Ukranian center Kate Koval will not return to Louisiana State’s basketball team next season, coach Kim Mulkey said in a statement released by the Tigers on Monday.
Koval’s decision to leave the program comes less than two weeks after LSU announced the signing of Russian teenager Anna Minaeva. Koval was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, and her father is a drone operator fighting against Russia in its four-year invasion of Ukraine. According to nola.com, Koval said last season that she worried for her father’s life “every single day.”
“Kate came to see me on Sunday and told me that after much consideration, she will be leaving the program for personal reasons,” Mulkey said in her statement. “We will respect her privacy on her decision, but we had a long talk about it, and it was a hard decision for her. I know it is hard because she loves LSU.
“Kate is a great person. She has to do what she feels is right for her, and we fully support her in that. We all wish her the best.”
No announcement has been made about a future basketball home for Kobal, a 6-foot-5 rising junior who played at Notre Dame as a freshman before averaging 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Tigers last season.
Minaeva, also a 6-5 center, is 17 but has previously played professionally with MBA Moscow. Mulkey told nola.com that she spoke with Koval earlier in the offseason before starting the recruiting process with Minaeva.
“I want you to understand I’m not here to ask you to change how you feel about Russia,” Mulkey said she told Koval. “I’m just here out of respect for your family and out of respect for you to let you know. Because I know how personal it is for you.
“Know that what I have to do in this business, I cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries.”
To become a powerhouse in a new sport takes good coaching and good players. JSerra has pulled it off in girls’ flag football.
The Lions have won 36 consecutive games dating to last season, when they went 28-0 and won the Southern Section Division 1 championship.
Lots of credit goes to coach Brian Ong, who started the program in 2023.
Despite losing the Division 1 player of the year, Ava Irwin, to Sierra Canyon, the Lions keep rolling with an 8-0 record this season. Quarterback Kate Meier, who was pretty good last season, is even better this season, and so are her receivers.
The JSerra Girls Flag Football team stretched its season-opening winning streak to eight straight games with a resounding 41-6 triumph over the Edison Chargers in a nonleague battle on Thursday at JSerra Catholic High School.
Cleveland High football coach Mario Guzman loves the Nigerian connection of Oluwafemi Okelola and Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi, both running backs.
Spelling their names might be the biggest challenge.
They should be major offensive contributors, joining quarterback Domenik Fuentes to fuel the Cavaliers’ attack.
Last season, Odebunmi rushed for 1,139 yards and 11 touchdowns. Okelola had 111 yards rushing and made 83 tackles and had two interceptions on defense.
The Cavaliers open their season on Friday against Narbonne.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
The high school football season begins this weekend with Week 0 games. Let’s examine storylines and questions to be answered:
Will a lineman be the player of the year?
The last time a lineman was The Times’ player of the year was St. John Bosco offensive tackle Wyatt Davis in 2016. The Braves now have Elisha Mueller, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior transfer from Servite, as one of their blockers, so don’t be surprised if he emerges as an MVP candidate on a team that can go unbeaten. Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.
Can any City Section team beat defending champion Carson?
Call it unlikely. The Colts return versatile quarterback Chris Fields III, who does magical things when you least expect it. There’s linemen to protect him and a nonleague schedule that should have the Colts prepared to run over Marine League teams.
Can Santa Margarita show its 2025 championship in the first year of Carson Palmer as coach was no fluke?
The Eagles don’t have the defensive front from last season that was so dominating and gone to USC is Mr. Big Play, Trent Mosley. Expect the Eagles to put up a good challenge to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League. There’s speed and talent and Steven Fifita is about as good a defensive coordinator as there is. Wait for the young players, led by freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, to come on strong late in season.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer raises the 2025 Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque in his first year as head coach at Santa Margarita.
(Craig Weston)
Is Long Beach Poly ready for a resurgence?
First-year coach Travon Patterson made one of the best hires for his offensive coordinator, former Cathedral and Warren coach Kevin Pearson. He has two cornerbacks second to none in JuJu Johnson and Donte Wright. The key to the Jackrabbits returning to the top in the Moore League will be whether they can develop their offensive line to be effective.
Who will be the most successful first-year coach?
This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches. Servite’s Rick Garretson, Orange Lutheran’s Ray Fenton and JSerra’s Hardy Nickerson have high expectations from their rabid fan base. St. Bernard’s Dean Herrington takes on a rebuilding job. Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom. Jeff Bailey left Yorba Linda for Beverly Hills, which can go nowhere but up. You’ve heard of Storm Watch. This season will be called Rookie Coach Watch.
How many teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs?
Don’t look for more than eight. The Southern Section wants competitive equity, and the leading candidates at the end of the season can already be predicted: St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite, Corona Centennial, Sierra Canyon and Mission Viejo. Remember last season, with the help of rain, the No. 8 seed, Orange Lutheran, stunned the No. 1 seed, St. John Bosco.
Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson is a dual threat quarterback who led the Colts to the City Section Open Division title last season.
(Craig Weston)
Does the City Section still have talent?
Absolutely. The recruiters have already discovered defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez, linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, Fieldsand his heavily recruited Carson teammate and defensive back Bennie Saulter. There are others waiting for their chance. Beware of receiver Paul Turner of Birmingham.
Will there be another eligibility scandal?
Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits. There were rumors throughout the summer of 2025 about Bishop Montgomery turning the other cheek, and sure enough, they were correct. The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.
What are the great games to mark on your calendar?
On Thursday, it’s Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College. On Friday, it’s St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.
Aug. 28: Inglewood at Westlake, Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial. Sept. 4: Murrieta Valley at Cajon, San Clemente at Chaparral. Sept. 10: Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor. Sept. 11: Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Cathedral at King/Drew. Sept. 18: Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon. Sept. 25: Oxnard Pacifica at Sierra Canyon, Servite at Damien.
