SPORT

Lakers guard Luka Doncic was voted as a Western Conference starter for the NBA’s All-Star team, becoming the 15th player in NBA history to earn six All-Star selections before the age of 27.

Doncic, who received his fifth starting nod, leads the league in scoring (33.3), is fourth in assists (8.6), is making 46.4% of his shots and is hitting 33.7% of his three pointers.

He received the most votes of the All-Stars with 3,402,967.

The other West starters are Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.

The Eastern Conference starters are Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received the most votes in the East and the second-most in the league (3,218, 390); Boston’s Jaylen Brown; New York’s Jalen Brunson; Detroit’s Cade Cummingham; and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey.

The All-Stars were selected by fans, players and media votes with obligation to fill specific positions on each roster.

Lakers forward LeBron James was not voted as a starter, but he still has a chance to be a reserve when the NBA coaches pick the reserves later this month.

James has been named an All-Star team starter an NBA-record 21 times, eight times as a Laker.

Lakers forward Lebron James looks across the arena during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28 at Crypto.com Arena.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

He missed the first 14 games of the season recovering from a sciatica injury, but has been playing at a high level since his return.

James is averaging 22.6 points per game, 6.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds in his NBA-record 23rd season.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves had been playing at an All-Star level, averaging career-high in points (26.6) points, assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2) and his shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from three-point range, but he has missed the 12 games with a left calf strain.

The All-Star Game will be played at the Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome, on Feb. 15. It no longer will feature an East versus West matchup.

The new format will be a three-team tournament that will feature two U.S. teams and one world team from the total of 24 players selected.

The U.S. will have 16 players and the world will have eight, of which Doncic will be on because he is from Slovenia.

The teams then play a round-robin of 12-minute games, with the top two teams advancing to the final 12-minute championship game.

Rather bizarrely, the role of Northern Ireland Women’s manager is being advertised on the football recruitment agency Football Careers, external, which suggests the IFA do not currently have someone lined up to take over.

The job specification says the ideal candidate would be based in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland and “will be tasked with inspiring and preparing elite players to compete on the international stage while shaping the future of women’s football”.

They must also “lead the senior women’s team in the next phase of its development and build on recent progress”.

What is not mentioned, is the fact that given the short lead in time to their first competitive game, the chosen candidate will be tasked with hitting the ground running.

That is easier said than done, especially in international football and with a squad that had an average age of 24.8 in their previous game against Iceland in October, whose domestic based players have not played since last year.

NI have qualifiers against Switzerland, Malta and Turkiye home and away in March, April and May.

Qualifying for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil in 2027, follows the same format as the Nations League.

Only the four group winners in League A will automatically qualify for the finals, with the remaining teams having to go through the play-offs for the remaining eight places.

For NI to earn a play-off they must avoid finishing bottom of their group.

Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of last year’s Euros, Malta held NI to a 0-0 at Windsor in Euro 2025 qualifying, while Turkiye are unbeaten in their last five games.

Playing against the Swiss away first, arguably the strongest team in the group, will be a real baptism of fire for the next manager.

The new boss will be without top goalscorer and captain Simone Magill for this campaign as she is expecting her first child.

They will therefore be tasked with choosing a captain in the interim as well as quickly getting up to speed with the pool of players available and deciding who could replace Magill.

The next manager may also have to lean on the experience of Under-17 and Under-19 manager Gail Redmond for a rundown on the players and the state of the game in NI.

They will have just a week at most on the pitch to prepare players before the Switzerland game, so clear communication will be key and implementing grander tactical ideas may have to wait until further down the line.

Analysis by BBC NFL reporter Ben Collins

McDermott ended an 18-year play-off drought in his first season with Buffalo and helped them become post-season regulars, but the Kansas City Chiefs proved to be his nemesis.

The Chiefs have knocked the Bills out of the play-offs in four of the past five seasons, on the way to establishing a dynasty that produced three Super Bowl wins.

With the Chiefs failing to make this season’s play-offs – along with AFC rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati – the path was supposedly clear for McDermott to lead the Bills to their first Super Bowl since losing four straight from 1991 to 1994.

But while this was McDermott’s best chance yet, the Bills’ roster was their weakest since Allen was drafted in 2018, and it was relying too much on the NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player to keep producing moments of individual magic.

The re-emergence of New England meant the Bills relinquished the AFC East title so had to settle for a wildcard spot and go on the road in the play-offs.

And despite winning at Jacksonville on Wildcard Weekend, they came unstuck in the Divisional Round at Denver.

Buffalo became just the fourth team to win a play-off game in six straight seasons. A telling fact for McDermott is that the other three teams all claimed three Super Bowl wins during those runs.

He and Allen, on the other hand, have the unwanted records of winning the most play-off games by a head coach and quarterback (eight) without reaching the NFL’s title decider.

At 29, time is still on Allen’s side. The Bills are about to move into a new stadium and some high-profile coaches have come available in the latest hiring cycle.

