Sports digest: Mizzou picks up pledge from Utah forward – STLtoday.com
Jacoby Kemp, a 6-9 forward from Layton, Utah, just recently received an offer from MU and announced a verbal commitment to Tuesday on Twitter. Kemp, unranked by the major recruiting services, averaged 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds as a senior at Layton High School. As a 6-6 junior, Kemp led Layton to the Class 5A state championship in Utah’s largest classification, but the following summer suffered an injury that cost him the chance to gain exposure during his team’s AAU season. In the meantime, he grew to 6-9.
“No one got to see that transformation, which made him really play under the radar,” said Hector Marquez, one of his AAU coaches with the Salt Lake Rebels.
While some junior colleges and Division II programs took interest during the spring signing period, Kemp’s recruitment took off in recent weeks. Marquez said coaches from several Division I programs began calling and showed heavy interest, including LSU, TCU, VCU and Memphis, Utah State, Drake and Colorado State.
Kemp’s commitment would leave the Tigers with one open scholarship for 2016-17, though the team must give up one scholarship for the upcoming season or the 2017-18 season as part of its self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations. (Dave Matter)
3 women join suit against Baylor • Three former students have joined a federal lawsuit against Baylor University accusing the school of doing nothing to help them after they reported being sexually assaulted on or near campus. The women joined a lawsuit filed by three other women on June 15 and claim sexual assaults dating from 2005 to 2014.
The Southern Baptist school in Waco, Texas, has come under intense criticism for mishandling allegations of sexual assault over several years, including cases involving football players. President and chancellor Ken Starr was demoted and head football coach Art Briles was fired.
Baylor faces three federal lawsuits alleging the school violated federal Title IX anti-gender discrimination regulations.
Canucks fined for tampering • The NHL has fined the Vancouver Canucks $50,000 for tampering after general manager Jim Benning mentioned specific players the team might be interested in. Benning noted the Canucks’ interest in Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos last week during a radio interview before the NHL draft in Buffalo, N.Y. NHL rules bar teams from discussing their interest in players who are under contract. The one exception is during a window of opportunity that opened on Saturday, when all teams are allowed to contact pending free agents, but not allowed to sign them until July 1. Benning spoke two days before that window opened.
“Last week I was trying to be candid with our fans and media about our efforts to improve our team but said too much about players on other teams,” Benning said Tuesday. “I have spoken personally to the NHL and the general managers involved to apologize and I accept the league’s ruling.”
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters that Benning “crossed the line” in divulging trade conversations involving Subban, who is signed through the 2021-22 season.
“I spoke with Jim and accept his representation that he intended no harm with his comments and that he will handle similar questions from the media differently in the future,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said.
Shaw signs with Canadiens • Former Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw agreed to a new deal with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, signing a six-year contract worth $3.9 million per season, according to multiple reports. Shaw was a restricted free agent and was seeking a long-term deal, one that the Hawks were hesitant to give him considering the money involved. The Hawks, who have committed a significant portion of their salary cap to a small group of players, also would like to sign winger Artemi Panarin to an extension.
“I think we were pretty close but they have cap issues and it’s tough to get around,” Shaw said Saturday.
The Hawks and Shaw had contract talks that broke down before the NHL entry draft on Friday, when the Hawks dealt Shaw to the Canadiens for two second-round picks. Marc Bergevin, the general manager for the Canadiens, scouted Shaw and help sign Shaw to a deal when the Hawks drafted Shaw in 2011 draft.
Hornets’ Kaminsky will have surgery • The Charlotte Hornets say forward Frank Kaminsky will undergo a “minor procedure” on Wednesday to repair a small pocket of air between his lung and chest wall and will not participate in the Pro Summer League in Orlando, Fla. The recovery time for the procedure is about six weeks, the team sad Tuesday. The Hornets say Kaminsky could have played with the issue, but the procedure will help relieve some discomfort.
Kaminsky averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game as a rookie last season, appearing in 81 games.
He was one of only two rookies to total more than 600 points, 300 rebounds and 50 three-point field goals last season. Kaminsky made 68 3-point attempts, which ranked fifth among NBA rookies.
Kazakhstan’s drug-testing lab shut down • Four days after shutting down work at the Olympic drug-testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, the World Anti-Doping Agency said it has suspended another lab, this time in Kazakhstan. WADA said on Tuesday that the lab in Almaty had its accreditation suspended Friday for four months as “a direct result of the more stringent quality assessment procedures enacted by WADA.”
WADA did not say how exactly the lab failed to pass such an assessment.
As well as announcing a suspension for the Rio lab also last Friday, a move which plunged Olympic drug testing into uncertainty,
WADA has also suspended labs in China, Spain, South Africa, and Portugal this year.
The lab in Moscow lost its accreditation altogether after accusations its former director helped to cover up doping by Russian athletes, sparking a round of new checks at other labs worldwide.
The Almaty lab reportedly opened in 2003 and is one of the lesser-known of the 35 labs approved worldwide by WADA. Last week, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Masimov was quoted by local media as ordering officials to find private sponsors to finance an upgrade of the facilities.
That came shortly after four Kazakh gold medalists in weightlifting from the 2012 Olympics were announced to have failed retests of their samples. They stand to lose their medals.
Beer sales expanded at Pitt football games • The University of Pittsburgh plans to expand beer sales at its football games at Heinz Field starting this season. Athletic director Scott Barnes says beer will be sold stadiumwide. Previously, only fans sitting in club and suite areas could buy beer. Barnes says beer sales could raise more than $500,000 for the athletic program.
The university has studied the idea for more than a year, and has spoken to the 10 other Power 5 conference football programs that allow beer at their home games.
Barnes says selling beer is becoming the norm. Barnes also said Pitt was the only college team that shares a stadium with an NFL team that did not sell beer at its games. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the stadium’s primary tenant.
Rascals 2, Slammers 1 • Mike Jurgella singled in Steve Pascual and Clint Freeman in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday to lift the River City Rascals over the Joliet Slammers at CarShield Field in O’Fallon, Mo.
Tim Koons gave up one run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings to pick up the win for the Rascals. Zac Treece pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
