BASKETBALL
Irish set to name coach
Notre Dame is finalizing a deal to make Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry its new men's basketball coach, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because contract details were still being completed and needed school approval. Shrewsberry, in his second season at Penn State (23-14), led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and a tournament victory for the first time since 2001. The Nittany Lions beat Texas A&M and were eliminated by Texas in the second round. Notre Dame has been searching for a replacement for Mike Brey, who spent the last 23 season as coach of the Fighting Irish. He announced in January that this would be his last season with Notre Dame. The Irish finished 11-21.
Wichita State hires Mills
Wichita State hired Paul Mills away from Oral Roberts on Wednesday to turn around its languishing men's basketball program, landing what has been one of the hottest names among mid-major coaches. The 50-year-old Mills led the the Golden Eagles to two of the past three NCAA Tournaments, engineering upsets of Ohio State and Florida as a No. 15 seed in 2021 before going 30-5 this past season and losing to Duke as a No. 5 seed. He replaces Isaac Brown, who was fired after three seasons as the Shockers slowly slipped toward mediocrity. Mills got his break in coaching when he joined Scott Drew's first staff at Baylor in 2003, working alongside future Kansas State Coach Jerome Tang in helping to turn around a program that had been mired in controversy. Mills stayed for 14 years, helping to reach seven NCAA Tournaments, before replacing Scott Sutton at Oral Roberts before the 2017 season.
George suffers knee sprain
The Los Angeles Clippers may be without All-Star Paul George to start the postseason. The team said Wednesday that George has a sprained right knee and he will be reevaluated in two to three weeks. The Clippers began the day in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 38-35 record. They end the regular season on April 9 at Phoenix, a team they could meet in the first round of the playoffs, which begin six days later. Even if George recovers before the playoff opener, he'll need time to get back in the swing after not seeing game action for a couple of weeks. George got hurt after going down hard late in a 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. His knee made contact with the Thunder's Luguentz Dort, who was going for a rebound with 4:38 remaining. George needed help to leave the court, appearing unable to put any weight on his right leg, and once inside the tunnel he was carried to the locker room. He later left the arena on a cart with his right leg extended.
Zion out another 2 weeks
All-Star forward Zion Williamson will not return for at least two more weeks, jeopardizing whether he will be a part of the New Orleans Pelicans' playoff push. The Pelicans announced Wednesday that Williamson, who has not played since straining his right hamstring Jan. 2, "has been cleared to return to on-court activities" and "will be re-evaluated in two weeks." The latest re-evaluation will come April 5. New Orleans plays host to Memphis that night and will have two more regular-season games on April 7 and April 9. New Orleans briefly had the best record in the Western Conference in December and had a 23-14 mark after Williamson was injured during a 120-111 loss at Philadelphia. Since then the Pelicans are 12-23.
FOOTBALL
Raiders sign TE Hooper
The Las Vegas Raiders might have found their replacement for Darren Waller, signing tight end Austin Hooper on Wednesday. Las Vegas also announced it had signed cornerback David Long Jr., who played for the Los Angeles Rams the past four seasons. Hooper caught 41 passes for 444 yards and 2 touchdowns last season with the Tennessee Titans. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection when he played for the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent his first four seasons after being drafted in the third round in 2016. Hooper then played two years for the Cleveland Browns. He has 339 receptions for 3,468 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career.
Moreau says he has cancer
NFL tight end Foster Moreau posted on Twitter on Wednesday he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma during a physical with the New Orleans Saints. "I'm grateful for the support and thankful for people who have stood firm with me," Moreau tweeted. "There hasn't been a single step I've taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me, and I will continue to seek their guidance. The 25-year-old Moreau added he was stepping away from football for now and vowed to beat the cancer "and get back to doing what I love!" Moreau is a free agent who played the previous four seasons for the Raiders, who took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of LSU when the Las Vegas team was based in Oakland. Last season, he set career highs with 33 catches for 420 yards. Moreau also caught two touchdown passes.
Browns pick up WR Moore
Adding a potential playmaker for quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns acquired wide receiver Elijah Moore in a trade from the New York Jets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Browns are sending the No. 42 pick in this year's draft to the Jets for Moore and the No. 74 selection, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized. The Jets parted with Moore, a second-round pick in 2021, shortly after agreeing to terms with former Kansas City wide receiver Mecole Hardman on a one-year deal, according to a person with knowledge of the contract. Moore had 37 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown last season, but was unhappy with his role and asked for a trade.
TENNIS
Injury sidelines Swiatek
Defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Miami Open on Wednesday because of a rib injury that she is hoping will heal during a break from competition. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek, a 21-year-old from Poland, also will sit out her country's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier matches against Kazakhstan on April 13-14. She was supposed to face Claire Liu in the second round on today. As a seeded player, three-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek received a first-round bye at an event she won a year ago during a 37-match unbeaten run that was the longest in women's tennis in a quarter of a century.