Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
PENDLETON
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Pro Football
Alliance of American Football to kick off after Super Bowl
Former
Buckaroo
joining
wrestling
Hall of
Fame
By BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
East Oregonian
Former Pendleton wrestling
standout Miles Hancock is
headed to the Hall of Fame.
Hancock, a 1979 Pendleton
graduate, was selected as one of
seven honorees to be inducted
into the Oregon chapter of the
National Wrestling Hall of
Fame later this spring. Hancock
is being honored for his lifetime
service to the sport.
As a Buckaroo, Hancock
was a four-time InterMountain
Conference champion and a
four-time state placer. Hancock
then went on to wrestle
collegiately at the University
of Oregon, where he was a
four-time Pac-10 conference
placer and was a part of two
conference championship teams
in 1981 and 1982.
After graduating, Hancock
came back to Pendleton and
served as an assistant coach
under Rollin Schimmel before
moving to Ketchikan, Alaska,
to be the head wrestling coach.
Hancock returned to Oregon in
the late 1990s and coached high
school, middle school and mat
club wrestling in La Grande.
Joining Hancock in the 2018
inductions are coaches Cleve
Thompson (Portland), Doug
Samarron (West Linn), John
Speasl (Coos Bay) and Bob
Bishop (Willamina), along with
referee Milo Meskel (Portland).
Hancock will join his former
coach and coaching partner,
Rollin Schimmel, who was a
2003 inductee into the Hall of
Fame. Former Buckaroo coach
and area referee Dale Freeman
was Pendleton’s most recent
inductee, as a part of the Class
of 2016.
The induction ceremonies
will be held on May 5 at the
Embassy Suites Hotel in Tigard.
Pro football — actual games —
won’t disappear from TV screens,
mobile devices and the American
consciousness once the Super Bowl
ends next February.
The Alliance of American
Football will kick off the following
Sunday. On network television
(CBS) as well as through a multi-
tude of free digital platforms.
Yes, spring football. We know,
from the USFL to the World
League to the XFL, the idea has not
worked. Here’s why the Alliance
has a strong chance of succeeding:
the folks involved.
The Alliance is the creation of
Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill
Polian, one of the most respected
and accomplished executives in
NFL history, and Charlie Ebersol,
a longtime TV and film producer.
Ebersol’s father, Dick, defined NBC
Sports’ programming for more than
two decades and created “Sunday
Night Football.” Dick Ebersol, who
also pioneered NBC’s Olympic
broadcasts, will serve on the board
of directors.
Former players such as Justin
Tuck, Hines Ward and Jared Allen
will have significant roles in a
league the younger Ebersol calls a
“true partnership.”
“That’s the best way a league
can perform and will be ultimately
the key to success, having an inter-
woven product,” he says.
“Whenever you have an
endeavor that involves the kind
of teamwork football involves,”
Polian adds, “it implies a partner-
ship, the need to get their buy-in and
do things, particularly in a startup,
that represent their best interest ...
to make sure players know we have
their best interests at heart. That is
the guiding philosophy.”
Co-founder Polian, who built the
Bills, Colts and Panthers into Super
Bowl teams, will oversee the foot-
ball side, helped by former player
and front office executive J.K.
McKay, who has been involved in
other startups.
The league will have eight teams
— cities and stadia to be announced,
though look for complementary
sites, not NFL venues, and warmer
climates given the February-late
April schedule. Rosters will be
culled from NFL cuts to the 53-man
maximum after preseason, which
Polian calls “the core of our constit-
uency”; collegians who have gone
undrafted, including underclassmen
who have lost any remaining eligi-
bility; players looking to return to
the sport; and free agents from the
CFL or elsewhere.
A draft of players in late fall after
the college season concludes —
“Players who probably are coming
off injury or some other situation
where they want to perhaps play in
our league in order to enhance their
draft status,” Polian explains —
also is planned.
With an eye on player safety,
the Alliance also will eliminate
kickoffs. There is a unique plan
for onside kicks, with the team
wanting to try one instead taking
possession at its 35 yard-line on
a fourth-and-10 to try one play to
keep the ball.
“This eliminates two plays that
if you were reinventing the game
are plays you would probably leave
out,” Polian says.
The preponderance of video
reviews by officials won’t be an
issue in the Alliance, Polian says.
Each coach will be allowed two
challenges and that’s it for replay.
And here’s one everybody but
a placekicker will love: all extra
points are 2-point conversion plays
from the 2-yard line.
