Digital Sports Desk

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Today, Life’s Just Not Fair

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The Boston Red Sox issued the following statement:

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“We are saddened by the sudden loss of long-time Boston baseball reporter, Nick Cafardo. For over three decades, Nick was a fixture at Fenway Park and throughout ballparks across the country. His coverage was as consistent as the game itself.  His opinions on the Red Sox and the most pressing issues facing Major League Baseball were a constant, particularly through the prominent Sunday baseball notes column in the Boston Globe. 

“The Cafardo family will always be a part of the Boston baseball family, and the Red Sox will honor Nick’s legacy at the appropriate time.”

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Celtics: It Starts Tonight

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Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 21, 2019
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

Bucks vs Celtics Highlights (House of Highlights/Youtube)

MILWAUKEE – The Boston Celtics were the preseason favorites to win the Eastern Conference but are instead fighting for homecourt advantage while the Milwaukee Bucks run away with the top spot. The Bucks will try to assert their dominance over the rest of the top competitors in the East once again when they host the Celtics on Thursday.

Milwaukee is 7-3 against the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston and breezed into the All-Star break with wins in 14 of the last 16 games behind All-Star captain Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” scored 38 points on 17-of-23 shooting in a losing effort in Sunday’s All-Star Game but remains an MVP candidate and took the Bucks into the break by collecting 33 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a 106-97 win at the Pacers. The Celtics were well-represented during the All-Star festivities as point guard Kyrie Irving contributed 13 points in 25 minutes to Team LeBron’s 178-164 win over Team Giannis and second-year forward Jayson Tatum starred in the Rising Stars game before winning the Skills Challenge. Boston won 12 of 15 going into the break and is opening a three-game trip at Milwaukee that will also send it through second-place Toronto.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE CELTICS (37-21): Irving sat out the final two games before the All-Star break to rest a sore knee but worked hard to get back for the annual exhibition and get right for the stretch run. “I’m happy. My strength and conditioning coach, my own training staff that I hired myself, every single day has been communication, making sure I can play in the game,” Irving told reporters after the game. “We understand it’s an All-Star Game, but to go up and down before Thursday comes, I’d be a lot worse if that was my first time playing in basically two weeks. Five days in the NBA season is a lot of time. I’m not sure people realize that. Being away from the game, especially if you have to get off your feet. Getting up shots tonight, being around this camaraderie and competition, was good.” Irving, who can become a free agent after the season, is averaging 23.6 points and 6.9 assists.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (43-14): Milwaukee’s big splash at the trade deadline was bringing in power forward Nikola Mirotic in a deal from the New Orleans Pelicans. The 28-year-old, who is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, has been out with a calf injury since Jan. 23 but was on the verge of making his team debut before the break and could play Thursday. Mirotic joins a lineup headlined by Antetokounmpo and fellow All-Star Khris Middleton, who scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes for Team Giannis on Sunday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Celtics PG Terry Rozier (illness) joined Irving on the bench before the break but is expected back Thursday.

2. Bucks C Brook Lopez is 4-of-24 from 3-point range in the last three games.

3. Antetokounmpo scored 30 points in the most recent meeting, a 120-107 Milwaukee win at Boston on Dec. 21.

Whatever Happens in Vegas

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Boston Bruins 3, Vegas 2

When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 18,222
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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LAS VEGAS – David Backes scored in the sixth round of a shootout to give the Boston Bruins their seventh consecutive victory, a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Jake DeBrusk scored in the first round of the shootout for the Bruins but was matched in the next round by William Karlsson of the Golden Knights. After Boston goalie Jaroslav Halak made a pad save on Oscar Lindberg to begin the sixth round, Backes put a wrist shot past Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove and inside the right post for the game-winner.

Brad Marchand and DeBrusk scored goals for Boston, which improved to 9-0-3 since the All-Star break. Halak made 31 saves while improving to 7-0-2 against the Pacific Division this season.

