05232019 SPORTS

SPORTS SECTION E

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019

Ayton named to NBA All-Rookie First team

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A

dd another milestone to the list of accolades for a standout rookie season for the

Phoenix Suns.

Ayton was named to the NBA All-Rookie First team, just days after he was named one of three finalists for the 2018-19 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Ayton received 95 of 100 possible votes for the First Team and was joined on the NBA AllRookie First Team by Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Atlanta’s Trae Young, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr and Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley III. The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of the LA Clippers’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet, Cleveland’s Collin Sexton, New York’s Mitchell Robinson and Atlanta’s Kevin Huerter.

The No. 1 overall pick finished his rookie season with averages of 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 blocks on 59 per cent shooting from the field in 71 games - one of the most efficient rookie seasons in league history.

He finished with 39 doubledoubles, a Suns rookie record and No.12 among all players. He also set the Suns’ rookie rebounding record with 729 boards.

His field goal percentage was the third-highest in NBA history by a rookie qualified for the league leaderboard and the highest by a rookie who is averaging a double-double.

“It could’ve been better,” Ayton said of his rookie season.

“I could’ve set the bar pretty high,

SEE PAGE 2

THE Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) continues its mandate of developing the sport and was recognised by the international governing body as one of its fastest growing member federations in the region.

BBF executives attended the FIBA National Federation Development workshop in Miami, Florida, where selected federations discussed approaches to technical direction, grassroots basketball and regional play.

Florian Pasquet, FIBA Americas executive director/FIBA sports and national federations

THE largest class of student athletes is expected to graduate from The University of The Bahamas at commencement today.

“We are excited by the news,” said Kimberley Rolle, the director of athletics.

“At UB we are committed to our student athletes’ progress towards academic achievement. This group represents the hard work of our athletes who put the time in the competition arena and in academics.”

Commencement is set for 4pm today at The Thomas A Robinson National Stadium with 15 student athletes graduating with degrees in education, engineering, biology with chemistry, business, accounting, architecture and culinary arts.

“Here at UB Athletics we believe in character-driven athletes which means we are about building the athletes for the future and also promote academics as a

DUBET NAMED A-10 ALLCONFERENCE SECOND TEAM SELECTION PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) has been named to the NBA All-Rookie First team.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

manager, said the Bahamas has been highlighted as one of the rising stars in the region.

“The Bahamas is well known as a country with huge potential and that’s why we have selected them as part of this programme.

“One of the key reasons to select the federations that have attended this workshop is based on potential and everyone knows that Bahamas basketball has one of the biggest potentials in the region,” Pasquet said.

“The proximity to the United States is an advantage and the skills that the players in the Bahamas have is tremendous. We just feel they need a little

SEE PAGE 2

LARGEST CLASS OF STUDENT ATHLETES TO GRADUATE FROM UB

SEE PAGE 2

BBF executives attend FIBA development workshop

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Pages 4 & 5

SHOWN (l-r) are John Marc Nutt, BBF public relations, Mario Bowleg, BBF president, Horacio Muratore, FIBA president, LaToya Silver, BBF assistant secretary general, Jurelle Mullings, BBF secretary general, and Steve Barnes, BBF technical director.

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net COLE Dubet’s senior season has been the most productive of his NCAA baseball career and the St Louis Billikens infielder was honoured by the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Dubet was named an A-10 All-Conference Second Team selection for the St Louis Billikens.

The four-year starter hit .324 this season and was tied for the team lead with seven home runs. For his career, Dubet has played in a total of 214 games for the Billikens, good for fifth all-time.

The Billikens are currently in the midst of the conference tournament and faced elimination last night against Rhode Island.

Results were unavailable up to press time last night.

