The NFL’s new league year is approaching, and we have already seen some crazy moves made. Whether it’s been trades or cuts, there’s been splashes made.
The Indianapolis Colts made one of those moves this week by placing a tag on Daniel Jones. Now they are working on a stunning trade.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss at least two more weeks as he continues to recover from a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
The Grizzlies announced Thursday that Morant was progressing in his rehabilitation but was still experiencing discomfort. The two-time All-Star had follow-up imaging Wednesday that showed what the team described as “incomplete healing of the injury.”
The Grizzlies said Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Morant has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists. He hasn’t played since injuring his elbow on Jan. 21.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss at least two more weeks as he continues to recover from a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
The Grizzlies announced Thursday that Morant was progressing in his rehabilitation but was still experiencing discomfort. The two-time All-Star had follow-up imaging Wednesday that showed what the team described as “incomplete healing of the injury.”
The Grizzlies said Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Morant has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists. He hasn’t played since injuring his elbow on Jan. 21.
The 2026 Illinois high school girls basketball playoffs have been taking over the state, but champions will finally be crowned this weekend.
This tournament has brought the state’s best athletes together across Classes 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A. Many of Illinois’ top teams have been playing their best ball during the most important stretch of the season, including Loyola Academy, Nazareth Academy, Washington and Breese Central.
With only four trophies up for grabs, these matchups are sure to be intense. Don’t miss out as these high school athletes attempt to reach the pinnacle of their basketball careers.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 Illinois high school girls basketball finals, including TV and streaming options for games.
Where to watch Illinois high school girls basketball finals: TV channel, live stream
The Illinois high school girls basketball finals will not be available to watch on a national TV channel, but fans can stream games live on the NFHS Network.
The NFHS Network offers two basic plans: an Annual Pass ($6.67 per month) or a Monthly Pass ($13.99 per month). These plans give subscribers the ability to watch live sporting events and create clips of their favorite moments from games.
Illinois high school girls basketball finals schedule 2026
Gisele Thompson earns more responsibility under Emma Hayes in SheBelieves Cup
U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes made 10 lineup changes from the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, opener against Argentina on March 1 to the March 4 match against Canada. Only one name remained on the start list: Gisele Thompson.
The 20-year-old defender played the full 90 minutes in both matches, marking just her sixth and seventh appearances with the USWNT. She also played the entire game in the 6-0 win over Paraguay in January.
“Gisele knows that my goal with her is that I need her to be more durable,” Hayes said post-game. “So, I told her, ‘You’re playing 90 minutes.’ That is what she is going to need to compete for this team on a regular basis, and she did a fine job.”
One of Hayes’ key themes over the past year has been giving younger players more opportunities on the field, with Thompson being one of the 32 debutants for Hayes since she took over as head coach. Thompson, alongside her Youth National Team teammates like Ally Sentnor and Claire Hutton, is among the group that Hayes is looking at to give more responsibility to develop the depth heading into World Cup qualifyinglater this year.
“I always rewind back to the Olympics,” Hayes said. “I felt really clear about 14 players. The gap was much bigger in terms of experience. If the Olympics were tomorrow, I think we’re in a better place. Our goal is closing that gap between now and qualifying.”
Against Canada, Thompson was deployed at left back with a license to attack, though she also had to do some serious defending throughout the night. The Under-17 and Under-20 Women’s World Cup veteran controlled the flank, contributing to the backline that allowed the Canadians only one shot on target en route to the USA’s seventh consecutive clean sheet.
Thompson often combined on that left flank with her older sister, Alyssa, who played on the wing in both matches of the tournament. In just over a year since Gisele made her senior team debut, the Thompson sisters have competed in five USWNT matches together. In three of those games, they were in the starting lineup together.
Like most older sisters, Alyssa was the first into the limelight, and she made a name for herself on both the club and international levels. Her debut with the senior National Team came in 2022 when she was just 17 years old. The sisters played professionally together at Angel City FC in the NWSL before Alyssa signed to English club Chelsea FC in September 2025 for a record fee. She has recorded six goals and an assist in her 14 appearances with the Blues and is currently the team’s leading scorer.
