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Word first began to spread that Cincinnati’s Mike Bohn was USC’s top choice to lead its athletic department on Nov. 1, 2019.
Celebratory announcements often follow such leaks, but USC President Carol Folt did not officially announce Bohn’s appointment until Nov. 7.
It was a particularly awkward pause for Bohn, who waited in a Los Angeles hotel while USC conducted a final round of reference calls. Multiple sources granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the search told The Times the school was double-checking the background vetting of TurnkeyZRG, the executive search firm it hired to conduct its two-month hunt for a new athletic director.
Whatever new information USC learned about Bohn, the veteran college athletics administrator with previous stops at Cincinnati, Colorado, San Diego State and Idaho, did not stop the school from hiring him. During his introduction at USC, Folt described Bohn multiple times as a man of integrity.
Less than four years later, the Trojans are once again looking for an athletic director after Bohn’s abrupt resignation on May 19.
Bohn resigned shortly after The Times sent him and USC detailed questions about internal criticism of Bohn’s management of the department and unprofessional conduct dating back to his tenure as Cincinnati’s athletic director.
Turnkey spoke with more than two dozen references as part of its process, according to a source with knowledge of the search not authorized to speak publicly. But there were others working closely with Bohn at Cincinnati who could have provided a more complete picture.
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LAKERS
From Dan Woike: The Lakers have waived center Mo Bamba and guard Shaquille Harrison, the team announced Thursday. They are likely to decline the team option on Malik Beasley’s contract, creating a way for the team to potentially use the full mid-level exception once free agency opens Friday, people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.
The moves, which have not been made official, open enough space below the NBA’s tax apron for the Lakers to make a competitive offer to free agents such as Denver’s Bruce Brown or Golden State’s Donte DiVincenzo — both of whom would be in line for less should they re-sign with their teams.
The $10.3 million owed Bamba and the $2.4 million owed Harrison for next season would have become guaranteed after Thursday. The team also had a Thursday deadline to decide on Beasley’s team option of $16.5 million for next season.
Lakers’ free agency: Here’s the latest about how their plans are shaping up
CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: Last fall, three years into a tenure with the Clippers that had yet to produce a championship, All-Star wing Paul George candidly assessed the pressure on his upcoming seasons when he said his “window is shrinking to be a champion.”
Then another season passed without the title the Clippers have yearned.
Now, two months after their season ended in Phoenix in the postseason’s first round, free agency opens across the NBA on Friday.
The Clippers task? Keep that title window open as long as possible while also remaining relevant with the opening of their new Inglewood arena — funded by team owner Steve Ballmer — just one year away.
Given how openly the Clippers have discussed their ambitions to claim the franchise’s first championship, many are watching to see how they will retool for the fifth season of the Kawhi Leonard-George era to make good on those title goals.
DODGERS
From Mike DiGiovanna: Clayton Kershaw said his shoulder got “a little cranky” in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies and that he was diagnosed with inflammation. The Dodgers left-hander received a cortisone injection and remains hopeful that he’ll be able to make at least one more start before the All-Star break.
“I’ve had some shoulder stuff in the past, like three or four years ago, and usually the shots help pretty good,” Kershaw said before Thursday night’s series finale against the Rockies. “So I’m somewhat optimistic that I should be good. But obviously, with the All-Star break coming up, we have some time to potentially shift things around.”
Manager Dave Roberts said the initial plan was for Kershaw, who is 10-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 16 games, to make two more starts at home before the break, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday and the Angels on July 8.
Dodgers rout the Rockies, 14-3
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez voted in as All-Star Game starters
ANGELS
From Sarah Valenzuela: The Angels lost to the Chicago White Sox 9-7 on Thursday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
After the White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Angels responded, tying up the score and pulling ahead between the bottom of the first and second innings on home runs by Mickey Moniak, Mike Moustakas and Hunter Renfroe.
But in the top of the third, the White Sox strung together a series of hits, also capitalizing on two free trips to first on a walk and hit by pitch with Patrick Sandoval on the mound. By the time Sandoval got out of the inning, the White Sox had scored six runs.
Earlier in the day, Mike Trout was voted in as an All-Star game starter, joining Shohei Ohtani.
Nevada teachers’ union launches action to halt public funding for A’s stadium
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams’ secondary, regarded as a potential weak link for the upcoming season, added veteran depth Thursday when the team announced it had agreed to terms with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
Witherspoon joins a secondary that includes cornerbacks Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Robert Rochell, Shaun Jolly and rookie Tre Tomlinson and safeties Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast, Quentin Lake and rookie Jason Taylor II.
Witherspoon, 28, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers the last two seasons after playing four seasons for the San Francisco 49ers.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1909 — Jack Johnson fights Tony Ross to a no decision in 6 rounds at Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh to retain his heavyweight boxing title.
1916 — Amateur Chick Evans Jr. wins the U.S. Open with a record 286 total.
1929 — Bobby Jones beats Al Espinosa by 23 strokes in a 36-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.
1962 — Murle Lindstrom wins the U.S. Women’s Open by two strokes over Jo Anne Prentice and Ruth Jessen.
1965 — The NFL grants Atlanta a franchise.
1975 — Muhammad Ali retains world heavyweight boxing crown by beating Englishman Joe Bugner by unanimous decision.
1978 — Willie McCovey becomes the 12th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs.
1991 — Wimbledon breaks 114 years of tradition by playing on the middle Sunday of the tournament, a move forced by a huge backlog of matches caused by rain earlier in the week.
1991 — Meg Mallon sinks a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to break a tie with Pat Bradley and Ayako Okamoto and win the LPGA Championship.
1993 — NBA Draft: Michigan center Chris Webber first pick by Orlando Magic (traded to Golden State).
1994 — Diego Maradona is kicked out of the World Cup by FIFA for failing a drug test after Argentina’s June 25 victory over Nigeria in Foxboro, Mass.
1994 — Tonya Harding is stripped of her national title and banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. because of her role in an attack on Nancy Kerrigan.
1995 — Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians becomes the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history to reach 3,000 hits when he singles in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins. Murray joins Pete Rose, the career hits leader with 4,256.
1999 — NBA Draft: Duke power forward Elton Brand first pick by Chicago Bulls.
2002 — Ronaldo scores both goals to lead Brazil to a 2-0 victory over Germany for the team’s record fifth World Cup title.
2013 — Inbee Park wins the U.S. Women’s Open for her third straight major this year. Babe Zaharias is the last player to win three straight majors on the calendar, but that was in 1950 when that’s all there were.
2013 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) center Nathan MacKinnon #1 pick by Colorado Avalanche.
2015 — The United States defeat Germany 2-0 in semifinals at Women’s World Cup. Carli Lloyd converts a penalty kick for Team USA and a 1-0 lead. Substitute Kelley O’Hara scores in the 84th minute off a Lloyd cross to seal the U.S. team’s 2-0 victory.
—Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally…
Willie McCovey hits his 500th homer. Watch and listen here. Eddie Murray gets his 3,000th hit. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.