Coach Jason Negro and St. John Bosco open the season as the No. 1 team in California.
(Craig Weston)
Oct. 1: Murrieta Valley at Chaparral. Oct. 2: San Pedro at Banning, Crean Lutheran at Tustin, Bishop Amat at Gardena Serra. Oct. 9: Sierra Canyon at Gardena Serra, Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco. Oct. 15: Norco at Corona Centennial. Oct. 16: King/Drew at Crenshaw, Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco.
Oct. 23: San Pedro at Carson, Corona Centennial at Chaparral, St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica, Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Millikan. Oct. 29: Garfield vs. Roosevelt at East L.A. College, Edison at San Clemente, Valencia vs. Hart at College of the Canyons, St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium.
Which coaches might be under the microscope?
First-year coaches at private schools will start feeling pressure if their players don’t deliver results. There’s little patience these days from boosters, parents and fans. Watch the Corona Centennial staff, because someone there is going to one day succeed future Hall of Famer Matt Logan.
What will be the new trend in 2026?
Watching to see how well PlayOn Sports handles its control of high school sports in California. It owns MaxPreps, the NFHS Network, GoFan.co and just won state playoff TV rights from the CIF, replacing Spectrum, who’s 15-year contract ended in June. People are waiting to see if prices increase or quality decreases. And who will hold them accountable? They are the definition of monopoly for high school sports. Competition always brings out the best in businesses, so the lack of that has to be something to monitor.
What are five predictions that will come true?
St. John Bosco will win the Division 1 title (barring rain). Carson will win the City Section Open Division title (barring injury to Fields). Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach will lead Southern California with the most touchdown passes (barring his receivers doing too much surfing). Corona Centennial will exceed 70 points in a single game (barring a running clock in the first half). Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).
Sixth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra defensive lineman.
“Bro, we need you.”
That was the heartfelt message from JSerra High football players directed toward Godschoice Eboigbodin as he walked around campus looking like a high school version of Thor with his bulging muscles.
He played basketball for the Lions, but after his sophomore season he decided to try football, since his physical play in basketball led to fouls, something that was legal in football.
“People say I’m aggressive. I fit in with football,” he said.
He has grown to 6 feet 5 and 260 pounds. He still has trouble putting on football pads — “I’m still trying to figure it out” — but as an edge rusher, there’s no telling how far his journey will take him. He committed to UCLA during the summer. He works relentlessly in the weight room gaining strength.
Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra makes a shot against Rolling Hills Prep.
(Craig Weston)
“The guy can move,” coach Hardy Nickerson said. “He’s an athlete at defensive end. You see that talent playing on Sundays.”
He could be the next success story from Nigeria, where he was born and lived until coming to the area as a freshman while living with a host family, the Franklins. He is the sixth of seven siblings.
He got his first name from the woman who delivered him as a baby while his mother was in labor. He made his first dunk in his backyard when he was 12. The rim didn’t last long.
He has been a very good basketball player for JSerra. Last season, he had a 46-point performance.
But football is the sport he intends to master. He came in as a blank sheet last season and tries to learn every day. He had 2 1/2 sacks in his first season.
“He’s growing as a football baller,” Nickerson said. “He’s made tremendous strides this offseason. He’s going to get turned loose.”
Imagine being a quarterback and seeing Eboigbodin charging ahead with his size and agility.
“I’ve learned you’re fighting against time,” Eboigbodin said. “You got to go fast and get the quarterback before he passes. You got about three seconds.”
He enjoys the Friday night football atmosphere and is fueled by fans cheering.
“The football stands and fans are a different feeling,” he said.
He’s had so many people helping him and rooting for him during his stay. That’s because of his friendly demeanor. He might look intimidating, but his smile and willingness to participate in school gatherings propels others to immediately embrace him. He’s always looking to learn on and off the field.
“I’m excited to just get better,” he said.
And that’s what is exciting about Eboigbodin. He’s not a finished product, but the signs of progress and what he can do with his body on a football field have everyone predicting big days ahead.
Bradley Beal is returning to the Clippers after missing most of last season because of a left hip injury.
The 33-year-old guard signed a new deal, the team said Thursday. No terms were announced. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported it’s two years for $13.2 million.
In his first season with the Clippers, Beal averaged 8.2 points, 1.7 assists and 20.2 minutes in six starts before sustaining the season-ending injury on Nov. 8.
The three-time All-Star has averaged 21.4 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds during his 14-year NBA career, including stints with Washington and Phoenix.
A few hours after their season-ending defeat in the NFC championship game last January, the Rams boarded a plane for their flight home from Seattle.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was seated a row in front of veteran receiver Davante Adams, who once again had fallen just short of finally reaching the Super Bowl.
“He’s turning around, he’s looking at me, like, ‘I’m sorry, man, I wanted that for you so bad,’” Adams recalled. “Not for him, but he wanted it for me.”
Adams, 33, is expected to get another shot at playing on the NFL’s biggest stage.
Since the Green Bay Packers selected him out of Fresno State in the second round of the 2014 draft, Adams has played in and lost five NFC championship games, including last season’s 31-27 defeat by the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seahawks.
Adams was visibly upset in the locker room — “a mess” he said — so he is aiming for a happier result if the Rams reach the conference championship game for the fourth time under coach Sean McVay.
Last season, his first with the Rams, Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdowns catches.
And that was after the three-time All-Pro got no training-camp reps with Stafford, who sat out because of a back issue.
Stafford, an 18th-year pro, and Adams struggled to consistently connect on the field through the first six games. But that changed when the Rams traveled to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars.
McVay described what happened at Wembley Stadium as “a turning point” for Stafford and Adams.
Rams wide receiver Davante Adams jogs with the ball during training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the 35-7 rout, Adams caught three touchdown passes, all from two yards or closer.
“They really hit their stride,” McVay said.
