COLLEGE BASKETBALL
A rising star in college basketball's coaching ranks threw a punch that led to the death of a New York City tourist who apparently mistook him for an Uber driver, police said on Thursday.
Wake Forest assistant coach Jamill Jones attacked digital marketing guru Sandor Szabo around 1:15 a.m. Sunday in Queens, causing him to fall and hit his head on the sidewalk, police said.
Szabo, visiting from Boca Raton, Florida, made contact with the window of Jones' SUV while looking for his ride after his stepsister's wedding, police said.
A person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Szabo may have been drunkenly banging on car windows before Jones allegedly confronted him. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to speak publicly.
The coach got out, followed Szabo to the sidewalk, clocked him and sped off, police said. Szabo never regained consciousness and was taken off life support on Tuesday.
Jones, 35, of Kernersville, North Carolina, turned himself in to police on Thursday, accompanied by a lawyer. He is awaiting arraignment on a misdemeanor assault charge.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached.
In a statement, the Atlantic Coast Conference Division 1 stated it would comment further once it gathers more information.
Jones, a Philadelphia native, joined the Demon Deacons staff in May 2017 after coaching at Central Florida, Virginia Commonwealth and Florida Gulf Coast and playing at Arkansas Tech and North Platte Community College in Nebraska.
Head coach Danny Manning said at the time that Jones was a "well-respected bright mind" in the coaching world and brought "new blood" and "new perspectives" to Wake Forest.
Szabo, also 35, was "super outgoing, friendly, and an incredibly smart businessman," his company, at What If Media Group, said.
"He was always upbeat, positive, kind and caring," the company said in a Facebook post. "He was fun to be with, interesting, and always interested. He was a really good person."
Szabo, who lived in Boca Raton with his brother, always had a bright smile and shared a love of fishing, cooking and family, the company said.
"His beautiful spirit and his love of life will remain with us," the company said. "We are going to miss him dearly."
Elsewhere in college basketball:
After 17 years, the men’s basketball rivalry game between the University at Albany and Siena College will not be played this fall. UAlbany released its non-conference schedule on Thursday — minus the annual matchup with the Saints. UAlbany and Siena had played every fall since 2001. All but one of those games took place on Siena’s home court, the Times Union Center, which can hold more than 15,000 fans. UAlbany has been pushing to alternate sites. The Great Danes hosted the game in the smaller SEFCU Arena for the only time in 2016.
Michigan assistant coach Saddi Washington says Coach John Beilein is doing well in his recovery from a double-bypass heart procedure. Washington didn't give too many details about Beilein before Thursday's practice. Washington is serving as interim coach for the time being. Beilein's operation took place Monday at the University of Michigan's Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center.
MLB
The Milwaukee Brewers wasted a great opportunity to inch closer to first place in the NL Central.
The Brewers led 4-2 yesterday until Corey Knebel, Joakim Soria and Jacob Barnes combined to allow six runs in the ninth inning of an 8-4 loss to the Padres. Hunter Renfroe delivered a go-ahead grand slam off Soria, one batter before Franmil Reyes went deep against Barnes.
Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run double and came around to score on Lorenzo Cain's single later in the fourth inning, putting the Brew Crew ahead, 4-1.
The outcome drops the Brewers two games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs.
Checking out yesterday's other major league action:
The Dodgers' 8-5 win at Colorado puts Los Angeles in a first-place tie with Arizona in the NL West, 3 ½ games ahead of the Rockies. The game was tied 5-5 in the ninth until Chris Taylor and Brian Dozier homered. Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy also went deep for the Dodgers, who trailed 5-3 following Chris Ianetta's two-run blast in the seventh.
The Phillies' lead in the NL East is one game over Atlanta following the Braves' 6-3 loss at Washington. Gio Gonzalez allowed one run and six hits over seven innings for his first win since May 28, helping the Nats pull within 5 ½ games of the NL East lead. Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy each had two hits and an RBI as the Nationals gained a split of the four-game series.
Mitch Haniger, Denard Span and Jean Segura homered off Justin Verlander while the Mariners built a 6-0 lead over the first two innings of an 8-6 victory at Houston. James Paxton pitched into the sixth inning and helped Seattle get within 2 ½ games of Oakland for the second AL wild-card berth. Marwin Gonzalez and Tyler White drove in two runs apiece for the Astros, whose lead in the AL West is 4 ½ games over Oakland.
