A8 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022
SPORTS
SUMMER LEAGUE BASEBALL
NBA
Baker sweeps La Grande
Duren, Williams,
Kessler top list of
draft’s big men
BY IAN CRAWFORD
icrawford@bakercityherald.com
Baker improved to 3-0
in its summer league base-
ball schedule by sweeping La
Grande in a doubleheader on
Friday, June 17 at the Sports
Complex.
Baker won the opener 11-1.
Raphaël Tisca, an exchange
student from France, pitched
a complete game one-hitter to
lead Baker. Tisca struck out
seven.
The Bulldogs, coached by
Jared Rogers and Tim Smith,
scored six runs in the first inning
and five more in the second. The
game went five innings.
Tisca, along with Kai Ogan
and Talon Van Cleave, each
went 2 for 2.
Ogan drove in two runs.
Ethan Fletcher and John
Garcia both had two RBIs.
The second game wasn’t as
smooth, as Baker committed
three of its four errors in the
first inning as La Grande took
a 3-0 lead. The Tigers led 5-1
after two innings, but Baker
then rallied with three runs in
the third and fourth innings to
take a 7-5 lead.
Baker scored six more runs
in the next two innings, while
Van Cleave, who relieved
BY AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
Memphis’ Jalen Duren,
Duke’s Mark Williams and
Auburn’s Walker Kessler are
the headliners among big
men in the NBA draft Thurs-
day, June 23.
Each is a mobile big man
with the ability to finish
above the rim, with Duren
and Williams as potential
lottery picks, along with Kes-
sler as a first-round prospect.
Here is a look at the top
bigs in the draft:
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
French exchange student Raphaël Tisca pitches for Baker’s summer league baseball team on June 17.
starting pitcher Aldo Duran
after two innings, was stifling
the La Grande lineup. The
Tigers scored only one run
in the final five innings, and
Baker went on to win 13-6.
Duran and Van Cleave each
had two RBIs.
Sage Joseph, Zane Morgan,
John Garcia, Alex Brown and
Hugo Lacaille each drove in
one run. Lacaille is also an ex-
change student from France.
Baker opened the season
June 14 by beating Walla
Walla, Washington, 8-6.
Baker will play Spokane in a
single game Thursday, June 23
at Walla Walla, Washington,
then play at Boise on Friday,
June 24.
NFL
Gronkowski retires from Buccaneers
BY ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Gron-
kowski won’t be joining Tom
Brady for a third season with
the Buccaneers.
The four-time All-Pro tight
end announced his retirement
for the second time in three
years on Tuesday, June 21. In
an Instagram post, Gronkow-
ski thanked his teammates
and coaches over the years
and said he’s going back to
“chilling out.”
Gronkowski won four Su-
per Bowls with Brady, includ-
ing three in New England.
“I want to thank the whole
entire first class Buccaneers
organization for an amaz-
ing ride, trusting me to come
back to play and help build a
championship team,” Gron-
kowski wrote on Instagram.
“I will now be going back into
my retirement home, walking
away from football again with
my head held high knowing I
gave it everything I had, good
or bad, every time I stepped
out on the field. The friend-
ships and relationships I have
made will last forever, and I
appreciate every single one of
my teammates and coaches
Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times-TNS, File
Rob Gronkowski announced his
retirement on Tuesday.
for giving everything they had
as well.”
The 33-year-old retired in
2019 after nine seasons with
the Patriots, but returned in
2020 when Brady went to the
Buccaneers. The close friends
teamed up to help Tampa
beat the Kansas City Chiefs
in the Super Bowl in Febru-
ary 2021. Gronkowski caught
two touchdown passes in that
game.
“Love you as a man, team-
mate and friend,” Brady wrote
on Gronkowski’s post. “One of
a kind in every way.”
The Buccaneers and Brady
were hoping Gronkowski
would play another season. But
Tampa prepared for his depar-
ture in the draft by selecting
tight ends Cade Otton in the
fourth round and Ko Kieft in
the sixth round. Veteran tight
end Cameron Brate also re-
mains with the Buccaneers.
“Rob is a true professional
who left it all on the field for
us the past two seasons and
helped establish a champion-
ship culture in our building,”
Buccaneers general manager
Jason Licht said in a statement.
“It is always difficult to see a
great player walk away from
the game when he is still en-
joying that kind of success, but
the overwhelming emotions
I feel today are gratitude and
respect for one of the greatest
tight ends who ever played the
game.”
The fun-loving Gronkow-
ski will be tough to replace.
He was not only one of the
league’s best pass-catching
tight ends but also among the
best blockers at his position.
Gronk was known for his
toughness, playing physical
and through injuries.
His jovial personality made
him one of the league’s most
popular players and a natural
for a broadcasting job.
Gronkowski’s agent, Drew
Rosenhaus, told ESPN it
wouldn’t surprise him if Brady
called and talked him out
of retirement at some point
during the season. Brady him-
self ended a 40-day retirement
in March to play his 23rd sea-
son.
But for now, Gronk has
spiked his last football in an
NFL game.
He ends his career — again
— with 621 catches for 9,286
yards and 92 touchdowns in
the regular season. He had 98
receptions for 1,389 yards and
15 TDs in the postseason.
DUREN
The 6-11, 250-pound
freshman is just 18 years old
but has impressive athleti-
cism and strength.
