Head coach Kevin O'Connell named Murray the Week 1 starting QB over J.J. McCarthy on Tuesday

The NBA is starting off with a bang on opening night on Oct. 20 when LeBron James makes his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.It will be a celebration in New York City as the Knicks will be raising their NBA championship banner before the nationally-televised game.As you could imagine, the amount of attention and interest on that game will be massive as the new-look 76ers, who also added Jaylen Brown this summer, visit their Atlantic Division rivals. It will be the Knicks first home game since Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which ended with OG Anunoby's winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds to complete a 29-point comeback.According to Gametime, the current get-in price for a ticket to see the Sixers-Knicks game is $2,127. Thats a vast difference compared to the two other games on the opening day of the 2026-27 NBA season. The Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons lists a $195 get-in price, while the Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs matchup is currently $450.The other notable announcement on Tuesday was the Christmas Day rematch of the NBA Finals with the Spurs visiting the Knicks. That tilt is currently drawing the highest get-in price of the day with a price of $767.Also on Christmas, LeBron James facing off against his son, Bronny, and his old team, the Los Angeles Lakers, shows a get-in price of $712, the second-highest of the day. The Thunder at the Minnesota Timberwolves ($302), Miami Heat at Celtics ($265) and Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors ($221) round of the get-in prices for the holiday slate.

The defending OHSAA girls basketball Division I state champions are seeking a new head coach for the 2026-27 season.Jeremey Finn has stepped down from his position effective immediately.Finn has accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Wittenberg womens basketball program, according to Fairmont athletic director Chris Weaver.Finn had been the head coach at Fairmont for seven seasons and compiled a 124-42 overall record. He led Fairmont to its first undefeated season in school history during its 2025-26 campaign in which the Firebirds won the OHSAA Division I state championship. They beat Princeton 61-55 in overtime at UD Arena.Finn won multiple OPSMA D-I Coach of the Year awards with Fairmont and coached several players that went on to play collegiately, including Ms. Basketball winner and McDonalds All-American Maddy Westbeld.Weaver said a search for a new coach is already underway. The school hopes to have a new coach named by the end of August.Fairmont is losing six seniors, as well as one of its star juniors, from its 2026 state championship team.

The defending OHSAA girls basketball Division I state champions are seeking a new head coach for the 2026-27 season.Jeremey Finn has stepped down from his position effective immediately.Finn has accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Wittenberg womens basketball program, according to Fairmont athletic director Chris Weaver.Finn had been the head coach at Fairmont for seven seasons and compiled a 124-42 overall record. He led Fairmont to its first undefeated season in school history during its 2025-26 campaign in which the Firebirds won the OHSAA Division I state championship. They beat Princeton 61-55 in overtime at UD Arena.Finn won multiple OPSMA D-I Coach of the Year awards with Fairmont and coached several players that went on to play collegiately, including Ms. Basketball winner and McDonalds All-American Maddy Westbeld.Weaver said a search for a new coach is already underway. The school hopes to have a new coach named by the end of August.Fairmont is losing six seniors, as well as one of its star juniors, from its 2026 state championship team.

Duan Jansen, twin brother of South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen, has earned his maiden senior call-up and could make his international debut during South Africas upcoming white-ball tour of Namibia.The 15-member squad, led by experienced spinner Bjorn Fortuin, will play a T20I tri-series involving Namibia and Zimbabwe before taking on Namibia in a historic three-match ODI series.Duan Jansen gets his chanceThe T20I tri-series will be played in Windhoek from August 28 to September 6, followed by three ODIs against Namibia from September 9 to 13. The ODI series will be the first bilateral 50-over contest between the two neighbouring countries.Duans selection comes after an impressive 2025/26 domestic season. He was named Division 1 One Day Cup Player of the Year and played a key role in helping the Titans win the title, scoring an unbeaten 61 in the final against the Lions.Eathan Bosch is the other uncapped T20I player, while Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann and Nqobani Mokoena have received their first ODI call-ups.Weve selected one squad for both series as we feel we have all departments well covered and it provides a great opportunity for players to build on their international caps. We saw glimpses of what Connor and Nqobani can offer during the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year. It was unfortunate that Jordan picked up an injury in the opening match of that series, so were looking forward to seeing him get another opportunity at this level.South Africa look to build depthCoach Shukri Conrad said using the same squad for both formats would give the players greater continuity and valuable international exposure. Nationally contracted players Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and Kwena Maphaka will provide additional experience.This tour has also opened the door for players who have performed domestically. Duan is one of those players. He is a quality all-rounder who has also shown great character for the Titans. Bjorn is an experienced player and proven leader who has successfully captained the Lions, and we have every confidence in his ability to lead this group. It is always exciting to play against our neighbouring countries, and the first-ever ODI series between South Africa and Namibia adds further significance, especially as we build towards next years World Cup, he added.South Africa are scheduled to leave Johannesburg for Windhoek on August 25.