So the team felt that by acting now, it allows a new coach to rebuild the roster and gives Allen the best chance of leading Buffalo into a new era that finally delivers a Super Bowl win.

At least one member of the club’s executive team has actively raised the option of ending Frank’s reign in recent weeks.

Spurs are 14th in the Premier League, having won just seven of their 22 games this season, and large sections of the supporters seem to have already lost faith in the former Brentford boss.

He was taunted by his own fans with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at the weekend, but Frank believes he can win back the supporters’ faith.

“As long as we win football matches and make sure we win enough of them, everyone will support us,” he said.

“It is not about me. It is about supporting the team, the players.”

Frank added he only has 11 outfield players from the usual first-team squad available for the match against Dortmund.

He said: “We need everyone to support us from minute one. Especially the team, especially the players. If we get that support, anything can happen. Magic can happen.”

Tottenham are 11th in the Champions League and a win against Dortmund is vital to continue their hopes of qualifying automatically for the knockout stages.

Scotland’s Paul Foster and Alex Marshall have become World Indoor Bowls pairs champions together for the fifth time.

They defeated compatriots and two-time winners Stuart Anderson and Darren Burnett 11-5 12-7 in a final between four players who have all won the world singles title.

It is Foster and Marshall’s first pairs title since 2019 and leaves them one behind England’s Tony Allcock and David Bryant, who won it six times between 1986 and 1992.

Asked about their continuing success, Foster told BBC Sport: “My hunger will not change and Alex is the same.

“Age is just a number and I’m just delighted to win this again.

“Stuart and Darren probably didn’t play as well as they can, but their record is formidable.”

Marshall, who has now won the pairs seven times to his partner’s six, paid tribute to Foster, saying he was “absolutely phenomenal”.

Anderson had been given a fright earlier in the day before winning his first-round singles game 2-1 against fellow Scotsman Martyn Rice but was not using that as excuse for his pairs defeat.

Burnett, meanwhile, said of Foster and Marshall, “they were exceptional”.

All four pairs finalists are through to the second round of the singles.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The Clippers continue to seek out stories from residents in Los Angeles County about what basketball has meant to them. They are awarding free outside basketball hoops in celebration of the NBA All-Star Game coming to Intuit Dome on Feb. 15.

The stories

People in Los Angeles are telling their stories to the Clippers about what basketball has meant to them.

“Having a basketball hoop would mean so much to me because it would help honor my dad and keep our memories alive. In 2021, when I was just 8 years old, my dad lost his battle to kidney disease while waiting for a kidney transplant. His passing changed my life forever, but basketball has helped me stay connected to him. Basketball has always been a huge part of my family, and my dad is the reason I play today. He introduced me to the game, supported me every step of the way, and was a huge Los Angeles Clippers fan.”

—

“A new hoop will make a huge difference for my family as both my 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter are actively participating in recreational and club basketball leagues. Our current backboard is cracked and glued back and the supporting base has multiple huge cracks, the days are numbered for my current hoop. Both my wife and I are recently laid off from our jobs, getting a new hoop is not within our budget. I also coach both my son and daughter for their respective teams, it would mean a lot if we are able to practice together with the new hoop at our home and basketball truly means family bonding time for us. Basketball is a way for me to teach my kids skills and life lessons as a parent and a coach, and I wish that they can continue to learn from me for as long as I’m able to teach them.”

—

“On January 7th, our family lost our home and all of our belongings in the Eaton Fire. It has been a long and emotional journey, but our home is finally close to being rebuilt. As we work on creating a fresh start, we are focusing on bringing joy and togetherness back into our lives. One of the things I look forward to most is spending time with my grandkids when they come to visit. Having a Clippers basketball hoop would give us a special place to play, bond, and create new memories after everything we have been through.”

—

“My name is Dominic, and I am 10 years old. When I was 2 years old, I was placed in the foster care system. I stayed in different homes until I was 7, and that was also the year I moved in with my grandparents as a foster child. It was a hard time in my life, especially because that was also the year my father passed away. When I was 7, I also discovered something that changed everything for me — basketball. I started playing to help me deal with stress and to take my mind off the things that hurt me the most. Whenever I’m on the court, I feel free. I feel strong. I feel like myself. I’ve been playing basketball from the age of 7 until now, and it has become a huge part of my life. I’m really inspired by my coaches at Obergon Park, Los Angeles County Park, where I play every season. The fee to play is low, and without that, I probably wouldn’t have had this chance. My coaches believe in me so much, and that pushes me to keep going and keep getting better. Basketball has helped me grow, stay focused, and stay positive. That’s why getting a basketball hoop would mean a lot to me. It would give me a chance to practice more, get stronger, and keep doing something that helps me every single day.”

The Clippers are hoping to give out 5,600 outside hoops and there’s plenty left, so tell your stories here.

Boys basketball

Devin Wright drives to the basket during his 23-point effort against Mira Costa on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

It’s a big week ahead in boys basketball. Harvard-Westlake (21-2) faces two challenging Mission League games, first at No. 1 Sierra Canyon on Wednesday (good luck on getting a ticket), then hosting Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Saturday.

