Aug 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Mason Englert (59) looks at the catcher for the sign against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Last offseason, the Rays acquired Mason Englert from the Tigers for Drew Sommers, adding a flexible, multi-inning arm with option years. Englert fit that role well, posting solid results while working more than one inning in nearly half his appearances.
But the interesting question is whether the Rays should ask for more. Marc Topkin reported that Englert was in consideration for a rotation spot prior to bringing in Nick Martinez. Signing Martinez should not come at the expense of Englert getting stretched out.
Englert’s combination of plus strike-throwing, shape diversity, and outlier command – particularly of his change-up – gives him traits that translate beyond middle relief. With incremental adjustments already underway in, there’s a plausible path toward a back-end starter role.
Background
A fourth-round pick in 2018, Englert lost nearly three seasons to Tommy John surgery and the pandemic but quickly established himself as a strike-throwing starter in A-ball. By 2022, his 66% strike rate and deep repertoire made him a Rule 5 target.
The Tigers followed the usual script for Rule 5 pickups who have to remain on the major league roster. They deployed him in low-leverage relief. It wasn’t a surprise that Englert didn’t immediately replicate his previous MiLB success – especially when considering he skipped AAA.
In 2024 Rule 5 no longer applied, meaning Englert could be optioned, and he appropriately spent most of the season in AAA. His production in the majors, when promoted, still wasn’t great, but it was an improvement from what he had shown in 2023.
Joining the Rays
Englert’s defining trait is strike-throwing – a skill the Rays value quite a bit.
The team helped alter Englert’s cutter shape in 2025, reducing vertical break while adding some horizontal movement. The result is a pitch with clearer separation from his four-seamer and more gyro characteristics – effectively blending his previous cutter and slider into a single, more versatile shape. The 2025 grip shows him working more around the ball (top image; index finger more on the side of the ball), compared to the more behind-the-ball grip in 2024 (bottom image; index finger more behind the ball).
Englert now throws three distinct fastball shapes – similar to the Drew Rasmussen and Shawn Armstrong molds we’ve seen in the past. Fastballs are generally the easiest shapes to command, but tend to not generate as many whiffs, so it makes sense that Englert has become more of a contact manager with this adjustment. The rest of his arsenal remains largely unchanged. Any subtle differences in shapes could be attributed to his arm slot shifting from 33 degrees in 2024 to 40 degrees in 2025.
The other change to Englert’s arsenal when he joined the Rays was that he added a larger breaking ball shape. Though used sparingly (8%), the addition hints at preparation for a starter or bulk role in 2026. This upper 70s breaking ball gives him a third distinct velocity band in his arsenal; his four-seamer and two-seamer sit low 90s while his offspeed pitch and cutter sit in the upper 80s. Multiple shapes and velocity bands give him different looks the second and third time through a lineup.
While it may lack significant velocity or VAA separation from his fastball that you’d typically want, Englert’s best pitch is his change-up. He might have 70 grade command of it. Many pitchers have a single, general intended location for each of their pitches, but Englert is actually able to locate his change-up to two distinct locations depending on the batter’s handedness. Below is his heatmap of the pitch against RHB last season:
And here it is to LHB:
While this pitch doesn’t have any physical outlier traits in movement or how it interacts with his fastball, his command of it is an outlier. It’s clear why he feels so comfortable throwing the pitch to righties just as much as lefties.
The obvious objection to Englert moving to the rotation is that he doesn’t miss enough bats to profile as a traditional starter. His velocity sits in the low 90s, and his whiff rates have been modest. But the Rays have repeatedly shown they value shape diversity and command over pure velocity. Starting isn’t only about overpowering hitters; it’s about sequencing, disrupting timing, and navigating a lineup. Englert’s arsenal gives him tools to do exactly that.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Given his command, shape diversity, and developmental runway, the Rays have little to lose by stretching him out. He has distinct attack plans for both LHB and RHB, with enough shapes to vary sequencing multiple times through a lineup. He may not immediately crack the major league rotation, and he’s in his final option year so there’s some flexibility with how he could be used between AAA and the majors. The Rays don’t need Mason Englert to become a frontline starter. They just need to find out if there’s more here than middle relief, and the evidence suggests it’s worth asking the question.
Here’s another edition of our Round(Ball) Table, where the Posting & Toasting crew convene to share our speculations, worries, and frustrations. With the All-Star weekend now behind us, it’s time to speculate about the remainder of the season.
With the New York Knicks sitting third behind the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, what seed should they realistically target, and how hard should they push for No. 2?
Antonio Losada: No. 2, and not much. It’s going to be rather hard to overtake Detroit in the standings, and I don’t think it’s worth entering a war for the regular-season Eastern Conference crown. Let the Pistons win it, sit second, beat them in the playoffs. The Celtics, I don’t believe, will hold onto that No. 2 seed, and I think there’s nothing left to add about the Cavs’ chances at anything, because they’ve lowkey turned into Clippers East—now even with James Harden in town!
Michael Zeno: No. 2. The Pistons are out of reach, barring an unforeseen collapse by them, so the Knicks will have to strive for the 2-seed and their first Atlantic Division (is that still a thing?) title in 12 years. I believe they should prioritize getting as high a seed as possible, as we’ve seen the team go from dominant at home to average on the road. Average doesn’t cut it in the playoffs, so they’ll need to secure home-court against a potential second-round matchup against Cleveland or Boston.
Andrew Polaniecki: Maintaining their position is more important than anything right now. Securing the No. 2 seed would certainly be ideal, but slipping from the No. 3 spot could prove far more damaging for the New York Knicks. They are currently just one game ahead of the fourth seed, and the Cleveland Cavaliers look like a very different team than they did two weeks ago following the addition of James Harden. The Knicks cannot afford to surrender home-court advantage, especially with only 1.5 games separating Cleveland and the Boston Celtics in the standings, particularly given the uncertain timetable surrounding Jayson Tatum’s return.
