Ejiofor to lead the Red Storm to a pair of Big East championships this year and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before they lost to 10th-seeded Arkansas 75-66 in the second round. The 19-year-old Sanon, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, averaged 11.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his freshman season with the Sun Devils and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 36.9% from 3-point range, which should help a Johnnies team that struggled from the perimeter this season. He averaged 18.8 points over his last five games. 'Joson is a great shooter, really good athlete and has absolutely outstanding potential,' Pitino, the 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach, said. Hopkins was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2023 at Providence but missed most of the past two seasons because of injuries. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 50 games over three years with the Friars after beginning his college career at Kentucky in 2021-22. The 6-foot-7 Hopkins started 14 games in 2023-24 before a torn ACL ended his season. He returned in early December 2024 but played in just three games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, before a bone bruise sidelined him for the rest of the season. 'Bryce reminds me so much of Zuby from a personality standpoint,' Pitino said. 'He's selfless, humble, hardworking and has outstanding talent. I worked him out and was extremely impressed with his abilities in so many areas. He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ moving on to the pros.' Pitino guided St. John's to a 31-5 record this season, equaling a school best for wins, and a No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 that marked its highest since 1991. The program won its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, its first conference tournament crown in a quarter-century, and earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.
Fox Sports
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Michigan State's Holloman and Booker enter transfer portal, St. John's adding Sanon and Hopkins
Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Michigan State's Tre Holloman plans to end his college career at another school and Xavier Booker is shooting for a fresh start. Holloman's agent, Brandon Grier, said the guard entered the transfer portal and informed coach Tom Izzo of his decision on Tuesday. The program later confirmed Booker and Gehrig Normand also entered the portal. Holloman averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 assists as a junior for the Big Ten champion Spartans, whose season ended Sunday against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. He was 0 for 10, including five 3-point attempts, and scored two points in a six-point loss to the top-seeded Tigers in the South Region final. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Minneapolis native had a career-high 20 points in a win over Michigan last month and made a career-high four 3-pointers in a first-round victory over Bryant in the NCAA Tournament. Booker signed with the Spartans as one of Izzo's highest-rated recruits and didn't approach expectations, averaging 4.7 points last season as a sophomore and 3.7 points as a freshman. He fell so far out of the rotation that he didn't play in the team's last three NCAA Tournament games. The 6-11, 240-pound center from Indianapolis, though, will likely field a lot of offers because of his size and flashes of potential he had over two seasons. Connecticut freshman forward Liam McNeeley, who averaged 14.5 points a game, announced on social media he's entering the NBA draft. Normand joined Holloman and Booker in the portal after scoring a total of eight points in 13 games as a redshirt freshman last season. At St. John's, coach Rick Pitino has been busy replenishing his roster in the portal. Coming off its most successful season in decades, the school announced Monday that former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon and ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins were signing with the Red Storm. The duo should help replace RJ Luis Jr., a second-team All-American and the 2025 Big East player of the year. Luis is declaring for the NBA draft while retaining his eligibility and entering the portal, his agent told ESPN last weekend. St. John's also loses seniors Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, meaning four of its top five scorers from 2024-25 won't be back next season. They teamed with power forward Zuby Ejiofor to lead the Red Storm to a pair of Big East championships this year and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before they lost to 10th-seeded Arkansas 75-66 in the second round. The 19-year-old Sanon, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, averaged 11.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his freshman season with the Sun Devils and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 36.9% from 3-point range, which should help a Johnnies team that struggled from the perimeter this season. He averaged 18.8 points over his last five games. 'Joson is a great shooter, really good athlete and has absolutely outstanding potential,' Pitino, the 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach, said. Hopkins was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2023 at Providence but missed most of the past two seasons because of injuries. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 50 games over three years with the Friars after beginning his college career at Kentucky in 2021-22. The 6-foot-7 Hopkins started 14 games in 2023-24 before a torn ACL ended his season. He returned in early December 2024 but played in just three games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, before a bone bruise sidelined him for the rest of the season. 'Bryce reminds me so much of Zuby from a personality standpoint,' Pitino said. 'He's selfless, humble, hardworking and has outstanding talent. I worked him out and was extremely impressed with his abilities in so many areas. He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ moving on to the pros.' Pitino guided St. John's to a 31-5 record this season, equaling a school best for wins, and a No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 that marked its highest since 1991. The program won its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, its first conference tournament crown in a quarter-century, and earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000. ___ AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Michigan contributed to this report. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
Reuters
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Auburn practicing without injured Johni Broome
April 1 - Johni Broome sat out practice Tuesday and will be held out again Wednesday as the Auburn Tigers complete on-campus preparation for their game with the Florida Gators at the Final Four in San Antonio. Broome, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, briefly left Auburn's regional final win over Michigan State with an elbow injury. Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said Broome likely would be on the floor for parts of practice on Thursday before the Tigers hit Texas and follow Florida with a scheduled in-stadium workout scheduled for Noon ET on Friday. Assistant coach Steven Pearl said on The Next Round podcast Tuesday that Broome would "continue to rehab the seven different things that he injured on that one play. ... As the week progresses, hopefully his status does as well." Broome was fully capable of climbing a ladder and cutting down the nets after the South Region final, but he appeared to injure his left leg on the same play that taxed his right elbow. Pearl said there is "no injury" to Broome's elbow after testing but does have "stress" in the joint. Broome scored 25 points with 14 rebounds in Auburn's 70-64 win over Michigan State on Sunday in Atlanta. He's averaging 18.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocks per game this season and is viewed as the only Naismith National Player of the Year contender with a chance to challenge Duke's Cooper Flagg for first-place votes. In four NCAA Tournament games last month, Broome averaged 17.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Broome had 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks in Auburn's 90-81 home loss to Florida on Feb. 8.