Redondo Union took control of the Bay League title race by routing rival Mira Costa behind Devin Wright. Here’s the report. Wright had a big weekend, also scoring 31 points in a win over JSerra.

Calabasas came away with a double overtime win over Oaks Christian on a three at the buzzer by Noah Simon. It was the first Marmonte League loss to Oaks Christian since the 2023-24 season.

NaVorro Bowman of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame goes up for shot against St. Francis.

(Craig Weston)

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame turned up the defensive pressure and blew out St. Francis 71-48 by containing 7-foot-4 center Cherif Milloga. Here’s the report.

After watching Notre Dame players push, grab and pull Milloga all night with the officials doing little to stop them, the question becomes: Why is a 7-4 center being treated differently than a 6-8 or smaller center? Fouls would have been called if Notre Dame’s aggressive defenders were using the same tactics against smaller players. Officials are going to need to study long and hard how to deal with Milloga if St. Francis makes the playoffs.

Notre Dame’s Josiah Nance, left, and St. Francis’ Cherif Millogo battle for position in the paint during a recent game.

(Craig Weston)

There’s nothing in the rulebook that says to treat 7-4 centers differently and let the defenders batter him. And the Mission League tournament will be an interesting test case to see if things change. At least Milloga learned a lesson. He was called for three offensive fouls showing his frustration with the physicality of the defense.

Crossroads has moved into position to be the Gold Coast League favorite with wins over Brentwood and Windward. The addition of Shalen Sheppard from Brentwood has been big, and now Mater Dei transfer Evan Willis is back from an injury. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the 56-46 win over Windward.

Rodney Westmoreland of Santa Margarita made a crazy, off-balance three at the buzzer to give Santa Margarita a three-point win over JSerra.

Cleveland continues to look like the team to beat in West Valley League basketball. Here’s the report. And watch out for Cleveland sophomore Sho Evans, who’s beginning to hit threes.

Servite failed in its attempt to end a 51-game Trinity League losing streak, falling to Orange Lutheran.

Grayson Coleman of Milken is averaging 23 points and has scored 29 and 30 points in his last two games.

Jack Levey scored 40 points, making 11 of 13 threes, in a win over Westchester.

The annual Nike Extravaganza will be held at Mater Dei on Friday and Saturday.

The late David Greenwood had his jersey retired by Verbum Dei on Friday night.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Girls basketball

A trip back east for the Hoophall Classic didn’t go well for Ontario Christian and Sierra Canyon, both of whom were beaten respectively by East Coast powers Bishop McNamara from Maryland and Long Island Lutheran from New York. It was Ontario Christian’s first defeat after 21 consecutive wins and Sierra Canyon suffered only its second defeat. Kaleena Smith had 25 points for Ontario Christian and Jerzy Robinson scored 33 points for Sierra Canyon.

Mater Dei won its game on Friday at the Hoophall Classic.

There’s a big one-day tournament at Rosary on Monday. Here’s the report.

The big upset of the week was Santa Margarita knocking off JSerra in a Trinity League game.

Here’s the top 20 rankings in Southern California.

Soccer

In a key City Section girls’ soccer match, Cleveland and Granada Hills fought to a 1-1 tie. Cleveland remains the City title favorite. El Camino Real came through with a 1-0 win over Granada Hills on a goal by Jordyn Kogan, the daughter of ECR boys coach Ian Kogan.

No. 1-ranked Santa Margarita (13-0) will have its unbeaten record challenged by Mater Dei on Monday.

Cathedral (11-2-2) showed that it intends to win the Del Rey League this season after a 6-1 blitz of defending champion Bishop Amat.. Then the Phantoms played rival Salesian to a 0-0 tie.

Carson’s Marco Cruz scored three goals in the Colts’ 3-2 win over San Pedro.

The first CIF state soccer championships will be held March 13-14 in Sacramento. There will be five divisions for boys and five for girls. It will be held the same time as the basketball championship. A big problem is that the state cup for boys club teams begins on March 14, and that will create issues for several players.

Chris Fields III gets ready

Carson quarterback Chris Fields III, the City Section offensive player of the year, is already preparing for 2026.

(Craig Weston)

Quarterback Chris Fields III, the City Section offensive player of the year, is already preparing for the 2026 season by trying to get faster and stronger.

Here’s the report.

JV teams can be for development

Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita is a former JV player committed to Oregon State.

(Nick Koza)

There’s not many schools left that use their junior varsity basketball teams for development, but there are plenty of success stories.

Three of the stars from this season — Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita, Pierce Thompson of Harvard-Westlake and Isaiah Williamson of Los Alamitios — started out as freshmen on their JV team.

Here’s a look at how schools are using JV teams for development _ sometimes.

Notes . . . .

Long Beach Poly grad Travon Patterson has been hired as the school’s new football coach. He was hired as receivers coach three years ago. He also played for USC. . . .

St. Bernard has become the latest private school looking for a new football coach. There’s been openings at Bishop Montgomery, Bishop Alemany, JSerra, St. Paul and St. Francis. . . .