Miranda: I don’t think it matters. The Knicks won three times in Detroit and twice in Boston in last year’s playoffs, and those Celtics didn’t feature Jayson Tatum working his way back after nearly a year away. Adding Nikola Vučević gussies up their ability to play 5-out, but when he’s on the floor the defense that’s eighth in defensive rating and top-five the past four years has a soft underbelly. The last time the Cavaliers got past the second round without LeBron James was 1992. These Knicks don’t need to duck anyone.
Kento Kato: The two seed, but not at all costs. The Knicks should want to secure home-court advantage through the first two rounds, but at the end of the day, health is all that matters. This team, when healthy, and not coming off of an ugly NBA Cup hangover, have shown that they can beat anyone. Teams like that shouldn’t, and don’t need to, lay everything on the line during the regular season. Outside of last season, when Jalen Brunson missed 15 games after going down with an ankle injury, the Knicks have fared well after the All-Star break in recent years. In 2023, thanks in large part to the Josh Hart trade, the Knicks went 14-8 after the festivities, and a year later, they went 17-10, despite both Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby missing significant time. New York will be sans Deuce McBride for a few weeks, and that’ll sting. But I don’t see why a team that seems to have put their lowest lows behind them, and has historically saved some of it’s best for February, March, and April, can’t do so again.
What players deserve high marks for the season so far, and who has underwhelmed you?
Losada: Brunson gets into the high-mark category by default, so I’m picking Josh Hart for proving Coach Brown wrong early in the season, putting on never-ending Engerzier Bunny efforts, and simply being invaluable for this team (honorable mention for Deuce, whose injury hella bugged me). On the other end, I have KAT. He’s sublime at his absolute best, but he does so many maddening things on a nightly basis that I just can’t deal with him more often than not, let alone his awful shooting this season.
Zeno: Brunson, Hart, Shamet, Deuce (when healthy), and Mitch get the high marks. Hart’s recovered well from his early-season struggles and has become a sniper from deep, as has Shamet. Mitch is as healthy as he’s been in several years thanks to load management. KAT and Clarkson are the more underwhelming ones, but you see flashes from the Big Bodega. Clarkson just seems completely lost right now. I’m in the middle when it comes to Wingstop, as they’ve both excelled defensively but have had extremely inconsistent offense.
Polaniecki: I have to go with Josh Hart. He struggled in the first four games and has missed 11 due to injury, but his impact when he’s on the court is undeniable. The Knicks are more than +75 in plus/minus with Hart on the floor this season. During the 11 games he missed, the Knicks lost six of them, roughly a third of their total losses this year
Miranda: If John Starks, Pablo Prigioni and Jeremy Lin had a baby, that baby would be Jose Alvarado. That’s impressive! Also impressive: Mo Diawara going from a bright future to a bright present. The biggest disappointment has been how many national games Mike Breen’s done this year, because Tyler Murray and Walt Frazier go together like Ewing and Cartwright. Frazier’s been funnier than ever this year, something Murray never, ever runs with. Sometimes he sounds like he has no sense of who Frazier was, like the time he told him he’d been underrated defensively; Clyde couldn’t hide his surprise before gently explaining the seven All-Defensive honors. If Breen and Frazier are the Frazier and Monroe of MSG broadcasters, Murray & Clyde are more Marbury/Francis.
Kato: Brunson is the by far the best player on the team, and as ungrateful as it may sound, his production at this point is almost a given. We all take it for granted at times, but that’s also what star players make you do. When I think of players that deserve high marks, I think of players who have overperformed expectations. And to me, that has been Deuce McBride, and Mo Diawara. We’ve all known what McBride can do, and what he is capable of. But somehow, he continues to surprise us, and defy what an undersized combo guard can really do for a team. He’s followed up a somewhat disappointing season with career-highs in PPG, RPG, and 3P%, and has certified himself as one of the best role players in the league with one of, if not the, best contracts in the league. As for Diawara, not many had him being this good, let alone this quick when he was drafted. But after a surprising Summer League, and some very intriguing minutes over the last few weeks, he has leapfrogged every other recent draftee as the most promising and exciting prospect on the roster due to his unique combination of size, defense, passing, and an unexpected level of shooting.
Will the deadline addition of Jose Alvarado stabilize the bench?
Losada: It should, even more with Deuce McBride out for the regular season and due to his defensive chops. We have yet to see if Jordan Clarkson ever returns to a playable dude, but on the other hand, we’ve enjoyed some blossoming from Mohamed Diawara, and we’ve yet to see how the Jeremy Sochan addition works, and if it provides a little boost up front while helping keep bodies (looking at you, Mitch) fresh for the playoffs.
Zeno: Absolutely. Tyler Kolek has had his moments this season, but he still hasn’t solidified himself as the team’s backup point guard who can run the offense when Brunson sits. Alvarado not only brings the ability to do that, but his intensity on defense makes it so that you can feasibly play him with Brunson in certain lineups, giving him a more diverse role. The bench will really be turbocharged when McBride returns from his hernia.
Polaniecki: 100%. He’s already made an immediate impact and plays with the kind of energy you can’t fake. You can tell he’s genuinely thrilled to be wearing a New York Knicks jersey and representing New York, you could just tell how he wears his heart on his sleeve every night.
Miranda: Stabilize? Stabilize? The past two playoffs, McBride led all Knick reserve guards in minutes; Alec Burks was second in 2024, Cameron Payne last year. Assuming Deuce is back for the postseason, Alvarado, Shamet, Clarkson and Kolek are an entirely different class of bench backcourt.
Kato: We’ve had a small sample size thus far, but we’ve already seen Alvarado impact the game in multiple ways, in a way, akin to McBride. Alvarado may not be the shooter that McBride is, but he provides some much needed ball-handling, passing, and connectivity that the roster, both starters, and bench players, lacked. McBride will be sorely missed, but being able to replace Clarkson, and Kolek’s minutes with Alvarado cannot be anything besides a big win for New York. We’ve already seen him go off 26-points against the Sixers, and dish out five assists in 18 minutes against the Pacers, so in a way, we’re getting the best out of both Clarkson, and Kolek, while getting much, much, much more defense. Alvarado, along with Shamet, Diawara/Sochan, and Robinson should prove to be one of the better benches in the league.
