New Englanders know January can be a brutal month. The days are short and bitterly cold. Winter storm warnings seem to exist in perpetuity. All that holiday glee resides in the rearview mirror, and yet spring seems so far away.
January is a brutal month for NBA players, too. The body is feeling the effects of the first 41 games, but there’s still 41 more to go. There are trade rumors and a relentless game schedule. The All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough. Surviving the January doldrums feels like a legitimate chore.
And, if you’re Derrick White, January can’t seem to pass without a maddening shooting slump.
In his four full seasons since joining the Celtics, White has routinely slumped his way through January. It might have cost him an All-Star nod during the 2024 title season. On Monday night, in a showdown of Eastern Conference titans, White missed 10 of the 11 shots he hoisted against the Pistons and turned hesitant during the fourth-quarter moments where he typically thrives.
White was field-goal-less when he stepped to the free throw line early in the fourth quarter to shoot a technical freebie. He missed that one, too — in a game the Celtics would lose by a point, 104-103.
The numbers confirm what’s been hiding in plain sight: January is White’s toughest month. In his four full seasons since joining Boston, White’s scoring plummets to his lowest output of the seven regular-season months. It’s the only month in that span that he’s shooting under 40 percent from the field overall, and his January 3-point percentage is the worst of the seven months as well.
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It’s fair to wonder if White is feeling the effects of Jayson Tatum’s absence. While he’s pushed back on the suggestion that scoring has become more difficult while elevating to the No. 2 option, his shooting woes suggest otherwise.
Of the 154 players averaging at least eight shots per game with at least 25 games played this season, White ranks 149th in field goal percentage at 39.1 percent. Of the 113 players in that same group who average at least four 3-pointers per game, White ranks 105th in 3-point percentage at 32.4 percent.
But January has still been his cruelest month. White, who has now failed to reach double digits in scoring in his last three games, is shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 24.7 percent on 3s in 10 games this month.
Wake White up when January ends.
The good news: History suggests White typically rebounds well in February. That has been both his highest scoring month and his best shooting month (by far) over the past four seasons. White is averaging 17.3 points per game over his last four Februarys, while shooting 49.6 percent overall and 43 percent beyond the arc.
It says something about White’s ability to impact the game in so many other ways that he has lingered in the All-Star conversation despite his obvious shooting woes.
On Monday night, White registered a team-high five assists to go along with nine rebounds (including five on the offensive glass) and two blocks. White was the closest defender on 24 of Detroit’s shot attempts, an insanely high number even by his All-Defense standards. He’ll get votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
The potential in-season return of Tatum could go a long way toward improving the shot quality White enjoys in the second half of the season. Some of the Celtics’ inconsistent ways in recent weeks could be alleviated by White simply getting himself back on track with his offensive output. That Boston is still second in the NBA in offensive rating despite White’s shooting woes is very impressive.
There are six more games to navigate in January. White has played in 40 of Boston’s 41 games this season and could be due for a night off along the way. The Celtics ought to change all the calendars in the Auerbach Center to February to see if they can accelerate White out of his January slump.
LeBron James missed out on selection as an NBA All-Star starter for first time in 22 years, but the Los Angeles Lakers star could still feature in February's event.
On Monday, the NBA announced the 10 players voted as starters, including Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Lakers' Luka Doncic and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the 2026 starters, while current NBA players and a media panel each accounted for 25%.
The five players with the best score in each conference were named as starters across the three teams, with international players playing for the world team.
James, 41, was ranked ninth overall in the Western Conference by voters.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer can still earn selection as a reserve for the game held in Los Angeles on 15 February, but he will have to rely on a panel of NBA coaches to play as one of the 14 reserves.
James was selected in 2025 but did not play in the event after picking up an injury.
Sidney Crosby climbed a couple of all-time NHL leaderboards while skating in his 1,400th career game Monday afternoon in Seattle.
Crosby recorded his second assist of Monday night on Rickard Rakell’s third-period goal to help lead the Penguins to a 6-3 road win over the Kraken with his 1,742nd career point.
The ranks third only behind Wayne Gretzky (2,772 points) and Marcel Dionne (1,771) for the most points at the milestone in NHL history, according to NHL Stats.
Including the playoffs, those two assists moved Crosby past Ron Francis for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time points leaderboard (1,943 regular-season and postseason points). Only Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Gordie Howe have more.
Those aren’t the only milestones Crosby cleared in Monday night’s win. Per NHL Stats:
Monday night’s win marked the 512 multi-point game of Crosby’s career. That moved him past Gordie Howe (511 career multi-point games) for the fifth-most in NHL history. Two more multi-point games this season would allow him to leapfrog Messier and Dionne for third on the all-time leaderboard.
The outing also brought Crosby’s career points total on the road to 784 points in 700 away games, tying Mario Lemieux (784 points in 443 road games) for the eighth-most in NHL history. That will leave the Penguins captain 25 road points back of Alex Ovechkin for seventh on the list.
Crosby’s set-up on Rakell’s third-period goal also marked the 580th third-period point of his career (he’s scored 213 goals and 367 assists in the final 20 minutes of regulation, per NHL Stats). That moved him past Dionne and Francis for seventh among all third-period scorers in NHL history.
This might not be the last time Pens fans get to watch Crosby climb the NHL’s all-time leaderboards this season. After Monday’s victory, he’s just 12 points back of tying Steve Yzerman (1,755 career points) for the seventh-most career points in NHL history.
Crosby’s meanwhile still ranking among the best in the league this season. His 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) currently ranks 13th in the NHL, and his 26 goals are tied for fifth.
The Penguins will hope Crosby is able to extend his streak of three straight multi-point games when the road trip continues Wednesday in Calgary.
The Atlanta Hawks suffered their fourth successive loss, and a loss at home on MLK Day on Monday afternoon in a closely fought 112-100 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks’ charge in the fourth quarter, scoring 32 points. Jalen Johnson added 28 points and 16 rebounds. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points, and Bobby Portis scored 19 points.
Off the back of a massive loss against the Boston Celtics, the Hawks welcomed back Dyson Daniels and Luke Kennard to the rotation, while Hawks head coach Quin Snyder made an additional change to the starting lineup by inserting Corey Kispert in place of — the struggling of late — Vit Krejci. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, returned to the bench with Daniels returning.
The story of the first, undoubtedly was the Hawks’ struggles shooting the three-pointer, missing their first 21 attempts from distance — basically going through the entire first half without making a three before McCollum made the Hawks’ first three with 27 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Hawks have looked leggy on jump shots of late — which, they hope, will be helped by a lighter schedule coming up — and Monday afternoon was no exception. Some of these shots they were unlucky not to see go down — the Hawks worked their opportunities well in the first half but had almost nothing to show for it.
