true

Former Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville has returned to BBC One’s Dragons’ Den as a guest investor, judging entrepeneurs to see if he wants to back their business

Dragons’ Den star Touker Suleyman said “thank God you’re only a guest” as he revealed what former England footballer Gary Neville is really like on the hit show. Gary, 50, has appeared as one of the guest dragons since 2024.

While Gary is best known for his talent as a Manchester United and England defender, he built up an extensive property portfolio during his career. The BBC says he spearheads the £450m St. Michael’s development in Manchester after securing over £200m of overseas investment.

Touker meanwhile made his money in the world of fashion, purchasing shirt maker Hawes and Curtis in 2001 before moving into investments. Speaking to Gary on the Hawes and Curtis Touker Time podcast, the 72-year-old questioned how well the former footballer would fare as a permanent dragon.

He said: “This gentleman here is the biggest softie when it comes to investment. Thank god he has only been a guest, if he was there full time he’d need a printing machine, he’d invest in everything.”

Touker went on to joke that Gary likes to share a bit of “Mancunian help” with the guests as they make their pitches. Gary replied: “Honestly, people come in and if I like them, I think, ‘Oh they deserve a little bit of Mancunion love’ and just give them a little bit of investment.

“I have to say, when they walk through the door, how nervous they must be, but when I’m looking at them I’m thinking, ‘I’m glad I’m not stood where you are’.”

Gary went on to explain that Touker “drills” the contestants over their finances almost straight away before fellow dragons Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones join in. He added: “You have to be quite resilient when you come through the doors.”

The Manchester-born footballer explained he has “sympathy” for the contestants after they exit the famous Dragons’ Den lift. He admits he even gets “a little bit nervous” when he is confronted by the dragons.

He added: “Them coming through facing you, Deborah, Peter, Steven [Bartlett], they must be terrified.”

Touker however explained he likes to be cautious when investing on the show. He said: “If you’re investing your hard-earned cash, you can’t just give it away, and some people like to pull the wool over your eyes.”

He went on to explain that the “most important thing” he looks for when investing on the show is a business that he can help improve. Gary will be returning to Dragons’ Den from 8pm tonight on BBC One.

This week’s pitches will include a business offering skincare made from rescued food, a device that keeps your golf balls spotless, an app that can help with your mortgage and spicy seasoning balls.

This series will see a host of guest dragons joining the panel of investors. As well as Gary, rapper Tinie Tempah, serial entrepreneur and REFY CEO Jenna Meek, and Tropic Skincare powerhouse Susie Ma will be judging investments.

Tinie said: “I have a keen interest in supporting emerging entrepreneurs as well as investing in a wide-ranging portfolio of businesses, so Dragons’ Den was an opportunity I simply couldn’t turn down.

“I am ecstatic to become a guest dragon and look forward to seeing where I can help, bring value and of course invest in some of these brilliant businesses and people that step into the Den.”

Samantha Davies, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Entertainment said of the guest dragons: “Audiences love the powerful combination of our much-loved regular dragons and the fresh energy guest dragons bring to the Den – and this series, we’re going bigger than ever.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back Gary, alongside three formidable new business titans, all ready to uncover the next generation of bold, brilliant and disruptive entrepreneurs. There’s no better place to ignite that ambition than right here in the Den!”

The Chase fans took to social media this week to air their complaints about one particular issue.

Viewers of The Chase reckon the questions become tougher when contestants go for the high offer, taking to X to air their suspicions during Wednesday’s episode (February 4) of the ITV quiz show. This comes after the popular show announced a spin-off is in the works.

A player named Harri had been urging fellow contestants to be bold with their choices – something which caught the attention of chaser Mark “The Beast” Labbett.

Despite banking just £3,000 in his cash builder, Harri was presented with a low offer of minus £1,000 and a high offer of £68,000, with Mark telling him: “You’ve no excuse not to take this.”

Though he could have stuck with his £3,000, Harri went big – and viewers immediately flocked to X as they noticed the questions appeared significantly harder than if he’d played it safe.

“What a pathetic question, the questions get harder when you go high I don’t care what anyone says,” one viewer claimed.