Has Mike Brown met expectations in Year One, and what adjustments would you like to see?
Losada: The expectations were gaudy from the onset, and James Dolan only made it tougher for Brown with his mid-season, championship-or-bust, comments. That said, Brown took over a team nearly fully built and already on its way to making a Finals run, so he’s doing what he was supposed to, even amid ups and downs. There is still time to address a few pending issues and perfect the machine, but we’ve already seen how the Knicks can perform when everything clicks. I have to approve Brown’s work, solid A grade.
Zeno: There were three main reasons the Knicks moved on from Tom Thibodeau after last year’s Eastern Conference Finals run. They wanted to lean more on the team’s depth to minimize regular-season workload, get the most out of this offensive juggernaut, and get a coach who would adjust and not be so “my way or the highway”. Mike Brown has met all three, lowering the starters’ minutes while leaning on rejuvenated depth, augmenting the offense to make it one of the best in basketball, and making a big defensive adjustment to stop the early January nosedive. We’ll see how the playoffs go, but I’m a fan through the All-Star break.
Polaniecki: In some ways yes, and in some ways no. Would they be sitting in third place if Thibs were still the coach? Maybe. But his stubbornness and reluctance to expand the rotation ultimately cost him his job. It’s been great to see the New York Knicks actually use their depth this season. The bench has a role. The minutes are more balanced.
But are they truly better than they were a year ago? That’s still up for debate. If Brown doesn’t take them to the Finals, then for me, the answer is no.
Miranda: They’ve gone from 11th in corner 3s to third. The defense has been best in the league since they shifted from pushing ballhandlers to the middle of the floor to pushing them toward the sidelines. I don’t know if Towns is “struggling” so much as having his role changed, and I don’t hate it; even when his shot’s off, he’s impactful on the glass and as a spacer. All that said, if Brown is still coaching in June, his hiring was a success. If not . . .
Kato: This largely depends on what your expectations were. For me, his regular season was always going to be graded on his, and the team’s process. Sure, winning 55+ regular season games would be nice. But if he did that by running the same heliocentric, stagnant offense, limiting on-court experimentation, and forgoing playing time of the younger players, then keeping Thibodeau would have been the move as it would’ve lead to a higher floor. Thus far, Brown has done a good enough job of, simply put, not being Thibodeau. His offense, while still over reliant on Brunson at times, sees more movement, more threes, and more sets, and actions, and his rotations aren’t perfect, but still better than Thibodeau’s. So far, so good, but ultimately, he’ll be graded on how the Knicks fare in the playoffs.
What’s the biggest obstacle for a Finals run?
Losada: It’s going to be a grueling playoffs, as “weakened” as the Eastern Conference is said to be. See, the Pistons are young, tough, strong, and will probably have homecourt advantage through the postseason. The Celtics might bring back Jayson Tatum, and I fear that if they know he’s coming the might take it easy later in the season to enter the playoffs healthier, thus dropping to a lower seed and making it tougher for a top-4 seed. The Cavaliers, I don’t care about. But the Raptors, the Sixers, and mostly the Magic and Heat have underperformed and/or can give you fits and steal a couple of postseason games, so it’s going to take more than a Fo’ fo’ fo’ to get to the Finals. Will the Knicks stay healthy through it all? Will they get the No. 2 seed and actually benefit from starting (and finishing) series at MSG, or will it turn against them? Not an obstacle this year: another 1-in-100000-odds shot made by Hali.
Zeno: Inconsistency. One day, they look like they’ll win the Finals, the next day, they might be a first-round exit. There are certain first-round matchups that make you wince, but those mostly depend on health (looking at you, Philly). If Jayson Tatum returns, Boston could be extremely tough. The Cavs can’t be counted out, and then, of course, there’s Detroit. The Knicks will need to play their best basketball come playoff time and can’t rely on Brunson’s hero-ball for the fourth year in a row. We need KAT to get back to what made him a perennial all-star, Bridges to get more confident on-ball, OG to be making his shots, and the bench to be healthy and able to hold their own. I’m confident in the team, but there’s a lot that can go wrong.
Polaniecki: The Cup curse. Just kidding! But all jokes aside, the Knicks eliminated the Detroit Pistons in last year’s playoffs, but now sit five games behind them in the standings. They beat the Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum available for most of that series, yet currently trail Boston as well.
Cleveland added James Harden. The conference landscape has shifted, and the path to the Finals is going to be much harder than people thought at the beginning of the season, especially if Tatum comes back for the Celtics.
Miranda: The likelihood that at some point in the playoffs, KAT’s gonna be in foul trouble, Mitch is gonna be injured and Ariel Hukporti’s playing 30+ minutes.
Kato: I’m stuck between saying “themselves”, and “roster construction”. I think talent-wise, they are, and should be, the favorites. But there’s still a part of me that fears KAT’s ability to hold up defensively more times than not through three or hopefully, four playoff series. And offensively, the Knicks still lack reliant ball handlers, and playmakers over the height of whatever Brunson, and Alvarado are listed as. But even with those roster limitations-the same ones they dealt with last season, they found themselves a couple games, and a historical choke job away from making the NBA Finals, even while being coached sub-optimally. That leads me to lean towards the former. If they are healthy, get their minds right, and show up, they’re still good enough to win four out of seven times against most teams in the league.
Adam Silver says the league would “seriously consider” rookie free agency if it ends tanking.
A draft-free system changes incentives for “poverty franchises,” but risks star clustering.
Alternatives like post-elimination win incentives exist.
Is the NBA Draft on the chopping block? Commissioner Adam Silver said that he and his advisors would "seriously consider" replacing the rookie draft with free agency if it's the only definitive way to end tanking.
I am fully onboard with this idea!
With the 2026 tanking crisis reaching a fever pitch following record-breaking fines for the Jazz and Pacers, the league's "flattened odds" lottery experiment has officially failed to deter strategic losing.
As owners grow restless over plummeting ticket sales in rebuilding markets, the nuclear option of a rookie open market is no longer just a "think-piece" theory; it's a looming reality for the next NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Eliminating the NBA draft would actually help small market teams
Claiming small-market teams would be "cooked" is the wrong takeaway.