St Louis, the No. 7-seed in the bracket, lost its first game 2-0 against No.2 seed Davidson at Fordham

SEE PAGE 2

PAGE 2, Thursday, May 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

BBF EXECUTIVES ATTEND FIBA DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FROM PAGE 1

SHOWN - Front Row - Ashley Oembler (Athletics); Vanessa McBride (Women’s Volleyball), Ducheley Ricard (Men’s Soccer), Ramon Dames (Men’s Basketball), Garneisha Lewis (Women’s Volleyball), Yurick Dean (Athletics), Kristoff Wood (Men’s Soccer); Second row: Desmondo Bootle (Judo), Justin Munroe (Men’s Basketball), Amber Ford (Athletics), Leander Gardiner (Athletics), Ethan McKenzie (Men’s Basketball). Missing are Stuart Hanna (Men’s Soccer), Justin Smith (Men’s Basketball & Men’s Soccer).

Largest class of student athletes to graduate from UB

FROM PAGE 1 focus for the athletes,” Rolle added. “With these student athletes graduating we are showing these are important principles for us here at UB.

Ayton named to NBA All-Rookie First team FROM PAGE 1 but it is what it is. I learned from it. Total different beast next season.” Ayton posted the highest field goal percentage ever by a rookie who averaged a double-double and it was also the highest field goal percentage ever by a rookie who averaged at least 15 points.

Ayton’s best performance of the season came on December 29 against Denver when he posted career highs of 33 points, 10 offensive rebounds (14 total) and four steals, shooting 16-of-20 from the field. He set a Suns franchise record for most field goals in a quarter and a Suns rookie record for points in a quarter, scoring 24 points on 12-of-13 shooting in the second quarter of that game.

While he continues to recover from the season, Ayton said he has kept an eye on the NBA playoffs.

“Offseason has been pretty good. Starting up not too hard, but easing back into it. “ It’s fun, but I’m super sore right now,” Ayton said.

“I’m watching it here and there, but I’m watching (for film). I’m not really watching it for entertainment. I’m watching the stuff I can take away what certain guys’ bread and butter every time in the playoffs.

“Yeah, it’s World War III as you guys can tell, especially in the West. So it’s amazing. The refs are letting us play.”

Ayton also recently represented the Suns at the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, Illinois.

The Suns own the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Ayton’s recent honour also coincided with a new era in Suns basketball as the team introduced Monty Williams as its new head coach. “[Suns owner Robert Sarver] said he’s a great guy,” Ayton said.

“I’m just going to roll with that, pick his brain a little bit and when it’s all said and done, he’s here in Phoenix. Work out with him and see what he got. I know he’s got a lot for me.”

Williams has said he planned to structure his offence around Ayton and guard Devin Booker.

“Sounds good,” Ayton said. “It’s a different beast over here. We’re trying to start something totally different up in the city. Everything has got to bring the same thing to the table.”

Williams had a nine-year NBA playing career before he

transitioned to the coaching ranks.

He served as an assistant head coach with the Portland Trailblazers (2005-10) and Philadelphia 76ers (2018-19), an associate head coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2015-16) and a five-year stint (2010-15) as the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets/ Pelicans.

“The culture has to take a leap this summer,” Williams said.

“We can’t wait until October to take a leap in culture. It’s going to require our guys to embrace the little things.

“It’ll be a war of attrition this summer. Showing up on time, working hard, defending, sharing the ball, and having a high care factor are things that I believe allow you to build a culture. If you have a culture, then you can deal with the on-court stuff.”

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push to take off and I was delighted to interact with their representatives about the different technical elements that are so important for development.”

The Bahamas has been one of the leaders in the region, producing a number of NCAA Division I players, a head coach in Yolett McPhee-McCuin and highlighted by NBA stars Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton.

The Bahamas also had impressive performances at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships, Centrobasket and other regional events.

“We have many established federations in our region but also many others knocking at the door ready to take that next step and be potential powerhouses. I believe the Bahamas has a great chance to exist above those big monster programmes,” Pasquet said.

“Everybody believes in the Bahamas federation to bring the game to a different level. We just need to push the issue, to help the federation get some structure in place so we can develop basketball to a sustainable and well-organised manner.”

Recently elected BBF president Mario Bowleg said the platform for his administration pledges to guide basketball in the country to unprecedented heights both at the local and international levels.