The Hawks, finally, found their feet shooting the three-pointer in the second half, but did so as the Bucks — and Myles Turner — briefly found their own form shooting three, keeping the lead around 20 points in the beginning stages of the third quarter. A 10-0 run brought the Milwaukee lead down to 13 points, before an 18-4 run brought the lead below single digits — hope had returned. The Bucks looked as though they had stabilized in the fourth quarter, taking a 13-point lead in the early exchanges in the fourth quarter after a Kevin Porter Jr. and-one.
An Alexander-Walker brought the Milwaukee lead down to nine points with 6:57 remaining (leading to a timeout), and from this point forward it was the Alexander-Walker and McCollum show. Alexander-Walker would take the starring role, igniting for five threes in the fourth quarter, and his shot-making was instrumental to the Atlanta comeback.
McCollum chipped in too and, starting from that 6:57 mark on that Alexander-Walker three, combined with Alexander-Walker to score the next 24 points the Hawks scored — finally broken by a three from Jalen Johnson with 1:10 remaining (from which point forward, normal service was resumed between Alexander-Walker and McCollum).
These baskets from Alexander-Walker (especially) and McCollum brought the Hawks back within the game, and Atlanta faithful was rewarded with a clutch game down the stretch. Let’s look at how it unfolded and where the game was lost on this occasion.
Down four points with just over two and a half minutes remaining, Alexander-Walker continues his fourth quarter effort by coming off of a pin down set by Onyeka Okongwu, coming around the screen, receiving the ball, and rising into the three:
A good switch by Porter Jr. here to get a good contest. It’s just an even better shot by Alexander-Walker, and a good screen from Okongwu to facilitate it.
On the probe by Porter Jr., Dyson Daniels does an excellent job defensively to get through the Antetokounmpo screen and contest the shot, forcing the Milwaukee miss, and now, giving the Hawks a chance to take the lead:
Just brilliant on-ball defense from Daniels, especially to get through the screen and stay with Porter Jr.
After two missed free throws by Johnson — denying a great opportunity to give the Hawks their first lead since the first half — and a missed shot by Antetokounmpo, the Hawks take the lead thanks to made free throws from McCollum. This was short-lived, as the threat of the Antetokounmpo screen (which he slips) puts Daniels behind the play, and forces McCollum to switch from Green to Porter Jr. Daniels switches to Green, but it’s not enough to prevent Green draining his sixth three of the game:
It’s a well worked play from the Bucks, and the slip from Antetokounmpo really puts Daniels behind the play, who likely expected having to go around the stationary Antetokounmpo on the screen.
The Milwaukee lead itself was, briefly, short-lived, as McCollum draws the Bucks’ defense in the corner and kicks the ball out to Johnson above the break, who rises into the three to give the Hawks a 105-104 lead with 1:11 remaining:
It’s a good job by McCollum, operating in a tight space in the corner — with Daniels keeping Porter Jr. close-by — and another shot that is well contested by Porter Jr. Just another better shot made by the Hawks, in this case, by Jalen Johnson.
The Bucks would trade another blow to the Hawks’ newly found lead, with the Bucks using the threat of the two-man between Antetokounmpo and Green (which yielded a lot of success in this game) to open up an avenue offensively. In this case, the threat of a Green three prompts McCollum to chase around the screen to cover Green opens up the roll for Antetokounmpo. When Porter Jr. slips the pass to his roller, it prompts Johnson to slide over to plug the gap. This opens up Portis in the corner, and good use of a fake sends Johnson into the Hawks’ bench, while Portis hits the three to give the Bucks the lead once again:
Portis is shooting over 47% from three this season; it’s hard to blame Johnson a ton for committing to the challenge on Portis here. Prior to that, the Bucks run the play exactly as they should through Giannis and Green — it was their most consistent avenue to score, and with Green shooting as he did in this game the Hawks couldn’t afford to be burned by another three from him.
Faced with a favorable switch onto Ryan Rollins, Johnson looks to take it to the chest of Rollins, but as he bounces into Rollins the force of the bump knocks the ball loose and picked up by Antetokounmpo, who pushes the ball in transition and finishes at the rim to give the Bucks a four point lead with 36 seconds remaining, and an Atlanta timeout:
A tough break for Johnson, who on the last two possessions was sent to the shops by Portis for the three and then turns the ball over for a costly fastbreak basket (and, arguably, lucky not to be called for the foul on Antetokounmpo).
A tough, fading shot from McCollum at the rim out of the timeout brings the Hawks back within two, and once the Bucks get past half-court the fouling game begins. Kyle Kuzma hits both free throws to restore the four-point lead, and the Hawks take their final timeout. Out of which, Daniels (who was a threat for the Bucks inbounding the ball and then cutting), delivers the ball to Alexander-Walker back on the perimeter, who hits the three to bring the lead to one point:
The play provided an insight to how the Hawks were willing to play this one out: everything rode on this three. A quick two — which Daniels could have driven to the rim — and the Hawks can still play the foul game. Missing the three would have ended the game there and then. Fortunately for the Hawks, Alexander-Walker had the hot hand, and he keeps the Hawks’ hope alive:
A very quick foul on Ryan Rollins gives the Hawks plenty of time to get down the court — no matter how Rollins shoots from the line — and get a chance for a decent shot. Rollins splits the pair, meaning even just a two would give the Hawks a chance to send the game to overtime. Johnson inbounds the ball to McCollum, who brings the ball up the floor, gets stuck, stumbles, and puts up a tough shot which is missed, and the game comes to an empty end:
It’s a horrible possession for McCollum, who had a good fourth quarter right up this point. He just gets stuck and has to find a way to get the ball anywhere, away from the situation he found himself in. For one of Johnson, or, especially, Alexander-Walker to not get the final shot is tough for the Hawks. Alas, this was the way of things, and the Hawks’ comeback from a terrible shooting half falls agonizingly short.
Asked about the final possession, Quin Snyder discussed that while the Hawks didn’t have a timeout these are scenarios they try to prepare for. Snyder was pleased with the Hawks’ spacing on the play and believed it just unfortunate that the ball was tipped away.
“We didn’t have any timeouts and those are situations you work on in practice, and it was one of the ones we had touched,” said Snyder of the final possession. “Really trust CJ with the ball and thought we got into a position where we were going to get a good shot: either he was going to get one or he was going to kick it out, and the ball just got tipped. It’s hard to fault. I should preface it by saying it’s not just one play, but we actually executed. Sometimes you do that and don’t get the right result, but the floor was open, we had guys spaced, JJ was on the trail. The ball just got tipped.”
Nickeil Alexander-Walker provided a more detailed perspective of the final play and his perspective of it, and how the play began to unravel before his eyes.
“The last play I know coach had a call,” began Alexander-Walker. “I was running to the corner to be prepared for said call. CJ was coming down. I was waiting for the action to begin. Based on the spacing, I was hesitant to continue just because I guess the live read was different from the call. It was just about me staying spaced and being ready. The help guy gambled — and I was kind of shocked that he did just with it being Corey, and usually in late game you want to stay as solid as you can be. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the shot we wanted.”