Players prioritize money, usage, and minutes, which are resources that are limited on every roster. A top rookie might choose the Charlotte Hornets over the Los Angeles Lakers if Charlotte can guarantee 35 minutes a night and the "keys to the franchise," whereas the Lakers might only have a bench role available.
Each team would actually land players who want to be there and are more loyal to the franchise. Players would choose teams based on coaching staff and training facilities rather than being "forced" into a bad situation. This shifts the burden onto front offices to be competent to attract talent.
I opened the debate up on TikTok and was immediately met with hundreds of hot takes as well as a few intriguing solutions. Here are some of my favorites, along with my personal responses.
What NBA fans are saying
M.T.C||.vids: The NBA should NOT remove the draft. Players won’t willingly move to bad teams that have no chance of winning anything.
Metler: All the reason for those franchises to become competent and stop being rewarded with lottery picks.
M.T.C||.vids: How on earth do you expect a franchise to just “become competent”? This free agent format would make super teams stronger and weaker squads less talented, dealing with the bums the league doesn’t want. The draft allows bad teams to get good young players
Metler: It allows awful franchises to ruin the best young talent coming into the league.
buzz_master: Boston and LA would be good forever. It's everything they want.
Metler: It’s good for the league for those teams to always be good. Same as how it’s good for college hoops for Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky to always be good.
r08: Then the small market will always be at the bottom. The contender will always be the contender.
Metler: The same teams are already at the bottom anyways and are given false hope when they get a superstar for a rookie contract who then forces his way out. The solution is to build grassroots programs and connect with youth basketball in your state and city. Develop NBA talent in your hometown that you could sign in the future.
zacharydegraeve: I really think they should. I don’t think it’s the most popular opinion, but teams that build their organization top to bottom to lose so they can acquire a star prospect aren’t able to properly develop that prospect and build around that prospect in four years.
Metler: Why do we keep sending the best prospects to awful situations? If you want elite talent in your organization, earn it. Build better facilities, get better coaches, learn to develop players.
Cadie: I like what the PWHL does. Once you've been eliminated from the playoffs... every win after elimination gains points towards draft position. More points = higher draft position.
Metler: It’s way better than what we have now but NBA teams would still try and manipulate it.
Emorris984: Just use the NFL format!
Metler: They would tank even harder...
It's time to abolish the NBA draft
I was shocked by the outcry about protecting organizations that don’t even try to win games. Why are we so concerned about the bottom feeders of the league? Do you think college basketball sits around trying to game-plan ways to improve Boston College and make them relevant?
Imagine if we sent all the best high school recruits to the worst programs. We don’t. Those players go to North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, and Duke. So why do we suddenly stop caring about the development of the best young talent coming into the NBA and then send them into awful situations?
A lot of the argument is built on the idea that teams like the Hornets would never be able to land a superstar coming out of college. My response to that concern is the 2009 NBA Draft. Do you really think the Hornets wouldn’t have had a legitimate chance to recruit Stephen Curry out of Davidson to play for his hometown team - the same team his dad played for?
The Hornets’ NBA championship odds wouldn’t be +50000 every single season if they had successfully recruited Curry back in 2009.
The 2026 edition of Red Reporter’s Community Prospect Rankings wrapped this week, doing so with nearly 3,000 total responses during the voting process. Thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to participate with us this year.
Here’s how the list shook out:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
Jose Franco
Zach Maxwell
Leo Balcazar
Adolfo Sanchez
Carlos Jorge
Aaron Watson
Julian Aguiar
Tyler Callihan
Sheng-En Lin
Ricky Cabrera
Here’s how the Top 20 of the 2025 Community Prospect Rankings looked for comparison:
Rhett Lowder
Chase Burns
Edwin Arroyo
Chase Petty
Cam Collier
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Sammy Stafura
Ricky Cabrera
Hector Rodriguez
Tyson Lewis
Connor Phillips
Sheng-En Lin
Luke Holman
Zach Maxwell
Ty Floyd
Adam Serwinowski
Rece Hinds
Carlos Jorge
Julian Aguiar
Obviously, there were some graduates from last year’s rankings, with Chase Burns, Connor Phillips, and Rece Hinds having logged enough big league service time to no longer qualify as prospects anymore. Sammy Stafura was included in the deal with Pittsburgh that landed Ke’Bryan Hayes in Cincinnati, while Adam Serwinowski was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the three-team deal that landed Zack Littell with the Reds for last season’s stretch run.
Congrats to those Reds prospects on the distinguished honor of being included in this year’s CPR!
The relationship between NBA basketball and math has long been tenuous.
You’ve seen the debates. The stat nerd vs the hooper. Metrics vs the eye test. It’s as false a dichotomy as one could imagine. To understand basketball, you need both. That will always be the case.
Anyway, the 2025-26 Houston Rockets need a math tutor. Their calculations are off. They’re losing the math game:
And the numbers aren’t lying.
Rockets need to improve efficiency
If you’re reading this, you surely know that the Rockets don’t shoot many threes. In fact, their 34.0% three-point frequency ranks dead last in the NBA.
They hit a high percentage of those triples. Houston’s 37.0% three-point shooting ranks sixth. That amounts to 11.3 made threes per game, which lands 24th in the NBA.
That would be fine – if the Rockets hit a high percentage of their twos. This team wasn’t built to overwhelm opponents with three-point shooting. They were built to dominate the offensive glass and win the math game with extra possessions.
They’re still dominating the glass. Houston’s 39.9% Offensive Rebounding Percentage is first in the league by a long shot. It’s just a somewhat moot point when they’re hitting 52.3% of their two-point field goal attempts.
That’s second-last in the NBA.
That’s right. Only the Pacers hit a lower percentage of their twos. This is a gap year for the Pacers. Despite the significance of Fred VanVleet’s absence, the same cannot be said for the Rockets.
So let’s break out the calculators. What can the Rockets do?
The Rockets must play to their strengths
They shouldn’t be thinking about increasing their three-point volume too dramatically.