Ebersol has spent three years
putting together the Alliance. He
and Polian, backed by the numbers
showing America’s passion for the
sport, see a huge void the league
can fill.
“Football is so dominant for
six months of the year,” Ebersol
says. “It even hides a number we
focused on: millions of fans who
stop watching the top five sports in
America when football is off the air.
Millions of football fans who don’t
want to watch other sports.”
New youth basketball guidelines call for several changes
By BRIAN MAHONEY
Associated Press
NEW YORK — The NBA and
USA Basketball are dipping their
toe into youth sports, recommending
guidelines they hope will help with
development and enhanced experi-
ences at a young age.
The recommendations include
lowering the basket and prohibiting
zone defense and 3-point shots at the
youngest level of competition. They
also call for the use of a 24-second
shot clock at the high school level
and a 30-second shot clock for ages
12-14 in their youth guidelines that
were announced Tuesday.
“When these kids are getting
into the sport at this young age, we
want them to get in and have a good
experience, have them succeed,”
USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley
said, “and we think these rules and
standards help them do that, help
them develop as young people and
overall improves the sport.”
The guidelines were developed
over a two-year period by a working
group that included former players
and coaches, and representatives
from high school, the NCAA and
AAU basketball. They were divided
into four segments: ages 7-8, ages
9-11, ages 12-14 and grades 9-12.
Most of the standards can’t be
enforced, because the NBA and
USA Basketball don’t operate
leagues or tournaments at the early
ages. But the hope is that recreation
organizations will implement all or
at least some of them, because the
recommendations come from the
highest level of the sport.
USA Basketball will use the rules
in its youth tournaments, which
currently start at age 12, and Tooley
said the hope is that AAU events
also will implement them. But a
large part of the focus is on younger
players, not yet at competitive
tournament age, who struggle on
a regulation-size court and may be
giving up on the game before having
the chance to get good at it.
They recommend 8-foot baskets
for ages 7-8 and 9-feet for ages 9-11,
along with balls that are smaller in
circumference so they can be more
easily controlled by younger players.
The standards also call for equal
playing time throughout the game
at the youngest age, and through the
first three quarters for 9-11.
And they say that neither age
should be playing zone defense,
which limits movement both offen-
sively and defensively, or hoisting
long shots that kids can’t reach
in a natural shooting motion. If a
gymnasium has a 3-point line, even
a shot behind it is to be counted for
2 points.
Tooley knows that some guide-
lines could be difficult — shot clocks
or baskets that lower to different
heights can be expensive — but
hopes leagues and tournaments will
use whichever they can. The NBA
and USA Basketball adopted world
governing body FIBA’s rules for all
high school-age recommendations.
Tooley said playing time can be a
major concern. He said kids should
play equally in the younger age
groups.
“You can’t weed people out by
the time they’re 8. They don’t have
the skills,” Tooley said. “There’s
a lot of people undeveloped so we
want it to be fun and offer a chance
for everybody.”
BLAZERS: Aim to start new streak Friday at home against Boston
Continued from 1B
Evan Turner put back his own
layup to cap an 11-2 Portland run
and put the Blazers up 42-38.
Turner had to leave the game later
in the period after he sustained a cut
that appeared above his left eve.
Harden was booed each time he
had the ball by the Moda Center
crowd, but he finished the half with
21 points and the score was knotted
at 55.
Portland had five 3-pointers in the
first quarter compared to Houston’s
one — but the Rockets’ production
picked up in the second quarter with
seven 3s. The Rockets went into the
game with the league’s best 3-point
percentage at 50 percent, while the
Blazers were next at 45.5 percent.
Houston finished with 19
3-pointers while Portland had 11.
Portland was hurt when Nurkic
got his fourth foul with 4:08 left in
the third and went to the bench with
15 points and 10 rebounds. Paul’s 3
gave the Rockets an 86-85 lead just
before the third quarter ended.
UP NEXT:
Trail Blazers: Host the Boston
Celtics on Friday.
PENDLETON: Solomon’s solo home run in fourth sealed the win in five innings
Continued from 1B
Rylee
Gentner,
of Pend-
leton,
catches
the third
out
of the
fourth
inning
during
Tues-
day’s
game
against
La
Grande.
The Buckaroos (2-1) were glad to
be back in better spirits Tuesday and
bounce-back to get a win after Friday’s
9-0 eye-opening loss to Hillsboro. Head
coach Tim Cary called the trip “a great
learning experience” for his team, mainly
after facing Hillsboro’s ultra-talented
pitcher in Payton Goodrich. But Cary
added on Friday that the Bucks would
be ready to go for their next game on
Tuesday. And as the Buckaroos showed,
they were more than ready.