“This has been a very interesting, informative workshop. It allows us to improve our programmes in the Bahamas. It’s been so powerful, I’m certain it will impact the administration and help us to move basketball to a more professional level,” Bowleg said.

“The relationship with FIBA has grown, they have moved closer to us and they see the potential of what we can do. One thing that they have said is that we have a passion for the game, a love for the game and they can see where we want to do some things to move basketball to the next level. What they want to do is to help us get there.”

A major segment of the workshop focused on the role of technical directors.

Steve Barnes currently serves in that role for the BBF. “My role as technical director is a lot larger than I realised. It’s a position of leadership that’s not about telling people what to do but to teach and get a better understanding of what needs to be done. It’s about learning from everyone in the federation on what we can do better to improve Bahamas basketball,” Barnes said.

“It really defines roles so now it’s a lot of implementation and continuing to get better. You can really see a lot of growth in Bahamas basketball in the last few years and we see that trend continuing,” he added.

Cole Dubet named A-10 All-Conference Second Team Selection FROM PAGE 1 University’s Houlihan Park. During his stellar senior season, Dubet was name A-10 Conference Player of the Week on May 13.

In three games against the George Mason Patriots, Dubet went 10-15 (.667) with two home runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored. He had 19 total bases in the series.

On his senior day on Sunday, Dubet tied a school single-game record with five hits. He finished the afternoon 5-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and four runs scored.

Dubet appeared in 52 games this season, all of which were starts. He

COLE DUBET collected 70 hits (second on the team) with a .323 average, with 14 doubles, seven home runs, drove in 37 RBI (third on the team), and scored 36 runs. He a .360 OBP, .493 slugging

percentage and a fielding percentage of .975.

As a junior, Dubet played in and started 57 games. He hit previous career highs of .303 average and five home runs.

In his sophomore season, Dubet made 44 starts, hit .274 with nine doubles and three home runs and won his first A-10 Player of the Week award.

As a freshman, he stepped right into a starting role for the Billikens and hit .240 and finished fourth on the team with 11 doubles. He was Named A-10 Rookie of the Week in February.

Defensively, he finished with 149 assists with nine errors and a .963 fielding percentage.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 23, 2019, PAGE 3

THE GOLDEN State Warriors players pose with the Western Conference Championship trophy after Game 4 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in Portland, Oregon. The Warriors won 119-117 in overtime.

(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

Warriors get another long break before NBA Finals

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer AND now, they wait.

Again.

The Golden State Warriors have gotten used to going to the NBA Finals, and their win in Portland on Monday night clinched their fifth consecutive trip.

They’ve also gotten used to waiting for those finals to begin, with long layoffs after the Western Conference finals having become their norm.

By the time Game 1 of the NBA Finals arrives in either Milwaukee or Toronto on May 30, it’ll be a 10-day gap between games for the Warriors.

It’s not the longest in NBA history, but it matches the length of the break that the Warriors handled in 2017, and this marks the third time in this five-year run of finals trips that they’ve had at least a week off.

“Happy to get a little rest before we have to play again,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

It is much-needed rest, too.

The Warriors clinched the series in Portland without Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala — all sidelined by injuries.

There’s no way of knowing yet if Durant and Cousins will be back in time for the finals, either. Plenty of other Warriors are dealing with bumps and bruises as well.

Accruing rust is always a major concern during days without games, but the Warriors surely feel the obvious advantage — rest — outweighs any drawbacks right now — especially after they were stretched to seven games by Houston last year in the West finals and only had two days off before the NBA Finals.

“We definitely want to get our guys healthy,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said.

“We need to get Andre back healthy, DeMarcus and Kevin. We need those guys going into the finals.

That’s our hope, that we can get all three of those guys back moving forward.”

Down by 17 with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter at Portland, the easiest thing for the Warriors would have been to let off the gas and try to clinch the series at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night.

Instead, they turned a 95-78 deficit into a 119-117 overtime win — outscoring the Blazers 41-22 in the final 19 minutes of the game.

