Author: Michael

Heather Lyke was determined to revitalize Panthers athletics, and she’s done just that.
When Heather Lyke arrived at Pittsburgh as the new athletic director in 2017, she asked where the school’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship hardware was displayed. The answers were underwhelming.
Turns out, there wasn’t much of it since joining the league in 2013—the ’13–14 wrestling team was the lone Pitt team to have won an ACC title to that point.

Read More

Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
In a world of splashy additions, the Chiefs keep getting better with low-key value moves
There’s always that age old question around birthdays and holidays: “What do you get the person who has everything?” That’s how it must feel to run the Kansas City Chiefs lately.
Though they were coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game last year, the Chiefs had been the toast of the conference for four seasons.

Read More

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Trusting the process has always been a part of Jalen Hurts’ life
Whenever people ask Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts about his journey to potentially being the 4th-youngest QB to win the Super Bowl, Hurts talks a lot about trusting the process and keeping the faith. If you’re a fan of Philadelphia sports, you know all about “Trust the Process”.

“It’s about the process, it’s not always about the results.”
Jalen Hurts is officially One Of Us.

Read More

During his time at Ole Miss, the now Eagle had a strange agreement with the Padres: He’d make a few thousand dollars here and there … provided he fulfilled one obligation.
As the minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator for the Padres in 2016, ’17 and ’18, Tony Tarasco spent the bulk of the baseball calendar on special assignments, roving from affiliate to affiliate. But there were two days out of each of those summers when he could count on his services being called back to Peoria, Ariz., the organization’s spring training and player development hub.

Read More

Eight years later, Marshawn Lynch and other former players reflect on the Patriots’ stunning Super Bowl victory over the Seahawks. And yes, some scars still remain.
That’s Marshawn Lynch on the Zoom screen in mid-December, clad in a black sweatshirt, hood up, G-U-C-C-I in rainbow letters across his chest. Smoke twirls overhead from two wine-flavored Black & Mild cigars. Oversized white headphones dangle near his ears.
He makes one thing clear immediately.

Read More

Are the Suns favorites to win the NBA title after landing the superstar? Plus, looking back at the KD-Kyrie era in Brooklyn.
After dealing Kyrie Irving on Sunday, the Nets traded Kevin Durant to the Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and additional draft compensation. The Crossover staff breaks down the deal for Phoenix and the end of KD-Kyrie era in Brooklyn.
What’s your immediate reaction to the Kevin Durant trade?
Howard Beck: That it was inevitable, logical and clearly the smartest way forward for the Nets.

Read More

This star Texas Longhorns running back will be the next big thing in the NFL—but for which team?
One of the top running back prospects in many years is in the 2023 NFL draft pipeline—Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson. The 2022 unanimous All-American and Doak Walker Award winner had a stellar 2022 season with 1,580 rushing yards, 314 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns. The former five-star recruit has been one of the best backs in the nation since he was a freshman, when he put up 703 rushing yards on just 86 carries (8.2 yards per carry).

Read More

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Let’s grade the blockbuster trade sending Kevin Durant to the Suns.
The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets agreed to a blockbuster deal in the early morning hours of NBA trade deadline day that sent shockwaves through the league, placed an MVP candidate in the West, and immediately transforms the championship picture.
Kevin Durant has been traded to the Phoenix Suns. In return, the Brooklyn Nets get Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected first round draft picks.

Read More

Welp, it’s the end of an era in Brooklyn.
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. New Yorkers can celebrate one thing today: the return of cheap Nets tickets.
In today’s SI:AM:
☀️ The Suns get KD
👋 The Lakers dump Westbrook
🏑 A 22-year-old college head coach
If you’re reading this on SI.com, you can sign up to get this free newsletter in your inbox each weekday at SI.com/newsletters.

Read More