“I think there’s a lot of value we
could take from that loss where we saw
an outstanding pitcher. I thought we
had some very good at-bats against her,
but I think it made us better for facing
two pretty good pitchers today from La
Grande,” Cary said after Tuesday’s game.
“I know the first one we hit pretty hard,
but she’s pretty good ... We just happened
to hit the ball very well today and I’m
happy to see that bouncing back from the
Hillsboro game.”
Pendleton tagged La Grande (0-1)
starting pitcher Madyson Bell for 11 runs
on 10 hits in just 1 2/3 innings, scoring
Staff photo
by Kathy
Aney
eight of those runs in the first inning.
The Buckaroos had some help from the
La Grande defense in getting the offense
going against Bell, though. After a
two-out double from Kalan McGlothan,
Bell looked to have forced the third out
with a high fly ball to left field off the
bat of Alexi Brehaut, but the Tigers’ left
fielder dropped the ball, scoring McGlo-
than and opening up the flood gates.
Garton followed Brehaut with her first
home run and both Kila Solomon and
Kirah McGlothan had two-RBI hits as a
total of 13 batters stepped to the plate in
the eight-run inning. The Buckaroos then
chased Bell from the game with two outs
in the second after Garton’s solo shot, an
RBI single from Chelsea Farrow and a
run-scoring double by Kirah McGlothan.
“To take advantage of a mistake like
that by the opponent is huge, it really is,”
Cary said. “We talk throughout the whole
season that generally the team that makes
the most mistakes generally loses, and
today we were the team that made the
fewest mistakes and it worked out well.”
La Grande’s offense was very quiet
through the first three innings, registering
no hits and only one walk against Pend-
leton pitcher Lauren Richards. In the
fourth, the Tigers got to Richards a bit.
Richards gave up an infield single, hit
a batter and induced a fielder’s choice
ground ball, which set up Allie Brock’s
two-run single up the middle to make the
score 11-2.
Brock, who replaced Bell in the pitch-
er’s circle, gave the Buckaroos’ offense
trouble with her mix of changeups and
high fastballs as she notched five strike-
outs and allowed just one hit in 2 1/3
innings. But her one hit allowed was a
big one — a solo home run to right-center
off the bat of Solomon that made it a 12-2
game to enable the 10-run rule again.
“It was a really good day for softball,”
Garton said. “We all did great and I’m
pretty proud and can’t wait to come back
Thursday.”
UP NEXT
Pendleton hosts Southridge (WA) for
a doubleheader on Thursday. First game
is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.
————
R H E
LAG
000 20 —
2 2 1
PHS
830 1X — 12 11 1
(L) M. Bell, A. Brock (2) and J. Seavert. (P) L. Richards and
K. Solomon. W — L. Richards, L — M. Bell.
2B — Ka. McGlothan, K. Solomon, Ki. McGlothan (PHS).
HR — A. Garton 2, K. Solomon (PHS).
SCOREBOARD
Local slate
PREP BASEBALL
Wednesday
Stanfield at White Salmon (WA), 4 p.m.
Thursday
Walla Walla (WA) at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
Dufur at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m.
Friday
Umatilla vs. Bonanza (at John Day), 12 p.m.
Union at Heppner (DH), 1 p.m.
Lakeridge at Hermiston, 3 p.m.
Pendleton at Walla Walla (WA), 3 p.m.
Irrigon at Tri Cities Prep (WA), 3 p.m.
Riverside at White Salmon (WA), 4 p.m.
Saturday
Stanfield at Weston-McEwen (DH), 11 a.m.
Umatilla vs. Lost River (at John Day), 11 a.m.
Kennewick (WA) at Hermiston, 4 p.m.
PREP SOFTBALL
Wednesday
Hermiston at Bend, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Heppner at Irrigon (DH), 2 p.m.
Southridge (WA) at Pendleton (DH), 3:30 p.m.
Wa-Hi (WA) at Mac-Hi, 6 p.m.
Friday
Tri Cities Prep (WA) at Irrigon, 3 p.m.
Vernonia at Pilot Rock, 3 p.m.
Pasco (WA) at Hermiston, 4 p.m.
Riverside at Stevenson (WA), 4 p.m.
Saturday
Lost River at Pilot Rock, 11 a.m.
Chiawana (WA) at Pendleton, 12 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Banks (DH), 1 p.m.