Both sisters, who play much bigger than their small statures might indicate, are known for their tremendous speed, but as they become more adjusted to the highest levels of the game, their high soccer IQs also continue to push them forward.
Alyssa has earned more consistent call-ups over the past year than Gisele, but Hayes spoke to the dedication of both players and their imminent futures with the team.
“When you’re the baby sibling and you’ve got Alyssa Thompson as your sister, that’s tough,” Hayes said. “[Gisele] is having to live a little bit in the shadow of her sister, but her time will come.”
Mar. 5—GRANITEVILLE — Clayton State University, about 15 miles south of Atlanta, is on track to receive a substantial boost from Mustang football in a few months, with five Midland Valley High School players having signed March 4 to play for the Lakers, in a gathering that also celebrated three more college-bound Mustang athletes.
Clayton State, a University System of Georgia school, is in Morrow, and has a football program still taking shape, en route to playing in NCAA Division II, with Mustang seniors Quentin Cofer, Christopher Denny, Jordan McKie, C.J. Richardson and JaNaree Williams to be on the roster.
All five were honored in a gathering Wednesday morning in the gymnasium, as were Mallorie Smith, who signed to play softball for Converse University, in Spartanburg; Jad Bennefield, for baseball, at Lander University, in Greenwood; and Aaron Adams Jr., for football, with Benedict College, in Columbia.
All six of the football players have specialized in defense: Cofer, Denny, McKie and Williams all as linemen; Richardson, as a back; and Adams, as an end.
Justin Medlock, Midland Valley’s athletic director, confirmed that the Mustangs have had plenty of seniors making such decisions in recent weeks.
“We had some earlier in the year, but this definitely was a good number today. We have two or three more that I know of right now that will be signing here coming soon. They’re making their final decisions and getting all that in order, but we should have a few more later this year, too,” he said.
He described Clayton State, which was founded in 1969, as “a newer school” with a football program still in the formative stages, “so they’re getting a couple of recruiting classes now.” The Lakers are Peach Belt Athletic Conference members and, for football, also belong to New South Athletic Conference, because PBAC does not sponsor football.
Bennefield’s background with the Mustangs has mainly been as a pitcher. He has also seen some time at second base and in the outfield. Smith’s years on Mustang Drive have largely been as a pitcher, left fielder and third baseman.
Bellarmine Prep’s Heisel brothers don’t do much barking in games, and even less in practice. Unless it’s when they’re matched up against each other.
“They just bully the crap out of each other,” second-year Bellarmine basketball coach Bobby Moorehead said, semi-jokingly, after the Lions beat Edmonds-Woodway on Thursday morning to advance to Friday’s 3A state tournament semifinals. “They just love it. They never get fired up about anything I say or anything a teammate says, but when the brother says something, they lose their minds. It’s pretty funny.”
Classic brotherly love. Ben, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, is the older brother. Luke, a sophomore forward, the “little brother,” even though he’s listed an inch taller on the roster at 6-foot-6.
They’re throwback-type players: willing to play defense, do the dirty work and bang around against opponents in the paint. Their length has disrupted some of the area’s best offenses all season and is one reason the Lions find themselves in the 3A semifinals.
“We love (defense),” Ben Heisel said. “(Moorehead) pushes us in practice, defense. In the game we’ve gotta play defense. Work hard, play defense. We’ve got (guard) Ronnie (Wiggins), too, one of the best defenders in the state.”
Brother Luke summed up his feelings in three words.
“Defense wins championships,” he said.
Moorehead said the brothers are coachable and keep their heads down.
“They just work hard, they don’t talk, they just want to compete,” he said.
The proof is in the pudding: Bellarmine held Edmonds-Woodway to just three points in the third quarter, which is when it began to pull away in Wednesday’s quarterfinal game. Edmonds-Woodway shot just 35 percent from the field in the second half.
Bellarmine has gone on this run — which included a win over Eastside Catholic in the state regional round before playing in the Dome — without the help of sharpshooting guard Kade Price, who suffered an ACL injury in the 3A Puget Sound League tournament last month.
“Kade was a very important part of our team,” Ben Heisel said. “I feel like when he went out, we were down, but we came back. We’re gonna do it for him and bounce back for him.”