As Snyder mentioned, the Hawks losing this game went beyond this missed shot from McCollum. It’s hard to look anywhere else other than the Hawks’ first half shooting: 1-of-22 from three (0-of-21 to start). By the end of the first half, the Bucks had eight three-pointers (outscoring the Hawks 24-0 in that department) and led by 16 points. Despite this, Snyder was pleased with how the Hawks continued to play the right way on both ends of the floor.
“It was our whole team,” said Snyder of the Hawks’ shooting struggles. “I think we were 1-of-21 from three — we’re better shooters than that. We were getting great looks. It’s really easy when that happens to stop doing the things that got us those shots. You can lose your resolve to keep playing that way. That was a big topic for us at the half: ‘Let’s keep doing what we’re doing, eventually we’re going to make some shots.’ When we score 72 points in the second half, 33 assists on 39 field goals, that’s how we want to play. If some of those shots go in it’s a different ball-game. Those are the things that are hard to control: whether the ball goes in. What we can control is the kind of shots we’re getting, and we were getting great looks — we were open.
“Having said that, it’s very easy — when you’re not seeing the ball go in the basket — to let up, get frustrated, and it carries over to the defensive end. That didn’t happen either. Holding a team like that to what we did and just continuing to grind and play, in spite of the fact we were missing shots, gave us an opportunity to stay in the game until we did make some. This is one of the games you wish you got the affirmation of a win, but I think our guys took a big step as far as their connectivity and how we need to play. I thought we ran well, even late in the game, and a couple of shots that went in that Milwaukee shot that you tip your hat — they’re not easy shots. What we take from this is how we play, if we continue to play that way the scoreboard will reflect it.”
“The good thing about it is we kept shooting, despite all the misses,” added Jalen Johnson. “That’s tough, and rare to go for 0-for-21, it’s unlike us. Sometimes, you’ve got to adjust. We came out in the second half and started making shots.”
The Hawks shot 11-of-20 from three in the second half, with Alexander-Walker shooting 5-of-6 from three in the fourth quarter alone, describing how the Hawks’ shooting would eventually even out. He also outlined his belief in how the Hawks’ energy and their approach to their play would be a dictating factor in the Hawks’ shooting and general play.
“It goes back to the law of averages of basketball and understanding the realities of the game,” said Alexander-Walker. “You’re not going to make shots all the time. Sometimes the ones that feel good miss, sometimes the ones that feel nasty go in somehow. That was the tale of the night, but we found a way to chip away at it. We understood a lot of shots we were getting were good shots. One thing I did learn and could feel: despite the shots going in or going out — whatever the game was giving us — our energy and mentality towards it will change everything. I feel the game follows the energy, and our energy changed our — I want to say — spirit, to a degree… You can feel it more in the second half than the first half. The first half, we were getting great looks. We make those shots, maybe it’s a different outcome. Nonetheless, woulda, coulda, shoulda.
“The main thing is our energy is what gave us a fighting chance, and we played through mistakes and the game went up and down, and they responded to our run. We threw another punch, and those are the things that carry on for the rest of the 37-something games (remaining in the season).”
The Hawks were unlucky in the first half, it must be said. They missed a lot of threes that on different nights would go in — to shoot 0-of-21 for, basically, an entire half is almost unheard of (the Pacers came close this season, shooting 1-of-20 in a half). Despite these struggles shooting the three, there were some strong, solid individual games from the Hawks.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s game in the second half was transformative in this game. Often this season, Alexander-Walker has stepped up in the fourth quarter for the Hawks and Monday afternoon was another such example. Having begun the game 2-of-10 from three through three quarters, Alexander-Walker finished shooting 43% from three — an achievement given how he began shooting in this game. While Johnson hit a big three, and McCollum hit some tough shots too — his threes galvanized the Hawks in this game. Alexander-Walker finished with 32 points on 9-of-20 from the field, 7-of-16 from three, and 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Alexander-Walker and McCollum went on a combined run in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 straight points between them, and the ever-insightful Alexander-Walker outlined the adjustment playing next to McCollum.
“I think it’s just about reading points of attack and playing off-ball with movement,” said Alexander-Walker. “I know in the first half I had drove, he had hit to me, set a screen, then I got stopped, he peeled off, I hit him, he was able to drive a close-out and get a layup — small things like that. The more we use our skillset and tools together, I feel it’s going to benefit us. There was times where it did, and it’s just about communication and learning CJ. He’s also learning us and what our system is and where he can be effective. I’m trying my best to be better at communicating. The tough thing it is (me) being in year 7, and him being in year 13/14 — I’m not trying to come off as the guy that’s talking down to someone who has done this before, but still having that open communication and saying ‘Hey, trust me,’ or ‘What do you see here?’ Just getting the feel.”
I believe this is the play Alexander-Walker is referring to:
As the relationship grows, there’ll probably be times where McCollum is able to recognize Alexander-Walker’s movement to the corner and find him there when the layup isn’t as open as it was in this instance.
During an interview prior to the game, McCollum himself promised Peacock that he would shoot better in this game, and he did. McCollum scored 17 points on 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. If Johnson’s missed free throws are something that is remembered from this game, there’s a whole different bracket for McCollum’s final possession of the game. Irrespective of the fact there was no timeout available, it was a bad possession that fell in McCollum’s hands, and a costly one — but a better game overall.
Johnson’s contributions to this game were, by no means, small, scoring 28 points on 11-of-24 from the field, 3-of-6 from three, 16 rebounds, and six assists. It was good to see Johnson be a little more forceful attacking the rim in this game; the Boston game was tough for many reasons, one of them being that between all the Boston makes, the Hawks couldn’t get out and run. Johnson was able to do that a little more in this game and also find his feet with three-pointer in this game.
“JJ just continued to play,” said Snyder of Johnson’s shooting. “He missed a couple early on that he can make, and he didn’t get discouraged at all.”
It’s hard not to think about Johnson missing those two free throws in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Hawks their first lead since the first half (McCollum would right this wrong moments later to give the Hawks the lead). In a game as close as this was down the stretch, those moments can go a long way.
Dyson Daniels had a solid return to action: 17 points on 8-of-16 from the field to go with nine rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals. Daniels was excellent defensively, and he was able to get on the offensive glass in the first quarter for some put-backs, and some great cuts in this game too. That said, it’s so hard to ignore his three-point shooting — the Bucks were more than happy to let him shoot, and even though there were possessions where Daniels could have shot the three (kicking it to another teammate instead, there were also possessions where he was so open that he had no choice but to shoot it, and he missed his two attempts. Daniels last made a three on December 14th, and has missed his last 19 attempts from three when he has shot.