Joe Podzimek is the new softball coach at Bishop Montgomery. . . .

A high school basketball player in Arizona scored 100 points in a game. Here’s the report. . . .

New UCLA football coach Bob Chesney and several of his assistants were at Mater Dei on Thursday for the opening of off-season drills, a sign the Bruins are no longer going to allow the school’s top athletes to pick USC without competition. They also visited St. John Bosco, Bellflower and Orange Lutheran last week, among other schools . . .

Pete Smolin is the new football coach at Don Lugo. . . .

Aaryn Washington, a junior cornerback at Mater Dei committed to USC, announced he will play his senior season for IMG Academy in Florida. . . .

Jake Brande, a 6-foot-7 pitcher at Palm Desert committed to Cal Poly, has transferred to Rancho Christian after the family decided to move to Temecula following the death of his brother, Johnny, from cancer.

The high school football transfer portal continues to gain momentum.

From the archives: Coleman Shelton

Los Angeles Rams center Coleman Shelton.

(Terrance Williams / Associated Press)

Former Loyola High offensive lineman Coleman Shelton has been one of the unsung heroes for the Rams playing center and helping Matthew Stafford have an MVP-like season. He was at Washington for five years and went undrafted in 2018. He’s been in the NFL since signing as a free agent and won a Super Bowl with the Rams.

Here’s a story from 2012 when he was a 6-foot-4, 280-pound high school player.

Here’s a story from 2021 explaining Shelton’s background.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on the rising prices to participate in youth sports.

From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, a story on former Taft coach Derrick Taylor getting Blair into the Rio Hondo League title hunt.

From KTLA, a story on how San Juan Hills football coach Robert Frith had his life saved by an off duty fire fighter.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a story on a star high school football player in San Diego who says “almost the whole Trinity League” tried to recruit him.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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Hugo Keenan will not see action for Leinster United Rugby Championship game against Connacht in Galway on Saturday [17:30 GMT] but the news is positive for the Ireland international, who is battling back from injury.

Keenan scored the winning try for the British and Irish Lions in their second Test against Australia to seal the series win last summer and underwent hip surgery upon his return home.

The 29-year-old full-back has yet to feature for club or country since, but has stepped up his on-field training with Leinster alongside Jamie Osbourne, who has been out with a shoulder injury sustained during Ireland’s win over Japan in November.

Both are close to a return to action, which will be good news for Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, who is due to announce his squad for the Six Nations on Wednesday ahead of the opening game away to France on 5 February.

Elsewhere, Ciaran Frawley and Jack Conan will be available this week as they return to training, while Jimmy O’Brien (hamstring), Robbie Henshaw (knee), Tommy O’Brien (calf) and Tadhg Furlong (calf) will be assessed late in the week.

There are no further updates on Ryan Baird, Jordan Larmour, Paddy McCarthy, Andrew Porter and Rabah Slimani.

Like Swiatek, Gauff also had issues with her serve in the first round as she committed seven double faults against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova.

Three of those came in the opening game, but Gauff said it was “smooth sailing from there”.

“I think I just erased that first game, and then after that I was better,” she said following the 6-2 6-3 win – her 75th Grand Slam match-win.

The two-time major singles winner added: “I tried not to put too much pressure on myself. I am only satisfied if I win, but I am proud of myself regardless of how I get on.”

Gauff, 21, will face Olga Danilovic next after the Serb defeated 45-year-old Venus Williams on Sunday.

American fourth seed Anisimova, meanwhile, needed just 60 minutes to beat Switzerland’s Simona Waltert 6-3 6-2 and underline her title credentials.

After runs to the US Open and Wimbledon final last season, Anisimova is one of the favourites go all the way in Melbourne, but she insisted she was focusing on improving as a player rather than a third successive Grand Slam final.

Fellow American Pegula, the sixth seed, also impressed with a 66-minute 6-2 6-1 victory over Russian Anastasia Zakharova.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva – another title contender – found herself a set down in her first-round tie against Croatia’s Donna Vekic, but the eighth seed rallied in set two and won the decider 6-0, winning 25 of the 32 points on offer.

The Rams advanced to the NFC championship game with a 20-17 overtime victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The win sets up a rematch between the Rams and Seattle Seahawks, a team they beat — and lost to — during the regular season. If the Rams defeat the Seahawks, they will advance to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8.

The independent minor leagues are baseball’s laboratories.

Pitch clocks? The robot umpires coming to the major leagues this year? The home run derby used to settle ties, as seen in last year’s All-Star Game? All first tested in an independent league.

Some concepts are hits. Some are flops.

The experiment to watch this year is almost spiritual in nature: Can professional baseball make starting pitching great again?

Baseball’s obsession with velocity has dampened the soul of the sport. The marquee pitching matchup is an endangered species. The oohs and aahs over a 100-mph pitch have been replaced by yawns.

The potential solution, or at least a piece of one, is evident in this job description:

The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent league based in Michigan, is recruiting for the position of “primary starting pitcher.”