Adams was sidelined the next game and the final two games of the regular season because of a hamstring injury. He returned for the playoffs and made several huge plays, including a spectacular sideline catch in a divisional-round victory over the Chicago Bears in Chicago.
Last spring, with the Philadelphia Eagles shopping wide receiver A.J. Brown, McVay acknowledged that Adams’ name had come up in trade talks.
“It’s just the way that this business goes,” Adams said at the outset of training camp. “You gotta evaluate, you gotta look at certain things, and ultimately I’m still a Ram and I’m here and I’m happy to be here.”
Stafford and Adams had scheduled rest days during camp but they still got plenty of reps together as the Rams prepared for next month’s opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
“We’re getting a whole different start than what we did last year,” Adams said, adding, “Any time you can have these grinding days where you come out here, play ball and lock in on the details, that’ll help you be in a much better position when it’s time to really go.”
During the offseason, the Rams added All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, cornerback Jaylen Watson and defensive end Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year.
McDuffie and Watson have helped Adams and fellow star receiver Puka Nacua hone their skills.
“It’s the epitome of iron sharpens iron,” Adams said when asked about McDuffie.
For both.
Adams is the best route runner in the NFL, McDuffie said.
“The more we can keep ping-ponging back and forth against each other, the more we can keep rising our standard,“ McDuffie said. “It’s going to be a great year for both of us, so I enjoy it a lot.”
Despite being the oldest wide receiver on the roster — “This is dog years out here,” he said, laughing — Adams is learning from and being pushed by his younger teammates.
“I am the old man and I feel young because I can still go out there and do young-man stuff,” he said. “But then my body don’t necessarily feel the same way. … If I can continue to play at a high level, I’ll deal with the other stuff, whether it’s talking about me being old or a little bit of extra pain.
“It’s just a little extra work you have to do to come out of it.”
Davante Adams catches a pass at Rams training camp on July 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Stafford and Adams are aiming for a celebratory postgame exchange if the Rams once again reach the NFC championship.
Of his interaction with Adams on the plane after their loss to the Seahawks, Stafford noted that Adams had been a part of good teams that fell short of playing in the Super Bowl.
“As much as I wanted to go play in that game, and a lot of other guys did too, I wanted it more for other guys that haven’t either gotten the opportunity to be there or win it,” Stafford said, adding, “[It was] on my heart at the moment and I decided to tell him how I was feeling.”
Adams appreciated the sentiment from Stafford and all of his teammates.
“For them to feel that way about me and to care that much to want to get me a [Super] Bowl before I get out of here, it says a lot about who they are,” he said, “and a little bit about who I am.”
Rams defensive end Myles Garrett smiles during training camp at Loyola Marymount on July 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Myles Garrett effect is not confined to the defense.
“Everybody on the field can kind of feel this aura sitting on whatever side of the field he’s on,” offensive guard Kevin Dotson said. “You just feel this monster energy.”
Garrett, a 10th year pro and two-time NFL defensive player of the year, laughed when asked if he was conscious of his aura.
“I guess,” he said. “It’s great to hear that they have respect for me.”
Garrett, 30, is one of the biggest stars on a star-studded Rams team that is favored to win the Super Bowl, regardless of whether Donald comes out of retirement.
Garrett, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft out of Texas A&M, amassed 125½ sacks in nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He was defensive player of the year in 2023 and also last season, when he recorded a league-record 23 sacks.
In June, the Rams sent edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick and future second- and third-round picks to the Browns for Garrett. He was regarded as the final piece for a franchise intent on winning a second Super Bowl title under McVay.
Garrett is acclimating to Southern California and a team that advanced to the NFC championship game last season before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
“It’s starting to feel like home rather quickly,” he said.
It did not take long for Garrett to ingratiate himself. His skill, work ethic and knowledge are imparted in the meeting room and on the field, edge rusher Byron Young said.
“It’s amazing,” Young said. “It’s art.”
Last season, Young recorded a career-best 12 sacks and was voted to the Pro Bowl.
With Garrett now lining up alongside him, the fourth-year pro is soaking in knowledge and learning from his example. Though Garrett, at 6 feet, 4 inches and 272 pounds, makes plays that can’t be replicated by others.
Myles Garrett (95) takes part in training camp along with wide receivers Puka Nacua (12) and Davante Adams (17) on July 26.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Garrett’s quickness off the ball is “insane,” Young said, noting that Garrett eats up “three or four yards,” with his first step.
“That right there alone is amazing,” Young said.
Garrett’s influence could be magnified if Donald, a three-time defensive player of the year, ends a two-year retirement to pursue another Super Bowl ring.
Garrett said he would not try to sway Donald’s decision. But he acknowledged that it would be exciting to be a “partner in crime” with the eight-time All-Pro.
“There’s a lot we can learn from each other,” Garrett said, “and I’d love to pick his brain on the things he does to attack his matchups and I think the same could be said vice versa.”
During training camp, Garrett and teammates are focused on blending their talents at all three levels of the defense.
Garrett is a “freak athlete for sure,” lineman Kobie Turner said.
Myles Garrett takes part in drills at Rams training camp on July 27.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“We definitely understand the opportunities that should get opened up,” said Turner, who had seven sacks last season, “and if those opportunities don’t open up and they leave him soloed up, he’s going to take advantage.”
There is “no question” Garrett will dominate, Lake said.
“So now,” he said, “it’s just making sure, ‘Hey, can we do our job so this guy can go cut it loose over there too?’”
Garrett has embraced the Rams’ culture, built during McVay’s nine seasons during which the Rams made seven playoff appearances and played in two Super Bowls, winning one.
He is eager to share his knowledge and experience but also learn from younger teammates. The Rams’ defensive front features Young, Turner, and linemen Braden Fiske and Poona Ford, among others.
“This group was doing great without me,” Garrett said. “I want to just try to help elevate other guys and the playmakers that we have here.”
There is still “a lot of rust to knock off,” during camp and the lead-up to the season, he said.
