Thomas Pitney

Sports Editor

Steelers Pick Up Pickett

Steelers fans were crying tears of joy this past week as a result of their front office’s choice to draft quarterback Kenny Pickett from the University of Pittsburgh. The 23 year old Gemini and Unitas Golden Arm winner will attempt to replace the legendary Ben Rothisberger and Steelers fans approve. One fan even went as far as to say that Pittsburgh’s pick “single-handedly saved [his] mental health,” and that “he’s gonna be the greatest of all time.” The NFL community will now patiently wait to see if he can handle the hype.

Malik Willis to Replace Tannehill?

In Tennessee, the post draft mood was a little different, with 1st option Ryan Tannehill upset over the Titan’s decision to draft Malik Willis from Liberty University. The veteran who has found unlikely success in the volunteer state, apparently doesn’t like the state’s nickname, as he has shared with media that ‘its not [his] job to mentor Malik Willis. This came as a shock to many, but the narrative is sure to change within the coming months.

Source: ESPN.com

U.S. Hopes To Free Brittany Griner

Brittany Griner, a WNBA player, was detained in Russia two months ago for the possession of hash cartridges, an illegal substance in Russia. It has been 75 days and she is still not home. At first, the U.S. was hesitant to accuse Russian officials of wrongdoing, but this week, the U.S. shifted its position, reclassifying Griner as wrongfully detained. With these newfound efforts by the U.S. government, there is hope that Mercury’s super-star will be back home soon, but nothing is certain at this point.

Source: ESPN.com, NPR.org

Thomas Pitney

Sports Editor

Get The Broom: Celtics Sweep Nets

The Boston Celtics completed a sweep on the overhyped and star-studded Brooklyn Nets this week, disappointing New Yorkers and disproving (for now) the claim that Kevin Durant is the best active basketball player in the NBA. A sweep came to many as a surprise, especially in the wake of early predictions that projected the Nets to compete at the level of serious title contenders. The result of this series did not surprise Boston natives, who now patiently await their next opponent: the winner between the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Deebo Samuel Requests Trade

Tyshun Raequan, more commonly referred to as Deebo Samuel, announced this week that he intends to sit out the 2022/23 season unless he is traded by his current team, the San Francisco 49ers. The exact cause of Samuel’s unhappiness in San Francisco is not completely clear at this point, but many speculate that his discomfort stems from either his lower-level paycheck or his physically demanding and injury-risking role in the 49ers’ offense. San Francisco seems to be willing to fight for their star wideout, as they have not granted Samuel his trade. If you’re reading this Deebo: maybe try kneeling.

Back-to-Back Titles for Manchester City?

Across the Atlantic, Manchester City remains at the top of the English Premier League despite the ill-wishes of Liverpool enthusiasts and broken Manchester United supporters. With just five games left in the top flight season, City needs to win out in order to ensure they are crowned champions of England for a second year in a row. Liverpool trail City by only one point and will certainly continue to pressure the current champions by continuing their 10-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Thomas Pitney

Sports Editor

NBA Regular Season Winds Down

As the NBA season comes to a close, teams are jockeying for playoff positioning. Leading the Eastern Conference is the Miami Heat (51-28), the red-hot Boston Celtics (49-30), the Milwaukee Bucks (48-30) and the Philadelphia 76ers (48-30), while the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-36) are currently in position to square off in a play-in game as the 7th seed. In the West, the Phoenix Suns (62-16), Memphis Grizzlies (55-23), Golden State Warriors (50-29) and Dallas Mavericks (49-30) lead the pack. 

Source: espn.com

Saints and Eagles Trade Draft Picks

The New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles made a rare blockbuster trade of future draft picks. In exchange for giving their 2022 18th overall pick, 2022 101st overall pick, 2022 237th pick, 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to the Eagles, the Saints received Philadelphia’s 2022 16th overall pick, 2022 19th overall pick and 2022 194th pick. The Eagles opt to give up two of this year’s first-round picks to beef up their draft arsenal in future years, while the Saints hope to make a splash in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Source: espn.com

South Carolina Wins NCAA Basketball Championship

On Sunday, April 3, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks’ women’s basketball team defeated the University of Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship by a score of 64-49. Destanni Henderson racked up 26 points, four assists and three steals while Aliyah Boston compiled a double-double performance of 11 points and 16 rebounds. With the victory, South Carolina won its second all-time national title, while UConn coach Geno Auriemma was handed his first ever defeat in an NCAA National Championship Game. 

