FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT
A5
S PORTS
THE BULLETIN • THUrsday, aprIL 22, 2021
NFL
Seahawks’ Smith
turns himself in
CHALMETTE, La. —
Aldon Smith has turned
himself in to authorities in
Louisiana after an arrest
warrant had been issued
for the Seattle Seahawks
defensive end.
The St. Bernard Parish
sheriff’s department said
Smith was booked on a
second-degree battery
charge Tuesday night. Of-
ficials said Smith was re-
leased on $25,000 bond.
Smith is scheduled to
be arraigned on July 14.
The sheriff’s office is-
sued the warrant follow-
ing an incident last week-
end. Deputies responding
to a call for medical as-
sistance in Meraux on
Saturday found a man
who said he had been
assaulted by an acquain-
tance outside a business
in Chalmette, Sheriff
James Pohlmann said.
Detectives identified the
suspect as Smith, 31, and
took out a warrant.
The Seahawks said
they are aware of the sit-
uation but have declined
to comment further.
Smith’s representatives
declined to comment on
Wednesday.
The incident in Loui-
siana took place just two
days after Smith signed
a one-year contract with
the Seahawks.
Smith’s off-field trou-
bles are lengthy, includ-
ing police in San Fran-
cisco issuing a warrant for
his arrest on a domestic
violence charge in 2018,
and include four full sea-
sons out of the league
due to suspensions.
Smith was reinstated by
the NFL last spring after
signing a one-year deal
with the Dallas Cowboys.
He had not played in the
NFL since 2015.
— Associated Press
bendbulletin.com/sports
PREP BASEBALL
Zach Reynolds powers Storm past Cougars
BY BRIAN RATHBONE
The Bulletin
There were multiple times
when things could have gone
south on the mound for Sum-
mit’s Zach Reynolds. His first
pitch resulted in a double. In
the final inning, the first batter
he faced took him out of the
yard with the Storm clinging to
a narrow lead.
But Reynolds kept throw-
ing and kept finding the strike
zone. In 62/3 innings, the ju-
nior right-hander pounded
the strike zone, giving up three
earned runs and four hits while
“He is a competitor,” said
striking out nine in Summit’s
Summit coach Richie Sexson.
7-6 win over Mountain View
“I would have kept him out
Tuesday night.
there if we didn’t have
“I was a little rusty
certain limits so we
in the first couple of
can save arms, so we
innings, then I really
want to live by those
found my groove in
laws. It was just a
the middle innings
gutsy all-around game
and kept going,” Reyn-
for him.”
olds said.
Aaron Platner hit a
The Summit ace
Reynolds
home run for Moun-
was throwing so well,
tain View to get the
his coach was reluc-
Cougars within one
tant to take him out.
run in the top of the seventh
The one thing that brought
inning, but Reynolds then ral-
him out was a pitch count of
lied to strike out the next two
110.
batters. Canon Reeder then
came on in relief for the Storm
to strike out Mitchel Thoma-
Britt to end the game.
Reynolds also drove in two
runs at the plate to help snap
Summit’s two-game losing
streak while handing cross-
town rival Mountain View its
first loss of the season.
“We hit the ball better today,”
Sexson said.
“We had two hits in our last
game, or four total in our last
two games. Between Zach bat-
ting and pitching well and us
getting a few timely hits, that is
the difference in most baseball
games.”
After a rough start to the
game, Reynolds settled into
his rhythm. Over the next four
innings, Reynolds silenced the
Cougar bats and kept them off
the board.
“When I am in my groove,
I’m just not thinking,” Reyn-
olds said. “I get the sign and
throw. When I am in my
groove all my pitches (fastball,
curveball and changeup) are
working, and you just throw it
to the mitt.”
See Prep baseball / A6
NBA
SECOND
CHANCE
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson taking
advantage of opportunity with
Trail Blazers to jumpstart career
BY AARON FENTRESS
The Oregonian
A
lthough it’s true that the Portland
Trail Blazers originally signed
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson just
before the NBA’s deadline requiring teams
to have at least 14 players on their roster, that
Chris Carlson/AP
Ex-Duck T.J. Ward
officially retires
T.J. Ward, a member
of the Denver Broncos’
famous “No Fly Zone” sec-
ondary, announced his
retirement from the NFL
on Wednesday.
The former Oregon
Ducks’ star was a member
of the Broncos’ team that
captured Super Bowl 50
and he was also a two-
time Pro Bowl selection
during an eight-year
career. Ward made the
announcement on an In-
stagram post Wednesday
morning.
Ward, 34, was a sec-
ond-round pick (No. 38)
by the Cleveland Browns
in the 2010 NFL draft.
Ward spent four seasons
with the Browns before
signing a four-year, $23
million contract to join
the Broncos in 2014.
Ward, along with Dar-
ian Stewart, Aqib Talib,
Chris Harris Jr. and Brad-
ley Roby, helped the
Broncos’ established the
“No Fly Zone” secondary
that year.
Ward posted 74 total
tackles, two sacks and
two interceptions during
the regular season, earn-
ing his second Pro Bowl
selection.