Reilly Smith had a goal and an assist and Nate Schmidt also scored for Vegas. Fleury, making his NHL-leading 52nd start, finished with 25 saves but was denied for the fourth straight time at recording his 30th victory of the season.

DeBrusk gave Boston a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with his 19th goal of the season. He took a crossing pass in the slot from David Krejci and then spun around defenseman Shea Theodore before firing a shot past Fleury’s glove side. It marked the fifth straight game in which DeBrusk scored a goal.

Vegas tied it just before the end of the period when Smith tapped in a rebound of a Cody Eakin shot for his first goal in 13 games and 10th of the season.

Marchand gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at the 1:09 mark of the third period, one-timing a pass from Danton Heinen from the high slot past Fleury’s glove side. It was his fifth goal in seven games and also the 250th of his career.

However, Schmidt tied it up just 27 seconds later, taking a pass from Smith at center ice and then deking defenseman Charlie McAvoy inside the blue line before beating Halak with a forehand shot top shelf.

–Field Level Media

Donato Traded for Coyle

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LAS VEGAS – The Minnesota Wild traded forward Charlie Coyle to the Boston Bruins, both teams announced Wednesday night. Boston sent its highly touted forward Ryan Donato and a 2019 fifth-round draft pick to Minnesota.

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Coyle, 26, has spent his first six-plus seasons with the Wild. He has scored double-digit goals in each of the past six seasons, including 10 goals this season to go along with 18 assists in 60 games. He is a Massachusetts native who played briefly at Boston University.

The 22-year-old Donato, the son of longtime NHL player Ted Donato, had six goals and three assists in 34 games for the Bruins this season. The Boston native has 11 goals and seven assists in 46 career contests.

According to The Athletic, Coyle found out about the trade shortly before the Wild left for a road trip to face the New York Rangers on Thursday. He was told not to show up for the flight but was not given a reason why. His equipment bag was removed from the team truck before it headed to the airport.

The Bruins entered their Wednesday night game in Las Vegas with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, their 78 points trailing only the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 96.Meanwhile, the Wild entered the day one point off the second Western Conference wild-card position.

–Field Level Media

Carolina Defeats Duke

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North Carolina 88, Duke 72

When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
Attendance: 9,314
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

DURHAM – North Carolina senior Luke Maye scored 30 points in his final appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium and the eighth-ranked Tar Heels took advantage of the absence of Duke’s Zion Williamson for an 88-72 victory Wednesday.

Williamson, the standout forward for No. 1 ranked Duke, departed in the opening minute with a knee injury and didn’t return after his shoe tore apart as he fell awkwardly to the court. He was assisted to the locker room, and soon after it was announced he would not return to the game. 

After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski termed Williamson’s ailment a “mild knee sprain.”

Maye, who reached the 30-point mark for the fifth time in his career, shot 14-for-24 from the floor, with many of the baskets in the lane that was minus Williamson’s presence. Maye also pulled down 15 rebounds.

Cameron Johnson’s 26 points and Garrison Brooks’ 14 points also gave a boost to the Tar Heels (21-5, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who moved into a first-place tie with Duke (23-3, 11-2) and Virginia (23-2, 11-2).

North Carolina has defeated a No. 1 team 14 times — more than any other team in the country. Eight of those victories have come against Duke, including four times in Durham.

RJ Barrett poured in 33 points with 13 rebounds while Cam Reddish scored 27 points as the freshman duo paced Duke’s scoring. The Blue Devils were playing while holding the No. 1 ranking against North Carolina for the first time in 13 years.

Williamson entered the game averaging 22.4 points per game, second best in the ACC behind Barrett.

The Tar Heels jumped on the stunned Duke team, building a 20-9 lead that seemed to set the tone.

North Carolina settled for a 42-32 halftime lead, with the Tar Heels credited with 34 points in the paint by that juncture. It was 57-37 less than four minutes into the second half.

The Tar Heels won despite 2-for-20 shooting on 3-pointers.