The New Orleans Saints might not have planned to rely heavily on Jeremiah Wright immediately. However, as training camp has progressed, injuries appear to be accelerating the rookie right guard's development. The Saints lost veteran lineman Dillon Radunz for the season after he suffered a torn ACL in practice. The injury removed an experienced and versatile reserve from the equation, creating an opportunity for Wright to earn meaningful snaps earlier than initially anticipated. The Saints selected the 6-foot-5, 331-pound Wright with pick No. 132 overall in April's draft. After missing a couple of practices himself, the former Auburn Tigers starter returned to the field on Tuesday and immediately caught head coach Kellen Moore's attention.Good player, physical player, Moore Moore told local reporters after practice on Tuesday. I thought today, getting back in there, he showed the same physicality that he showed early in camp.Moore expects Wright to receive extensive work during the Saints' upcoming joint practices and preseason games. Those reps will give the coaching staff a better indication of whether he's prepared to contribute once the regular season begins: I love what hes doing right now, and hes playing some really good football.Wright said he'll be prepared whenever that opportunity arrives. He pointed to his work with veteran guard David Edwards as an important part of refining his technique and learning how to use his natural power.Sometimes Im an aggressive guy, so I can overdo it, Wright said on Tuesday. But with him, its just being under control controlled aggression and getting to my spot.The physical tools aren't in question for Wright. Moore said the next step will be playing clean, consistent football "down after down," particularly as the speed and intricacies of NFL defenses increase. Wright isn't guaranteed an immediate role, but the Saints' circumstances have moved his development into the spotlight. With Radunz unavailable and several important evaluation periods approaching, the Saints could need their fourth-round pick to be ready sooner than expected.This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints need 'controlled aggression' from rookie guard Jeremiah Wright

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New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan's hamstring injury could linger into the regular season, coach Kellen Moore said Tuesday. "Well take time and kind of evaluate where Cams at and see how it looks here through training camp," Moore added. Jordan's injury occurred Thursday, before he traveled to Canton, Ohio, to attend former teammate Drew Brees' Pro Football Hall of Fame induction over the weekend. The 37-year-old Jordan has been remarkably durable since the Saints made him a first-round draft choice in 2011. Jordan has missed just two of 245 career regular-season games. He entered this past offseason as a free agent before agreeing to a one-year contract with the hope of remaining in New Orleans for his entire career. While Jordan has said this season could be his last, he would not rule out playing in 2027 if he felt good physically, believed he could be effective and a team wanted him. Moore said the Saints training staff intended to "have some patience" with Jordan's injury, "let it take its course, and we'll collect more and more information as we go." While Jordan started all 17 games last season and led the team in sacks with 10 1/2, he played little more than half of New Orleans' defensive snaps, down considerably from the bulk of his career, when his snap count ranged from 70% in 2023 to as high as 93% in 2014 and 2017. New Orleans has several players vying for playing time on the edge this season, including Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Anfernee Jennings, Tyree Wilson and Fadil Diggs. "We certainly feel good about our depth at that position," Moore said. "We've got some really talented players on the edge and view that as a strength of our football team. We're going to need multiple guys to play throughout the season no matter what." NOTES: The Saints lost an additional defensive lineman during practice when veteran tackle Davon Godchaux rolled an ankle. Moore said he was awaiting details on the severity of that injury. Reporting by The Associated Press.