“Big difference in questions when you go high,” another concurred. A third shared a meme from The Office, writing: “Go and get the difficult set of questions!”

Despite his bravado, Harri couldn’t outsmart The Beast and was forced to make the dreaded walk of shame off set, departing empty-handed, reports the Express.

That left just two players, Andy and Caren, to tackle the final chase with £7,000 in the prize pot after both had chosen the cautious route in their cash builders.

Whilst they fell short of defeating The Beast, it was a nail-biting finish: Mark was forced to leap in with his answers before presenter Bradley Walsh could complete the questions, having squandered precious time through incorrect responses.

After securing his triumph, he felt driven to address viewers directly. “Can I address something? There’s a thing on social media, people claim that it’s unfair. The Chasers can jump in and interrupt you [Bradley], and the contestants can’t. That is absolutely not true,” he declared.

“The contestants can jump in whenever they like, if they’re brave enough or confident enough. In other words, we jumped in early because I had to be there.

“Thank goodness it was right. Otherwise, I’d have lost. Very well played, guys,” he praised the remaining duo.

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website‘.

The Chase broadcasts on weeknight evenings at 5pm on ITV.

The shocking true crime series is guaranteed to make viewers emotional

True crime fans are only just realising there is a harrowing true crime series that is not to be missed, and it is available for free streaming now.

Murder in the Family is a brutal true crime documentary series spanning across three episodes, each delving into its own shocking murder investigation.

Using police evidence and harrowing real life footage, the series shows the police investigation from start to finish in heart-breaking investigations that rocked a community.

Despite being first released back in 2023, true crime fanatics are tuning in to the “shocking” series that can be streamed on ITVX in full.

Telling the story of seemingly ordinary relationships that result in tragic consequences, the documentary explores the most burning questions of “how and why”.

ITV teases: “Explore three shocking British murders in this haunting crime doc. Told by those closest to the tragic events, discover the killers’ motives behind their fatal acts.”

The first episode plunges viewers into the shocking case of Cheryl Hooper as ITV penned: “Cheryl Hooper is shot dead by her husband – using shocking police evidence and intimate family footage, this documentary explores how and why.”

Many viewers have dubbed the series as a must watch. Previously taking to TikTok, one true crime fan said: “Guys, if you’re looking for something good to watch then watch Murder in the Family, it’s on ITVX, there’s three episodes and it’s absolutely brilliant. Very sad, but brilliant.”

In a separate video, another said recently they have discovered a whole host of true crime content available to stream on ITVX. They added: “I don’t know why I’ve never really looked through it properly before, but there’s actually loads and loads of true crime documentaries and I watched one of them this weekend.

“It was genuinely one of the most heartbreaking but I felt like I was watching it through the eyes of the victims. And I would highly recommend giving it a go.

“It’s called Murder in the Family, I think it was maybe released in 2022 so you might have seen it but I don’t remember watching it.”

They later continued: “I would check trigger warnings on this because it’s really, really sad and quite detailed and in some parts graphic I suppose you could say, but it’s such a focus on the victims, the victims families…”

In another video, one person commented: “The third one is shocking, really bad”, as another wrote: “This was wild.”

One IMDB reviewer echoed: “This is the human side of the effects of horrific crimes, and it’s extremely well presented. Of course, that makes it gut wrenching to watch.”

Murder in the Family is available to stream on ITVX.

True crime fans can binge watch a harrowing series for free

A gripping true crime documentary series hosted by a late Hollywood A-lister is available to stream for free, the perfect binge watch for true crime fans.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and so are plenty of romantic watches. But for fans of true crime and criminal investigations, there is one show to put on your radar in the coming weeks.

Pluto TV has brought its single series channel dedicated to the Meet, Marry, Murder true crime documentary series. Hosted by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Michelle Trachtenberg, it explores some of the most chilling cases where spouses are killed by their partners.

Focusing on how love turns deadly and investigates the darker side of marriage, the documentary hones in on one of the most common forms of murder – involving a married couple.

Pluto TV teases: “The single series channel dedicated to the ‘Meet, Marry, Murder’ true crime documentary series, hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg, explores chilling cases where spouses are killed by their partners, focusing on how love turns deadly and investigates the darker side of marriage.”