Late in the game, Snyder made the ‘offense-defense’ switch for the last possession of the game, and it was Kispert to come in for Daniels. It’s just tough that it’s come to this — perhaps after the season there’ll be an explanation behind Daniels’ incredible regression from three. He’s really solid everywhere else — and great defensively — but it’s difficult from three.
Still, pretty good games from those three players, led by the efforts of Alexander-Walker.
“We had a number of guys, from a statistical standpoint, had good numbers but I also thought that none of them were thinking that way when they were playing,” said Snyder. “They were connected, and those things happen naturally when you’re playing as a team and playing the way we want…”
Onyeka Okongwu had a difficult game: four points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from three, scoring all four of his points from the free throw line — just a difficult game for Okongwu, his hook shots just weren’t falling, and he wasn’t able to get deep enough inside, nor get amongst the offensive rebounding for his own offense, but did help contribute for others with his four offensive rebounds.
Corey Kispert didn’t add a whole lot more than Vit Krejci in the starting lineup, scoring two points on 1-of-4 shooting and 0-of-3 from three in (…drumroll!) 20 minutes — that magical 18-22-ish minutes for the starting small forward spot. A return to the bench did not solve Krejci’s shooting struggles, shooting 0-of-6 from the field and three — now shooting 14-of-49 from three (28.6%) in the month of January.
All in all, a solid comeback from a 23-point hole and a 0-of-21 start from three. Alexander-Walker was excellent in the second half (28 of his 32 points coming in the second half), Johnson was much more impactful than he has been lately, and Dyson Daniels was solid too. The Hawks executed well down the stretch, but that three from Portis followed by the Johnson turnover put the Hawks on the back foot, and when Alexander-Walker gave the Hawks a chance to tie or win the game, the last possession was an unfortunate dud.
The Hawks (20-25) are now on a four-game losing streak and head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies (18-23) on Wednesday night. The game is Memphis’ first game back on home soil since their games in Berlin and London — perhaps a good time as any to play a Grizzlies side adjusting back to a vastly different time zone.
It probably was not as smooth as you would have drawn it up, but the Suns took care of business in Brooklyn on Monday night. They never fully shook the Nets, yet they controlled the game anyway. Brooklyn was doing it on the second night of a back-to-back, which made it even more impressive, especially after falling into an early 20-point hole. You could feel the Nets gaining confidence as the night went on. They shot 50.6% from the field and 39.5% from deep and kept pushing.
The difference came on the defensive end, specifically in how Phoenix handled Michael Porter Jr. The plan was clear: let the kids around him fire. Make everything he wanted uncomfortable. It worked. He finished with 23 points, but it took 23 shots to get there, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Suns led nearly wire-to-wire after a brief 6-3 deficit, though a 15-2 run to close the second quarter let Brooklyn linger longer than ideal. Same story in the fourth. Not perfect. Still effective. Phoenix held on for win number 26.
It was a full team effort to reach 126 points. Three players cleared 20. Six finished in double figures. Scoring came from everywhere. The road trip now sits at 2-2 with two games left, and the Suns are back to even at 12-12 away from home.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It was close after the Suns’ win over the Knicks, with the entire bench mob pulling in 28% of the total vote. But one guy separated himself from the pack, and that was Jordan Goodwin.
His 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, paired with the defensive pressure he brought as part of that second unit, helped steady the game when it started to wobble. That impact did not go unnoticed, and it earned him his third Bright Side Baller of the season.
After last night’s victory against the Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama was asked about being selected to the All-Star staring five. Immediately after discussing the honor, the focus shifted to baldness.
When asked about Carter Bryant’s standout performance, Wemby responded,
“It was great, it was great. Feels like now he makes dunks, he don’t want to let the hair go.”
Wembanyama is referring to the recent posts that Carter Bryant was offered $20,000 to shave his head. Thus far, Victor and Keldon Johnson have ceremoniously shaved their heads while Jordan McLaughlin was ahead of the curve.
Bryant was offered the stipend to join in the festivities. When he turned it down, De’Aaron Fox said that if Bryant blew three more dunks he’d not have an option to shave his head.
Wemby believes despite making the dunk and turning down the money, Bryant will come around.
“I think everybody needs more bald players. I think it’s a show of dedication, at least from my point of view. I think Carter’s coming next if I had to bet on it.”
When asked if Wemby, as a team leader could exert his power and influence to lobby for more shave players, he replied wryly,
“I definitely am. And we need to start having contracts and conditions.”
His influence thus far has garnered the respect of his fans and peers in the Jackals as well as members of the Spurs crew.
We all know when Wemby wraps his head around an idea, he gets people on board. After all, the Jackals was his brainchild.
Now the head is bald and he’s putting his energy behind getting his teammates on board.
In his postgame interview, Harrison Barnes stated he wasnt against shaving his head as long ias it was his decision. He also hypothesized that Stephon Castle will be the last to shave his head.
Even NBA on Prime got in on the trend.
Who will be next to go under the shaver? Only time will tell.
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Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Monday that the Cardinals, among other teams, were showing “significant interest” in free agent INF/OF Miguel Andujar. Chaim Bloom has stated publicly in his spots on 1120 KMOX during the “Sports On A Sunday Morning” show with Tom Ackerman that he would like to add a right-handed hitter who can handle both infield and outfield responsibilities. Andujar has seen time in his big league career at 1B, 3B, LF, and RF.
Though not particularly known for his defensive work, what Andujar does very well is crush left-handed pitching, and that would give Manager Oli Marmol an additional weapon to use in his lineup in 2026. Last season in 93 plate appearances against LHP Andjuar slashed .389/.409/.578 -> .986 OPS. He also produced a wOBA of .421 and a wRC+ of 171. Among RHH who had a minimum 90 plate appearances against LHP, Miguel Andujar ranked 5th in all of baseball with his 171 wRC+ behind Aaron Judge (225), Ivan Herrera (205), Shea Langeliers (184), and Byron Buxton (178).
For a lineup that will feature a heavy left-handed presence such as Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, JJ Wetherholt, Victor Scott II, and possibly Brendan Donovan, adding some reliable balance and punch to the lineup on days that the Cardinals face off against a tough lefty makes all the sense in the world. Among the remaining hitters on the roster, only TWO had a wRC+ above 100 last season against LHP, with a minimum of 90 plate appearances: Ivan Herrera and Nolan Gorman.
Defensively, Andujar is very limited. He has the positional versatility to stand in various positions, but his -7 oAA last season leaves a lot to be desired. However, the one defensive tool Andujar does possess is a well-above-average throwing arm, averaging over 92 MPH on his throws from the outfield. Between him and Walker, the range in the outfield would be suspect at best, but if either can play deep and keep the ball in front of them, they can accumulate assists and gun down runners trying to take extra bases.
