YSU standout heads to Liberty

BELOIT — West Branch High School graduate and former Youngstown State women’s basketball standout Sophia Gregory is headed to Conference USA.

The reigning Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year who entered the transfer portal following her sophomore YSU season will join the Liberty University Flames.

Her father, Levi Gregory, posted on Facebook on Thursday that more than 50 schools reached out to Sophia but in the end he wrote that “She wanted a place to grow spiritually and experience new travels in her basketball adventures.”

Liberty University was established in 1971 by televangelist and pastor Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is one of the largest Christian universities in the world boasting a total enrollment of more than 140,000 students.

The Flames women’s basketball program was founded in 1975 and went to NCAA Div. I status in 1988. The Flames have 18 NCAA tournament appearances with the last one coming in 2025. From 1997 to 2006 Liberty made the NCAA tournament 10 straight times.

Last season, Liberty finished in the middle of the pack of Conference USA with an 18-13 overall mark and an 11-7 record in conference. The Flames were eliminated in the second round of the conference tournament by top seed Louisiana Tech.

The Liberty women’s basketball team primarily plays at the 4,000-seat Vines Center. Coach Alexis Sherard will be in his second season as Flames’ coach when play starts up in the fall. Sherard had spent 18 previous seasons as an assistant coach under Carey Green at Liberty.

Youngstown State coach Melissa Jackson reacted to Gregory’s departure, as well as the departure of junior guard Bella Samz and redshirt freshman Ashlynn Van Tassell, on Tuesday when discussing YSU’s plans for next season.

“I will say, definitely disappointed in Sophia’s decision,” Jackson said. “Then Bella and Ashlynn, I think those decisions are the right decisions for them and was fully supportive of those two.”

Gregory averaged 10.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in her final YSU season. She helped the Penguins with 25 games for the first time since 1997-98 in addition to advancing to the Horizon League championship game for the first time in school history.

Red and White game on Saturday

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State football team will play its annual Red-White Spring Football Game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

Admission is free while parking is available in nearby YSU lots for $5. Seating will be in the west stands only.

The game will feature the offense (Red Team) vs. the defense (White Team) in a format that will include a variety of scrimmage-like situations.

The first half will include two 15-minute quarters with normal clock procedures. The second half will have a continuous 20-minute running clock.

Warmups will begin at 10:10 a.m. Saturday.

Harden chases ring

CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden has amassed many accomplishments during his career, which will likely include a place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

However, Harden still has a glaring omission on his resume — a championship ring.

Harden sees his midseason trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers as his best opportunity yet for a postseason run culminating in an NBA title.

“It’s the truth. That’s why I’m here,” Harden said about the narrative of doing everything but winning a championship.

The Cavaliers open the NBA playoffs on Saturday when they host the Toronto Raptors. Harden has 90 playoff wins, second among players who have not won a championship. Karl Malone is atop the list with 98, but Harden could surpass him if Cleveland reaches the Eastern Conference finals.

Harden has played in 173 postseason games, third among players who haven’t won a championship. Malone is at 193, and John Stockton is next with 182.

The closest Harden has come to a championship was when Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat in five games. He reached the Western Conference finals with the Houston Rockets in 2015 and ’18, only to be knocked out by the Golden State Warriors.

“Run up against a dynasty, injuries. It’s a part of the game, though. … I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back. It’s a part of it. It’s life,” Harden said. ‘I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our life that just didn’t go our way and feel bad about it, feel sad about it. I don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”

Harden’s last two trips to the postseason were with the Los Angeles Clippers and ended with first-round exits.

The Feb. 4 trade to Cleveland paired Harden with Donovan Mitchell, who also has experienced his share of postseason heartbreak. Mitchell is looking to reach a conference final for the first time in his nine-year career.

Harden is averaging 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in his 26 games with the Cavaliers, who are 19-7 when “The Beard” is in the lineup. He is fourth in the league in assists (8.0), and his 23.6 points were 17th in the regular season. It was also his highest scoring average since 2020-21.

Bronny looks forward to playoffs

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James and Bronny James made NBA history last season when a father and son played together for the first time. They took their family dynamic to another level this season by playing meaningful minutes together and even getting the first father-to-son assist in NBA history.

The James clan has the chance to add another chapter to its family lore this month, thanks to Bronny’s growth into a player that all of the Los Angeles Lakers can trust.

LeBron and Bronny seem likely to play postseason minutes together this month when the Lakers face the Houston Rockets in the first round. The greatest scorer in NBA history and his 21-year-old son have been teammates for nearly two years, but the prospect of accomplishing a new first is still special to both generations.

“It’s insane,” Bronny said Thursday after practice at the Lakers’ training complex. “I mean, I’ve literally watched his whole career. Now I’m a part of it. So it’s a great experience. I’m appreciative of it — but I’m part of the job, too. So I have to do my job as well. I’ve got to lock in.”

Bronny’s playing time has increased over the last month, and he has been a rotation member for the Lakers since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down with injuries two weeks ago.

LeBron takes an obvious fatherly pride in Bronny’s development into a contributor for their short-handed team.

“Every moment we get an opportunity to play together is something I never take for granted,” LeBron said.

“Me being on the floor with him postseason, regular season, training camp, practices, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career, above everything I’ve accomplished,” he added. “The fact that he’s put himself in position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable and pretty cool, given the circumstances that he’s been through over the last couple of years. He earned it. He deserves it. He’ll be ready.”

After playing sporadic NBA minutes during his first 1 1/2 NBA seasons, Bronny has stepped up into a regular role — partly out of necessity with the Lakers’ top two scorers sidelined, but also because he earned more playing time. He has played 13 minutes or more in seven of the Lakers’ past 10 games, averaging 19 minutes over the past four.

That responsibility seems likely to continue in the postseason, since Doncic and Reaves won’t play in Game 1 on Saturday, and there’s no timetable for their return.

Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed he will be using every healthy option while Los Angeles attempts to beat overwhelming odds without its starting backcourt.

“We’re going to have to have all hands on deck in this series,” Redick said. “That’s just what we’re handed. I think Bronny has improved a lot. We trust him. The shooting piece (of his game), I’m a believer in, because of how well he shot it the last two years in the G League. … He’s improved a ton defensively, in terms of his body positioning, both on and off ball. We want him to continue to evolve as a disruptive defender as well.”

Bronny played only four playoff minutes last season during two of the Lakers’ first-round losses to Minnesota, and he acknowledges hasn’t played in many big games during his brief basketball career.

He spent his sole collegiate season at Southern California, but he didn’t suit up for the Trojans until midseason after his recovery from an offseason cardiac incident, and that team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s what I’ve wanted, to play in the playoffs,” Bronny said. “I wasn’t able to play in March (Madness), and this is a bigger stage than that. I’m so excited to get out there with my teammates and try to get some wins and try to make it further in the playoffs.”

If and when they play together this month, Bronny thinks they can connect quickly. After all, he knows LeBron’s game pretty well.

“I don’t want to give all the answers to the test, but I’ve been watching him for a long time, and I’ve kind of picked up on his tendencies,” Bronny said with a grin. “I think it’s good that I’m paying attention during his career and what he likes to do in the postseason. I think we’ll be able to play good together. My IQ isn’t going to be far behind him, but I know what he’s doing and where he likes to get the ball on the floor.”