NBC Sports
31-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
A quarter-century after his lone national title, Tom Izzo comes up short again in March Madness
ATLANTA — Tom Izzo pounded the scorers' table in frustration. He cusped his hands behind his head, struggling to figure out some way for his Michigan State team to make a few baskets in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final. During an especially excruciating sequence for the Spartans, he couldn't even bear to watch as one shot after another clanked off the rim, even as his ever-hustling players grabbed three straight offensive rebounds. Izzo looked away, shaking his head. A quarter-century after his lone national championship, the title drought for one of college basketball's greatest coaches stretched to another year. The cold-shooting Spartans fell behind by 15 points in the opening minutes and never could fight all the way back against the top overall seed in the tournament, falling to Auburn 70-64. A 17-0 run, which transformed an 8-6 lead for Michigan State into a 23-8 deficit, was too much to overcome. The Spartans missed 10 straight shots. 'Boy, that stretch we had at the beginning,' Izzo said, shaking his head. 'We had shot after shot after shot. They just didn't go in. That happens.' With a roster that Izzo described as one of his favorites of a three-decade career, if not the most talented, Michigan State made only 24 of 64 shots (34.4%) from the field, including 7 of 23 from 3-point range. There was no shortage of effort from the Spartans. Just not enough baskets. 'I'm not sure I've every been prouder of a team,' Izzo said. 'These guys gave me everything they had. They should take a week off. There's nothing left in them.' The 70-year-old Izzo had been 10-0 against Southeastern Conference teams in the NCAA Tournament. But that perfect mark came to an end in Atlanta, sending the Tigers to the Final Four and ending Michigan State's season. After running away with the Big Ten championship, the Spartans came up one win shy of Izzo's ninth Final Four appearance. 'I felt going in, we were the better team. I felt like we had better players,' Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. 'That's not a criticism (of Michigan State) at all.' Izzo remains at one national title, captured way back in 2000 when a team led by Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson knocked off Florida of the SEC in the championship game in Indianapolis. That squad included a freshman star-in-the-making named Jason Richardson. In a sign of Izzo's longevity, he coached a team that included Richardson's son, Jase. The freshman guard, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, credited Auburn for a stellar defensive effort. 'It's just tough,' the younger Richardson said. 'Every time you drive, you see four or five guys coming at you. When you try to make a play, they rotate really well. They just made it really tough for us.' It was a bitter pill, to be sure. When you've won a national title — even one so long ago — it's not enough just to make it this deep into the tournament. But Izzo, one of the demanding coaches ever to stalk a sideline, had no complaints about this group. None at all. 'Unfortunately, the last game wears with you,' Izzo said. 'But this is the most unbelievable year I've ever had, the most connected year I've ever had. I just appreciate what these guys did for myself, for themselves, for our university, and for our community. In the final minute, with his team's fate sealed, Izzo briefly plopped down in a chair with an Elite Eight towel draped over the back. That was as far as these Spartans would get. With 4.3 seconds left, Izzo waved his arms toward his players, telling them to let the clock run out. Then, with his head bowed, he walked slowly toward Pearl to exchange a handshake and hug. 'Somebody's got to go home sad. Today it's the Spartans,' Izzo said. The Tigers, he added, 'deserve to move on.' Afterward, the tears flowed freely in the Michigan State locker room. 'In some locker rooms, people are bitching and complaining,' Izzo said. 'Some locker rooms, there's crying and hugging. Ours was a crying and hugging locker room. 'That means we had something special.'