They simply do not have the personnel. Sure, Ime Udoka ought to have a little more faith in Reed Sheppard. He could bolster the three-point volume a bit, but he’s only one NBA sophomore. That won’t meaningfully move the needle.
Above all else, the Rockets need to hit a higher percentage of their twos.
The elephant in the room: Alperen Sengun needs to be more efficient. He just does. He’s hitting 69.7% of his shots between zero-and-three feet. That’s a career high, but it’s still not high enough.
For context, Giannis Antetokounmpo hits 81.1% of his field goals from the same area. Nikola Jokic hits 78.6% of his bunnies.
Am I being unfair by comparing Sengun to the best players in the NBA? OK. Domantas Sabonis hits 69.9% of his attempts from the same range. Newsflash:
The Rockets need Alperen Sengun to be better than Domantas Sabonis.
Holding the young star to a high standard should not be frowned upon. Sengun doesn’t offer much from three-point range, so to be a star playmaker, he needs to make hay at the rim. That’s what the math dictates.
Otherwise, Amen Thompson is hitting 75.0% of his shots between zero-and-three. That’s consistent with last year (75.8%), but his volume is significantly down (36.1% from 42.0%). That’s likely symptomatic of his on-ball work. When Thompson is setting up in the halfcourt, it’s easier for defenses to force him into the midrange. Taking him back off the ball and putting him in a position to cut and attack closeouts could get him back at the rim more often.
That’s about it, as far as my solutions go. I’m no math wizard. Let it be said that the Rockets don’t need to play brutal, D’Antoni-style stat-ball. They do need to find a way to improve on their dreadful two-point efficiency if they’re going to be a low-volume three-point shooting club:
Otherwise, the numbers just aren’t in their favor.
TAMPA, FL – There was no spring training surprise with Giancarlo Stanton in this Yankees camp.
“Ready to go," said Stanton on Tuesday, about the one-year anniversary when he arrived in Florida with elbow issues that delayed his entry until mid-June.
As a slugging right-handed hitter, the designated hitter’s “presence in the middle of the lineup is really big," said manager Aaron Boone, who “really noticed it" in 2024.
Following a lost 2023 season, Stanton was “such a presence" behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in 2024, culminating in another terrific postseason – seven homers in 14 games.
Last year, Stanton clubbed 24 homers with 66 RBIs in just 77 games, and his .944 OPS was the highest of his eight-year Yankees career.
Here are five things to know as he enters his ninth season in pinstripes:
Giancarlo Stanton’s elbow management
Entering his age 36 season, Stanton reported to camp leaner and “ready to go, ready for a good buildup in spring."
Stanton is still managing his elbow condition; it was likened to a severe bout of tennis elbow last year, and “as I said before, it’s not going to go anywhere.
“There’s always going to be maintenance, but it won’t hinder me from any work. That’s what’s most important."
Giancarlo Stanton’s defensive availability
Last August, Aaron Judge’s flexor strain put Stanton back in play as a part-time outfielder.
This year, Boone can see Stanton getting some outfield starts and “there’s even a chance we get some outfield" play during the exhibition season.
It’ll probably be a week before Stanton gets in a Grapefruit League game, with Boone keen on slow-playing certain veterans.
But during the season, “we want to keep that (outfield) option going," said Boone. “Best case, we probably almost never have to use him because everyone’s healthy and doing their thing, but we know that’s a little unrealistic."
Boone also believes the occasional outfield starts “can keep him healthy… I think it helps him," and Stanton agrees.
There were times when Stanton wanted to play more outfield (he made 18 starts), but he’s on board with any plan “for us to be the best and for me to stay out there."
Giancarlo Stanton’s Hall of Fame chances
Stanton’s 453 career home runs are the most by any active player.
He could potentially reach the 500 home run club in 2027, and his current hitter comps through age 35 via Baseball-Reference.com include Hall of Famers Willie McCovey, Willie Stargell and Harmon Killebrew.
As for milestones like 500 homers, Stanton said he’s only focused on “the next one," and the one after that.
“Those (personal) numbers are not the same as ‘We’re going to win the World Series,’" said Stanton. “That’s the way I’m looking at it."
Giancarlo Stanton’s incomplete career
Like his veteran teammates Judge, Gerrit Cole and Paul Goldschmidt, Stanton is still seeking that elusive World Series ring.
“The goal is a championship,’’ said Stanton. “But you’ve got to do what’s in between. Not (just) to get there, but complete it.’’
And in that sense, Stanton said his story “is still being written’’ since “the point of being a Yankee is being a champion.
“There’s always going to be a stain there without that.’’
Giancarlo Stanton contract
In December 2017, the Yankees' blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins brought Stanton to the Bronx, with the Yanks absorbing nearly all of what was a then-record 13-year, $325 million contract.
There are only two guaranteed years left, with Stanton owed a total of $64 million - $30 million of which is to be paid by the Marlins.
For luxury tax purposes, Stanton's contract is still a $25 million annual hit on the Yanks' payroll.
After the 2027 season, the Yankees hold a $25 million club option on Stanton for 2028, or they can buy him out for $10 million.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The intensity ramped up significantly during the third day of full squad workouts at Phillies spring training.
Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter faced live hitters on Wednesday morning, putting on a show for the fans in attendance at BayCare Ballpark’s main field.
And make no mistake – Luzardo was the star of the show.
“He was really, really good,” said Brandon Marsh, who struck out looking against Luzardo. “You couldn’t see any of his spins, which is hard for a hitter. His fastball was electric, it exploded. He gave me a really good sequence and you just tip your cap to him.”
So how do you hit Luzardo when he has all of his pitches working?
“You don’t,” Marsh said. “Short and sweet, you don’t hit him when he’s on. When he hits his spot and puts it where he wants to, he’s as good as they come. That was really, really exciting to see that out of him today.”
Luzardo was flat out dominant in his first live session of the spring, keeping hitters off balance with a dizzying combination of his high-90’s fastball and lethal breaking pitches.