Fangraphs projects a 1 year 5.5 million contract for Andujar. Given the amount of interest in the player, the Cardinals would probably have to raise that offer just a smidge and perhaps be willing to include performance-based incentives, and perhaps an option for 2027 to get the deal across the finish line. The opportunity for a player of Andujar’s profile exists on the current roster and should be attractive to Andujar’s camp. The only question that remains is the financial compononet and we will see in the coming days/weeks whether or not Chaim Bloom can get it across the finish line.
Friends, we are exactly one month away from the 2026 Orioles playing baseball. Spring training baseball, yes, but baseball nonetheless. There will be lineups and uniforms and everything! The O’s will kick off their Grapefruit League schedule on Feb. 20 with a home game in Sarasota against the Yankees, and most of us will even be able to watch, as it’s one of the 20 games that MASN will air this spring.
That exhibition opener, of course, won’t necessarily tell us much about what we should expect from the 2026 season. Not every projected Orioles starter will be in the lineup, and probably by the fifth or sixth inning the O’s will have nothing but backups and minor leaguers on the field. That’s spring training for you. Still, it’s a warming thought — on this 20-degree day in the greater Baltimore area — that there will be actual baseball happening not too long from now.
Before we get there, though, the O’s still have some roster business to attend to. They’re continuing their stated pursuit of a top-shelf starting pitcher, which at this point is Framber Valdez or bust on the free agent market, unless the Birds have another surprise trade in them. They also need to address the whole three-right-handed-hitting-first-basemen logjam, and maybe add another reliever or two while they’re at it.
There’s more work to do. There’s more roster maneuvering in store. But baseball is on the horizon.
Nick Markakis won’t hear his named called during today’s Hall of Fame election, but Jay Jaffe offers a fine recap of the former Orioles fan favorite’s outstanding career.
If you’re planning a visit to spring training this year, Rich Dubroff’s got you covered on everything you need to know, including oodles of restaurant recommendations. I’m feeling hungry all of a sudden.
The former Oriole has found a new team, and he might even be their primary shortstop until Ha-Seong Kim returns from injury. Best of luck to Jorge in Atlanta.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! A whopping seven former Orioles have birthdays today: catcher Luis Exposito (39), outfielder David Lough (40), right-hander Matt Albers (43), infielder Ozzie Guillén (62), lefty Bill Scherrer (68), and the late outfielder Gene Stephens (b. 1933, d. 2019) and Baltimore-born righty Dave Boswell (b. 1945, d. 2012).
On this date in 1977, the Orioles traded eight-time Gold Glove center fielder Paul Blair to the Yankees. The best defensive outfielder in franchise history, Blair had spent the first 13 years of his career in Baltimore and starred on two World Series-winning O’s clubs, but was coming off the two worst offensive seasons of his career when the Orioles made the trade. As a bench player with the Yanks, Blair added two more championships to his total in 1977 and 1978.
In 1994, the Orioles signed Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith to a one-year deal. The veteran right-hander already had 401 saves on his résumé, and added a league-leading 33 for the Orioles in the strike-shortened ‘94 season. Smith finished his career with 478, currently the third-most in MLB history.
And on this day last year, Anthony Santander officially parted ways with the Orioles after eight seasons, signing a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the division rival Blue Jays. The O’s, with their best 2024 power bat no longer around, struggled to hit homers in 2025, but Santander’s first year in Toronto didn’t go well for him, either. He posted a meager .565 OPS with six homers in 54 games, missing nearly four months with a shoulder injury, and was relegated to a spectator during the Jays’ near-championship run.
Reigning champion through after Hugo Gaston retires
Retiring Monfils, 39, thanks crowd for ‘amazing ride’
The defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, taking just over an hour after his French opponent Hugo Gaston retired upon losing the first two sets 6-2, 6-1.
For the third time in four matchups against the Detroit Pistons this season, the Celtics have lost in very close fashion. This was an incredible game of basketball overall. It was a back and forth game all night long and Jaylen Brown just missed the game winning shot by an inch. Definitely not the desired outcome for Boston, there were a lot of mistakes and very cold shooting but it was a great fight. In the three losses this season, Boston has only lost by 6,7, and 1 point. The Pistons are first in the East for a reason and the Celtics showed that they were able to hang with them even without Jayson Tatum.
Jaylen Brown gets a great look — just doesn’t fall
Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson have been no strangers to the Celtics over the years. Harris spent 6 seasons on the Philadelphia 76ers and Robinson spent 7 years on the Miami Heat. Boston has battled and matched up with them numerous amounts of times, but I can’t say I have seen both of them play actually productive games against the Celtics until this game. Tobias Harris finished with 25 points on 11-20 shooting from the field and Duncan Robinson finished with 15 points on 5 three points. In a game where Boston was able to slow down Cade Cunningham, it was really demoralizing to see them go off in this game.
Robinson made some really timely shots for Detroit all night long but none were bigger than his three in the fourth quarter. He got the ball on the wing, shook Derrick White out of his shoes on a pump fake, and splashed the three
Harris also made some timely threes in the fourth quarter but his biggest came at the 1:37 mark. The shot clock was running low and Cade Cunningham was looking to pass the ball. Hauser stepped up to Cunningham and left Harris wide open in the corner for three that made it a 4 point Pistons lead that basically won them the game.
One big advantage the Pistons are always going to have over the Celtics is their big man rotation. Jalen Duren finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Isaiah Stewart finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds. When Detroit ran their double big man lineup, it really killed Boston, especially with both Luka Garza and Neemias Queta getting into foul trouble.
Duren had a stretch in the third quarter where he showed how much of a dominant force he really was. At the 4:26 mark, the Pistons were running the fast break off of a Celtics miss. Cunningham ran to the corner, threw up an alley-oop pass to Duren who was streaking down the court and he finished a thunderous slam over Anfernee Simons. Then later in the quarter at the 3:33 mark, Duren again was a force in the paint, following a missed layup by Stewart for a put-back slam.
Stewart made a ton of great defensive plays in this game but none were bigger than the block he had on Neemias Queta in the second quarter. Queta got the ball in the middle of the floor and rose up for a two-handed jam. However, Stewart came out of no where to jump perfectly with Queta to swat the ball away.
The Celtics finished this game with 14 turnovers but with the way they were throwing the ball around, it really felt like they had more. Detroit was able to take advantage almost every time, scoring 19 points off of Boston’s turnovers and at times it was the only reason why the Pistons were able to stay in the game. A lot of them were turnovers where the Celtics would just lose the handle on the ball or make an errant pass that lead to an easy basket for the Pistons. Take this play from Jaylen Brown for example, Brown loses the handle and the Pistons go down the court the other way for easy layup. This was an all night problem for Boston and it really felt like they just shot themselves in the foot.