The language is intentional. In today’s major leagues, a starting pitcher generally is selected, trained and deployed to throw as hard as he can for as long as he can. Five innings is perfectly acceptable, with a parade of harder-throwing reinforcements in the bullpen.

What the USPBL plans for a primary starting pitcher: “Build the ability to pitch deep into games.”

That used to be self-evident for a starting pitcher, but no longer. Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned into Sandy Koufax last October, with back-to-back complete games during the Dodgers’ championship run.

However, in the regular season, the Dodgers did not throw a complete game, and neither did 12 other teams. The Dodgers’ starters averaged 4.85 innings per game; no team averaged even six innings.

In 2025, three major league pitchers threw 200 innings. In 2010, 45 did.

“Being able to get more Mark Buehrles or Cliff Lees back into the fold would be good for the game,” said Justin Orenduff, a 2004 Dodgers first-round draft pick and now the USPBL executive director of baseball strategy and development.

Buehrle, a five-time All-Star, and Lee, a four-time All-Star, each featured precision rather than power.

Lee, twice a Game 1 World Series starter, did not average 92 mph on his fastball but pitched 200 innings eight times. Buerhle, whose average fastball did not top 90 mph, pitched 200 innings for 14 consecutive years.

Neither might be drafted today. Major league teams crave velocity, and young pitchers train to boost it. The number of players throwing at least 95 mph at the Perfect Game national showcase increased sevenfold from 2014 to 2024, according to a report from Major League Baseball.

The average MLB fastball rose from 91 mph in 2008 to 94 mph in 2024, the report said.

“Velocity is the No. 1 predictor of success,” Billy Eppler, then the Angels’ general manager, told me in 2018.

Velocity also is associated with an increased risk of injury. Teams have implemented well-intentioned measures — pitch counts, innings limits, more rest between appearances — that have not mitigated the risks and might well have led to more injuries.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga prepares to pitch in the bullpen

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

Kyle Boddy, the founder of Driveline, the seminal program for velocity training, said a hard-throwing pitcher is not going to manage his velocity on an inflexible pitch count.

“If he goes 60 or 70 pitches, he’s going to sit 100,” Boddy told Baseball America. “He’s not stupid. And if we tell him, ‘There’s no limits on you,’ but we keep taking him out after 70 pitches every time, he’s going to realize what’s going on.

“If he can’t control the volume, the one lever he can control is the intensity. I personally think that’s worse for his arm, going max effort for shorter stints.”

That ultimately works against developing starting pitchers capable of delivering six innings, the MLB report said.

“Modern workload management strategies — ostensibly intended to prevent overuse, protect pitcher health, and maximize pitcher effectiveness — may actually increase injury risk by allowing and even incentivizing pitchers to throw with maximum effort on every pitch,” the report said, “rather than requiring pitchers to conserve energy and pace themselves in an effort to pitch through longer outings.”

Not only does throwing harder increase the risk of injury, the MLB report said, but the resulting parade of strikeouts runs “counter to contact-oriented approaches that create more balls in play and result in the type of on-field action that fans want to see.”

In the independent Atlantic League, the league has run several years of testing on a “double hook” rule: when a team removes its starting pitcher, it loses its designated hitter. That would incentivize a major league team to use its starter for six or seven innings instead of four or five, but it would not solve the underlying problem: What if the starting pitcher cannot work six or seven innings?

That is where Orenduff and the USPBL come in.

Dillon Chapa from the Westside Woolly Mammoths gets set to pitch in a USPBL game last season.

(Courtesy of the USPBL)

Every general manager says he would love a rotation of five 200-inning starters, if only he could find them. They cannot offer on-the-job training in the majors, lest their team find itself at a competitive disadvantage.

In an independent league, Orenduff need not worry about that. Tough matchup with the bases loaded in the fourth inning? Third time through the order in the sixth inning? Pitch through it.

“It’s not going to be that quick pull,” he said.

This is not about leaving a starting pitcher out there to get crushed just to pitch through it. This is about shaking off the shackles of those one-size-fits-all limitations.

“You basically want to start by showing fans and the industry, for example, that 100 pitches is just a number,” he said. “It’s completely arbitrary.

“Some guys may be able to go 110, 120. We want to be able to show that the game can still produce players that are successful on the mound, most importantly, but are capable of going beyond the fifth inning and beyond 100 pitches if the expectation and the leadership and the structure are there to support it.”

The USPBL will have pretty much the same technology as major league teams do, to measure spin rates and recovery rates and every other rate. If you can maintain command and velocity, if you can get outs without max effort on every pitch, and if you can bounce back between innings and between starts, you may be able to be that primary starting pitcher.

Frankly, Orenduff says, all the velocity in the world cannot help your team if you cannot pitch.

“That has to be a metric too: sustainability and availability,” he said.

He conducted a study evaluating each team’s top three pitching draft picks since 2013. With the caveats that some pitchers were traded and some prospects still are developing, Orenduff found that three in four of those top drafted pitchers never have pitched for the major league team that drafted them, at a combined cost to the 30 MLB teams of $800 million in signing bonuses.