“We could have said Game 5 was our game,” Warriors star Stephen Curry said. “But we saw how long that break was going to be and we wanted to take advantage of it.”

It’s a long break, for certain. But it’s not a record-setting one.

The longest gap between the conference finals and NBA Finals came in 1982, when the Los Angeles Lakers sat around for 12 days before beginning their series against Philadelphia.

“The players are bored and just want to play,” thenLakers coach Pat Riley said on the eve of that series.

“It’s been so long since we played, I just hope we remember how.”

They did remember: The Lakers won Game 1, and ultimately prevailed in six games.

The Warriors’ layoff this season marks the 26th time that a team will have at least a week before the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals — and if Milwaukee wins the next two games of the East title matchup, the Bucks would get added to the list as well.

GOLDEN State Warriors guard Stephen Curry holds his son Canon as he walks off the court after Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers Monday in Portland, Oregon. ABOVE - Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after making a basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half. (AP Photos) The earliest that the Bucks could oust Toronto and win the East is Thursday; the finals start the following Thursday.

Teams with at least a oneweek gap before Game 1 of the NBA Finals are 14-11 in the series.

“The NBA Finals have an experience with it — it’s such an emotional

roller-coaster,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said.

“It’s nice to get away from the game a little bit before it starts, because emotions run high and it takes a lot out of you.”

The long break certainly beats the alternative — no days off at all.

In 1960 and 1961, the St Louis Hawks earned their

trip to the NBA Finals with home wins in Game 7 of what was then called the Western Division finals.

The Hawks would play the Boston Celtics in both of those title series — and got zero days rest before the finals. They’d win Game 7 at home, get on a plane and get to Boston to start the NBA Finals the very

next day. Both times, they got blown out in Game 1.

Both times, they would lose the series as well.

“Tiredness was St. Louis’ ‘out’ in this one,” Celtics coach Red Auerbach said after the Game 1 win in 1961.

For the Warriors, at least that won’t be an issue this year.

PAGE 4, Thursday, May 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

SPAIN’s Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Austria’s Dominic Thiem during the men’s final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on June 10, 2018.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

FRENCH OPEN ‘19: Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep to defend titles PARIS (AP) — A glance at the French Open, the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament: SURFACE Red clay courts SITE Roland Garros in Paris SCHEDULE The 15-day tournament begins Sunday. The women’s singles final is Saturday, June 8; the men’s singles final is Sunday, June 9.

Like at Wimbledon, there are no night sessions.

2018 MEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION Rafael Nadal of Spain 2018 WOMEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION Simona Halep of Romania LAST YEAR Nadal became the first man to win 11 championships at one Grand Slam tournament, beating firsttime major finalist Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

That raised Nadal’s major trophy haul to 17, second only to Federer’s 20 among men.

Halep won her first Grand Slam title following three losses in major finals, coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

LOOK WHO’S BACK Roger Federer returns to the French Open for the first time since 2015. He missed the 2016 tournament because of back issues, ending his record streak of 65 consecutive appearances at major tournaments. He also sat out Paris in 2017 and 2018, when he skipped the entire European claycourt circuit, instead opting to prepare for Wimbledon.

ROMANIA’s Simona Halep holds the trophy as she celebrates after defeating against Sloane Stephens, of the United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the finals of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on June 9, 2018.

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) STREAKS Novak Djokovic is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title in a row; Naomi Osaka is bidding for her third straight.

Djokovic already held all four major trophies simultaneously in 2016, becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to do so.

FINAL SETS The French Open is now the only Grand Slam tournament that will continue to eschew final-set tiebreakers — fifth sets for men; third sets for women — and let singles matches continue until someone wins by two games. The Australian Open and Wimbledon are eliminating the

possibility of never-ending final sets this year; until 2019, the U.S. Open was the only major with a last-set tiebreaker.

NEW COURT The tournament has added an arena that will be its third largest, with a seating capacity of 5,000: Court Simonne Mathieu.