Meet, Marry, Murder will be available to stream completely for free on Pluto TV, with it being dubbed the perfect watch for fans of true crime. The series features emotional interviews as well as investigating how a life time commitment of love ends in disaster and heartbreak.

Taking to IMDB, many fans said the series was “one of the most interestingly detailed” documentary shows. One person praised: “This show is one of the most interestingly detailed true crime documentary shows. The stories are ones I had not seen or heard before as I watch quite a bit of true crime so that kept me watching.

“You hear from people very close to the story so you are very emotionally pulled in and get a large amount of detail to what led up to the sad event.” They added: “The show as a whole is a great true crime documentary series.”

Another person penned: “Did enjoy binge watching this though and the stories they made episodes on. Still love Michelle, just think maybe something else is for her in terms of hosting.

“Otherwise I enjoyed the performances and the way they build up certain twists in some of the stories. This kind of show is different because it’s not strangers, it’s people in marriages that spiral downwards.”

A third added: “Interesting new show and somewhat different then most true life crime shows. Michelle Trachtenberg who host this show in many ways is like Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Michelle, commentary on the case being viewed is very much same as Elvira’s remarks during the movie she is doing.

“Both women are very goth in the manner of dress and make up! While all the cases that Michelle does in Season 1 are ones I have already seen on other true life crime shows. That said, Michelle color commentary is unique to this show [sic].”

Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi said at the time of release: “At Tubi, we are excited to expand our offerings within the true crime genre with the premiere of Meet, Marry, Murder.”

He added: “Viewers’ fascination with true crime content is ever-growing and we know Meet, Marry, Murder will captivate audiences and keep them at the edge of their seats.”

Meet, Marry, Murder is available to stream for free on Pluto TV.

The brand new crime drama will be released today as fans brand it one of the “most harrowing” things they have seen

A gripping crime drama dubbed “one of the most harrowing and distressing things” fans have ever seen is now available to stream for free.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy tells the terrifying story of the American serial killer, spanning across eight episodes. Having first been released in the US last year, it will today (January 30) be released on ITV and ITVX.

The series will air weekly at 9pm on ITV1 & STV on Fridays. But for those looking to binge-watch the series in one go, all 8 episodes will be available via ITVX & STV Player straight away.

It has been teased: “Prepare to take a deep dive into the mind and life of one of America’s most notorious serial killers with this drama that tells the terrifying story of John Wayne Gacy.

“From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny.

“Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown.

“Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities, and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”

The series has already been a hit with viewers, as one person said: “Honestly, one of the most harrowing and distressing things I’ve ever seen. Each episode takes time to honour and bring back to life one or more of the victims.”

Is Devil in Disguise based on a true story?

Yes, the ITV drama is based on the true story of the notorious American serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who murdered young men and boys in the 1970s. Although a dramatisation of his life and crimes, it is based on real-life events that occurred.

Known as the Killer Clown, because Gacy often dressed as one when volunteering at various events, he targeted young men and sexually assaulted many of them before killing them. And he went untraced from 1972 to 1978.

Across a six-year spree, Gacy murdered 33 young men before burying them in a mass grave under his own home in Chicago. Leading a double life, Gacy had a fascination with clowns, often using that persona to lure his victims.

But it wasn’t until 1978 that he was arrested and confessed to the crimes. His arrest came after the disappearance of teenager Robert Piest, who was Gacy’s final victim, which led authorities to suspect Gacy.

In 1980, he was convicted of killing 33 young men and sentenced to death before receiving the lethal injection at the age of 52 in 1994.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy airs tonight at 9pm on ITV.

Netflix has added a historical drama based on the true story and viewers have been captivated

Netflix has quietly dropped a historical drama rooted in real events, and true crime enthusiasts are already singing its praises. The streaming giant has added this Italian post-war thriller, which chronicles the life of Toni Chichiarelli (portrayed by Pietro Castellitto).

The gifted artist scrapes by creating street portraits in Rome during Italy’s tumultuous Years of Lead. This period witnessed widespread chaos fuelled by political violence from both neo-fascist groups and far-left extremists.