“I felt great,” Luzardo said following Wednesday’s workout. “Just commanding the zone and commanding all of my pitches. When you check those off early in camp that’s obviously huge. The rest just comes with experience throughout camp. But health and command are the two big ones for me for my first live (session). It was a nice little boost of confidence going into games soon.”
Luzardo’s performance caught everyone’s attention, including his manager.
“Luzardo was, I mean, really good,” Rob Thomson said. “Everything about it.”
It begs the question – how much better can Luzardo be this year following a 2025 season during which he set career-highs in starts, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts?
“I’m looking forward to this year,” Luzardo said. “Last year was great. But I’ve got a lot of work to do this year.”
Evaluating Nola and Painter
Nola and Painter weren’t as dominant as Luzardo on Wednesday but they each attacked hitters from the outset, something that tends to be rare for the first live session of the spring.
“They haven’t seen hitters in five months,” Thomson said. “Typically 60-65 percent of the time, pitchers walk the first hitter they face. It’s fascinating. These guys didn’t do that. They went right after the hitters. Nola’s command was really good. He threw some backdoor cutters to lefties that hit the spot. Changeup was really good, fastball was really good.”
Painter allowed quite a bit of loud contact to several hitters. It didn’t appear to be a particularly great live session for a young player whose every move this spring will be met with heavy scrutiny.
But overall Thomson was impressed with Painter’s outing.
“His stuff was good, his control was good,” Thomson said. “He threw a lot of strikes and filled up the zone. He missed some spots early (in the session) but he commanded the ball better late.”
Pitching Plans
Thomson announced that righthander Bryse Wilson will start the Phillies’ first Grapefruit League game of the spring on Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. The 28-year old Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Phillies in the offseason. He posted a 6.65 ERA in five starts and 15 relief appearances for the White Sox last season.
The Phillies will go with a bullpen game in their spring home opener against the Pirates on Sunday. Thomson noted that Taijuan Walker will likely start next Wednesday at home against the Tigers. Walker will be the first member of the Phillies projected starting rotation to see game action this spring.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 07: Quentin Grimes #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 07, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The 76ers defeated the Suns 109-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It really should be called the final third of the season now, shouldn’t it?
The Sixers just need to put the finishing touches on the final 28 games of the regular season to complete a bounce back from their disastrous 24-win campaign a season ago. With just a game in the loss column currently keeping them out of the play-in tournament in the East, it’ll take a strong finish to secure a top-six playoff spot.
Here are the pressing questions that will define whether they’re able to do so or not.
Is the All-Star break enough to recharge VJ-Maxx?
This has come up quite a bit, because it’s no secret just how much of a workload these two have taken on — Maxey in particular with his 30% usage rate. Not only has the topic of fatigue and tiredness come up quite a bit in Maxey’s recent postgame press conferences, but it seems to be catching up with him as well.
Through the end of December, Maxey was averaging 30.8 points per game on the season shooting 39.6% from three-point range. In January and February he’s dipped down to 26.5 points a night shooting 35.6% from deep. If there’s a silver lining it’s that his minutes per game have gone down from 39 to 37 in that time, though he still leads the league in minutes by far.
Edgecombe is only averaging a measly 35 minutes a night, but he still has a comfortable lead on most minutes played this year by a rookie. Not only has his production gone through dips, but his shot selection seems to indicate a rookie wall as well.
Again, through December, Edgecombe was taking 35% of his shots at the rim and 18% from the short midrange. In the roughly month and a half since, he’s only taken 29% of his shots at the rim and his short midrange attempts have dropped to 14%, according to Cleaning the Glass.
With the top-heavy roster the Sixers have, a week off may be the only relief coming when it comes to these two. Neither of them even had a full week technically, with Maxey being both an All-Star and three-point contest participant, and Edgecombe competing in the Rising Stars game.
We’ll see soon enough whether four days off is enough to recharge either of their batteries because there’s likely to be plenty of 40-minute nights in their near futures.
How much will this shaken up bench be able to produce?
Relatedly, a big reason why so much responsibility is placed on Maxey and Edgecombe’s shoulders is due to the lack of bench production as of late. The Sixers are currently the 28th-ranked team in the league in bench points, averaging 30.4 a night. Jared McCain struggling to crack the rotation while he was still here put the role of bench shooting entirely onto Quentin Grimes.
However tall of an ask that is, he’s struggled to do so after a pretty solid start. Through November he was averaging 17 points a night shooting just a tick below 37% from three. No one’s come down to earth harder though, as he’s averaging 9.9 points a game shooting 42% from the field and 31% from three in the 29 games since then.
Through most of that time, the Sixers had been getting solid bench production from whichever of Kelly Oubre Jr. or Dominick Barlow came off the bench. With Paul George suspended though, both of those guys have become required starters.poiu9o0p[=p-]\
The dumping of McCain as well as Eric Gordon only intensified the need for Grimes to get right. Through the buyout market the Sixers may have found an additional scoring burst in Cam Payne. It’s a long shot, with Payne having spent the first half of this season playing in Europe, but at least the Sixers have seen him impact a playoff game before. As a bottom three bench team in the league, the Sixers will take any help they can get.
How will the front court behind Joel Embiid hold up?
So obviously this stems from the most burning, everlasting question surrounding the Sixers: how healthy will Joel Embiid be?
After enjoying over a month long stretch of healthy basketball, only missing planned nights that were back-to-backs, Embiid missed the last two games before the All-Star break due to another bout of knee swelling. The positive spin there is that this was his right knee, not the left that he’s injured so frequently. Nick Nurse didn’t seem super concerned by this either, saying the soreness had progressed somewhat and that the All-Star break should help that as well.
No one here has to be reminded of the history, though. After starting the season playing well without Embiid, the Sixers once again look like a team dependent on him, losing six of their last seven with him out of the lineup. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers are a -1.4 with Adem Bona on the court and -4.3 in lineups with Andre Drummond.
Bona continues to show flashes as a shot blocker, but has yet to really develop his rebounding skills and has been abysmal as a lob catcher this year. After a resurgent start to the year, Drummond has started to look older each passing game. While they both turned their two-way deals into standard contracts, neither Barlow nor Jabari Walker has seen enough substantial time playing center to know if they are legitimate backup five options.