“We just have to have some sort of proof we can help more players have longer careers by being a little more flexible in how we frame things for them,” Orenduff said.

Here’s hoping the USPBL can discover some training methods that major league teams can use. Better that than listening to a major league manager with a 13-man pitching staff say after a game that he ran out of pitchers, as we too often hear. Can you imagine what Tommy Lasorda would have to say about that?

Northampton: Ramm; Todaro, Freeman, Dingwall (capt), Sleightholme; Belleau, Mitchell; Iyogun, Smith, Davison, Munga, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Graham, Pollock.

Replacements: Wright, Fischetti, Millar-Mills, Lockett, Chick, McParland, Pater, Hendy.

Scarlets: J Davies; Mee, James, Hawkins, Murray; Costelow, Hughes; Mathias, Elias, Thomas, Douglas, Ball, Plumtree, Macleod (capt), Anderson.

Replacements: Van der Merwe, Hepburn, O’Connor, Taylor, Davis, G Davies, Page, Lewis.

Sin-bin: Mathias (35 mins)

Bristol: Rees-Zammit; Heward, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ravouvou; Jordan, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Kloska, Rubiolo, Batley, S Grondona, Harding (capt), Mata.

Replacements: Thacker, Lahiff, Halliwell, Owen, B Grondona, Marmion, Worsley, Moroni.

Bordeaux: Buros; Penaud, Depoortere, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Page-Relo; Poirot, Lamothe (capt), Sadie, Palu, Coleman, Du Preez, Woki, Matiu.

Replacements: Sa, Boniface, Tameifuna, Cazeaux, Vergnes-Taillefer, Carbery, Janse van Rensburg, Rayasi.

They say “a picture is worth a thousand words,” so the photo of St. Francis standout golfer Jaden Soong and 7-foot-4 classmate Cherif Millogo might one day be worth thousands of dollars.

Soong, a sophomore, won the CIF state golf championship as a freshman. There’s little doubt he’s destined to be on the PGA Tour.

Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis in 2024.

(SCGA)

Millogo, a junior, is a rising basketball prospect. USC just offered him a scholarship.

Millogo used to play soccer, so there’s little doubt Soong could teach him to play golf — if he could find clubs long enough for him.

Basketball coach Todd Wolfson, who’s 6-8, might be able to loan him his.

“One day I wish to be as tall as Cherif and as good in golf as Jaden is,” Wolfson said.

Soong is playing in junior tournaments right now and probably won’t join his high school team until March.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

There are high school basketball players, and even parents, who cringe when a coach says, “You’re playing with the junior varsity.”

Yes, times have changed. The days of varsity programs using JV teams to build up their programs are largely gone. Freshmen with potential end up playing varsity. Others are put on frosh-sophomore teams trying to develop chemistry with other freshmen. The attitude of players and parents alike is: Playing JV isn’t cool.

But those looking to be developed and perhaps get better when their inevitable growth spurt kicks in are missing out on what JV basketball is really for — player development.

It seems to have worked out for three varsity standouts this season who started out on their school’s JV team: Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita, Pierce Thompson of Harvard-Westlake and Isaiah Williamson of Los Alamitos. Fortunately, a little patience by everyone involved gave them the time and opportunity to wait for their bodies to mature and the rest is history. All three will one day be playing college basketball.

Anderson was 6-foot-3 as a freshman. He had a growth spurt, and this season is listed at 6-9. He and his family embraced the idea of learning to play on JV. Now he’s committed to Oregon State and is starring on the No. 4-ranked team in the Southland as a senior.

“My parents were athletes in college,” Anderson said. “They knew with time I’d get better.”

Thompson was a JV guard his freshman year and unlikely to contribute on varsity with many guards ahead of him in the program. Under less pressure, he was a standout. This season as a junior, his defensive prowess and three-point shooting make him the next top Harvard-Westlake guard following in the footsteps of Trent Perry.

Williamson had the family background to play on varsity as a freshman. His brother, Issac, was a star guard for state champion Eastvale Roosevelt. But Los Alamitos was loaded with seniors on varsity, so the decision was made to be patient and have him play on the JV team. This season as a sophomore, he has blossomed into an outstanding prospect from the class of 2028. He’s a 6-4 left-hander who can score from a variety of spots on the court.

Sophomore Isaiah Williamson of Los Alamitos was a JV player last season.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

One program that still believes in using the JV team to develop its players is Harvard-Westlake and coach David Rebibo. He has five exceptional freshmen on a JV team this season that is 24-0. They have embraced their journey of preparing to play varsity next season.

Freshman Dekoda Ray has led Harvard-Westlake’s unbeaten JV basketball team.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Dekoda Ray, a 6-3 freshman guard, could play varsity for many programs, but he and his parents huddled and decided a year on JV would be good for his development.

“We felt we have to trust the process,” Ray said. “Don’t play your game like you’re playing JV’s. Play like you’re playing for something greater.”