It is semi-sunken and surrounded by four greenhouses with tropical plants.

KEY STATISTIC 24 — Margaret Court’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles; that’s one more than Serena Williams’ mark for the professional era, which began in 1968.

PRIZE MONEY Total: About 42.5 million euros (about $48 million).

Men’s and women’s singles champions: 2.3 million euros each (about $2.6 million).

Men’s and women’s doubles champions: 580,000 euros each pair (about $650,000).

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 23, 2019, PAGE 5

Serena tries again for her 24th major

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

WOMEN to watch at the French Open, where play begins Sunday: NAOMI OSAKA Ranked: 1 Country: Japan Age: 21 2019 Match Record: 19-5 2019 Singles Titles: 1 Career Singles Titles: 3 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 — Australian Open (2019), U.S. Open (2018) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-Lost in 3rd Round, 2017-1st, 2016-3rd, 2015Did Not Play, 2014-DNP Aces: After going only 5-4 on clay last year, heads to Paris with a 7-1 mark on the surface in 2019. ... Withdrew with injuries from tournaments in Stuttgart (abdominal muscle) and Rome (thumb).

Topspin: Big hitting carried her to two Grand Slam titles in a row on hard courts. Clay presents different challenges.

SIMONA HALEP Ranked: 3 Country: Romania Age: 27 2019 Match Record: 23-8 2019 Singles Titles: 0 Career Singles Titles: 18 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 — French Open (2018) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-Won Championship, 2017-Runner-Up, 2016-4th, 2015-2nd, 2014-RU Aces: Among the WTA’s top 10 in break points converted and first-serve percentage in 2019. ...

Pulled out of Italian Open with hamstring problem, but said she was sure she’d be OK for Paris.

Topspin: Tries to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time. Her movement and defense-to-offense skills have carried her to three of the past five finals at Roland Garros.

KIKI BERTENS Ranked: 4 Country: Netherlands Age: 27 2019 Match Record: 26-10 2019 Singles Titles: 2 Career Singles Titles: 9 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0 — Best: SF, French Open (2016) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-3rd, 2017-2nd, 2016SF, 2015-1st, 2014-4th Aces: Ranks in the tour’s top two in aces and service points won this season. ... Hit 20 aces in one match. ... At past three clay events, went semifinals-title-semifinals.

Topspin: Has the game and the confidence to go far in Paris. Many in tennis think she is ready to play well deep into the second week at a major tournament.

PETRA KVITOVA Ranked: 6 Country: Czech Republic Age: 29 2019 Match Record: 28-8 2019 Singles Titles: 2 Career Singles Titles: 27 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 2 — Wimbledon (2011, 2014) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-3rd, 2017-2nd, 20163rd, 2015-4th, 2014-3rd Aces: Pulled out of Rome with a left calf issue. ... Is third on tour in aces this year, but also has hit by far the most double-faults.

Topspin: Since getting to the 2012 semifinals at Roland Garros, only has been past the third round once. Her strong lefty strokes and recent form on clay could mean that changes this year.

SLOANE STEPHENS Ranked: 7 Country: United States Age: 26 2019 Match Record: 14-9 2019 Singles Titles: 0 Career Singles Titles: 6 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (2017) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-RU, 2017-DNP, 20163rd, 2015-4th, 2014-4th

SERENA WILLIAMS, of the United States, returns a shot against Germany’s Julia Georges during their third round match at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on June 2, 2018.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

ASH BARTY, of Australia, hits a backhand shot to Kiki Bertens, of the Netherlands, during their women’s singles semi-final match at the Sydney International tournament on January 11.

(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

NETHERLANDS’ Kiki Bertens returns the ball to Germany’s Angelique Kerber during their third round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris June 2, 2018.

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

SLOANE STEPHENS, of the United States, returns a shot against Romania’s Simona Halep in the finals of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on June 9, 2018.

(AP Photo/Michel Euler) Aces: Recently hired coach Sven Groeneveld, who has worked with such past French Open champions as Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic.