Jaylen Brown was voted as an All-Star Starter before tonight’s game and showed why he was deserving of his spot, finishing with a double-double of 32 points and 11 rebounds on 11-28 shooting. Brown did all he could to will the Celtics to a win in this game but just came up short in the end. The outcome shouldn’t deter the great game he had however because he made some incredible plays against a tough Pistons defense late in the game to keep Boston in striking distance.
One of my favorite plays of the night from Brown came at the 2:30 mark in the first quarter. Defended by Ron Holland, Brown pump faked the three to get him to jump, then went to the midrange, created seperation with his off arm, and sank the jumper.
His fourth quarter was probably the biggest for Boston however, scoring 10 of the Celtics 21 points. Brown started with a play where he got to his spot at the free throw line, pump faked to get Caris LeVert in the air, and finished the midrange jumper through contact. He then matched up with Duncan Robinson at the three point line and blew by him. Brown then met Duren at the rim and finished a tough basket over him. Next was a play where Tobias Harris was all over him on defense but Brown was able to get by him and finish the layup with his right hand. Finally, Brown was once again matched up with Harris but this time he blew right by him to score a floater that made it a one point game with 45 seconds left.
After hitting 10 threes against the Hawks in his last game, Sam Hauser continued his great run of play into this matchup with the Pistons, finishing with 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 4-7 shooting from three. You can argue that Hauser was the second best player on the court for Boston as he had a huge stretch of scoring in the third quarter.
Hauser began the third quarter doing a great job running around the court to get to the top of the three point line for a pull-up jumper over two Pistons defenders. On his next basket, he made another cut to a similar spot at the three point line but a little farther. White found him and Hauser made another three over a great contest by Ausar Thompson. Finally, Hauser pulled out his midrange bag, taking Duncan Robinson off of the dribble. He drove, got Robinson up in the air, and hit the jumper looking a little bit like Jaylen Brown. Sadly this stretch got interrupted with him picking up his fourth foul but this was a great stretch that gave the Celtics energy coming out of halftime.
After a tough game in Miami and missing the Celtics last game in Atlanta, Payton Pritchard made his return to the lineup for this matchup and had a pretty solid game, finishing with 17 points on 5-8 shooting. Although there were times he looked hesitant to shoot, he was able to make an impact. Like Hauser, Pritchard had a great third quarter where he dropped 10 points.
Pritchard’s third quarter started off of a nice pass from Jaylen Brown. Brown was double teamed on the block and found Pritchard who was wide open on the wing for three. His next play started with a pass from Queta where he pump faked Robinson and drove to lane. He then hit a hesitation dribble and put up a midrange shot over Duren for a tough bucket. His final play of the third quarter started with him blowing by Harris on the perimeter where he was picked up by Isaiah Stewart. Pritchard did a good job of getting to the basket and was able to finish a reverse layup over the contest from Stewart. I hope this game is able to get Pritchard going again for a while because the Celtics are in desperate need of a consistent number two option next to Jaylen Brown right now.
This was arguably the worst game of the season for Derrick White, finishing with 4 points on 1-11 shooting and 0-6 from three. He did have 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks on Cade Cunningham but this was the worst game in a string of rough games. In his last 4 games, White is averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds, on 28% shooting from the field and 15% from three. This after White had a great month of December and looked to be shaking off the rust from his slow start to the season. It feels like there is a correlation between the Celtics winning and losing games this season and at times it feels like it comes down to if White is going to have a good game or not. I’m sure he will bounce back from this rough patch just like he did before but I just hope this doesn’t become a more concerning trend.
9. Brown vs Cunningham
Brian Scalabrine did a pregame interview with Jaylen Brown on NBC where he said that he would be the primary defender on the Pistons All-Star Starter Cade Cunningham in this game. Despite the loss, Brown and the Celtics did a pretty good job of defending Cunningham as a whole. He finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds but shot 4-17 from the field and 0-4 from three.
Jaylen Brown on guarding Cade Cunningham tonight
I’m gonna guard him tonight. I’m gonna pick him up, test him a little bit, and we’ll go from there.” pic.twitter.com/9b8VV8iO3i
Out of the shot attempts where Brown looked to be the primary defender, Cunningham shot 1-5. On the first attempt, Brown rode Cunningham’s off hand all the way to the basket where Cade missed the layup. The second attempt saw Cunningham attempt a midrange jumper that Brown was able to block and even though they called it a foul, it was overturned on a Celtics challenge. The third attempt was another midrange jumper where Brown was able to get around a Duren screen for a nice contest. The fourth attempt saw Cunningham once again try to shake off Brown but Jaylen stayed glued to him and forced another contest jumper. The final attempt was the only attempt that Cunningham got the win on and was a big one. At the 2:21 mark of the fourth quarter Brown was stuck behind a screen from Thompson that allowed Cade to get into the lane for an easy floater.
If these two teams match up in a playoff series, I can see Brown being the primary defender on Cunningham again and hopefully holding him to a similar result in this game.
All four games that the Celtics and Pistons have played this season have been down to wire, good old fashioned slugfests that have felt like the Game 7 of a playoff series. This is due to the intensity that comes out of both teams when they step foot on the floor and it feels like it will be a disservice to everyone who enjoys basketball if these two teams don’t matchup in the playoffs this season. Detroit has become a juggernaut behind their aggressive defense and timely offense while Boston is going to have Jayson Tatum back in a playoff series which increases almost every attribute on both sides of the ball for the Celtics. Ideally we get a rematch of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals with the same result but either way I love this budding rivalry and I hope we get to see it for years to come.
CLEVELAND — Last January, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder seemed to signal the arrival of a new era. It was an official announcement to the league that their team, powered by two undersized, dynamic guards and defensive-oriented bigs, wasn’t just a gimmick. They teased that they could win on the biggest stage and just needed to wait until the spring to officially prove it.
Looking back a year later, after the Thunder humiliated the Cavs with a 32-point beatdown on Monday, it’s fair to wonder if that Jan. 2025 win wasn’t the arrival of the core-four era, but the high point before the gradual, steady decline.
The difference between the Thunder and Cavs from a talent standpoint was stark. Cleveland had one player in their starting lineup who could break down the defense off-the-dribble and very few reliable shooters around him. The Thunder dared Cleveland’s bigs — Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — to beat them inside, which they couldn’t consistently do.
Defensively, the Thunder showed what a team that prioritizes that end of the floor should look like. They were consistently in passing lanes forcing turnovers, and made it incredibly difficult to finish anything at the rim. This stood in contrast to a Cavs team that was forced to cheat off of one of Oklahoma City’s weaker shooters to make good contests at the rim. This came back to bite them as the Thunder converted nearly 50% of their three-point attempts.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can find this comfortable Cuyahoga Valley National Park hoodie HERE. All of of Homage’s Cavs gear can be found HERE.
In many ways, the Thunder were the complete, defensive-first, well-oiled machine led by an MVP candidate guard and dynamic, modern big that the Cavs were hoping to be when they first put this core together four years ago.