The teams met for the 46th time with both teams in the top 10, with each side now winning 23 of those matchups. The rematch will be March 9 in nearby Chapel Hill.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: At a Glance

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PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Genesis Open (J.B. Holmes)
THIS WEEK: WGC-Mexico Championship, Feb. 20-24
Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico (Par 71, 7,345 yards)
Purse: $10.25 million (Winner: $1.745 million and 550 FedEx Cup points)
Defending champion: Phil Mickelson
FedEx Cup leader: Xander Schauffele
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-7 p.m. Saturday, noon-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30-6 p.m. (NBC).

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Tiger Woods, who holds the record with 18 World Golf Championships, will compete in Mexico for the first time as a professional. He is two wins shy of Sam Snead’s all-time PGA Tour record of 82, and qualified for his first WGC event since 2014. … Twenty-seven of the top 30 players in the world golf rankings are in the 72-player, no-cut event. England’s Justin Rose is not in the field and could lose his No. 1 ranking this week depending upon who wins. Australians Jason Day (No. 11) and Adam Scott (30) also chose not to play. … Holmes’ victory at the Genesis Open vaulted him to No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings and qualified him for this week’s event, which includes the Top 10 in the standings. … The lowest elevation at the Club de Golf Chapultepec is 7,603 feet above sea level, with the highest point being at 7,835 feet. … Mickelson will make his 600th career PGA Tour start. … Abraham Ancer is Mexico’s top-ranked player at No. 61. He tied for 52nd in last year’s event.

THIS WEEK: Puerto Rico Open, Feb. 21-24
Coco Beach Golf & Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Par 72, 7,506 yards)
Purse: $3.0 million (Winner: $540,000 million and 300 FedEx Cup points)
Defending champion: D.A. Points
Television: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2:30-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).

The event returns after being canceled last year because of damage caused by Hurricane Maria. … Puerto Rico’s Rafa Campos, who won the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Web.com Tour last month, will play in the event for the 11th time. … The winner also receives at two-year exemption on the PGA Tour along with an invite to The Players Championship and select other tournaments, but does not receive one to the Masters. … Two-time Tour winner Daniel Berger will make his debut in the event after missing the cut in his past two tournaments. At No. 72, he is the highest-ranked player in the field. … Chesson Hadley (267 in 2014) owns the tournament scoring record.
NEXT WEEK: The Honda Classic, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Viva Vegas

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Boston Bruins at Vegas Golden Knights

When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

LAS VEGAS – The Boston Bruins are enhancing their position in the Eastern Conference by beating up on teams from the West. The Bruins are riding a season-high six-game winning streak — all against Western Conference opponents — and have earned points in nine consecutive contests as they resume their five-game road trip with a visit to the Vegas Golden Knights tonight.

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Boston squandered a three-goal lead before rallying for a late goal in regulation in Monday’s 6-5 overtime victory at San Jose to keep the streak intact. “I mean, you never want to let up a big lead like we did, but those things happen in hockey,” said defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who delivered the game-winning tally. “We never say die.” The Golden Knights, who will kick off a four-game homestand against the Bruins, lost for the eighth time in 11 games in Monday’s 3-0 loss at Colorado. “Just a reality check I guess,” defenseman Jon Merrill said after the latest loss. “Now we go back home and get back to the drawing board and hope to get another win on Wednesday.”

TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, TVAS

ABOUT THE BRUINS (35-17-8): Boston has managed to survive and thrive in the absence of 31-goal scorer David Pastrnak, netting 19 tallies in the four games since he was injured. The uptick in production has been boosted by scoring from the defensemen, who supplied three goals in Monday’s win and have combined for four tallies and 11 points since Pastrnak was hurt. “You obviously don’t replace a guy like Pasta with his scoring ability,” McAvoy said. “I think you just fill it by committee and I think everyone is doing that. Just trying to be opportunistic with our chances and fortunate to see some of these go in.”