CHICAGO — In the nearly nine months since he was hired as head coach at UCLA, Bob Chesney has won over a lot of hearts and minds with his unwavering sense of belief.
First, he won over his star quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, who opted to stick with the Bruins after a 3-9 season a year ago. He won over 45 new transfers, who came to UCLA as part of the portal’s 11th-ranked class and seems to be winning over recruits, too, with UCLA currently ranked in the top 10 among 2027 classes. He even won over once-dormant Bruin donors, who, according to the school’s athletic department, have now poured over $41 million in private support into UCLA athletics over the past fiscal year, an increase of 80% from the previous year.
“It’s his energy, man,” Iamaleava said. “He brings a different type of energy.”
At this point, the only thing it seems Chesney hasn’t won yet at UCLA is an actual football game.
He couldn’t do anything about that Wednesday from the podium at Big Ten media days. Though, as far as first impressions go in this conference, Chesney certainly had a leg up on his predecessor, who stumbled through his own opening address two years ago.
But as the season draws nearer and a new era of Bruin football begins, all the enthusiasm does beg the question: What does a successful debut actually look like for Chesney at UCLA?
Chesney said Wednesday he had no interest in setting those expectations or “in putting artificial limits on ourselves.”
“Outcomes have to be earned,” he said. “And I think in the end, potential is a gift, right? The work is becoming. That’s the work.”
Considering UCLA’s recent history, you can understand why Chesney wouldn’t want to wade too far into setting expectations. Hope, after all, may be his most valuable resource at the moment.
The Bruins are coming off a season in which they won just three games, their fewest in more than 54 years. They’ve reached the nine-win mark once in the past decade. And just two UCLA coaches in a half-century — Jim Mora and Terry Donahue — have clocked a winning campaign in their debut seasons with the Bruins.
“There’s no better place I’d rather be at this moment in time,” Chesney said. “I strongly believe in the power of what UCLA is.”
The collective Big Ten media seems less convinced, having voted the Bruins to finish 13th in their preseason conference poll. That’s exactly where they finished last season.
But there are some things working in Chesney’s favor. For one, a schedule that includes just four opponents picked to finish in the top half of the Big Ten.
It doesn’t hurt, either, that his quarterback got a full spring and summer under his belt as a Bruin. Iamaleava didn’t join the program until late in the process last season after his transfer portal drama dragged out through the spring and summer. Then once he started to find his bearings, UCLA’s coach was fired.
There was no such uncertainty this offseason, as Chesney moved to quickly retain Iamaleava.
“It was a matter of making sure he understood we had a plan,” Chesney said. “That was the most important thing we could do to make sure he stuck around and he did.”
Not only was Iamaleava impressed with his plans to prepare him for the NFL, but he found himself right away swept up in the coach’s personality.
“When you first talk to him,” Iamaleava said, “it kind of sounds like you’re talking to a poet or something, the way the words roll off.”
Chesney is counting on Iamaleava to make things move smoothly for UCLA’s offense this season. But the most marked difference for the Bruins on that side of the ball should be the ground game.
The Bruins boasted one of the least dynamic rushing attacks in the Big Ten a season ago, as Iamaleava led the team with just 505 rushing yards. Their lead running back, Jalen Berger, rushed for a meager 364 yards over the course of the season.
Meanwhile, at James Madison, Chesney had three running backs with as many yards last season. The Dukes rushed for the fifth-most yards (3,381) of any Football Bowl Subdivision team.
Their lead rusher, Wayne Knight, followed Chesney to UCLA and should step in as one of the best backs the Bruins have had in years. Of the 30 backs in college football with over 200 carries, Knight averaged the most yards per carry last season (6.63).
“There’ll be a commitment to playing that style of football,” Chesney said.
The rest is mostly just a projection, a fact that Chesney openly acknowledges.
“Everything here is ultimately conceptual,” he says.
But one change has already taken hold, if you ask Iamaleava. One that might appear unrecognizable from recent history at UCLA.
“He’s definitely changed the mindset in there, just how you feel. I don’t know how to explain it,” Iamaleava said.
“When Ches walks into a room, he just brings that winning mentality.”
On Sunday, in the Rams’ first training camp practice, Stafford was held out as part of the plan to limit his reps, putting all eyes on Simpson and fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett as they began their competition to back up the reigning NFL most valuable player.
But with Jimmy Garoppolo enjoying retirement — probably until an NFL team in desperate need comes calling — the Rams require a capable backup should something befall Stafford, who remains the most important player on a star-studded team favored to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.
Nate Scheelhaase, the Rams’ first-year offensive coordinator, praised Bennett and Simpson.
“We require so much of those guys, from what we do with formations with motions, with adjustments that they’re going to make before the ball is even snapped,” Scheelhaase said. “And so, if you can’t get that right, it’s going to be hard to get anything right post snap.
“So that’s the starting point. That’s the foundation.”
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson prepares to take a snap in training camp at Loyola Marymount on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Last season, with Stafford sidelined throughout camp because of a back issue, Bennett took second-team reps behind Garoppolo.
Bennett has never taken a regular-season snap for the Rams, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft after he led Georgia to two national titles.
“He competes,” Scheelhaase said. “And I think anybody enjoys playing with a quarterback who competes, who’s going to throw it all in there, and that’s the mentality he has. … That’s something that’s been kind of his calling card.”
He also was on the wrong side of the play of the day.
Bennett’s deep pass for Adams along the left sideline was tipped by new cornerback Jaylen Watson and intercepted by safety Kamren Kinchens.
Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett, left, twirls a football in front of quarterback Ty Simpson at training camp on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Simpson started only 15 games for Alabama, but the Rams apparently saw enough to determine he was worthy of using their highest pick since selecting quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016.
On Sunday, Simpson completed several short passes. His deepest attempt, for tight end Terrance Ferguson, was broken up by cornerback Cam Lampkin.