STRENGTHS: Duren has
the solidly built frame to
bang for position and the ath-
leticism to finish lobs above
the rim, making him ESPN’s
No. 10 overall draft prospect.
He averaged 12.0 points and
8.1 rebounds, proving effec-
tive in attacking the rim and
running the floor.
Duren also showed flashes
of relentless rebounding
ability by pulling down 20
rebounds against UCF in
the American Athletic Con-
ference Tournament and 19
against Western Kentucky in
November. And he averaged
2.1 blocks.
CONCERNS: He didn’t
shoot well in either of the
team’s NCAA Tournament
games, including a 3-for-11
showing against potential
No. 1 overall draft prospect
Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga
while being limited by foul
trouble. His offensive game
is still developing beyond the
rim-running lobs and it’s un-
clear what type of range he’ll
have. He also shot just 62.5%
from the foul line.
WILLIAMS
The 7-2, 242-pound soph-
omore is an elite rim protec-
tor with mobility and an im-
proving offensive game.
STRENGTHS: Williams
offers incredible length,
from a 9-9 standing reach
to a wingspan of better than
7-6. That helped him rank
12th in Division I at 2.82
blocks per game while al-
tering plenty more shots, so
much so that now-retired
Hall of Fame coach Mike
Krzyzewski compared him
to a hockey goalie during the
NCAA Tournament.
Krzyzewski had also noted
that Williams — ranked as the
No. 14 overall draft prospect
by ESPN — had improved
his lateral movement, giving
him a better chance to handle
switches and ballscreens.
On the offensive end, he
averaged 11.2 points with the
ability to go up and get lobs
for easy finishes.
CONCERNS: The
20-year-old’s offensive game
is still in development. He
showed more back-to-the-
basket improvements last
year, but there’s still room to
grow. He could also improve
as a rebounder after aver-
aging 7.4 boards with dou-
ble-figure outputs in only 12
of 39 games despite his size.
KESSLER
The 7-1, 256-pound soph-
omore is another elite shot
blocker and top defender
with mobility.
STRENGTHS: ESPN’s
No. 26 overall draft prospect
was named national defen-
sive player of the year by
Naismith and the National
Association of Basketball
Coaches after ranking sec-
ond in Division I by blocking
4.56 shots per game, includ-
ing nine games with at least
seven blocks.
Kessler offers length (9-5
standing reach, better than
7-4 wingspan) and has
shown mobility to pursue the
ball and switch on perimeter.
GOLF
Koepka joins Saudi-backed series
BY DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
CROMWELL, Conn. — Brooks Koepka, one
of the first players to denounce a rival league
for only 48 players, is the latest PGA Tour
player to sign on with Saudi-funded LIV Golf
series, The Associated Press has learned.
A person briefed on Koepka’s decision told
the AP he still would be able to compete on the
PGA Tour until he hits a shot on the LIV Golf
circuit. The person spoke on condition of ano-
nymity without authorization to speak on be-
half of the tour.
The Daily Telegraph in the UK first reported
Koepka’s decision.
It was another step — and a big name with
his four major championships — that added
to the roster of the LIV Golf series that invari-
ably will lead to no space for some of the less-
er-known players in the inaugural event out-
side London two weeks ago.
Koepka remained in the field for the Trav-
elers Championship, though he was not at a
player meeting Tuesday morning, June 21 at
the TPC River Highlands. The next LIV Golf
event starts June 30 outside Portland, Oregon.
Koepka was the second player, behind Rory
McIlroy, to speak out against a rival league in
March 2020 when he told the AP, “I have a hard
time believing golf should be about just 48 players.”
“Money isn’t going to change my life,”
Koepka said at the time.
The proposed rival league was different
from LIV Golf, presented as the “Premier Golf
League” though still relying on Saudi Arabia’s
sovereign wealth fund. Greg Norman and LIV
Golf took the idea of 48-man fields, no cuts
with a team component.
LIV Golf has not announced Koepka’s sign-
ing amid speculation that a few others were
soon to join. One was Abraham Ancer of Mex-
ico, the No. 20 in the world who won a World
Golf Championship last year in a playoff, along
with the Australian Open in 2018.
Ancer said his decision was not taken lightly
and that joining LIV would allow him to give
back to the game by helping it grow in Mexico.
“I never could have imagined being in this po-
sition today,” he said on Twitter.
The development came as the PGA Tour
held a player meeting at the Travelers Champi-
onship, during which Commissioner Jay Mo-
nahan spoke of the tour’s position and plans to
reshape the season and its tournaments.
According to two players in the meeting, the
PGA Tour plans to return to a calendar season
that would start in January and the FedEx Cup
playoffs would be eligible for only for the top 70
players. They spoke on condition of anonymity
because the meeting was for players.
Currently, the top 125 make the postseason,
with the top 70 advancing to the second playoff
event and the top 30 to the Tour Champion-
ship. The new plan is for the top 70 at the start,
then top 50 and top 30.
The fall would be used for players beyond
70th to secure cards for the following year, al-
though research showed most inside the top
100 would be safe. The tour was still looking at
three fall events for limited fields, part of eight
tournaments during the year that would offer
$20 million in prize money.
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