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (32-25-4): Vegas sits comfortably in third place in the Pacific Division despite the recent slump, which included a franchise-record five-game home losing streak that was snapped in a 5-1 win over Nashville on Saturday. “I think that we’re in a spot right now that we’re in a little bit of limbo between the teams behind us and the teams in front of us,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “I think it’s got to come from in our room to make a push here and do something and not just limp in.” Leading scorer Alex Tuch has been limited to two assists in nine games since the All-Star break.

OVERTIME

1. Bruins F Jake DeBrusk has nine points during a four-game goal streak.

2. Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury is 12-7-4 with a 2.43 goals-against average versus the Bruins.

3. Boston backup G Jaroslav Halak, who earned the win in a 4-1 decision over Vegas in November, will get the start Wednesday.

It’s Up to Gronk

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FOXBOROUGH – All-Pro tight end is still mulling over whether to retire or return to the New England Patriots for a 10th NFL season, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus.

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“He’s thinking it through, he’s giving it a lot of thought,” Rosenhaus said on ESPN’s “NFL Live,” adding, “I imagine a decision will happen in the next couple of weeks.”

NFL Network’s Mike Giardi tweeted Tuesday afternoon that “Gronkowski told multiple teammates/associates that he wanted to win another ring in the first few days following the Super Bowl.”

Gronkowski’s decision will affect the Patriots’ offseason moves. The NFL Scouting Combine begins late this month in Indianapolis, and the Patriots will need to know soon whether they are looking for an NFL-ready starting tight end or one who could back up Gronkowski.

Free agency begins March 13, and the NFL draft will be held April 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn.Gronkowski has one year left on his contract and is due to earn $9 million in 2019. He turns 30 in May.

Injuries have limited Gronkowski through the years, and he’s played in just 115 games since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2010. He has 521 career receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Kimbrel Deal “Extremely Unlikely”

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FT. MYERS – The chances of free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel returning to the Boston Red Sox were all but extinguished on Monday.

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner delivered the verdict when asked if the team might resign the 30-year-old Kimbrel.

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“I think it’s extremely unlikely,” Werner told reporters.

Kimbrel saved 108 games and was an All-Star the past three seasons in Boston.

Overall, he is a seven-time All-Star but the free-agent market hasn’t been booming for his services. Early in the offseason, there were reports Kimbrel was seeking a deal worth more than $100 million.

As spring training approached, there was a speculation that a short-term deal with the Red Sox might be an option.

Meanwhile, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has expressed that the club doesn’t plan on paying big money for a closer. Werner’s comment on Monday follows the same line of thinking.

Kimbrel has 333 career saves in nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves (2010-14), San Diego Padres (2015) and Red Sox (2016-18).

–Field Level Media

Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists

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CHARLOTTE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that eight extraordinary players, four proven coaches, and one exceptional referee are Finalists from the North American and Women’s committees to be considered for election in 2019.

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This year’s list of finalists includes four first-timers, including consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year Marques Johnson, seven-time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, and five-time NBA All-Star Paul Westphal.

Previous finalists nominated again this year for consideration are the all-time winningest high school coach Leta Andrews, 28-year NBA referee Hugh Evans, two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch, eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member Bobby Jones, five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens, four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton, five-time WNBA All-Star Theresa Weatherspoon, and five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber.

“To be named a Finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor and we are proud to recognize the outstanding men and women who have impacted the game,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We congratulate our finalists and looking forward to revealing the Class of 2019 at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis this spring.”

Announced in December 2017, two modifications have been made to the election process starting with the Class of 2018. Potential honorees are eligible on the ballot for Hall of Fame enshrinement after three full seasons of retirement. The second notable reform to Hall of Fame eligibility requires coaches to have coached for 25 years and reached the minimum age of 60. This allows the Honors Committee to evaluate a larger body of work for those coaches nominated. This change will take effect in 2020, allowing a grace period for coaches who are nearing Hall of Fame eligibility based on previous standards.