Time Magazine noted: “Toni’s amoral ambition leads to a life of forgery, producing perfect replicas of paintings for his gallery owner girlfriend Donata (Giulia Michelini) and other lucrative jobs for the Banda della Magliana, a criminal organization stretching its wings in Rome, with the charismatic Balbo (Edoardo Pesce) taking the forger under his wing.”

This ambitious production, amongst Netflix’s collection of fact-based films, has earned acclaim for its meticulous period detail, with reviewers highlighting the authenticity of everything from vehicles to wardrobes and soundtrack. Viewers have branded it a compelling blend of political suspense and gangster drama.

The Netflix offering is titled The Big Fake, and supporters have flocked to IMDb reviews encouraging others to give it a watch.

Pjames10 praised it as “excellent”, revealing: “I don’t want to give anything away, but the movie took some nice twists and turns. It had some filmic serendipities that, rather than distracting, only helped to reveal how our hero has led a charmed life on the periphery of legitimacy and criminality. I was sucked in, and it held my attention the entire time.”

2B-10101010 branded it “amazing”, continuing: “Intrigue, emotion, story, actors, this movie has it all. It starts a bit slow but after the initial introduction, you get to know the characters and story and you want to see more, you want to feel like you are in the movie, it’s a captivating story with a bit of flair. Maybe one of the best European movies! Give it a chance, it’s worth seeing.”

Luuthaiquangkhai awarded the film nine out of 10 stars, commending its distinctive atmosphere.

They explained: “I came in expecting a heist/criminal movie, ends up watching a Historical drama that is very much unlike any other things. They have a good story to tell, a firm set of characters with clear individual values and motivations.”

Get Netflix free with Sky

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £15

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, Giulia S enthused: “Amazing plot. Great character. Great Atmosphere. I really enjoy it!” Anthousa P declared: “Finally a movie for readers of good literature. Where the story matters less than how it is told. Lovely photography, solid acting, good steady pace, interesting musical background.”

Lucas P declared: “An absolute masterpiece of a movie with a spectacular twist at the end. This is a must-watch.”

The genuine Antonio Chichiarelli was an expert in deception, and his talents extended far beyond painting. Born in Abruzzo in 1948, he made his way to Rome possessing a skill “so dangerous it made him a protected asset for the most powerful entities in Italy”, according to The Viewers Perspective.

The Big Fake is on Netflix.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website**

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It was a historic weekend for coach Harvey Kitani, who became only the third high school basketball coach in state history to reach 1,000 wins.

Kitani memories

Harvey Kitani is surrounded by his players after earning his 1,000th career victory on Friday night at Mater Dei in Rolling Hills Prep’s 60-45 win over Bishop Gorman.

(Nick Koza)

Harvey Kitani joined Gary McKnight of Mater Dei and Mike LeDuc of Damien as the only high school basketball coaches to reach 1,000 wins. Kitani got his 1,000th career win coaching Rolling Hills Prep to victory on Friday against Bishop Gorman.

Many of his victories came during a 35-year stay as head coach at Fairfax. Let me offer some of the most memorable moments covering him since 1979.

No. 1 is when his star player, Sean Higgins, called a news conference in 1987 to announce his college choice. He signed with UCLA. But Higgins didn’t show up to the news conference. Sitting in the principal’s office and waiting and waiting for Higgins to arrive was so strange. Then word came that Higgins was pressured to sign with UCLA by his stepfather. He ended up getting released from his letter of intent and enrolling at Michigan.

Kitani’s best team was that 1987 season winning the City 4-A title and was unbeaten until the state tournament. Higgins, Chris Mills and JD Green were the standout players. Kitani would win a 3-A title and two more upper division titles.

The Fairfax vs. Westchester rivalry became one of the best in the Southland. Westchester coach Ed Azzam, who is the City record holder for most career wins, always got along with Kitani, who hired Azzam to teach middle school students when he retired. Their teams played for City titles against each other in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2015. Those were the days. Besides playing two league match-ups they’d face off again in the playoffs.