The group helped
power the Broncos’ run
to Super Bowl 50, where
Denver posted a 24-10
win over the Carolina
Panthers.
Ward posted seven
total tackles, an intercep-
tion and a fumble recov-
ery in the game.
Ward was released by
the Broncos in 2017 and
he signed a one-year deal
with the Tampa Bay Buc-
caneers. He appeared in
12 games for the Bucca-
neers.
— The Oregonian
didn’t mean that they merely viewed him as a
roster filler.
The 10-day contract extended to him didn’t ex-
actly scream commitment, but the hope was that
Hollis-Jefferson could provide a jolt of energy, hustle
and defense to a team sorely in need of a boost.
Hollis-Jefferson’s statistics through four outings
aren’t astonishing (four points and three rebounds
per game). But his play during Tuesday night’s 113-
112 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Moda
Center in Portland defined what Blazers coach
Terry Stotts had hoped to extract from him.
In 24 minutes, Hollis-Jefferson produced five
points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked
shots. He provided such energy that Stotts left
the 6-foot-6 small forward in for nearly the entire
fourth quarter with the game on the line while for-
wards Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t
play a minute of the final quarter.
“I thought Rondae did a nice job defensively,”
Stotts said. “I thought he just made some things
happen and got some extra possessions, provided
some energy and good length.”
The Blazers signed Hollis-Jefferson, released by
Minnesota in December, to a second 10-day con-
tract on Sunday, the day he started at Charlotte.
Portland Trail Blazers’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson dunks as Charlotte Hornets’ Cody Martin watches on Sunday in Char-
lotte, North Carolina. Hollis-Jefferson signed a second 10-day contract with the Blazers on Sunday and is making the
most of the opportunity while providing Portland with length, defense, and energy.
“I think it’s definitely something big for me.
Being home the last five months, going through
so many different emotions, feeling like you can
compete at the highest level against the best of
the best, and having that moment where you
feel people don’t want you for whatever reason,
it’s tough.”
— Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Trail Blazers forward
Such contracts don’t offer stability but they do rep-
resent an opportunity for Hollis-Jefferson to maybe
play his way into a longer-term gig in the NBA,
where he feels he belongs.
“I think it’s definitely something big for me,” Hol-
lis-Jefferson said. “Being home the last five months,
going through so many different emotions, feeling
like you can compete at the highest level against the
best of the best, and having that moment where you
feel people don’t want you for whatever reason, it’s
tough.”
Being out of the NBA stung Hollis-Jefferson. Af-
ter being released, he thought maybe his career had
ended after five seasons. He felt wronged, believing
that he could still play the game at a high level.
“There was a point where I didn’t watch any bas-
ketball at all because of the way I felt,” Hollis-Jeffer-
son said.
Eventually, something hit him. Hollis-Jefferson,
who played last season with Toronto after four sea-
sons with Brooklyn, told himself that “good comes
to good at the end of the day.” He became more pos-
itive. Stayed the course. Kept working and hoping.
Working and hoping.
Then the Blazers called with an offer. Not lost
on Hollis-Jefferson was the fact that the Blazers
drafted him out of Arizona with the 23rd overall
pick during the 2015 NBA draft but traded him to
Brooklyn in a deal that brought Mason Plumlee and
Pat Connaughton to Portland.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Hollis-Jeffer-
son said regarding finally playing for the team that
drafted him.
See NBA / A6
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ducks O-line led by 3 unheralded
members of 2017 recruiting class
BY RYAN THORBURN
The (Eugene) Register-Guard
Rick Scuteri/AP file
Oregon offensive lineman George Moore (77) during the Fiesta Bowl
against Iowa State in January in Glendale, Arizona. Moore is among the
offensive linemen from the 2017 recruiting class who will be expected
to anchor the Ducks in the trenches in 2021.
Several members of Or-
egon’s 2017 recruiting class,
which Willie Taggart didn’t
stick around to coach beyond
the group’s first fall on campus,
will be in the NFL spotlight
next week.
Cornerbacks Deommodore
Lenoir and Thomas Graham
and defensive linemen Austin
Faoliu and Jordon Scott are all
expected to hear their names
called during the draft, which
will be held in Cleveland April
29 to May 1.
Mario Cristobal, who was
Taggart’s offensive line coach
before being promoted to head
coach, has watched two 3-star
recruits and a walk-on from
the 2017 class patiently develop
into starting offensive linemen
for the Ducks.
George Moore, who joined
the program after playing two
seasons at the College of San
Mateo (Calif.), finally emerged
as the starter at left tackle in
2020.
Alex Forsyth (center) and
Ryan Walk (guard) waited
three years for their opportuni-
ties to crack the starting lineup
last year.
The bond the trio formed
behind the scenes from 2017-
19, and while being thrust into
action together during the
2020 season, made Moore’s de-
cision to return for a seventh
season of college an easy one
following the Fiesta Bowl loss
to Iowa State.
“We didn’t finish the way we
wanted to,” Moore said during
a Zoom with the local me-
dia following Tuesday’s spring
practice.
See Ducks / A7