Topspin: Run to last year’s final in Paris showed that Stephens is capable of winning a Grand Slam championship on clay to go with her hard-court title from the U.S. Open.

ASH BARTY Ranked: 8 Country: Australia Age: 23 2019 Match Record: 24-5 2019 Singles Titles: 1 Career Singles Titles: 4 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0 — Best: QF, Australian Open (2019) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-2nd, 2017-1st, 2016DNP, 2015-DNP, 2014-1st Aces: After going 1-6 against top-10 opponents in 2018, she is 6-4 in those matches in 2019. ... Played cricket while away from the tour for nearly two years after the 2014 U.S. Open.

Topspin: After major breakthroughs at the Australian Open in January and when she collected the title at the Miami Open in March, seems poised to show big improvement on her 2-5 career record at the French Open.

SERENA WILLIAMS Ranked: 10 Country: United States Age: 37 2019 Match Record: 7-2 2019 Singles Titles: 0 Career Singles Titles: 72 Grand Slam Singles Titles: 23 — French Open (2002, 2013, 2015), Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017), Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016), U.S. Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) Last 5 French Opens: 2018-4th, 2017-DNP, 2016RU, 2015-W, 2014-2nd Aces: Back in the top 10 this year after dropping out of the top 400 while away from the tour to have a baby. ... After missing about 1½ years of majors, reached two Grand Slam finals in 2018. ... Pulled out of last two tournaments because of injured left knee.

Topspin: Comes to Paris with only one clay-court match since last year’s French Open.

There’s also uncertainty about the status of her knee.

So while she’s always considered a favorite, no matter the site or surface, when she is healthy, it is hard to know what to expect from her this time around.

PETRA KVITOVA, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot against Paraguay’s Veronica Cepede Royg during their first round match at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on May 28, 2018.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

JAPAN’s Naomi Osaka returns a shot against Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas during their second round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, on May 30, 2018.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 23, 2019, PAGE 7

NFL COMMITTEE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO TWEAK INTERFERENCE RULE

By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer KEY BISCAYNE, Florida (AP) — NFL owners gave the competition committee the go-ahead yesterday to decide whether to refine the new rule allowing replay challenges involving pass interference.

The proposed tweak would take the decision on whether to review in the final two minutes of each half out of the hands of the officials. Reviews in the final two minutes would instead require a coach’s challenge.

Owners voted to hold the NFL draft in Cleveland in 2021, the 75th anniversary of the Browns, and in Kansas City in 2023.

The league said it delayed choosing a site for 2022 because about 20 cities are interested in hosting that year.

Regarding pass interference, the league fears too many stoppages of play in the closing minutes if those reviews are left up to the officials. A decision on whether to require a coach’s challenge in the final two minutes will come after the competition committee consults with coaches next month.

Owners voted in March to allow pass interference calls or non-calls to be challenged by coaches and reviewed via replay as a one-year experiment.

Under the rule adopted then, in the final two

minutes only officials in the booth can stop the game for reviews involving pass interference, as is the case with other reviewable plays.

The competition committee may also exempt Hail Mary passes so they’re not reviewable.

That change would require coming up with a formal definition of a Hail Mary.

“We really don’t want our games to end on a review,” said Atlanta Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay, a member of the committee.

A proposed rule change requiring each team to have one possession in overtime was tabled for lack of support.

The change was pushed by the Chiefs, who lost last season’s AFC championship game without getting the ball in overtime because the Patriots won the toss, received the kickoff and scored a touchdown.

There’s some support among owners to change the overtime rule in the postseason only, football operations chief Troy Vincent said. The league is expected to revisit the subject next year.

The 2021 draft is the latest major sports event landed by Cleveland.

“It’s a big, big deal for our area, one of the founding areas of the NFL,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said.

Cleveland will also host this year’s MLB All-Star Game, the 2022 NBA AllStar Game and the 2024

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during the NFL football owners meeting yesterday in Key Biscayne, Florida.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Las Vegas hosts next year’s NFL draft.