Kitani got to coach the Shipp brothers, Joe, Josh and Jerren. They ended up playing basketball for Cal, UCLA and Arizona. Josh helped Fairfax win a state title in 2004. He also coached center Renardo Sidney.

He retired from teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2016 and decided to accept the coaching position at Rolling Hills Prep, which is 15 minutes from his home and where two of his sons attended.

“If Fairfax was here, I’d still be at Fairfax,” he said.

He’s won four Southern Section titles. He truly has a body of work to admire.

“Unbelievable,” he said of staying in coaching for 46 years.

Boys basketball

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s NaVorro Bowman scored 26 points in a win over Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

(Craig Weston)

NaVorro Bowman, a junior guard for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, has thrust himself into consideration for Mission League MVP. He had 26 points Saturday in Notre Dame’s 71-66 win over Harvard-Westlake. The Knights are on the verge of finishing second in the regular season and clinching a playoff spot before the Mission League tournament begins Thursday.

Sierra Canyon, led by Brandon McCoy and Brannon Martinsen, a pair of former Trinity League all-stars, defeated Harvard-Westlake to lock up the No. 1 seed for the Mission League tournament. Here’s the report.

Former Notre Dame star Monte Marcaccini has returned to high school basketball as an assistant coach at Oaks Christian, where his son, James, is a promising freshman. Here’s the report.

Palisades, which hasn’t played a basketball game or any sporting event on its campus since the Palisades fire in January of 2025, will hold its first home basketball game Thursday against Fairfax at 6 p.m. Classes return to the campus Tuesday. Palisades (11-11) has emerged as the favorite to win the City Open Division basketball title.

L.A. Southwest College and Pasadena City College are expected to be the championship sites for the City Section basketball finals Feb. 27 and 28.

Cleveland won an important West Valley League game against rival Birmingham. Here’s the report.

The City Section’s top four teams have become real clear: Palisades, Cleveland, Birmingham and Washington Prep.

Second-year coach Leon Jacob has turned around the Angelou program. Here’s the report.

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

Girls basketball

Aryanna Reyes of Pioneer set a school record with a 52-point performance against Artesia.

Changes are coming in the Southern Section power rankings. No. 2 JSerra lost to Santa Margarita in a Trinity League game. Mater Dei upset highly regarded Bishop Gorman from Las Vegas. Etiwanda routed No. 5 Rancho Christian 104-73.

For some reason, the rankings always ignore Etiwanda in the early going even though the Eagles always contend for Southern Section and state titles. Sierra Canyon is 21-2 and headed for another unbeaten Mission League season. The Trailblazers have never lost a Mission League game.

Harvard-Westlake, led by freshman Lucia Khamenia, has moved into a tie for second place with Marlborough in the Mission League.

Ontario Christian remains No. 1 with a 25-1 record.

Reagan Enright from Rolling Hills Prep scored the 1,000th point of her career.

Westchester is 17-3 and 6-0 in the Western League behind the City Section’s best player, Savannah Myles, averaging 22.1 points. Here’s the report.

Wrestling

Abraham Datte of Monroe is the two-time City Section heavyweight wrestling champion and wants to be a paramedic.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Abraham Datte is a two-time City Section heavyweight wrestling champion from Monroe who wants to become a paramedic. He chose Monroe because of its Fire Academy. Here’s a profile.

The Southern Section Divisional championships are set for Feb. 13-14.

Here are the boys’ sites.

Central — Westminster High

Coastal — Fountain Valley High

Eastern — Canyon Springs High

Inland — Great Oak High

Northern — Moorpark High

Southern — Glenn High

Here are the girls’ sites.

Central — San Dimas High

Eastern — Roosevelt High

Northern — Adelanto High

Southern — Marina High

The Masters Meet is Feb. 20 for boys and Feb. 21 for girls.

The state championships are Feb. 26-28 at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield.

Soccer

South East (16-1-3) and El Camino Real (12-3-1, 5-0-1) are looking like the teams to beat in City Section boys soccer. El Camino Real plays at Birmingham on Wednesday.

Servite handed Mater Dei its first defeat 2-1 to move ahead of the Monarchs in the Trinity League standings.

Cathedral is 12-2-1 and 4-0-1 in the Del Rey League heading into a big match Friday at Bishop Amat.