Last year, it felt like that was a possibility. This season, it seems like a fantasy. Where did the Cavs go wrong?
The Thunder have a style of play they want to enforce every time they go on the court, regardless of who’s in the lineup. That’s instilled through years of targeting guys who have certain physical and mental traits. And once those players are in the organization, they’re meticulously taught how to fit into that system.
The Cavs, conversely, don’t have a certain type of player or style that they’ve targeted. Their core four players of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen were each brought in on moves that targeted the best available player. There wasn’t a shared skill or personality trait that led to them eventually becoming Cavaliers.
Acquiring talent is the number one goal of a front office. From that perspective, Cleveland’s has been successful. Figuring out how to get that talent to play a cohesive style has been a much more difficult process.
The Cavs went all in on defense, anchored by their oversized front court and hard-nosed coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Then, they found out defense wasn’t enough as their offense fell flat in their 2023 playoff series loss to the New York Knicks. They then pivoted to prioritize the offensive side of the ball with shooters that summer in Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Ty Jerome.
The Cavaliers took another step towards being an offensive team by hiring head coach Kenny Atkinson in 2024. He transformed Cleveland into a movement-based offense that prioritized the three-ball. This worked, until they fell in the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers.
Instead of continuing down that path, Cleveland pivoted again by trying to find well-rounded players who can handle the ball and switch defensively with Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. Both have struggled mightily this season, but the issue remains the same.
There isn’t an overarching guiding principle about what a Cavalier player is or what skills they should have. Instead, it’s been a revolving door of different skillsets, each brought in as a reaction to what went wrong during the previous postseason.
This has culminated in this current team that hasn’t found an identity despite being over halfway through the season. They don’t have the personnel to be the defensive-first team they were three years ago, and they also don’t have the shooting that resulted in them being one of the best regular-season offenses of all-time last year. They’re a bad hybrid of both ideas and lack the consistent principles or fundamentals to hang their hat on anything.
The Cavs still have time to right the ship. There’s enough talent on the roster — when healthy — to climb the standings over the back-half of the season and make a postseason run. But there presumably isn’t enough time to cobble together an identity with these disparate and underperforming pieces to make the title run that seemed possible coming into the season.
The individual loss on Monday wasn’t that big of a deal. The Cavs had their worst outside shooting night of the season, while the Thunder had one of their best. That’s generally going to lead to a blowout loss, no matter the skill level of your opponent.
The issue comes from the different processes that led both teams to this point. The Thunder, without two starters, were a team that clearly knew who they were, what they wanted to be, and were disciplined enough to execute their gameplan. Their process was flawless. Conversely, the Cavs weren’t able to function without their starting point guard, had no one who could come close to replicating that missing skill, and didn’t have anything to fall back on.
It’s easier to point out problems than it is to fix them. There isn’t a magic bullet or trade that is guaranteed to get the Cavs back on track. All we know is that the gap between the reigning champs and the team that was on their level at this time last season is wider than it’s been in years. And the Cavs are running out of time to close it.
We’re less than 30 days out from the start of NC State’s 2026 baseball season, so now’s as good a time as any to get to know the team before they hit the diamond. The Wolfpack will be looking for their third trip to Omaha in the last six seasons, so let’s figure out how they’ll get there (keep your “on a plane” jokes at home where they belong). We’ll try and tackle this in a few parts:
Part I will look back at the 2025 season and the players who are no longer with the program.
Part II will look at the returnees from 2025’s Auburn Regional squad
Part III will look at the newcomers, both transfers and freshmen
Part IV will look at the non-conference opponents
Part V will tackle the ACC slate facing the Pack
Let’s get to it!
2025 Season Review
How did things go in 2025?
As is the case with most Wolfpack baseball seasons, the 2025 campaign was one of dramatic emotional swings. The team dominated an overmatched Fordham in the season opening series, then promptly went on a five-game skid to make folks wonder if this team was even NCAA Regional caliber. Of course, State then ran off wins in 14 of their next 15 games, including a sweep of an impressive Wright State group and a 4-1 start in ACC play, somewhat soothing anxiety among the fans.
The team then went 1-4 over their next five ACC games, with an embarrassing run-rule loss at home to USC Upstate. Things weren’t rosy anymore. With Pack fans again in “worry” mode, Elliott Avent’s group did what an Elliott Avent group does: they went on another win streak. This foray in the correct side of the win column witnessed State go 11-1 over a 12-game stretch with series wins over Virginia, Louisville, California, and Clemson – Louisville and Clemson were both ranked squads – and a win at East Carolina mixed in for good measure. Things were looking up once again.
NC State was in prime position to capture their first regular season ACC baseball title since 1986, but the team skidded down the stretch to let it out of their grasp. A 3-6 finish in the regular season, including a 2-5 mark in conference play, meant it would be yet another year before that trophy would reside yet again in Raleigh.
The Pack blew leads in each of their last two regular season games – a win in one of those would have secured that ACC crown – and then subsequently blew a lead in their lone ACC Tournament game, a loss to Clemson. State got blown out by Stetson in their Auburn Regional opener, but worked their way back with big offensive outputs in wins against Central Connecticut and Stetson to face off with the host Tigers. It wasn’t to be, though, and a 10-run loss put an end to the Wolfpack’s season.
Overall it was a good-not-great year, one that will be remembered for coming agonizingly close to capturing an ACC title, but coming up short. The team peaked in April and just couldn’t recapture that magic in June. Such is baseball.
Who’s gone from the 2025 squad?
Yes, this is the portion of our preseason series where we things get super depressing as we see just how much production is gone and we hit a sense of impending doom for the season to come. Worry not, subsequent parts in this series will help to lift spirits, so keep that in mind as we run through the list of players who are no longer with the program after being on the 2025 roster.
Jake Bechtel – SO – OF
Trey Bentley – FR – OF
Justin DeCriscio – SR – SS
Jacob Dienes – rJR – LHP
Dominic Fritton – JR – LHP
Jet Gilliam – SO – OF
Matt Heavner – JR – INF
Josh Hogue – JR – OF
Ryan Jaros – SO – 3B
Carson Kelly – SR – RHP
Aden Knowles – FR – RHP
Jaxon Lucas – SO – RHP
Trenton Lyons – SO – OF
Matt Ossenfort – SO – 1B/3B
Eli Pillsbury – JR – LHP
Andrew Shaffner – JR – RHP
Derrick Smith – rSO – RHP
Alex Sosa – SO – C
Shane Van Dam – JR – RHP
Matt Willadsen – rSR – RHP
Camden Wimbish – SO – RHP
Ryder Woodson – FR – INF
(Starters and key contributors in bold)
I was probably a little more generous than needed on those bolded names above, but it’s worth calling out guys like Derrick Smith, Shane Van Dam, and Matt Willadsen who combined for just 19.1 innings in 2025 but played larger roles earlier in their careers. You could also toss a coin as to whether or not to say that Ryan Jaros and Matt Ossenfort were key contributors. It likely should have been a both or neither scenario, but I hedged my bets and went with one to signify that was about the level of contribution.