Bennett and Simpson will continue to compete during 10 more training camp workouts, preseason practices — including joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints — and preseason games against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Saints and the Chargers.
On Monday, in keeping with coach Sean McVay’s stated plan to have Stafford practice in the second and fourth practices of each four-day block, the starting quarterback will practice for the first time.
Etc.
Offensive lineman Justin Dedich was placed on the non-football injury list. Dedich, a third-year pro who played at USC, started six games last season. … Second-year running back Jarquez Hunter broke off a run for a long gain.
The Times’ preseason top 25 high school football rankings for 2026:
1. ST. JOHN BOSCO: Braves have few weaknesses but must prove they can win in the rain after last season’s first-round playoff debacle to Orange Lutheran.
2. CORONA CENTENNIAL: The offense is going to be balanced and explosive with quarterback Jaden Jefferson the trigger man and Quentin Hale his partner in battle.
3. SIERRA CANYON: Trailblazers have the offensive linemen and running back to run the ball and the defensive linemen to attack quarterbacks.
4. SANTA MARGARITA: Eagles won’t be ready to start the season dominating with too many young players but beware by season’s end.
5. ORANGE LUTHERAN: There’s already signs the Ray Fenton coaching formula is working with lots of talent on both sides of the ball.
6. MISSION VIEJO: Diablos have their best offensive line in years, giving coach Chad Johnson lots of options.
7. MATER DEI: Depth is gone but there’s enough talent to be very good on their best day.
8. SAN CLEMENTE: Just trust Jaxson Rex to do anything and everything for improved Tritons.
9. CHAPARRAL: There’s a crazy amount of offensive firepower ready to be unleashed.
10. RANCHO CUCAMONGA: They play tough, hard-nosed football.
11. EDISON: Quarterback Sam Thomson’s fourth year as starter sets the stage for big Chargers season.
12. CREAN LUTHERAN: If the Saints’ many transfers get eligible, quarterback Caden Jones should flourish.
13. GARDENA SERRA: With five starters back on the offensive line and the arrival of RB AJ McBean, Cavaliers are ready to play smashmouth football.
14. CHAMINADE: There’s speed and size surrounding sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu.
15. SERVITE: New coach Rick Garretson has a history of building top teams with speed, which Friars have plenty.
16. JSERRA: Lions will be competitive in nonleague games but Trinity League remains formidable challenge.
17. DAMIEN: USC commit Gavin Williams is the definition of the word elite on defense and offense.
18. PALOS VERDES: Ryan Rakowski is back for fourth year as starting quarterback and is a proven winner.
19. OXNARD PACIFICA: Quarterback Taylor Lee is back with lots of skill-position players.
20. LOYOLA: If Cubs can get production at the quarterback position, they can surprise teams.
21. BISHOP AMAT: Still one of the toughest teams to beat on their home field.
22. WESTLAKE: The scoreboard operator will deserve extra pay trying to keep up with Warriors’ scoring barrages.
23. CARSON: Best in the City Section looking to beat some Southern Section teams with improved line play.
24. CORONA DEL MAR: Should have excellent passing attack if the line can provide protection.
25. TUSTIN: Lots of individual talent but can they get breakthrough win against a top opponent?
The Lakers have signed forward Matisse Thybulle to a one-year, $3.3-million contract, people familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times Monday.
Thybulle, who spent last season playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, made the NBA’s all-defensive team twice over his seven-year career. He is a defensive wing player that the Lakers sought to surround Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Thybulle averaged 5.8 points per game last season and shot 43.3% from the field, 39.8% from three-point range, in 30 games.
The Lakers now have a 16-man roster. They’ll have to either trade or waive a player to be at the league maximum number of 15.
NEW YORK — They started their pro careers in Spain and now two Real Madrid prospects are taking on L.A. Baba Miller doesn’t have to look far for inspiration with Luka Doncic playing in the same city.
After admiring Doncic’s path from Real Madrid to the top of the NBA, Miller hopes to carve his own path in L.A. after the Clippers drafted the late-blooming Spanish forward 36th overall in the NBA draft on Wednesday.
The versatile big man was just 6 feet 2 when he was 14. Now standing 6-11 as a mature 22-year-old, Miller called that kid “chubby.” But once he started growing rapidly, Miller slimmed down. When he struggled to hold up against more physical players, his youth coach started playing him at the wing. The position change, along with his developing body, set the stage for his creative style of play.
As a senior at Cincinnati, Miller averaged 13 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He was just one of three players nationally to average at least 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists last season. He was the first Bearcat to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists since Oscar Robertson in 1959-60.
Miller has not yet developed his three-point shooting, averaging just 29% during his college career, which began with two seasons at Florida State. His career-best for three-point shooting was 34.2% (39 for 114) during one season at Florida Atlantic.
The Clippers waited until late in the second round to get their knockdown shooter and used a trade to get the rights to Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli with the 55th pick. The Clippers got the pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash, according to ESPN reports, and added the two-time Big Ten scoring champion. Averaging 23 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists last season, Martinelli shot 51% from the field and 41.7% on threes.
The Clippers traded their 52nd pick to Atlanta for the Hawks’ No. 57 pick and cash, according to reports. After sending the rights to North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar to Atlanta, the Clippers will get French prospect Narcisse Ngoy, a 7-foot, 235-pound center who played for a second-tier team in France and figures to be a long-term project.
Nearly half of Wednesday’s second-round picks changed hands on draft day. Some, like the 56th pick that went from Chicago to the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks, bounced around multiple times.
Nick Martinelli drives against Maryland forward Solomon Washington during a game last season.
(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, one of 10 prospects who attended the second round, walked across a stage lit up in New York Knicks blue and orange and put on a Knicks cap as the 31st pick, but was told shortly before the photo opportunity with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum that he would be traded. By the time he spoke with reporters at a news conference, he was wearing a bedazzled Rockets hat.