Enterprise at Pilot Rock, 3 p.m.
PREP TRACK AND FIELD
Wednesday
Condon/Wheeler, Ione at Condon Relays, 3 p.m.
Thursday
Pendleton, Hermiston, Mac-Hi, Umatilla,
Riverside, Heppner, Weston-McEwen,
Stanfield, Helix at Buck Track Classic (Pend-
leton), 11 a.m.
PREP TENNIS
Thursday
La Grande at Pendleton, 3:30 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Mac-Hi, 3:30 p.m.
Friday
Pasco (WA) at Hermiston, 3:30 p.m.
Helix at Riverside, 3:30 p.m.
Umatilla at Stanfield, 3:30 p.m.
PREP GOLF
Thursday
Pendleton, Hermiston at Big River Golf
Course (Umatilla), 10 a.m.
Mac-Hi at Vets Memorial, 2:30 p.m.
PREP LACROSSE
Wednesday
Hermiston at Chiawana (WA), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Hermiston at Wenatchee (WA), 1 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saturday
Clark College at BMCC (DH), 11 a.m.
Sunday
SW Oregon at BMCC (DH), 11 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Friday
BMCC at Walla Walla CC (DH), 2 p.m.
College of Idaho at EOU (DH), 2 p.m.
Saturday
College of Idaho at EOU (DH), 11 a.m.
BMCC at Big Bend CC (DH), 12 p.m.
Basketball
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W
L
x-Toronto
53 18
x-Boston
48 23
Philadelphia
39 30
New York
26 45
Brooklyn
23 48
Southeast Division
W
L
Washington
40 30
Miami
38 33
Charlotte
30 41
Orlando
21 50
Atlanta
21 50
Central Division W
L
Cleveland
41 29
Pct GB
.746 —
.676
5
.565 13
.366 27
.324 30
Pct
.571
.535
.423
.296
.296
Pct
.586
GB
—
2½
10½
19½
19½
GB
—
Indiana
41 30 .577
½
Milwaukee
37 33 .529
4
Detroit
32 39 .451 9½
Chicago
24 46 .343 17
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W
L Pct GB
y-Houston
57 14 .803 —
San Antonio
41 30 .577 16
New Orleans
41 30 .577 16
Dallas
22 49 .310 35
Memphis
19 51 .271 37½
Northwest Division
W
L Pct GB
Portland
44 27 .620 —
Oklahoma City
43 30 .589
2
Minnesota
41 31 .569 3½
Utah
40 31 .563
4
Denver
38 33 .535
6
Pacific Division
W
L Pct GB
y-Golden State
53 18 .746 —
L.A. Clippers
37 33 .529 15½
L.A. Lakers
31 39 .443 21½
Sacramento
23 49 .319 30½
Phoenix
19 53 .264 34½
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
———
Tuesday’s Games
Toronto 93, Orlando 86
Boston 100, Oklahoma City 99
Minnesota 123, L.A. Clippers 109
New Orleans 115, Dallas 105
Atlanta 99, Utah 94
Detroit 115, Phoenix 88
Houston 115, Portland 111
Wednesday’s Games
Memphis at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
Toronto at Cleveland, 4 p.m.
Charlotte at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m.
New York at Miami, 4:30 p.m.
Denver at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Indiana at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Washington at San Antonio, 6:30 p.m.
NCAA Men’s Tournament
EAST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At TD Garden, Boston
Friday
Villanova (32-4) vs. West Virginia (26-10),
4:27 p.m. (TBS)
Purdue (30-6) vs. Texas Tech (26-9), 6:57
p.m. (TBS)
SOUTH REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At Philips Arena, Atlanta
Thursday
No. 7 Nevada (29-7) vs. No. 11 Loyola of
Chicago (30-5), 4:07 p.m. (CBS)
No. 9 Kansas State (24-11) vs. No. 5
Kentucky (26-10), 6:37 p.m. (CBS)
MIDWEST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Neb.
Friday
No. 1 Kansas (29-7) vs. No. 5 Clemson
(25-9), 4:07 p.m. (CBS)
No. 2 Duke (28-7) vs. No. 11 Syracuse
(23-13), 6:37 p.m. (CBS)
WEST REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
At STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
Thursday
No. 7 Texas A&M (22-12) vs. No. 3 Michi-
gan (30-7), 4:37 p.m. (TBS)
No. 9 Florida State (22-11) vs. No. 4
Gonzaga (32-4), 7:07 p.m. (TBS)
NCAA Women’s Tournament
ALBANY REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
Saturday, March 24
At Albany, N.Y.
