Free Republic

ODU overcomes scary scene involving teammate in win at Georgia State STATESBORO, GA (WAVY) – Members of the Old Dominion men’s basketball team watched in shock, and many held back tears, as their teammate Imo Essien had to be tended to by training staff from both ODU and Georgia Southern on Saturday. Essien, a sophomore guard, appeared to become weak, then collapsed during play in the first half of the contest. After a few tense moments, Essien, who did not appear to lose consciousness, was helped to his feet and walked off the court with the help of the trainers....

“They [the NCAA] just got a contract from CBS (and TNT), $8.8 billion, and if you are making that, I think you have to share some revenue. You can’t expect people to continue to work for nothing on a false hope of, well this is about education, we are getting you an education, we will feed you. It sounds a little like 400 years ago, like slavery. Stay in your hut. Stay in that little house. We’ll give you some food. You do all of the work. All of it. And I am telling you that I will take care...

NBA joins Everytown in TV ads against gun violence (VIDEO) The NBA is calling for an end to gun violence. The basketball association is teaming up with Everytown for Gun Safety to release a series of public service announcements to be televised during games on Christmas Day, the New York Times reported. The TV spots focus on victims of gun violence, who recount their stories along with NBA players who bring their own unique perspectives.

While local authorities kept mum, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama confirmed Monday that the first lady is in the Willamette Valley this week to visit her brother, Oregon State University basketball coach Craig Robinson. An airplane carrying Michelle Obama — who is Robinson’s younger sister — touched down Monday morning at the Eugene Airport. Semonti Stephens, the first lady’s deputy communications director, said Obama is being accompanied on the trip by one of her two daughters. Stephens said she could not say which of the girls came to Oregon with her mother, or disclose the length of their planned stay....

Final score

Since a gritty little program from Eastern Washington emerged from the obscurity of the West Coast Conference a decade ago and started smacking around bigger programs from better conferences, we've been waiting for a matchup like this. Since Gonzaga matured from the little engine that could, to that super engine that should, we've been waiting to see how it would react to a meeting in late March against North Carolina. That time has come. It's time for Gonzaga to win a game this big against a program this storied. It's time to step up and be the team it was...

Mon July 24, 2006 Mr. Monday: To stay in Seattle, Sonics must win Mr. Monday once parked his caboose in the Pacific Northwest. Just south of Canada, the state of Washington is now sitting on the front porch of Oklahoma's collective sports brain. Those coffee-drinking, dot-commers have the Sonics. For now. Mr. Monday figures the team in the green and gold is on its way east in the next year. Mr. Monday knows these people. Here's their M.O. -- The Left Coasters are the bandwagoniest bandwagoners who ever bandwagoned. They'll only pull their attention away from their plate of smoked...

CHICAGO (AP) -- The moment Antonio Davis dashed up into the stands, everyone was thinking the same thing: another NBA brawl. Yet this was different. Concerned his wife was in trouble, the New York Knicks forward reached her in the seats but remained calm, never took a swing at anybody and willingly walked away when security arrived. Still the scene evoked memories of last season's brawl between fans and Pacers players in Detroit and overshadowed a thrilling finish to a wild game. Ben Gordon hit a jumper at the buzzer and scored 32 points Wednesday night to give the Chicago...