On other issues: – Owners voted to eliminate the so-called Oklahoma drill and similar drills that involve especially violent one-on-one contact and have historically been popular early in training camp. A study found one of every five concussions during an NFL season occurs in the first two weeks of camp.

“We saw a certain area at the beginning of training camp where we felt could make greater improvement,” Commissioner

Roger Goodell said, “and I think removing some of these drills across all 32 teams is the right way to do that. We also believe by prohibiting some of these drills, that will happen at the college and high school and youth football levels, which we believe should happen.”

The ban follows an examination of data and practice video with coaches, general managers and former players.

“I think some of the coaches were a little defensive at the start, and probably the biggest advocates at the end,” McKay said.

– Marijuana for pain management will be studied by a new committee of medical experts appointed by the league and players union as part of an effort to address player health.

Marijuana is banned by the league.

“There are a lot of alternative pain medications and treatments,” Goodell said. “Those are the types of things we want this committee to focus on. One of those is what role medical marijuana can have.”

– Goodell said the NFL will wait to decide the status of suspended Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill, who is the subject of a domestic

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 68° F/20° C

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Breezy with some sun; a p.m. shower

A shower early; partly cloudy

Sunshine, breezy and pleasant

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92°-74° F

91°-77° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

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almanac

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ABACO

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N

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

10-20 knots

S

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 73° F/23° C

8-16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 77° F/25° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

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uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 93° F/34° C Low: 72° F/22° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 70° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 77° F/25° C

7-14 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 85° F/29° C Last year’s low ................................... 77° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ............................................... 10.64” Normal year to date ..................................... 7.85”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 74° F/23° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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KEY WEST

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 77° F/25° C

violence investigation.

“We will not interfere with that,” Goodell said. “We will obviously be cooperative with whatever the court wants. We are prepared to have an interview whenever we have the permission to do so, and then we’ll make a determination.”

– League officials also announced that the NFL’s annual scouting combine will continue to be held in Indianapolis, though it will be moving many of the workout drills to the afternoon and prime time in hopes of expanding the television audience. Those drills have traditionally been held in the morning and afternoon.

Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote on Twitter that after 2021, there will be a series of one-year options to keep the combine in Indy.

– Sunday divisional playoff games will now start at 3pm and 6:30pm EST to match the starting times for the conference title games the next Sunday. The idea is to increase ratings.

– Assistant and positional coaches in the NFL and college have been invited to attend a coaching summit June 24-25 in Atlanta as part of an effort to strengthen the coaching and personnel development pipeline.

– The league said more than 800 youth football summer camps and activities will be hosted this year by current players, former players, coaches and teams.

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

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S

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8-16 knots

S

8-16 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

11:58 a.m.

-----

2.1 -----

6:06 a.m.

5:58 p.m.

0.1 0.2

Friday

12:20 a.m.

12:49 p.m.

2.7 2.1

6:54 a.m.

6:48 p.m.

0.3 0.5

Saturday

1:09 a.m.

1:42 p.m.

2.5 2.0

7:44 a.m.

7:42 p.m.

0.4 0.6

Sunday

2:00 a.m.

2:38 p.m.

2.4 2.1

8:34 a.m.

8:40 p.m.

0.5 0.7

Monday

2:52 a.m.

3:33 p.m.

2.3 2.2

9:24 a.m.

9:39 p.m.

0.5 0.7

Tuesday

3:45 a.m.

4:25 p.m.

2.3 2.3

10:12 a.m. 0.4 10:36 p.m. 0.7

Wednesday 4:35 a.m.

5:13 p.m.

2.3 2.5

10:56 a.m. 0.3 11:29 p.m. 0.5

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:22 a.m.

7:51 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

none 10:27 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

May 26

Jun. 3

Jun. 10

Jun. 17

CAT ISLAND

E

W

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

N

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 82° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

H

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8-16 knots

8-16 knots

L

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 79° F 82° F 82° F 79° F 79° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 80° F 80° F 81° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 81° F 81° F