Las Vegas is going to take a chance on hosting major college sporting events. The city is set to bid on nearly a half dozen different NCAA championship events, including women’s basketball. The NCAA will start accepting bids Monday on nearly two dozen sports championships over all three divisions. This is the first year that Las Vegas is eligible to bid after the governing body for college sports indefinitely suspended a ban last year that prevented events from being hosted in states that accept wagers on single games.
Colin Kaepernick is eager to prove he’s good enough to play in the NFL. A person close to Kaepernick told The Associated Press on Friday: “Colin has always been prepared to compete at the highest level and is in the best shape of his life.” The person spoke anonymously because of the confidential nature of discussions with teams. The 31-year-old Kaepernick hasn’t played since 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers. He helped start a wave of protests about social and racial injustice that season by kneeling during the national anthem at games. He drew strong criticism from President Donald Trump. But Trump on Friday told reporters when asked if Kaepernick should play in the NFL: “Only if he’s good enough. I know the owners, I know Bob Kraft. They will do anything they can to win games.”
The end of summer vacation is quickly coming to a close and as a sign to that, high school football practice began last week in Nevada. The Battle Mountain football team got on the field for the first time last Wednesday. The Longhorns are coming off a state semifinal appearance in 2018 and look to be competitive in a wide-open 2A league this year. The JV team opens against White in West Wendover on Aug. 30 and the varsity squad hosts Silver Stage on Sept. 6.
As a student at North Dakota State University in Fargo, Leah Withrow developed an affinity for diamonds — big diamonds that would not fit on one hand. Because of her love for sports and the outdoors, Withrow found a way to combine the two. She became the only full-time female groundskeeper in the Pacific Coast League after the Reno Aces baseball team hired her in January as an assistant. In addition to helping maintain the pristine beauty of the outfield and specifically the infield, she is also part of the crew that meticulously prepares the soccer field for the Reno 1868 FC.
The Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) is an international organization with 1200 chapters in the United States that was founded in 1975 dedicated to reaching cyclists with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Nevada State Rally has been held in Winnemucca at the Events Complex for the past five years, and Ronna Hubbard has been the organizer of the event here since its origin.
First-year University of Nevada head men’s basketball coach Steve Alford has announced his first recruiting class that includes seven players. Joining the Wolf Pack for 2019-20 are forward Robby Robinson, guard Desmond Cambridge, guard Kane Milling, forward Johncarlos Reyes, forward Zane Meeks, forward Warren Washington and guard Gabe Bansuelo. Cambridge, a transfer from Brown, and Washington, a transfer from Oregon State, will sit out this season under NCAA transfer rules. The Pack will also welcome Eric Parrish, who signed with Nevada in November, and Jalen Harris who sat out last year after transferring from Louisiana Tech.
University of Nevada men’s basketball coach Steve Alford has announced eight new additions to his staff. Aubrie Warkentien (director of operations), Irvin Stephens III (academic advisor), Chastity Chov (athletic trainer), Joe Preston (video coordinator), Roman Martinez (graduate assistant), Connor Bush (graduate assistant), Nathan Strong (graduate assistant), and Conrad Chow (graduate assistant) have joined the Wolf Pack for the 2019-20 campaign, Alford’s first as the head coach at Nevada. “We are extremely pleased to be able to add such quality individuals to complete our staff,” Alford said. “They are very important to helping build our culture at Nevada and they have bright futures as members of the Wolf Pack family.”
The high school football season gets underway today (Wednesday), as the Battle Mountain High School football team holds its first practice of the year at 6 p.m.
The annual RPM basketball camp took over the Battle Mountain High School gym last week under the direction of Paul Tremayne, Michael Anderson and Randy Havens. The RPM Basketball Camp provides instruction to 4-12 grade boys and girls teaching them the fundamentals of basketball. The goal is to develop the skills necessary to be successful high school players.
Kyler Murray doesn’t expect to play much next Thursday when the Arizona Cardinals open the preseason at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. And much like first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury, the No. 1 overall pick isn’t giving away hints on how the offense will look. “Whatever we do I know it will be pretty generic, pretty basic, so just get out there and get a feel for the game and let it rip a little bit,” Murray said. A vanilla offense might not be what fans want to see from Kingsbury, known for his “Air Raid” attack at Texas Tech, and Murray, as much of a threat with his legs as his arm. But the process of becoming an NFL quarterback continues for Murray.
Nevada senior linebacker Lucas Weber has earned a selection to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list. This is Weber’s first selection to the preseason watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.”
A pair of Nevada football student-athletes, sophomore Toa Taua and senior Gabe Sewell, have earned spots on watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Chuck Bednarik Award, respectively. This is Taua’s first selection to the watch list for the Maxwell Award, which is presented annually to the college football player of the year. Taua burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors.
The Nevada football team will play at least three day games at Mackay Stadium this fall. The fan-friendly schedule includes four home games before mid-October and concludes with the rivalry game against the Rebels as Nevada will be seeking revenge and possession of the Fremont Cannon. So far, three of Nevada’s home games are set for daytime kickoffs as the Mountain West and its television partners ESPN, CBS Sports, AT&T SportsNet and Stadium are finalizing the league’s broadcast schedule.
UNLV offensive coordinator Barney Cotton is awaiting a heart transplant and will not coach on the field this season. Rebels coach Tony Sanchez says in a news release issued Thursday by the school that the 62-year-old Cotton is in Omaha, Nebraska, and on a waiting list to receive a heart. Cotton is an Omaha native and former University of Nebraska assistant coach. He served as interim head coach for the Cornhuskers in 2014 after Bo Pelini was fired.