With the trade deadline come and gone and the buyout market looking just as bare in the front court, the only solution to this problem is probably Embiid staying as healthy as possible. Even if he’s able to, the Sixers still have six more back-to-backs to get through this regular season as they gear up for a busy March.
They won’t be easy hurdles with all the solutions needing to be internal, but how the Sixers deal with these issues will define their second half of the season.
Kyrie Irving will sit out the remainder of this season and wait until the fall to make his return froma torn ACL suffered nearly a year ago, he and the Dallas Mavericks announced on Wednesday.
"This decision wasn't easy, but it's the right one," Irving said in a statement released by the team. "I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.
"And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who've torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day. THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!"
This morning we announced that Kyrie Irving will not return to play during the 2025-26 NBA season as he continues his recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery performed in 2025.
Irving tore his ACL in a March 3 game against Sacramento almost a year ago. There had been speculation that he might return later this season, but with Dallas sitting as the No. seed 12 in the West and focused more on draft positioning than climbing up into the play-in — this team is tanking — Irving's return made little sense. Although his agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, said it was not about that in a statement to Shams Charania of ESPN.
"This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season."
Irving's timeline for a return is very realistic, it often takes players a year or more to come back. Irving is in the first year of a three-year $118 contract with Dallas and the Mavericks are on the hook for $39.5 million next season, plus he has a $42.4 player option for 2027-28.
When Dallas hires a new head of basketball operations this summer (to replace the fired Nico Harrison), one of the decisions for that person will be whether to lean into a youth movement and trade Irving, or whether to pair Cooper Flagg, whoever the team drafts this June, a (hopefully) healthy Dereck Lively II, with Irving, or whether to completely lean into the youth movement. (Part of that may be how the Mavericks fare in the NBA Draft Lottery and who they pick up.)
Irving was an All-Star with the Mavericks before his injury last season, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists a game while shooting 40.1% from 3-point range.
It will be another several months before Mavericks fans see Kyrie Irving on the hardwood again.
The Dallas point guard will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season as he continues to recover from an ACL tear, the team announced on Wednesday morning.
Irving sustained the injury in his left leg in March 2025, and after undergoing surgery shortly afterward, he had initially eyed a return at some point this year.
The Mavericks guard is still recovering from an ACL tear he sustained last March. AP
But in a statement, Irving explained “the right” choice was to allow the knee a few more months to heal.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” he said. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season.
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“The belief and drive I have inside only grows. And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day. THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”
Irving is in the middle of a three-year, $119 million contract. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Irving joined the Mavericks in the 2022-23 season via a trade from Brooklyn, and the following season, he and Luka Doncic helped lead the team to the NBA Finals.
In 2024-25, he had an All-Star season, but missed the last portion of the year due to the knee injury.
The Mavericks, of course, are in no position to rush back Irving, who’s in the middle of a three-year, $119 million contract — the team sits near the bottom of Western Conference standings with a 19-35 record.
Morandini played for the Phillies from 1990-1997 and later managed the team (Credit: Getty)
When Mickey Morandini pulled it off, it came so quickly, even the announcers didn’t realize what happened.
And who could blame them? An unassisted triple play had only happened eight times in Major League Baseball history.
Why are we talking about Morandini’s magical moment? Because, on Tuesday, a ticket to the Sept. 20, 1992 game featuring Morandini’s Philadelphia Phillies against Barry Bonds’ Pittsburgh Pirates — sold for a whopping $1,540.
To put that in perspective of Pirates tickets, the most recent sale of Bill Mazeroski’s Game 7 World Series walk-off was $945. Paul Skenes' rookie debut ticket last sold for $708. But unlike those two, PSA had never graded an exemplar from this game.
At the time, Morandini, who caught a fly ball from Jeff King, doubled off a runner who left second and tagged Bonds on his way to second, was also ticked about not thinking about the memorabilia.
Video shows Morandini, who batted .268 in 11 years in the majors, flipping the ball up in the air as he runs by the mound.
“That was stupid on my part,” he told reporters after the game. “It was probably hit as a foul ball to some fan.”
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.
JUPITER, FL - FEBRUARY 12: Josiah Gray #40 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the bullpen during Spring Training workout day at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday, February 12, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The first piece of Nationals related content I saw was DJ Herz doing some throwing. This is great because it shows he is making progress in his Tommy John recovery. However, what interested me was the black band on his left elbow. Herz is not the only pitcher to be wearing one of these bands. In fact, it has been common this spring.
DJ Herz (recovering from Tommy John) has the black elbow band on, and is getting some work in this morning. pic.twitter.com/1llbUYS5G1
I wanted to learn more about this device and see why so many Nats pitchers are using this thing. What I found was very interesting. The device is a Pulse workload monitor made by Driveline. It costs $320 and is designed to help pitchers know their limits. Pulse measures arm speed and workload metrics. If a pitcher’s arm speed drops unexpectedly, you now know when to take a break.
This is a really cool device and is in line with the Nats new vision. We wrote about the Nats Driveline connection earlier this month, and this is just another example of that. While the Nats want to add stuff to their pitchers, they are also going to be aware of the potential injury risk that comes with that.
Seen this a lot in pictures this spring with Nats pitchers. They are driveline pulse sensors and they measure workload on the arms. More much needed tech added for the Nats! https://t.co/Eyoftg38J3
Based on my research, I think the implementation of this device is being driven by Pitching Coach Simon Mathews. Driveline mentions that the Reds were early adopters of this device. Kyle Boddy, the founder of Driveline actually worked for the Reds for a bit. There is an article from 2021 describing how the Reds had been implementing the Pulse device.
Mathews actually joined the Reds organization in 2021, and was involved in their rehab work for pitchers. That means he is very aware of this device and is likely a big proponent of it. It is no coincidence that it is all over Nats camp now. With that rehab background, Mathews is putting an emphasis on arm health.
However, this device is not just for pitchers with injuries. Healthy Nats arms have also been using it to track their workload. On one of the first days of camp, the Nats posted a photo of Brad Lord throwing, and he had the Pulse band on. It is easier to find a Nats pitcher wearing one than it is to see them without it.