In girls soccer, Santa Margarita is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section power rankings and is 13-0-2.

Baseball

Chatsworth coach Marcus Alvarado has resigned.

(Nick Koza)

Marcus Alvarado, who coached Chatsworth to a 2022 City Section Open Division championship, said he resigned on Friday, saying he had lost his love for baseball after repeated complaints from parents. Here’s the report.

Gabe Cerna, the baseball coach at Sun Valley Poly since 2009, has been replaced by his assistant, Freddy Flores, who will be an interim coach. Cerna also was the school’s athletic director. Cerna is now teaching at Fulton Prep. He said the school decided to go in “a different direction.”

Harvard-Westlake has put the jerseys of nine former players who reached the major leagues on its outfield walls at O’Malley Family Field. They start in left field and go to center field. They might run out of room, but coach Jared Halpert said, “That’s a good problem to have.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jack Flaherty, Nik Turley and Josh Satin were on hand on Saturday for a ceremony. Meanwhile, the baseball team played teams from Las Vegas, and No. 1 pitcher Justin Kirchner, a Yale commit, struck out 10 in four innings.

Notes . . .

There was an altercation Friday night at the conclusion of the Chatsworth at Taft girls’ basketball game involving the Chatsworth coach and a relative of one of his players. L.A. School Police are investigating. Here’s the report.

Oaks Christian has hired Rudy Carlton as its new football coach. He was an assistant coach at JSerra last season and has extensive college coaching experience from his days at Azusa Pacific. Former Oaks Christian standout Ron Pitts is becoming the general manager and the school is creating an advisory council of former NFL players. . . .

Matt Villasenor has resigned as football coach at Nogales to become head coach at Muir. . . .

Dujuawan Jones is the new football coach at San Marino. . . .

Former Corona del Mar and UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers has been hired to coach quarterbacks at Corona del Mar. . . .

A lawsuit targeting St. John Bosco football coach Jason Negro has misfired after a judge’s rulings. Here’s the report. . . .

Kevin Encinas is the new football coach at Nogales. . . .

The Southern Section Council will discuss a proposal Tuesday that would allow football at-large playoff berths for teams with a .300 or better overall record. It’s currently .500 or better. The aim is not to allow teams with 1-9 or 2-8 records. It’s a non-action item. . . .

Jaden Soong competes at the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis.

(Courtesy of SCGA)

Sophomore golfer Jaden Soong of St. Francis will try to qualify for the PGA’s Farmer’s Insurance Open on Monday in Mission Viejo. He needs to finish in the top four. He turns 16 on Monday. . . .

After only one season as coach, Doug Bledsoe said he has resigned as football coach at Narbonne. He took over the program after numerous rules violations resulted in a three-year postseason ban by the City Section and an exodus of players. Narbonne went 0-10. . . .

Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes set a school record with 420 yards rushing and four touchdowns in win over South Gate

(Nick Koza)

There was major transfer news in football, with two-time All-City running back Ceasar Reyes going from Garfield to Salesian. Here’s a link to The Times’ transfer portal keeping track of key players switching schools. . .

Shortstop Bobby Brooks from La Habra has committed to Sacramento State. . . .

Even though Morningside High has closed, former Morningside basketball star Stais Bozeman had his jersey retired Friday.

From the archives: Ryan Turell

Yeshiva’s Ryan Turell brings the ball up court against St. Joseph’s Anton Jansson.

(Joe Bednarsh / Yeshiva Athletics)

Former Valley Torah basketball star Ryan Turell is playing for Haifa in Israel’s second division pro basketball league. He entered this week averaging 13.3 points.

He became a standout college player at Yeshiva. He had one game in which he scored 51 points.

Here’s a story from 2021 in which he was being called the Jewish Jordan.

Here’s a story from 2024 about Turell trying to become the first Orthodox Jewish player in the NBA.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on sophomore girls’ basketball star Tatianna Griffin from No. 1 Ontario Christian.

From AL.com, a story on Alabama creating separate playoff divisions for private and public schools.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Harvard-Westlake soccer star Gisele Thompson.

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.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.