Source: CBS Sports

Thomas Pitney

Sports Editor

Los Angeles Wins the Super Bowl

The Los Angeles Rams staged a fantastic fourth-quarter comeback to win Super Bowl 

Source: ESPN.com

NBA All-Star Game

The full NBA All-Star rosters were released on Thursday, Feb. 3. The starters in the game from the Eastern Conference are Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Trae Young. Meanwhile, the starters from the Western Conference are LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins. The All-Star Game will be held in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Source: NBA.com

Leona Maguire Wins LPGA Tournament

Italian golfer Leona Maguire captured victory in the LPGA Drive On Championship on Saturday, Feb. 5. Maguire ran away with the title, as her score of -18 was three strokes ahead of second-place Lexi Thompson. On the last day, both Sarah Schmelzel and Xiyu Lin were outstanding, and were able to claw their way to third place and a tie for fourth place respectively. Schmelzel shot -8 in the final round, while Lin shot -9 on the last day. 

Source: ESPN.com

Langston Hood

Sports Editor

Winter Olympics Update

The 2022 Winter Olympics, held in Beijing, China, are off to a fast start. The largest highlight for Team USA was Eileen Gu, who won the gold medal in the brand-new freeski big air event. Furthermore, Nathan Chen scored a world record in the short program figure skating event. Although other competitors must still skate, Chen’s performance makes it overwhelmingly likely that he will receive a gold medal in the short program. Meanwhile, Shoma Uno and Yuma Kagiyama stood out in their short programs. With many more events still to come, the Winter Olympics is shaping up to be extremely competitive! 

Source: ESPN.com

NBA All-Star Game

The full NBA All-Star rosters were released on Thursday, Feb. 3. The starters in the game from the Eastern Conference are Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Trae Young. Meanwhile, the starters from the Western Conference are LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins. The All-Star Game will be held in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday, Feb. 20.

Source: NBA.com

Leona Maguire Wins LPGA Tournament

Italian golfer Leona Maguire captured victory in the LPGA Drive On Championship on Saturday, Feb. 5. Maguire ran away with the title, as her score of -18 was three strokes ahead of second-place Lexi Thompson. On the last day, both Sarah Schmelzel and Xiyu Lin were outstanding, and were able to claw their way to third place and a tie for fourth place respectively. Schmelzel shot -8 in the final round, while Lin shot -9 on the last day. 

Source: ESPN.com

Langston Hood

Sports Editor

Super Bowl Matchup Set

This year’s NFL Championship weekend was symbolic of the entire playoffs, which were full of jaw-dropping plays and tightly-contested games. The AFC Championship featured a terrific comeback by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, who overcame a 21-3 deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime 27-24. In the NFC Championship, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams came back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17. Super Bowl LVI will feature the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Feb. 13. 

Source: NFL.com

Ashleigh Barty Wins Australian Open

Ashleigh Barty, the number one ranked women’s tennis player in the world, emerged victorious in the Australian Open. Barty was dominant in the final match against the twenty-seventh ranked American tennis player Danielle Collins, as she did not lose a single set. With this victory, Barty became the first Aussie to win the Australian Open women’s singles title since 1978 and also captured her third Grand Slam title. Barty continues to establish herself as one of, if not the best, women’s tennis players in the world. 

Source: CBS Sports

The GOAT Retiring

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced in an Instagram post that he is retiring from the National Football League. Brady, who just completed his 22nd season in the NFL, is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, which is the most for a player in the history of the league. Widely considered as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady also holds the record for career touchdown passes and passing yards. Congratulations to Tom Brady, the GOAT, for a fantastic career!

Source: ESPN.com