This is such a cool contraption and it is one of many pieces of new technology the Nats have. Pulse obviously helps you catch potential injuries, but it can also help you optimize throwing plans. It allows you to know how far you can push a player while not risking injury or overuse. Optimizing performance is so important for pitchers, and this is a great tool for that.
It is not just the big leaguers using these things though. I saw a video of Nats third round pick Landon Harmon throwing a bullpen, and the 19 year old had a Pulse band on his right elbow. Honestly, this tool might be even more important for young pitchers who do not totally understand their limits yet.
That is not to say it can’t help veterans. There is a cool video from a couple years ago of Reds pitcher Nick Martinez talking about how much the Pulse band has helped him. For so long, the Nats were not taking part in these kinds of innovative practices. Now, with Paul Toboni at the wheel, the Nats are all in on innovating.
Honestly, keeping pitchers healthy might be the next great frontier for baseball minds. We know so much about how to optimize stuff, but it comes at the cost of pitchers’ elbows. If we can find a way to keep guys healthy while throwing nasty stuff, you can get an edge over the competition. The Pulse monitors are only the first step in that process, but it is cool that the Nats are trying this out.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 25: Cam Collier #6 of the Peoria Javelinas swings the bat during an Arizona Fall League game against the Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch on October 25, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last season saw Chase Burns go from ‘highly talented high draft pick who’d never thrown a pro pitch’ to perhaps the game’s top rated pitching prospect prior to making his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in late June. Meanwhile, Tyson Lewis hit balls so damn hard in Arizona in his first action as a pro that by the time he wrapped play in Daytona he’d found himself on Top 100 lists all over the place.
Alfredo Duno mashed his way to the top of the Reds list, emerging from a two-year odyssey to be a clear-cut catcher of the future with a bat featuring as much power as anyone, anywhere.
In a similar vein, Mike Sirota – who was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Gavin Lux deal – burst onto the scene in a huge, huge way, and now finds himself a consensus Top 100 prospect overall. Oops.
It happens each and every year, players who go from unknowns to household names (at least with prospect wonks), players who live up to the billing and more.
As we just wrapped the 2026 edition of our Community Prospect Rankings around here, who’s your pick among Reds prospects to be the biggest riser between now and season’s end? Could it be Cam Collier or Edwin Arroyo, two bats coming off power-sapping injuries that finally find a healthy swing once again?
Will Steele Hall, who only finds himself on the fringes of some Top 100 overall lists, hit the ground running and prove early the faith the Reds scouts placed in him?
Could we see an arm like Aaron Watson show his polished approach is ready to move fast?
Or, might we see someone making the jump stateside from Dominican Summer League play show the world they’re ready to tackle full-season ball at a level previously thought to be above their head?
What say you? Which Cincinnati Reds prospect is poised for a breakout 2026?
Spring training is officially here now that the Detroit Tigers have reported to Lakeland to begin their preseason workouts. The excitement in the air is palpable as winter fades, leaving the smell of fresh-cut grass and clay wafting through the air.
Getting down to Florida — or Arizona — for the rebirth of baseball is in and of itself a significant experience for fans both young and old, offering an opportunity to see their favorite players in a more intimate setting than back in the big stadiums. It also offers those living up north a temporary respite from the frigid weather back home.
As you can see below, the Tigers are settling in and getting ready for the opening game this Saturday in Tampa against the New York Yankees.
So today’s prompt for open discussion is the question of whether you, our cherished Bless You Boys reader, have ever been to spring training, and if so, what was your experience? Do you plan on trekking down I-75 this year to see the Olde English D in preseason action?
Those of you who have been around the site know that I cut my teeth at BYB providing spring training and minor league coverage from Lakeland. I have been going out there since I was a kid, and I enjoy every trip out there (as long as I can avoid I-4).
So now it is your turn! Let us know about your sentiments and experiences when it comes to spring training in the comments below.
Kansas State basketball's attempt to fire Jerome Tang for cause has been widely derided by the basketball world. After a 90-74 win over Baylor with interim coach Matthew Driscoll on the bench, the Wildcats still mentioned Tang several times postgame.
Kansas State arguably looked more complete than it has all season, with PJ Haggerty and Nate Johnson putting up 34 and 33 points, respectively.
"We (came) more together as a team," Johnson told reporters postgame. "It just bonded us over that period of time, and it showed. His message still showed that we are still together and we're just going to keep getting better every day."
"It's been some very difficult days," Haggerty added. "Every day, we all love Coach T (Tang), you know, as a coach and as a person. He just wanted us to be better men rather than just basketball players, too. But at the end of the day, we're just gonna keep playing and honoring him."
Haggerty also harkened back to a mantra of Tang's.
"'Crazy faith' is something he said every day, whether it was good days or bad days; he always stuck with faith," he said. "Either he had it on his shirt, or he said, 'crazy faith,' and that was the biggest thing that he always told us."
This support lingers even after Tang's firing for cause was justified by a press conference in which Tang derided his roster and said most of the players wouldn't be back next season.
"This was embarrassing," Tang said after a 91-62 loss at the hands of Cincinnati. "These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform, and there will be very few of them in it next year. I'm embarrassed for the university, I'm embarrassed for our fans, and our student section. It's just ridiculous."
Even with those harsh words, Kansas State's players are rallying behind him as he looks for the $18.675 million buyout he would be owed if Kansas State loses its case to fire him for cause.
Driscoll also sung Tang's praises following his first win as an interim coach. In a lengthy press answer, he said: "I did not come to Kansas State to be the head coach. Coach Tang is an amazing human being. He has always been there for me, he's always supported me, and he's an amazing human being, and he did amazing things at Kansas State."
Driscoll added: "Because of his leadership and because of what he did, that's why tonight transpired, and it's why everything came to fruition tonight. We went through a lot of things, but if you want to know something, there's nothing easy in life, and nothing's normal. Everyone wants it easy, and he said we're not doing that."
Clearly the players and new installation of coaches aren't hoping to bolster the university's case.