South Carolina (28-6) vs. Buffalo (29-5),
8:30 a.m. (ESPN)
UConn (34-0) vs. Duke (24-8), 10:30 a.m. (ESPN)
SPOKANE REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
Saturday
At Spokane, Wash.
Notre Dame (31-3) vs. Texas A&M (26-9),
1 p.m. (ESPN)
Oregon (32-4) vs. Central Michigan (30-4),
3 p.m. (ESPN)
KANSAS CITY REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
Friday, March 23
At Kansas City, Mo.
N.C. State (26-8) vs. Mississippi State
(34-1), 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
UCLA (26-7) vs. Texas (28-6), 6 p.m.
(ESPN2)
LEXINGTON REGIONAL
Regional Semifinals
Friday, March 23
At Lexington, Ky.
Oregon State (25-7) vs. Baylor (33-1), 4
p.m. (ESPN)
Louisville (34-2) vs. Stanford (24-10), 6
p.m. (ESPN)
Hockey
NHL
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GP W
L OT Pts
Tampa Bay 73 50 19
4 104
Boston
71 45 17
9 99
Toronto
73 43 23
7 93
Florida
71 37 27
7 81
Detroit
73 27 35 11 65
Montreal
73 26 35 12 64
Ottawa
72 26 35 11 63
Buffalo
72 23 37 12 58
Metropolitan Division
GP W
L OT Pts
Washington 73 42 24
7 91
Pittsburgh 73 41 27
5 87
Columbus 74 41 28
5 87
Philadelphia 74 37 25 12 86
New Jersey 73 37 28
8 82
Carolina
73 31 31 11 73
N.Y. Rangers 73 32 33
8 72
N.Y. Islanders 73 31 32 10 72
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
GP W
L OT Pts
Nashville
72 48 14 10 106
Winnipeg 73 44 19 10 98
Minnesota 73 41 24
8 90
Colorado
73 40 25
8 88
Dallas
74 38 28
8 84
St. Louis
72 39 28
5 83
Chicago
74 30 35
9 69
Pacific Division
GP W
L OT Pts
Vegas
73 47 21
5 99
San Jose
73 41 23
9 91
Los Angeles 74 40 27
7 87
Anaheim
73 37 24 12 86
GF GA
264 205
239 184
246 208
219 218
189 228
182 232
199 251
172 236
GF GA
229 217
238 222
210 206
222 220
219 221
197 232
211 236
235 263
GF GA
236 178
242 190
227 210
236 210
212 201
201 193
209 228
GF GA
248 200
225 201
212 186
206 197
Calgary
74 35 29 10 80 204 222
Edmonton 73 32 36
5 69 208 234
Arizona
72 24 37 11 59 175 230
Vancouver 73 25 39
9 59 187 240
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for
overtime loss.
———
Tuesday’s Games
Columbus 5, N.Y. Rangers 3
Washington 4, Dallas 3
N.Y. Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 1
Edmonton 7, Carolina 3
Florida 7, Ottawa 2
Detroit 5, Philadelphia 4, SO
Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 3
Winnipeg 2, Los Angeles 1, OT
Colorado 5, Chicago 1
Vegas 4, Vancouver 1
San Jose 6, New Jersey 2
Wednesday’s Games
Montreal at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m.
Arizona at Buffalo, 4 p.m.
Boston at St. Louis, 5 p.m.
Anaheim at Calgary, 6:30 p.m.
Auto Racing
NASCAR Cup Series
Points Standings
Through Mar. 18
1. Martin Truex, 216. 2. Kyle Busch, 207. 3.
Joey Logano, 197. 4. Brad Keselowski, 183.
5. Ryan Blaney, 181. 6. Denny Hamlin, 176.
7. Kyle Larson, 174. 8. Kevin Harvick, 170. 9.
Clint Bowyer, 155. 10. Aric Almirola, 148. 11.
Kurt Busch, 144. 12. Austin Dillon, 141. 13.
Erik Jones, 132. 14. Ryan Newman, 117. 15.
Alex Bowman, 115. 16. Paul Menard, 115.
Golf
PGA TOUR
WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
Site: Austin, Texas.
Course: Austin CC. Yardage: 7,108. Par: 71.
Purse: $10 million. Winner’s share: $1.7 million.
Television: Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m.
(Golf Channel); Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
(Golf Channel); 2-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 10
a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m (NBC).
Defending champion: Dustin Johnson.