“No state tax,” Thornton said with a wide smile, “so even better.”
The Clippers already bolstered their backcourt during the draft by taking Illinois guard Keaton Wagler fifth in the first round Tuesday. Wagler is expected to pair with former All-Star guard Darius Garland, with the Clippers trying to win their first playoff series since 2021.
The Clippers added frontcourt depth during last year’s draft with Yanic Konan Niederhauser, but the 6-11 center suffered a Lisfranc injury in March and missed the end of the season. After trading starter Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers midseason, helping the Clippers secure the draft pick that turned into this year’s top-five selection, the team had only 38-year-old Brook Lopez at center. The Clippers have a team option on Lopez’s $9.2-million contract.
In his meetings with the Clippers, Miller could sense that the organization was hoping to add impact role players to help take the franchise that has had 15 consecutive winning seasons over the hump to postseason glory.
“They got guys like Darius and Kawhi [Leonard] that are already established stars in the league,” Miller said. “So I feel like just coming in and trying to help the team be better is the main goal. Every team’s goal is trying to win a championship eventually, so just trying to stay the course on that and be part of that.”
There have been dozens of football transfers in Southern California during the offseason, but the one transfer who could make the greatest impact is running back AJ McBean, who announced he was leaving Mira Costa High for Gardena Serra.
McBean, who ran 10.55 seconds in the 100 meters this spring thanks to Mira Costa’s track program and his commitment to getting faster, joins a Serra offense that returns all five starters on the offensive line. He’s got the speed and strength to help the Cavaliers make up for not reaching the Southern Section playoffs last season out of the extremely competitive Mission League.
He’s been a longtime resident of Hermosa Beach, so what would motivate him to leave Mira Costa after recently making a commitment to Stanford? He apparently wants to prepare for college by being used in a more versatile role catching passes out of the backfield to show off his many skills. At least that’s what his family told coach Scott Altenberg. Mira Costa was changing its offense to better feature him, so it’s a tough loss for the Mustangs.
McBean will have to move to become eligible immediately.
Hope at Whittier
Former Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez, in his first season at Whittier, has already discovered a talent he can’t wait to develop. Offensive and defensive lineman Joseph Medina from the class of 2028 has made quite a first impression on Hernandez.
Medina didn’t play last season, “and in three months that we have been here, he is off the charts,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez calls him “a great technician and amazing leader.”
Agoura QB depth
Never has coach Dustin Croick of Agoura had more quality depth at quarterback than what he will have this season thanks to two newcomers.
Junior Kris Carranza has transferred from Sierra Canyon to Agoura and is a top candidate to start. The Chargers are also adding incoming freshman quarterback Emerson Andrews, whose father, David, played tight end at Ohio State and was a member of the 2002 national championship team. He is director of athletic performance for UCLA’s men’s basketball program. If anyone has a strength and conditioning question, submit it to Emerson, who knows someone.
Commitments rolling in
With college recruiters headed on vacation, lots of players decided to make commitments to make sure they have a “certain” destination. There’s also a new trend of players announcing on social media posts that they are “shutting down” their recruitment, which is supposed to mean their decision is final. Then how come others keep recruiting them? Because it’s never final in this era of NIL.
Quarterback Chris Fields, the City Section player of the year from Carson, committed to Georgetown. Offensive lineman Micah Butler from Hamilton committed to Sacramento State. Kicker Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake committed to Stanford. Defensive back Wesley Ace from Gardena Serra committed to San Jose State. Safety Jaden Walk-Green from Corona Centennial has committed to Washington and teammate Brett Smith has committed to UNLV. Running back Kamden Tillis of Los Alamitos has committed to San Diego State.
Man among boys
USC recruiters deserve praise for identifying the best in Southern California and pursuing them with great intensity. There’s no doubt that Damien safety Gavin Williams, a USC commit, will be the standard for excellence this coming season. He’s fast and strong and players who don’t adjust to his physical skills are in for a surprise.
Damien won the Chaminade seven-on-seven passing tournament on Saturday, beating Crespi in the final. On the first play, Williams caught a long touchdown pass, sprinting well past the defender who had no idea how fast he runs.
First-year coaches galore
It’s going to be fun tracking the progress of first-year football coaches this season because there are so many at well-known programs. The question of who will have the best record should be debated all summer.
Iggy Porchia became the latest new hire, replacing his mentor, the late Angelo Gasca, at Venice.
There should be a competition on which new private coach will have the best record and which new public school coach will have the best record. There are so many candidates with new coaches at JSerra, Orange Lutheran, Servite, Los Alamitos, St. Francis, St. Bernard, Bishop Montgomery, Oaks Christian, Whittier Christian, Bishop Alemany, Muir, Pasadena, Long Beach Poly, Arroyo, North Hollywood, Sun Valley Poly and on it goes.
Transfer issues coming
It appears the Southern Section will be busy again this fall after last year’s eligibility scandal when it declared 19 transfer students ineligible at Bishop Montgomery, resulting in the varsity season ending after one game and forcing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to clean up what looked like a preventable mess.
This time, it could be public schools facing scrutiny. The same rumors that started last summer about schools loading up on transfers are circulating again this summer. Principals who don’t act after multiple transfers seemingly out of nowhere start showing up to play football only have themselves to blame.
And schools that delay submitting transfer paperwork until the last minute thinking investigators will be too busy to spot an error don’t understand the process.
City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos has a policy that she immediately schedules a meeting with the administration, athletic director, coach and parents when one school receives multiple transfers to review paperwork. The Southern Section deployed AI last fall to help it catch parents submitting false information.
So prepare for more exciting times. It’s like a cat-and-mouse game. And don’t forget about the anonymous emails identifying parents not living at the official address they put on their transfer paperwork.