Bellarmine’s biggest test on defense yet will come in Friday’s semifinals, where the Lions face top-seeded Rainier Beach and Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit.
Three weeks of basketball will produce eight state champions in Florida high school girls basketball.
The FHSAA brackets have seen numerous contenders fall by the wayside, leaving only a select few alive and vying for a coveted state title.
There will be plenty of new faces lifting trophies when all is said and done, but some potential repeats remain in play. First on that list is the 2A tournament, which sees Miami Country Day trying to secure a fourth consecutive title across multiple classifications. Last year’s 1A and 7A champions, Grandview Prep and Winter Haven, also are looking to go back-to-back.
Elsewhere, schools that fell in last year’s finals, like Bolles in 3A and American Heritage in 4A, will hope to get one more win this time.
Plenty of action is on tap in the Sunshine State. Here’s how to watch it all.
Where to watch Florida HS girls basketball championships
The FHSAA girls basketball state semis and finals will stream live on the NFHS Network.
The NFHS Network offers prospective customers two basic plans: an Annual Pass ($6.67 per month) or a Monthly Pass ($11.99 per month). Subscribers to NFHS Network can watch high school sports nationwide, live and on demand.
Florida high school girls basketball state championship schedule, brackets
All state semifinal and championship games will stream live on the NFHS Network
Class 2A playoffs
Date
Matchup
Time (ET)
Fri., March 6
Semifinal: Evangelical Christian vs. Holy Trinity
1 p.m.
Semifinal: Miami Country Day vs. San Jose Prep
5 p.m.
Sat., March 7
Championship game
2:30 p.m.
Class 1A playoffs
Date
Matchup
Time (ET)
Thu., March 5
Semifinal: Orlando Christian Prep 57, Seacrest Country Day 49
—
Semifinal: Grandview Prep 65, North Florida Educational 36
—
Sat., March 7
Championship: Orlando Christian Prep vs. Grandview Prep
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) — John Daly II had an easier time, and a far easier golf course, than his father in his PGA Tour debut. The 22-year-old son of John Daly opened with a 2-under 70 in the Puerto Rico Open on Thursday, where the kids were all the rage and Chandler Blanchet wound up with the lead.
Blanchet bogeyed his first hole and that was his only mistake. He followed with nine birdies for an 8-under 64, his lowest round on the PGA Tour for a one-shot lead over Gordon Sargent, the former top college golfer who has struggled the last few years.
“It was good,” Daly said. “Feel like I left a few out there, but I made it up with just a couple good saves and nice chip-in on 16.”
John Daly, the former PGA and British Open champion, made his first PGA Tour-sanctioned start nearly 40 years ago. But that was Shinnecock Hills — not Grand Reserve — and it was the 1986 U.S. Open, not an opposite-field event in Puerto Rico. Daly shot 88 that first round.
His son was not the only player getting attention. Blades Brown, the 18-year-old who played in the final group with Scottie Scheffler when the world’s No. 1 player won The American Express, opened with a 69. It was his 16th score in the 60s in his 34 career rounds on the PGA Tour.
Miles Russell, the 17-year-old from Florida and among the top amateurs in the world had a 71. The other young prospect, Zhou Yanhan of China, shot 72. The 17-year-old Zhou had seven wins on the China Tour last year.
Blanchet earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour last year, winning twice, including the circuit’s Tour Championship. But it has been a slow start to his first season in the big leagues, missing the cut in all five tournaments he has played.
He hopes there’s plenty of learning that comes with those weekends off, and Blanchet said he looked forward to facing more challenges, such as dealing with short putts he misses. He wants to get mentally stronger to deal with that.
“I missed a 5-footer right on the first hole and I looked at my caddie and he said, ‘This is our test.’ Handled it well,” Blanchet said. “Then made some good birdies over the next few holes. Yeah, really solid day.”
Eugenio Chacarra, who began his pro career on Saudi-backed LIV Golf in 2022 and became the first player from the rival league to a get sponsor exemption on the PGA Tour, opened with a 73.
The winner of the Puerto Rico gets into The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, along with a two-year exemption on tour. But it does not qualify for the Masters.