Rebibo said “transparency” is the only way to communicate with parents and players.

“We want kids who want to be on varsity,” he said. “But there’s an understanding we have to do what’s in the best interest of their development and playing behind four senior guards doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to play. We’re very honest.”

The five freshmen on JV will be heard from in the coming years: Ray, 6-7 Nairobi Ebi, 6-5 Jackson Thomas, 6-1 Max Paquin and 6-5 Nathan Kashper. Most will move up to varsity for the playoffs and they practiced with the varsity in the fall.

Another program that believes in JV teams as a training ground is St. John Bosco and coach Matt Dunn.

“Proudly,” Dunn said.

He lets everyone know that 11 St. John Bosco players who have gone on to play college basketball started out on JV.

The JV team is an environment for learning. If you make a mistake, a coach isn’t going to immediately put you on the bench like they do on varsity. Also not every 14-year-old is ready socially to play with 19-year-olds on varsity.

Anderson reminds everyone in the end, it doesn’t matter what team you start out on as a freshman.

“The work you put in will always win,” he said.

Pundits discussing Manchester United “can talk on the television” but “no-one says anything” to your face, according to defender Lisandro Martinez.

Martinez, 27, helped United to an impressive 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City on Saturday, shackling striker Erling Haaland as the Red Devils kept just their third Premier League clean sheet of a disappointing campaign.

After sacking Ruben Amorim and putting Under-18s boss Darren Fletcher in charge for two games, the result gave Michael Carrick a dream start as United’s new interim head coach.

Before the derby, Martinez was on the receiving end of jibes from former Red Devils midfielders Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.

Butt said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast that Haaland would “pick Martinez up and run with him” and treat the Argentine like a “little toddler”, while Scholes suggested the Norway forward would “throw him in the net” after scoring.

Asked about Scholes’ comment, Martinez said: “Honestly, he can say whatever he wants. I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants. To my house, wherever. I don’t care.

“And I think for me, I respect the relations when they want to help the club because everyone can talk on the television, but when you see [them] here face to face, no-one says anything in your face.

“So for me, I don’t really care what they say. I just put the focus on my performance, the performance of the team and I give everything to this club until my last day.”

Jordan Chiles delivered her first career perfect 10 on the vault, helping the No. 9 UCLA women’s gymnastics team defeat Nebraska during its home opener at packed Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

Her vault featured a double twisting Yurchenko — a roundoff onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vault and a layout somersault with two full twists before landing. Given the power required to execute the somersault and twists, it is often difficult to stick the landing required to score a perfect 10. Chiles has been practicing the powerful vault throughout the preseason, coach Janelle McDonald said.

“It was so consistent,” McDonald said. “… Just the way she’s been training … and also competing the last two weeks, I felt like the stick was coming.

“… It was very special to see her nail it here today, the first meet in Pauley.”

After winning back-to-back Big Ten gymnast of the week awards, Chiles won the all-around individual title Saturday, finishing with a total of 39.675. UCLA swept the top three individual spots, with Tiana Sumanasekera and Katelyn Rosen joining Chiles.

In the team competition, the Bruins outscored the Cornhuskers 197.325-195.25.

Throughout the past week, UCLA emphasized improving the small details such as landing correctly. The team’s dismounts were nearly perfect against Nebraska, especially on the balance beam.

“I’m just proud that we were able to turn around from last week and really [show] what we really do in practice,” said Chiles, an Olympic gold medalist whose top goal this season is helping the Bruins win a national title.

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles earned a perfect 10 for her vault routine against Nebraska on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

UCLA started strong on the vault during their first rotation, with Sumanasekera and Rosen both scoring 9.8. Madisyn Anyimi received a mark of 9.75 with Ashlee Sullivan hitting a 9.9 right before Chiles delivered her perfect 10.

“We have such great depth on this team,” Sullivan said. “We truly have the talent, the grit, the want — everything that a dream team has.”

The team rushed Chiles to celebrate the perfect vault score that helped the Bruins take an early lead, with a team score of 49.250. Nebraska started off on the bars and trailed UCLA with a 49.05 score.

“It took me four years, finally to get a 10 on vault, and I’m just very proud of myself,” Chiles said. “And that just means I have, you know, more opportunities to really feel encouraged and feel … powerful going into everything that I need to learn.”

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles celebrates after her dismount on the balance beam during a meet against Nebraska at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

UCLA built on its lead with a team score of 49.325 on the bars after Rosen opened with a 9.85. Sumanasekera followed with a 9.825 and Mika Webster-Longin earned a 9.85 from her performance. Freshman Sullivan earned a career high 9.9 and Chiles capped the rotation with a 9.9.

The Cornhuskers totaled a 48.675 on the vault and trailed the Bruins 97.725 to 98.575.

During the third rotation, the Bruins moved to the balance beam, an event they struggled with during their third place finish in Utah last week.

Rosen and Sumanesekera were nearly perfect, each scoring 9.9. Webster-Longin earned a 9.875 before Chiles topped her best mark on the beam after receiving a 9.975. Ciena Alipio followed it with another 9.975 performance to total 49.626, extending the Bruins’ lead by 2.050 going into the last rotation of the day.