CHICAGO — Dodgers left-hander Jack Dreyer rubbed a new baseball between his hands as he walked back to the mound, a sold-out Rate Field coming alive around him.
Fireworks crackled over the center-field scoreboard. Digital pinwheels spun. Dreyer had just surrendered his second home run of the inning, transforming a low-scoring battle into a lopsided White Sox advantage.
The Dodgers’ recent bullpen problems persisted in a 6-4 loss Sunday, overshadowing a bounce-back effort from Emmet Sheehan. The Dodgers tried to come back in the ninth, but fell short.
“We’ve gotten bit by the long ball, obviously in Pittsburgh, and here tonight,” said bench coach Danny Lehmann, filling in Sunday for manager Dave Roberts while he attended his daughter’s college graduation. “But overall, it’s more the strike throwing and just getting ahead of guys and doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The Dodgers dropped the series 2-1, marking their first series loss since May 8-10 against the Braves.
Sheehan was charged with three runs in five-plus innings, a massive turnaround coming off the second-shortest start of his career, only rivaled by a planned one-inning outing at the end of last season.
On Sunday, he didn’t give up a hit until the fourth inning.
“He got strike one and then understood when to leave the zone when he needed to,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “He did a great job of that. I think a couple of those guys picked up on tendencies, jumped on a pitch. I felt they were good pitches. I thought he did his job today and gave us a chance to win.”
Sheehan’s velocity has been an indicator of how synced up his delivery has been on any given start this season.
Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan delivers against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning Sunday.
(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
On Sunday, his 95.1-mph average fastball velocity was 0.7 mph above his season average, according to Statcast — a promising sign. Results followed.
Sheehan retired 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, just a hit batter away from perfection. With two outs in the fourth, he gave up a double to Colson Montgomery, on a low line drive up the first-base line, just out of reach of Freddie Freeman as he made a diving attempt.
Then against Braden Montgomery, Sheehan worked back from a 2-1 count for an inning-ending strikeout.
Out of Sheehan’s hand, the pitch looked like it was going to cross the plate on the inside corner, about belt high. But as Montgomery started his swing, the firm changeup veered away from his bat at a sharp downward angle.
Montgomery swung over the pitch. A fired-up Sheehan buried his fist in his glove and shouted. With that strikeout, he preserved the Dodgers’ one-run lead.
Freeman provided that run with a solo homer in the first inning. And Sheehan gave the Dodgers plenty of time to extend that lead. In the sixth inning, however, the White Sox finally got to him.
“I definitely felt better early,” Sheehan said. “And then more of the same towards the end. Just pretty frustrating.”
Sheehan’s fastball to Sam Antonacci wasn’t in a bad spot. But in an 0-2 count, he could have put it a little higher or farther inside. Antonacci drove it over the right-field fence.
A single, a stolen base and an RBI double later, Sheehan walked off the mound, the Dodgers trailing 2-1.
Just a few weeks ago, turning the ball over to the Dodgers’ bullpen was a promising move. They were still riding a franchise-record streak of 38 consecutive scoreless innings.
Lately, however, it’s been a rocky ride. The bullpen entered Sunday with a 6.71 ERA since ending that scoreless streak on May 25. Only the Giants and Rockies produced a worse mark over that stretch.
None of the Dodgers’ relievers have been dominant in recent games. Tanner Scott has been credited with three saves but also two losses. Kyle Hurt’s ERA has risen from 0.60 to 4.22. Dreyer, who went 10 straight games without giving up a run before landing on the injured list with left shoulder discomfort, has surrendered five home runs in seven appearances since returning on May 31.
Dreyer gave up three runs and three hits. Then Blake Treinen and Jonathan Hernández held the White Sox the rest of the way.
The Dodgers tacked on three more runs, on a sacrifice fly and an RBI double from Alex Freeland, and a solo homer from Mookie Betts. They stranded runners at the corners in the ninth.
There’s no crying in baseball, but Kim Ng works in softball now. And as commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, the former Dodgers assistant general manager has been fielding lots of tearful feedback from fans overcome by the fact that softball players finally, finally have a big league of their own.
“I can’t even tell you the number of people that have approached me, just openly sobbing with happiness,” she said. “It’s been incredible, experiencing all of that and understanding how long people have been waiting for something like this.”
It really is like that. Ask Lisa Fernandez, softball pioneer and total boss: “I’ll be watching and get emotional, just looking at how far this game has come.”
With MLB backing the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, or AUSL, for a second season and Ng back to steer it, sustainable professional softball is starting to feel real.
Former UCLA pitcher Rachel Garcia plays for Athletes Unlimited Team McQuillin.
(Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
Fernandez remembers when it was a huge deal to get one softball game on TV, and now ESPN will broadcast 50 AUSL games and ABC will carry the championship. And after last year’s four-team 10-city barnstorming tour, the league will add two teams and anchor itself to locations in North Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
The ball gets rolling on Tuesday, just days after the conclusion of the Women’s College World Series — which last season averaged a record 1.3 million viewers on ESPN, including pulling 3.9 million for UCLA’s thriller against Tennessee.
Big steps, baby steps. All going the right direction.
“I would hope that we are the major league baseball of softball,” Ng, 57, said in a phone conversation. “That is a good number of teams, spread out across the country, with a huge following, all of our games televised.
“That’s the goal. To be the MLB of softball.”
Ng spent more than 30 years in the MLB, including a decade-long stint with the Dodgers. She was also the first woman to serve as a big-league general manager, leading the Miami Marlins from 2020 through the 2023 season. She declined her option after the team made its first full-season playoff appearance in two decades and then announced plans to introduce a president of baseball operations position that would’ve siphoned away some of her say-so.
Miami Marlins general manger Kim Ng, left, sits in a golf cart and talks with manager Marlins Skip Schumaker during a 2023 spring training workout.
(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)
“Breaking that glass ceiling, that’s special to me,” Ng said. “But I think in a different way, this [work with the AUSL] is for sure one of the more meaningful things I’ve done.”