Randal Grichuk slammed a two-run homer and had three RBIs as the Blue Jays ended the Red Sox's six-game winning streak, 8-5. Teoscar Hernandez also homered and Justin Smoak was 3-for-4 with two RBIs to help Toronto stop a three-game skid. J.D. Martinez belted his major league-leading 35th home run and Mookie Betts hit for the cycle, but Boston's lead in the AL East dropped to eight games over the Yankees. Boston heads to Baltimore to take on the Orioles Friday at 7:05 p.m.
Neil Walker hit two of the Yankees' five home runs in their fourth consecutive win, 7-3 against the Rangers. Giancarlo Stanton slammed his 28th home run, Aaron Hicks hit his 20th and Miguel Andujar added his 16th. J.A. Happ came off the disabled list and allowed three runs and four hits while striking out nine over six innings to improve to 12-6. The series continues Friday at 7:05 p.m.
Michael Brantley's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Indians a 5-4 victory over Minnesota and an 11-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. Francisco Lindor had three RBIs for Cleveland, one night after his three-run, walk-off homer completed a 5-2 win against the Twins. Jorge Polanco tied the game with a three-run blast in the sixth inning of his first game since completing an 80-game suspension for violating baseball's drug program.
David Freese crushed a three-run homer and Ivan Nova allowed two runs over six innings of the Pirates' 10-5 drubbing of San Francisco. Pittsburgh also received second-inning homers by Elias Diaz and Josh Bell in earning its third straight win and moving four games behind Atlanta for the second NL wild-card berth. Joe Panik and Steven Duggar drove in two runs apiece for the Giants, who have dropped three straight and 13 of 20 since getting within three games of the NL West lead.
Jake Bauers provided a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh to lift the Rays over the Orioles, 5-4. Bauers had three RBIs and Ji-Man Choi homered after Baltimore grabbed a 3-0 lead.
The Mets had the night off as they traveled to Miami to take on the Marlins Friday at 7:10 p.m.
In other MLB news:
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is scheduled for more tests after going to a Denver hospital for an irregular heartbeat before yesterday's game against the Rockies. Jansen has dealt with an irregular heartbeat in the past. Manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander will visit his cardiologist in Los Angeles, adding that the team is holding out hope that Jansen's condition isn't serious.
Seattle's Felix Hernandez has lost his spot in the rotation in the wake of his latest terrible start. Hernandez has a career-high 5.73 ERA this season and is 0-4 in his last five starts. He surrendered a career-high 11 runs - seven earned - on eight hits over six innings during Tuesday's start against the Rangers.
Indians outfielder Leonys Martin has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a non-baseball condition. Martin became sick Tuesday night and didn't play Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins. Martin is batting .333 with two home runs and four RBIs in six games since being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline.
The Red Sox have moved struggling left-hander Drew Pomeranz to the bullpen and will keep right-hander Brian Johnson in the rotation once ace lefty Chris Sale returns from the disabled list. Pomeranz is 1-5 with a 6.31 ERA this season and is winless in eight starts since a May 2 victory over Kansas City. Johnson worked a season-high seven innings in winning his second straight start last night in Toronto.
PGA
Gary Woodland started slowly before taking the first-round lead at the PGA Championship in St. Louis.
He fired a 6-under 64 that gives him a one-stroke lead over Rickie Fowler. Woodland was 1-over before making birdie at the par-5 eighth. He also birdied the next hole and added five more on the back nine to pass Fowler, who emerged as the early leader.
Brandon Stone and Zach Johnson are two shot back and one ahead of world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who was tied atop the leaderboard before faltering late in his round.
Tiger Woods is six off the pace following an even-par 70.
Meanwhile, Golfweek is reporting the PGA of America is trying to regain control of computer servers that have kept officials from accessing files for the PGA Championship.
The magazine says on its website that PGA staff members discovered their systems had been compromised when attempts to access files generated a message that the network had been penetrated and that any attempt to break the encryption could cause files to be lost.
NFL
Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley lived up to early expectations as the top two picks in the NFL draft in their first action as the Cleveland Browns beat the New York Giants 20-10 on Thursday.
