State sports briefs

HORSE RACING

Oaklawn has gains across board

Oaklawn Park concluded the 2016 racing season with increases in handle, attendance, average field size and Oaklawn Anywhere business.

“We saw an increase in fan interest early on and we think we were able to attract new fans with the tremendous racing we offered all season,” said Oaklawn Director of Racing David Longinotti. “The top three finishers of our Arkansas Derby — Creator, Suddenbreakingnews and Whitmore — all appear headed to the Kentucky Derby. All three spent the entire winter with us. That’s especially gratifying.”

Oaklawn’s total attendance grew 12 percent to 559,650. Overall handle increased 4 percent to $180,582,197 thanks to competitive races and a field size increase to 9.62 per race, which is among the largest in the nation.

Fans wagered $38,173,563 on on-track races, an increase of 8 percent. Oaklawn Anywhere, the track’s account wagering service for in-state residents, saw the biggest growth during the season with total handle up by nearly $15 million. Handle on Oaklawn only races grew 35 percent over last year to $8.9 million.

Oaklawn’s 2017 live racing season begins Jan. 13 and runs through April 15.

BASKETBALL

Bozeman returning to UALR

Solomon Bozeman, the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and the leading scorer on UALR’s NCAA Tournament team that year, was announced as Wes Flanigan’s newest assistant coach for the Trojans on Wednesday. Bozeman joins Flanigan’s staff after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Abilene Christian.

Bozeman, 28, played three seasons for the Trojans, and his 597 points in his senior season rank fifth all-time for a single season, after he transferred from South Florida in 2008. Flanigan, then a UALR assistant under Steve Shields, recruited Bozeman to the Trojans but left for Alabama-Birmingham before he played a game with the team.

The connection between the two was so strong that Bozeman turned down an offer to join Grant McCasland’s staff at Arkansas State to return to UALR. Bozeman said Wednesday night that McCasland, hired last month after five seasons as an assistant at Baylor, offered him a spot on his ASU staff, but he had yet to sign a contract when Flanigan called him last week.

“It was too hard to turn down my alma mater and where I’m from and I have so much love for Little Rock basketball and the fans,” Bozeman said.

Bozeman became Flanigan’s second assistant after Kwanza Johnson was named associate head coach on Tuesday.

— Troy Schulte

ASU adds forward

Tamas Bruce, a 6-8 forward from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., has signed with Arkansas State, Coach Grant Mc-Casland announced Wednesday.

Bruce averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season for the Volunteers. Bruce averaged 17.8 points and 12.5 rebounds during his senior year at Osceola High School.

He is the third addition in less than a week to ASU’s roster. The Red Wolves are now committed to 12 scholarships for next season. The Division I limit for men’s basketball is 13.

FOOTBALL

Anderson: Tabary was dismissed

A day after a quarterback announced he was leaving the Arkansas State football team, Coach Blake Anderson said he was dismissed.

Anderson released a statement through the school’s sports information department Wednesday saying that James Tabary was dismissed from the team for “inappropriate and disappointing choices made by James.”

“While we wish him the best in his future, this is an instance where we simply cannot move forward together,” Anderson said in a statement.

Tabary, who posted on Twitter that he was leaving Tuesday night, started three games as a redshirt freshman last season, passing for 788 yards with 4 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. He entered spring practice taking first-team snaps, but Justice Hansen, a January transfer from Butler County Community College, started in Friday’s final spring scrimmage.

Hansen, Cameron Birse, D.J. Pearson and Logan Bonner are ASU’s remaining scholarship quarterbacks.

— Troy Schulte

BASEBALL

UALR’s Scott named to Golden Spikes list

UALR senior outfielder Ryan Scott was named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list, USA Baseball announced Wednesday.

The Golden Spikes Award is presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Scott is second in the country in batting average at .452. He is fourth in hits (64), fifth in total bases (102), 10th in on-base percentage (.527), 14th in slugging (.718), 19th in RBI (44) and 29th in runs scored (39).

Scott is the first UALR player since Sean Bignall in 2012 to be named to the list.

USA Baseball will announce the award semifinalists June 1.

RBI program tryouts set

The Little Rock RBI Baseball League will hold tryouts Sunday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.

Registration begins at 1 p.m. Sunday with a free barbecue. The first practice for 13- to 15-year-olds is from 2-4 p.m. and 16- to 18-year-olds from 4-6 p.m.

For more information, contact John C. Williams at (501) 313-9466.

— Democrat-Gazette Press Services

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Shiloh Christian hires DePriest as OC

Shiloh Christian announced the hiring of Adam DePriest as its offensive coordinator Wednesday.

DePriest was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Harrison from 2012-2014. Before his stint at Harrison, DePriest was an assistant coach at Pulaski Academy from 2002-2011.

DePriest replaces Crosby Tuck, a former Shiloh Christian wide receiver who was hired as Pea Ridge’s offensive coordinator earlier this month.

Shiloh Christian finished 7-4 in 2015 under Coach Jeff Conaway and lost at Nashville in the Class 4A second round.

— Jeremy Muck

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