The complete list of 10 finalists from the North American Screening Committee includes: players Marques Johnson, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Jack Sikma, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber and Paul Westphal; coaches Bill Fitch and Eddie Sutton; and referee Hugh Evans. The three finalists from the Women’s Screening Committee include: player Theresa Weatherspoon; and coaches Leta Andrews and Barbara Stevens.

The Class of 2019 will be announced at a press conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Enshrinees from the Direct Elect Committees are also recognized at the NCAA Men’s Final Four and include Early African-American Pioneers, International, Contributors, Veterans and the Women Veterans. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2019 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, September 5-7, 2019. 

Tickets for the various Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 Enshrinement events are on sale at www.hoophall.com.

HUGH EVANS [Referee] – Evans, a native of Squire, West Virginia, was a dual sport athlete who played baseball in the San Francisco Giant’s system before serving as an NBA Official for 28 consecutive years. From 1972-2001, he officiated nearly 2,000 regular season games, 170 NBA Playoff games, 35 NBA Finals games and four NBA All-Star games. His officiating career also included the Rucker Park Summer Pro League and serving as the NBA Assistant Supervisor of Officials (2001-03). Evans has been inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame of his alma mater, North Carolina A&T.

BILL FITCH [Coach] – Fitch, a native of Davenport, Iowa, coached in the NBA for 25 seasons, being named Coach of the Year twice (1976, 1980). In 1996, he was named to the NBA’s Ten Best Coaches of All Time.  He led the Boston Celtics to a Championship (1981) and still holds the highest winning percentage in Celtics history (.738). He is the second coach in NBA history to lead a team to three straight 60-win seasons. Prior to coaching in the NBA, Fitch coached collegiately for twelve years leading North Dakota University to consecutive NCAA Division II Final Fours (1965, 1966). He was the recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2012-13 NBA season.

MARQUES JOHNSON [Player] – Johnson is a five-time NBA All-Star (1979-81, 1983, 1986) and a member of the 1978 NBA All-Rookie First Team and the 1979 All-NBA First Team. In 11 NBA seasons, he averaged 20.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. As a student-athlete at UCLA under the direction of Hall of Famer John Wooden, Johnson was a member of an NCAA national championship team (1975). In 1977, he was named the consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year. Johnson has been inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (1988) and the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2013).

BOBBY JONES [Player] – Jones is an eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member (1977-84) and NBA Champion with the Philadelphia 76ers (1983). He is also a four-time NBA All-Star (1977, 1978, 1981, 1982) and the recipient of the 1983 NBA Sixth Man Award. Prior to the Nuggets joining the NBA, Jones was named to the ABA All-Rookie Team (1975), ABA All-Defensive Team twice (1975, 1976) and ABA All-Star Team (1976). As a collegiate athlete, Jones led North Carolina to an NCAA Final Four (1972) and was named a consensus second team All-American (1974). In 1972, Jones represented the USA in Munich, Germany, bringing home an Olympic silver medal.

SIDNEY MONCRIEF [Player] – Moncrief is a five-time NBA All-Star (1982-1986) and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1983,1984). He earned NBA All-Defensive Team honors four times (1983-1986) and All-NBA First Team in 1983. In 11 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. He played for the University of Arkansas from 1975-79,averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Moncrief led the NCAA in field goal percentage during the 1975-76 season at .665 and earned Consensus First Team All-America in 1979.

JACK SIKMA [Player] – Sikma is a seven-time NBA All-Star (1979-85) and NBA Champion with the Seattle SuperSonics (1979). He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1978 and is the only center in NBA history to lead the league in single-season free throw percentage at .922 (1987-88). In his 14 NBA seasons, Sikma averaged 15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Collegiately, Sikma averaged 21.2 points and 13.1 rebounds per game at Illinois Wesleyan, leading the team to three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships. Sikma was twice named a First-Team NAIA All-American and Academic All-American (1976, 1977).