Replacing starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor late in the first quarter, Mayfield hit 11 of 20 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns, and converted two fourth-down plays with his feet. The Heisman Trophy winner who was the No. 1 overall pick found tight end David Njoku on a 10-yard TD pass to cap a 14-play, 72-yard drive on his second series. He finished his debut with a completion on a 54-yard slant and run to fellow rookie Antonio Callaway.
Taylor, expected to be coach Hue Jackson's starter as Mayfield learns this season, hit all five of his passes in two series, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Njoku, a New Jersey native.
Barkley, the No. 2 pick, electrified the fans at MetLife Stadium, taking a handoff from Eli Manning on the opening play from scrimmage and turning no apparent hole into a 39-yard run down the sideline in front of the Giants' bench. It set up a 42-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas.
The Penn State running back finished with 43 yards on five carries.
Jalen Simmons scored on 5-yard third-quarter run for the Giants' other score. It came three plays after C.J. Board fumbled a punt return and Zak DeOssie recovered at the Browns 16.
Manning played two series and hit 4 of 7 passes for 26 yards. Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., returning from major ankle surgery, dressed but was held out by new coach Pat Shurmur, who is trying to rebuild the Giants after a 3-13 season.
The Browns went 0-16 last season after winning their four preseason games.
The Browns will host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday August 16. The Giants travel to Detroit to take on the Lions on Thursday August 16.
Elsewhere on the Field Last Night:
The New England Patriots defeated the Redskins 26-17
The Panthers edged the Buffalo Bills 28-23
The New York Jets will take on the Falcons Friday at 7:30 p.m.
In other NFL news:
The New England Patriots are expected to add $5 million in performance-based incentives to quarterback Tom Brady's contract by this weekend, a source told ESPN Thursday. Brady's average salary of $15 million ranks 22nd in the NFL
The Minnesota Vikings say left guard Nick Easton's neck injury has landed him on the injured reserve list, likely ending his season. Coach Mike Zimmer says Easton has a bulging disc in his neck. He hasn't practiced since Aug. 3. Easton started 12 games in 2017.
Three Seattle Seahawks players ran into the tunnel leading to the team's locker room prior to the national anthem. Defensive linemen Branden Jackson and Quinton Jefferson, and offensive lineman Duane Brown left the field following team introductions and before the start of the anthem. They returned to the sideline immediately after it concluded.
Kenny Stills and two other Miami Dolphins protested during the national anthem before their exhibition game against the Buccaneers. Receivers Stills and Albert Wilson kneeled behind teammates lined up standing along the sideline. Defensive end Robert Quinn stood and raised his right fist, as he did during the anthem last season with the Los Angeles Rams.
In Philadelphia, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback De'Vante Bausby raised their fists during the anthem, and defensive end Chris Long placed his arm around Jenkins' shoulder. Jenkins had stopped his demonstration last December.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
LSU has suspended sophomore linebacker Tylor Taylor, apparently after learning he'd been arrested about two months ago in connection with a firearms theft from a pawn shop in Georgia.
An official university statement says only that the suspension stems from a violation of team rules. However, police records in Cumming, Georgia, show that authorities suspect Taylor drove four suspected burglars to and from the pawn shop where the theft occurred on Jan. 8.
The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Taylor played in all 13 LSU games last season, starting five.
Also in college football:
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season will be released Oct. 30 and the four-team field will be set Dec. 2, the Sunday after conference championship games are played. The selection committee's top 25 will be revealed on ESPN each Tuesday for five weeks, starting the day before Halloween.
NHL
Nashville Predators general manager David Poile headlines the class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Poile has run an NHL team the past 36 seasons, including 15 with the Washington Capitals and 21 with the Predators. He has the most victories of any GM in league history.
Former University of Michigan coach Red Berenson, star forward Natalie Darwitz, retired NHL referee Paul Stewart, and the late Leland "Hago" Harrington will be inducted on Dec. 12 at a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.
In other hockey news:
The Coyotes have signed center Christian Dvorak to a six-year, $26.7 million extension through the 2024-25 season. The 22-year-old Dvorak was Arizona's third-leading goal scorer with 15 last season and fifth in points with 37.
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