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B1
NCAA moving toward temorary NIL solution
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Sports Writer
The NCAA is lurching toward
a temporary, patchwork solution in
addressing name, image and like-
ness compensation for athletes, a
hyperlocal approach to allow every-
one to earn money off their fame
starting July 1 without uniform
national rules.
The latest strategy to provide clar-
ity to a dramatic change in NCAA
policy comes days after the Supreme
Court handed down a ruling that left
the association exposed to future
legal attacks.
The NCAA Board of Governors
met with the Division I Board of
Directors on Thursday, June 24, to
discuss the next step for sorting out
NIL. The Board of Governors, the
NCAA’s highest governing body, put
Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press
Mississippi State fans react as Notre Dame infi elder Spencer Myers (2)
catches a Mississippi State fl y ball in the fi rst inning of an NCAA college
baseball super regional game Sunday, June 13, 2021, in Starkville, Missis-
sippi. Notre Dame won 9-1.
forth no public recommendations
following the meeting.
The Division I Council discussed
possible next moves to NIL earlier
this week and is scheduled to
convene again June 28. A fi nal deci-
sion could be made by the D-I Board
of Directors on June 30 — one day
before NIL laws go into eff ect in at
least seven states.
A solution being considered
involves the NCAA waiving its
rules banning athletes from being
paid for use of their name, image and
likeness while still keeping bylaws
that make pay-for-play and recruit-
ing inducements impermissible, a
person involved in the process told
The Associated Press. The person
spoke on condition of anonymity
because NCAA discussions about
NIL were not yet fi nalized.
In Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
GOLDEN FINISH
Nixyaawii tops
Damascus
Christian 50-29
for 1A title
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
B
AKER CITY —
There was no
doubt from the
start of the game
that Nixyaawii
Community School was going
home with the 1A state basket-
ball title.
Tyasin Burns scored 16
points to lead the Golden
Eagles to a 50-29 victory over
Damascus Christian Thurs-
day, June 24, and pick up the
coveted championship trophy.
“They are a special group of
kids,” Nixyaawii coach Ryan
Sams said. “From the fi rst day
of practice we knew we could
win a state championship.
Baker and La Grande, and
even Umatilla, gave us what we
needed to see to get here. They
were better than the teams we
played this week.”
Burns scored 10 of his
points in the fi rst half as Nixy-
aawii took a 24-11 lead at inter-
mission.
“He’s an athlete,” Sams said.
“He never gets tired, he just
goes, goes, goes. He is a work-
horse and he plays at a speed no
one else does.”
Damascus scored the fi rst
basket of the game, but that
would be its only lead as the
Golden Eagles tied the score,
then took off .
“Defensively, we were
nails,” Sams said. “They
couldn’t hardly get a shot up
on our defenses. We were in
their shooters’ faces. Our fi ve
starters were on the same page
defensively.”
The Golden Eagles led 13-4
after the fi rst quarter, and 38-15
heading into the fi nal quarter.
The Eagles outscored Nixy-
aawii 14-12 in the fourth quar-
ter, but it wouldn’t be enough.
“The guys don’t want to give
an inch,” Sams said. “Damas-
Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico
and Texas, laws go into eff ect July 1
that make it impermissible for the
NCAA and members schools to
prevent athletes from being paid by
third parties for things like sponsor-
ship deals, online endorsements and
personal appearances.
Kentucky on June 24 became
the seventh state with a law that has
a July 1 eff ective date when Gov.
Andy Beshear signed an executive
order.
The NCAA had hoped for a
national law from Congress that has
not come and its own rulemaking
has been bogged down for months.
College sports leaders are instead
moving toward the type of patch-
work regulation they have been
warning against for months.
See NCAA, Page B2
NHL
Canadiens
focus on
bigger
trophy
The Montreal
Canadiens are in the
Stanley Cup Final
for the 35th time
By JOHN WAWROW AND
STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writers
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Nixyaawii’s Tyasin Burns (3) pushes past Damascus Christian’s Zach Nelson (2) to drive toward the
basket during the Oregon 1A State Basketball Tournament on Thursday, June 24, 2021, at Baker
High School. Nixyaawii defeated Damascus Christian 50-29 to take the title.
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Nixyaawii Community School head basketball coach Ryan Sams,
center, poses with his sons Dakota Sams, left, and Greyson Sams
following the Golden Eagles’ 50-29 win over the Damascus Chris-
tian Eagles at the Oregon 1A State Basketball Tournament on
Thursday, June 24, 2021, at Baker High School.
cus tried to slow the game
down; it wasn’t as fast paced as
we’d like. We got good shots. It
was effi cient.”