EDDIE SUTTON [Coach] – The four-time National Coach of the Year (1977, 1978, 1986, 1995) and eight-time Conference Coach of the Year (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2004) is the first coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools in the NCAA Tournament. Sutton currently ranks seventh among Division I coaches in all-time victories and has recorded only one losing season in 37 years of coaching. He coached Oklahoma State University from 1991-2006 and tied the conference record for wins by a first-year coach with 24. Sutton guided his teams to three Final Fours, six Elite Eights and 12 Sweet Sixteen appearances.

BEN WALLACE [Player] – Wallace is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006), four-time NBA All-Star (2003-06) and NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons (2004). He earned NBA All-Defensive Team honors five times (2002-2006) and All-NBA Second Team three times (2003, 2004, 2006), while leading the NBA in rebounds per games (2002, 2003) and blocked shots (2002). As a collegiate athlete at Virginia Union University, Wallace was a CIAA Tournament Champion and Tournament MVP in 1995 and a Division II First Team All-American in 1996.

CHRIS WEBBER [Player] – Webber is a five-time NBA All-Star (1997, 2000-2003) and the 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year. He earned All-NBA First Team honors in 2001 and All-NBA Second Team three times (1999, 2002, 2003). He led the NBA in rebounds per game during the 1998-1999 season and averaged more than 20 points per game for nine consecutive seasons (1994-2003). As a member of the “Fab Five,” Webber led University of Michigan to Final Four appearances in 1992 and 1993 and was a Unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1993. As a high school standout at Detroit Country Day School, he was named the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP, Michigan’s Mr. Basketball, and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 1991.

PAUL WESTPHAL [Player] – Westphal is a five-time NBA All-Star (1977-81), three-time All-NBA First Team member (1977, 1979, 1980) and NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics (1974). In his 12 NBA seasons, he averaged 15.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, including over 20 points per game for five consecutive seasons. A native of southern California, Westphal was a collegiate standout at USC, earning AP Second Team All-America (1971) and averaging over 20 points and 5 assists per game his senior year (1972). Westphal has been inducted in the USC Hall of Fame (1997), Pac-12 Hall of Honor (2008) and the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor (1998).

Women’s Committee Finalists:

LETA ANDREWS [Coach] – Andrews coached high school basketball for over fifty years and is the all-time winningest high school coach, male or female. She has coached five high schools in Texas since 1962 and has led them to sixteen state Final Four appearances, plus a state championship in 1990. Andrews has served as Head coach of the McDonald’s All-American Game West team (2004) and Gatorade All-America team (2009). She was named the NHSCA National High School Coach of the Year (2007) and recipient of the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award (2007). She has been inducted into the High School Basketball Hall of Fame (1995) and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2010).

BARBARA STEVENS [Coach] – Coaching in the collegiate ranks for over 40 years, Stevens is the fifth coach in NCAA women’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career wins. She has been named the Russell Athletic / WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year five times (1992, 1999, 2001, 2013, 2014) and Northeast-10 Coach of the Year 15 times (1988, 1989, 1991-1993, 1996-2001, 2003, 2011, 2014, 2018). As the head coach of Bentley since 1986, she has guided her team to 22 25-win seasons and 10 trips to the Division II Fab Four, including a national championship in 2014. Stevens has been inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2002) and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).

TERESA WEATHERSPOON [Player] – Weatherspoon is a five-time WNBA All-Star (1999-2003) and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (1997, 1998). Recognized as an iconic player with the New York Liberty, she was the first player to tally 1,000 points and 1,000 assists in the WNBA. Internationally, Weatherspoon is a six-time Italian League All-Star (1989-1994), two-time Russian League champion (1995,1996), and an Olympic gold medalist (1988). A native of Jasper, Texas, Weatherspoon played for Louisiana Tech University (1984-1988) where she was named to the Kodak All-America Team twice (1987, 1988). In 1988, she led her team to an NCAA Championship and was named the recipient of the Wade Trophy. Weatherspoon was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

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