UCLA’s Tiana Sumanasekera rotates high over the vault during a meet against Nebraska at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

UCLA closed out the meet with the floor exercise, an event in which they placed first last week.

Rosen and Webster-Longin had rough starts, with slips during landings. Ciena, Sumanasekera and Sullivan boosted the team’s average after they earned 9.875 marks on their routines. Chiles closed out the Bruins’ win with a 9.8 on the floor.

Entering UCLA’s home opener, McDonald said her team put in extra work during practice to continue their growth. She noted that every minute of practice, the Bruins were working on improving from the previous week with intention, but she still sees room for improvement.

“I felt like we started to see a lot of the little details start to get dialed in,” she said. “I don’t feel like all of that translated yet onto the competition floor.”

McDonald said her team is getting closer to realizing its potential.

“What they’re doing in the gym is building confidence and consistency,” McDonald said. “When they are able to bring that out, it’s gonna be pretty exciting.”

Mikael Granlund scored at 4:02 of overtime, and the Ducks beat the Kings 2-1 on Saturday night at Honda Center to sweep a two-game weekend set in the rivalry.

Rookie Beckett Sennecke created the winning score by swooping in on a backcheck to take the puck away from the Kings’ Kevin Fiala on a breakaway. Sennecke knocked the puck straight to Granlund, who beat Anton Forsberg for his ninth goal of the season.

Mason McTavish scored the first goal and Ville Husso made 17 saves for the Ducks. They have won three straight after a nine-game skid.

Adrian Kempe scored a power-play goal and Forsberg stopped 30 shots in the backup’s strong performance for the Kings, who have lost six of seven.

Sennecke played a major role for the second straight night when the Southern California clubs completed their back-to-back set by going to overtime for the third time in their four meetings this season. Sennecke had two assists and scored in the shootout as the Ducks rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over the Kings in downtown Los Angeles on Friday night.

McTavish ended the Ducks’ victory in L.A. with his fourth shootout goal of the season, and he opened the scoring in the rematch with a wrist shot for his 12th goal early in the first period.

Kempe tied it in the second period, scoring his 16th goal on a hard one-timer off a pass from Fiala. Kempe then put a gloved finger to his lips, shushing the sixth consecutive sellout crowd in Anaheim.

The Kings had six power plays before the Ducks got their first man-advantage late in the second period, yet Anaheim had a significant edge in shots after carrying play for long stretches at even strength.

After a scoreless third, the Kings played into extra time for a league-high 20th time this season.

Jeffrey Viel made his debut for the Ducks, who traded a fourth-round pick to Boston on Friday to get the veteran forward who hasn’t scored in the NHL since March 18, 2022. The 6-foot-1 Viel fought 6-foot-6 Kings forward Samuel Helenius in the first period.

Up next for the Kings: vs. the New York Rangers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. the Rangers at Honda Center on Monday night.

Former Talbot left-back Gordon Pope has fond, but ultimately painful, memories of the last time the part-timers came up against top-flight opposition 14 years ago.

A brave, backs-to-the-wall effort held Hearts at bay until goalkeeper Andy Leishman, who had earlier saved a penalty, fumbled as he collided with team-mate Bryan Slaven and Gordon Smith slotted the hosts ahead with six minutes left.

Throwing caution to the wind, Talbot won a free-kick and Pope was played through the Hearts defence only for the linesman to flag for offside as he was slotting home what he thought would be an equaliser five minutes into stoppage time.

“It leaves a ‘what if’,” Pope tells BBC Scotland as he watches a replay of the incident. “It is a tight decision and it’s just one of those moments in the history of the club.

“We had never played at that level [fourth round] before, so going back to Rugby Park for a replay would have been massive for the club.”

James Latta, who was captaining Talbot for the first time that day, recalls: “Most of our team had played at senior level at some point and we knew if we stayed tight and stuck to our formation, we’d have a chance depending on how Hearts played.”

However, the former defender recognises that they face an even tougher task against Scottish champions who have had a new lease of life after club legend Martin O’Neill returned as interim manager after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy.

“If you asked me that last week, it would have been a good time to play them,” Latta says. “It would have been hard before – it is going to be a lot harder now.”

Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez rushed to help a ball girl who fainted during the qualifier’s surprise first-round victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Australian Open.

As Alexandrova was serving for the second set to level the tie, the ball girl – stood beside the umpire’s chair – fell flat on her back before quickly getting back up.

Sonmez sprinted over to her and helped her walk over to the side of the court, where she received medical attention in the shade.

The ball girl managed to get back to her feet and was helped off court by medical staff, with play resuming after a six-minute delay.

Russian 11th seed Alexandrova went on to win the set, but world number 112 Sonmez fought back from 3-0 down in the decider to complete a 7-5 4-6 6-4 upset on her fourth match point.

It is the biggest win of the 23-year-old’s career and moves her into the second round at Melbourne Park for the first time.