The Minnesota Vikings are fully committed to the Kyler Murray experiment. The Vikings didnt want to hand the job to Murray. They wanted him to earn it, and apparently, thats what he did in these first few weeks of training camp now set to start the season as QB1 in coach Kevin OConnells system. Murray beat out J.J. McCarthy, the 2024 10th-overall pick whose development has been startlingly minimal. And while he enjoyed the best training camp of his career, McCarthy couldnt edge out Murray. The QB competition ended how everyone expected. Even in March, when Murray signed with Minnesota, everyone could see this decision coming. Even safety Josh Metellus remembered that moment fondly. "Man, I loved it," Metellus told me last week at Vikings camp. "Kyler's a guy we've game planned for a couple times, and I know how much hell that was to not only game plan but to actually play against him. So to get a guy like that on your team, it only elevates your team. We're trying to be the best team in the National Football League." Theyll have to start with fighting to be the No. 1 team in the NFC North, a deep division that saw the Vikings finish third last season. But theres no denying this offenses potential. OConnell earned his clout as a QB whisperer by elevating Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold into next-level seasons. Now, hell have the opportunity to do the same with Murray. The former No. 1 overall pick may be far removed from his sensational 2020 season (3,971 passing yards, 26 passing TDs; 819 rushing yards, 11 TDs), but Murray is 29 years old and not yet out of his prime. The Cardinals parted ways with him this offseason deciding to go a new direction at QB. But that doesn't mean Murray can't resurface with a little help from O'Connell. As soon as Murray stepped into the offense, running back Aaron Jones admitted Murrays skills were different. Unique. Special. "The way he's able to speed up his arm and make throws," Jones told me last week. "If he sees something and he wants to get it there, you can see him, in real time, speed up his arm. I don't know if that's the baseball a little bit or what it is, but you can see him speed it up and get it there. I haven't seen that often, where it comes out and it's coming with zip, but somebody who can speed up their arm. So that was kind of new for me to see." This season will be new for everyone. For Murray. For OConnell. For the entire Vikings offense. The whole experiment with Murray is that the Vikings will do what the Cardinals could not. Minnesota will make football easy for Murray. In Arizona, the QB labored to win games. He made sensational plays but not often enough. Too regularly, he made game-wrecking mistakes. He injured himself doing everything for his offense. And it seemed like Murray finished his career with the Cardinals feeling that he had to do it all by himself. Thats not the case for the Vikings. Heres what passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown said about what he wants from his starting quarterback. "Don't feel like you have to put your Superman cape on and win this specific down for us. You're not going to win one game with one throw," he told me, adding later, "Kevin's an unbelievable play-caller, and so I tell these guys all the time: you got really great play-makers around you. You got a really great play-caller and good scheme, and so just play the law of averages. If it's not there, the next one might be. If that one's not there, the next one might be. Just play to that and protect the football." Under OConnell, the Vikings have never had a quarterback who is as mobile as Murray. Thats what he brings to the table thatll require OConnell to think differently about his system. Murray, however, hasnt had to take a step back. To remove the ego from the equation. And let his system, his coaches and his teammates take over. But there are millions of reasons why Murray, a former No. 1 overall pick, sees now as his chance to humble himself. He's standing on a razor-thin edge at this phase of his career. He has to succeed or risk irrelevance. If he's looking for an example, he needs only look at teammate Carson Wentz, who was once the King of Philly and who is now one of the backups for Minnesota. "I was with a team [the Eagles] for so long that I thought it was going forever," Wentz, a former No. 2 overall pick, told me. "And then I got kind of shipped out, so to speak, kind of like he was in a little bit. Just starting over. If anybody knows how that goes, I know what hes been through. I feel like I understand him. We're very different people with different interests off the field and all that. But it's been fun, just the little time we've had so far working together, get to know him, the quiet competitor that he is; I think he's done a good job." This is the chance for Murray and OConnell to get their grooves back. Their desperation and talent make them a hard duo to bet against.