Dakota Sams added 12
points, Ruger Deming chipped
in 10, and Dylan Abrahamson
added eight, all in the third
quarter.
“Dakota is a good all-around
player with the rebounds and
assists,” coach Sams said.
“Ruger was a man among boys.
He anchors our defense protect-
ing the rim, he gets steals and
bangs inside.”
It was the fi rst title for Ryan
Sams, who took over at Nixy-
aawii this year after being an
assistant at Pendleton High
School for 13 years. He got to
share the experience with his
sons Dakota and Greyson.
“The connection with my
coaching staff (Alan Crawford,
Lynette Minthorn and Chuck
West) was amazing too,” coach
Sams said. “One family, one
unit. The kids bought into it.”
Zach Nelson led Damascus
with 10 points, while Mitch
Colburn added nine — seven
of which came in the Eagles’
fourth-quarter run.
Greyson Sams was tasked
with guarding Noah McAllis-
ter, one of Damascus’ top scor-
ers. He held him to four points.
Burns and Dakota Sams
were named to the all-tourna-
ment fi rst team.
“One of our top goals was
to win a championship,” coach
Sams said. “We had some great
leaders in Dakota and Tyasin.”
Nixyaawii had a strong fan
base all week, but picked up a
few more fans along the way.
“We have the best fans,”
coach Sams said. “The elders
are the ones getting on the refs.
Even the Joseph and Powder
Valley kids were all cheering
for us. They wanted us to win.”
The Golden Eagles fi nished
the season 15-1. Their only loss
was 85-84 to Yakama Tribal
(Washington) on June 7.
MONTREAL — Shea Weber
and the Montreal Canadiens kept
their hands off the Clarence S.
Campbell Bowl after advancing
to the Stanley Cup Final, and even
rookie Cole Caufi eld had no inter-
est in touching it.
“Obviously there’s a bigger
one out there that we’re chasing,
so I think that’s the only thing
on our mind right now,” Caufi eld
said, following a 3-2 OT semifi nal
series-clinching win over Vegas
in Game 6. “It’s good to enjoy it.
We’ve come a long way to get here,
but the job is not fi nished.”
Montreal is in the fi nal for the
35th time in the franchise’s illus-
trious history and will face the
New York Islanders or Tampa Bay
Lightning for a chance to win an
NHL-leading 25th championship.
Not only do the Canadiens not
celebrate second-place fi nishes,
but perhaps it’s best Weber avoided
the semifinal trophy typically
given out to the Western Confer-
ence champion because Campbell
is not well-liked in Quebec.
Campbell was the league pres-
ident who suspended Maurice
“Rocket” Richard for the remain-
der of the season and playoff s for
hitting a linesman during a game
in March 1955, leading to riots
in Montreal. The Canadiens had
never captured the trophy named
for Campbell in their history —
they’ve won the Prince of Wales
See Hockey, Page B2
SPORTS SHORT
Alternate helmets returning to NFL in ‘22 after 9-year pause
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The NFL is
bringing back alternate helmets
in 2022, ending a nine-year hiatus
that started because of concerns
about player safety.
The league wrote to clubs in
a memo dated Thursday, June
24, that it must be notified of
plans to use alternate helmets
by July 31 even though they
won’t be used for another year.
The memo was obtained by The
Associated Press.
The use of a second helmet
was dropped in 2013 over
concerns that wearing more than
one helmet might not be safe for
players. As those concerns have
eased, clubs have lobbied for a
second helmet because options for
alternate jerseys were expanded
in 2018, the league said.
The second helmet can only be
worn only with so-called classic,
alternate or color rush jerseys, and
all players must be fi tted for both
helmets before training camp, the
league wrote in the memo.
The primary and alternate
helmets must be the same make,
model and size. The alternate
helmets must be worn in practice
the week of the game they will be
used, if not before.
The NFL began allowing
throwback uniforms to commem-
orate its 75th season in 1994.
They gained popularity through
the years before the limit of one
helmet made alternate uniforms
less enticing because of the diffi -
culty matching the base color of
the primary helmet.
Running back
Terrell Davis of the
Denver Broncos
moves the ball
during a game
against the Seattle
Seahawks at Mile
High Stadium in
Denver, Colorado.
The NFL is bring-
ing back alternate
helmets in 2022,
ending a nine-year
hiatus that started
because of concerns
about player safety.
Jamie Squire/
Getty Images, File