BASKETBALL
Perry declares for NBA
Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry has entered the NBA Draft. Perry announced his decision Sunday on social media and was congratulated by the school in a tweet. He said "we are navigating charted waters" with coronavirus in the tweet but added "this too shall pass." Perry also said after talking with family and Mississippi State Coach Ben Howland that it was time to continue on the next level of basketball as a professional. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore was selected as The Associated Press co-Southeastern Conference player of the year along with Mason Jones of the University of Arkansas after ranking in the top 10 of several conference categories. Perry led the SEC in rebounds last season with 10.1 per game, ranked sixth in scoring at 17.4 points and ninth in blocks with 1.2. He also shot 50% to rank fourth in the SEC while leading the Bulldogs (20-11, 11-7) to a fourth-place finish.
Arizona State guard to enter draft
Arizona State junior point guard Remy Martin has declared for the NBA Draft. "Starting from a young age, I have worked towards the opportunity to play in the NBA and I have now decided to take another step into making my dream a reality," Martin said in a statement Monday. "I will forever cherish the time I have spent at ASU." Martin led the Sun Devils with 19.1 points. 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 2019-20, putting them on the cusp of a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance before efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus led to the cancellation of the college basketball postseason. He was named first team all-Pac-12 by The Associated Press. A 6-foot guard from Chatsworth, Calif.,, Martin had an immediate impact at Arizona State as a freshman in 2017-18, providing an energy spark off the bench to help the Sun Devils reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. Martin took on a bigger role as a sophomore, averaging 12.9 points and 5 assists while leading the Pac-12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Arizona State made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1980-81. Martin was second in Pac-12 scoring as a junior and was considered a front-runner for conference player of the year until Oregon's Payton Pritchard surged ahead late in the season.
BASEBALL
Sale's surgery a success
Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on Monday, his 31st birthday, and the team said it was successful. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. Sale is expected to miss 14-15 months, which would bring him back in the middle of the 2021 season. Sale missed the start of spring training with an illness that the team described as a flu that morphed into pneumonia. The Red Sox then said he had a flexor strain near the elbow, but the team hoped he would avoid ligament replacement surgery. A seven-time All-Star, Sale is 109-73 in 10 major league seasons and entering the second season of a six-year, $160 million contract. After helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts last year -- his fewest wins and starts, highest ERA, and the first time he failed to finish in the top six in Cy Young voting in any full season as a starter.
RUGBY
Team USA files for bankruptcy
USA Rugby has decided to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because its financial woes have been exacerbated by the coronavirus shutdown. In financial strife since 2018, USA Rugby's recent attempt to restructure was set back this month when it had to suspend all activities indefinitely in the face of the pandemic. The loss of spring and summer membership dues, and sponsorship pullback, has "resulted in significant loss of revenue," and the sport's national board and congress agreed on Sunday that filing for Chapter 11 combined with more approved loans from World Rugby were "the best platform to swiftly and efficiently address challenges and deliver a foundation for future stability." "The current suspension of sanctioned rugby activities caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the existing financial challenges facing the union, and a reorganization process will now be progressed with input from World Rugby," USA Rugby said in a statement Monday. The measure will protect and support the men's and women's national sevens and 15s programs, the body said.
Sports on 03/31/2020