She said a former MLB colleague recently asked her about the AUSL: “I said, ‘I’m working for the women now.’”
The former co-worker corrected her: “You were always working for the women.’”
Before that, as a kid, she was a softball infielder in Long Island and then at the University of Chicago. “I was scrappy,” Ng said, “which is definitely how I describe my personality and the way I approach most things in life.”
It’s served her well. And now it’s serving softball, a sport that for decades has been among the most popular for girls in America, even without long-term playing prospects or pro players to strive to emulate.
Compare it with basketball: About three-quarters of the WNBA’s current players have never even lived in a world without an established professional women’s basketball league in America.
UCLA star hitter Megan Grant will play in the Athletes Unlimited softball league after wrapping up her record-setting college career.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The NBA-backed WNBA is celebrating its 30th season this summer with a lucrative new CBA and 15 teams, two of them expansion franchises, including one in Canada, and the Bay Area-based Golden State Valkyries valued at $850 million.
The AUSL is about to embark on Year 2.
There have been attempts to start up professional softball leagues before. Those weren’t just long shots, more like Megan Grant moonshots.
But now we have Bryanna Lopez, a 12-year-old catcher from Alhambra, sitting in the Easton Stadium stands at UCLA, watching her heroes play and telling me, without hesitation: “I want to play professional softball. It’s a really big dream.”
And a really big deal.
For players and a growing audience of folks like Kaitlyn Laabs, the superfan in a chef’s hat at UCLA games, who want to watch the home run queen Grant continue to mash. To see her teammates Jordan Woolery keep flaunting her flashy slash line and Taylor Tinsley sharpening her wicked arsenal of pitches.
UCLA starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley and first baseman Jordan Woolery are poised to start their professional softball careers this week.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“A lot of times, seniors come in their last year thinking it’s the end of their career, and that puts a lot more pressure,” UCLA’s Woolery said earlier this month, before the Bruins advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the third straight season. “So, for me, Megan, Tins, [the AUSL] opens us up a little bit to play free, knowing it’s not the end of the road.”
Ng’s presence, first as an adviser and starting last season as commissioner, is helping legitimize the new league.
“She’s the right person at the right time,” said Fernandez, the UCLA associate head coach, who is also the general manager of the defending champion Utah Talons. “Knowing Kim’s background in baseball, having her know the business of how to run a league, a no-brainer for me.”
Ng’s team-building acumen is helping her coach up first-time general managers. Her experience at MLB’s league office, working to grow the game internationally, ensures she’ll be patient, methodical — which is to say, the AUSL is not rushing to join the Sparks and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Angel City FC in the complicated, competitive L.A. market until it’s good and ready.
“Softball just has had its ups and downs in terms of creating a solid foundation,” Ng said. “Why has it taken so long? It’s hard to say, but obviously the revenue is a huge piece of it. Now, with MLB as a major investor, they’re understanding of the idea that we’re complementary.”
MLB has invested a reported $10 million in the AUSL — in addition to offering its massive promotional platform. So after Grant hit an NCAA record-extending 39th home run, the No. 4 overall pick was interviewed by Harold Reynolds on “MLB Tonight.”
Beside Grant, who is bound for the Portland Cascade, there will be 12 other former Bruins sprinkled among the league’s six rosters. Woolery and Tinsley will team up with a few other former Bruins on the Talons.
“You’d lose a generation of players if the growth is capped,” said Laabs, the softball fan. “But right now, softball is on a rocket ship. Let’s keep on cooking, let’s keep on flying, let’s show that if you build it, they will come.”
Coming off a dreadful loss in Connecticut to the worst team in the WNBA, the Sparks needed a strong response.
In their first home game after the road trip, that did not happen until far too late.
The Sparks were always just out of reach in their 79-69 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night, despite Rae Burrell’s career-high 22 points and a late comeback bid. It was the fewest they have scored in a game since Aug. 9 of last season when they scored 59 points.
Last time the Sparks faced the Aces on May 23, they went into Las Vegas and scored 29 points in the fourth quarter for a tremendous road win, powered by Kelsey Plum.
But Plum, who leads the WNBA with 26.8 points per game, is still out with a right ankle sprain, and the Sparks (4-5) offense suffered for it. Other than Burrell’s scoring, the rest of the Sparks offense combined to shoot 12-for-51.
They also entered the night with the league’s worst defense. It’s always going to be difficult to stop A’ja Wilson (25 points), but the Sparks had few answers for Jackie Young (16 points, nine assists) who spaced out the Aces (6-3) offense.
It still was far from their worst defensive showing of the season, and mostly they couldn’t claw their way back with a paltry 30.8% from the field. In fact, the Aces scored just 15 points in the fourth, giving the Sparks a window to come back, but they shot 29.4% in the frame.
The Sparks fell into a 15-point hole in the second after going nearly three minutes without scoring. Burrell scored seven of her points in that frame, though, to ignite a 20-point quarter and the Sparks trailed 37-30 at the half.
But the Aces quickly earned a 13-point lead early in the third and stayed up double digits until near the end of the fourth when Burrell made it a seven-point game.
Plum missed her fourth consecutive game since injuring her right ankle in practice. She participated in shootaround Tuesday even after being ruled out, and head coach Lynne Roberts said she was day-to-day.
But the Aces were also shorthanded, without Dana Evans, Jewel Loyd and Chennedy Carter, who is second on the Aces in scoring despite coming off the bench. That forced the Aces to run some sets with Wilson at small forward and a much-larger front court in front of her before NaLyssa Smith ran into foul trouble.
The Sparks forwards struggled with that, with Dearica Hamby, Nneka Ogwumike and Cameron Brink combining to shoot six-for-27, including an 0-for-7 night from Hamby.
The Sparks next host Dallas (6-3) on Friday night.