Let’s hit the barely seen, transferred out group first. That consists of Jake Bechtel (now at UNCW), Trey Bentley (USC Upstate), Jacob Dienes (Memphis), Jet Gilliam (Utah), Aden Knowles (Towson), and Eli Pillsbury (Jacksonville State). Interestingly, Bechtel made Aaron Fitt’s “Picks to Click” over at D1 Baseball:
A physical specimen at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Bechtel played sparingly over his first two years at NC State, but he made a loud impression this fall at UNCW following a stellar summer in the Northwoods League. He is one of the most intriguing breakout draft prospects in the region, possessing high-end defensive instincts in center field and elite speed for his size, clocking a 6.4-second 60-yard dash.
In two years with the Pack, Bechtel managed just 22 plate appearances, slashing .100/.182/.400 with a pair of home runs. As Fitt referenced, his physical tools are impressive, and if he can carry over his success from the Northwoods League last summer (.304/.395/.545, 14 2B, 12 HR, 12.8 BB%, 22.2 K%, 28-31 SB) then he could be a player that State fans look at as a “how did we let him go?!” type.
Of the others in that group, Gilliam was the closest to breaking out in a regular role with State in 2025 after a great freshman year at the JUCO level, but he ended up being mostly used as a late-game pinch runner and defensive sub for Josh Hogue. He should be Utah’s starting centerfielder this year. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Bentley and Knowles as their careers progress.
Trenton Lyons (Kennesaw State) was expected to play a large role for the Pack last year, but injuries derailed almost his entire season, and he’ll be most remembered for manning the first base coach box as the season progressed. He has the tools to thrive with the Owls this year. Yes, NC State will likely have three transfers starting at center field for other programs in 2026 – and that number could hit four if Trey Bentley wins the open CF job at USC Upstate.
Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) came to Raleigh last year after spending his freshman year in a backup role with Vanderbilt. He was expected to compete with Chris McHugh for the starting first base job or at least fill in the DH role. McHugh won the first base job and ran with that, while Ossenfort struggled to hold down the DH job, hitting .240/.406/.340, 2 2B, 1 HR, 18.8 BB%, 17.2 K% over 64 plate appearances. He’s expected to be the starting first baseman for the Wolverines this spring.
Ryan Jaros (Rutgers) arrived in Raleigh after a year at Georgia Tech with the expectation of competing for the starting third base gig. Jaros hit plenty (.304/.437/.493, 4 2B, 3 HR, 17.2 BB%, 24.1 K%, 0-0 SB), but the defense (.818 FLD%) held him back from securing the everyday role, limiting his overall contribution on the season. Jaros has made the move to first base with the Scarlett Knights and that should serve him better there. The bat will play, but with McHugh back for the Pack, there wasn’t going to be playing time in the field for him in Raleigh this year.
Ryder Woodson (Mississippi State) made a couple early season starts against Wright State, then proceeded to play a backup role for the Wolfpack until the Auburn Regional. There, he busted out with five hits, including three home runs, in the first two games. That postseason showing was enough to warrant an offseason transfer to the SEC where he’s expected to be the starting shortstop for former Virginia coach Brian O’Connor’s inaugural Bulldogs squad. Woodson had just 34 PA last year with a line of .333/.412/.733, 3 2B, 3 HR, 5.9 BB%, 23.5 K%, 0-0 SB.
Camden Wimbish (Campbell) is a converted high school catcher with a big arm, but questionable control. He threw just 12.2 innings across two seasons with NC State, with 9.0 of those innings coming in 2025, posting a 1-0 record with a 16.00 ERA over 12 games, 21.6 BB% and 33.3 K%. He played in the Cape Cod League last summer where he fared better (1-1, 6.00 ERA, 12.0 IP, 7.3 BB%, 23.6 K%. The Camels program is a good fit for him and should allow him to get the consistent innings needed to continue development.
Three other players hit the portal for the Pack after last season. Matt Heavner (unknown destination for 2026) started 42 games for State last year, mostly featuring at third base. He hit .225/.307/.308, 1 2B, 3 HR, 8.6 BB%, 9.9 K%, 0-0 SB in 2025 and finishes his three-year Wolfpack career with a line of .237/.331/.339, 5 2B, 6 HR, 8.8 BB%, 13.1 K%, 0-1 SB over 102 games with 75 starts and 283 PA.
Jaxon Lucas (Liberty) tossed 40.0 IP over his two seasons with the Wolfpack, tallying a 2-0 record with a 7.43 ERA, 9.5 BB%, 22.1 K% over 26 games with 1 start. Lucas will compete for a spot in the Flames weekend rotation for 2026. Whether or not he ends up in that role or as their midweek starter or a bullpen arm, he should amass more innings for Liberty than he did for State. Consistent control and avoiding the longball (8 HR allowed with State) will be the key to his finding success.
Following a two-year run in Raleigh where he started 82 of the 87 games he appeared in, Alex Sosa (Miami) chased the money and an opportunity to head back to Florida and play for the team he rooted for growing up. Of the Wolfpack’s 14 transfers from the 2025 team, Sosa’s will likely be the most impactful. For his State career, Sosa his .268/.382/.488, 17 2B, 16 HR, 14.8 BB%, 23.0 K%, 1-1 SB. His best season came last year with a line of .291/.401/.534, 16 2B, 10 HR, 14.6 BB%, 22.1 K%, 0-0 SB. A bat-first backstop who threw out 9.1% (4-of-44) attempted base stealers with 6 PB, improvement in the defensive part of his game is what will boost Sosa’s stock the most ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Justin DeCriscio transferred to NC State for the 2025 season after spending three years at San Diego. The California native his .289/.383/.500, 12 2B, 8 HR, 10.3 BB%, 9.8 K%, 2-3 SB with the Wolfpack while starting 51 games at shortstop. DeCriscio posted a .955 fielding percentage on the year, with both his glove and bat skills translating from the WCC to the ACC. His season resulted in his selection by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round of the 2025 MLB Draft where he debuted in A ball.
The ace of the 2025 Wolfpack, Dominic Fritton also ended up as the team’s highest drafted player, being selected in the 4th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. The lefty finished with a 5-6 record and 4.47 ERA over 17 starts, spanning 86.2 IP, 10.0 BB%, an 27.5 K% while earning 3rd Team All-ACC honors. The 2023 Freshman All-American recorded 107 strikeouts in 2025, the first member of the Pack9 to reach triple digit strikeouts in a season since Carlos Rodon in 2014. Fritton started 43 games among his 51 total appearances across his three seasons with the Wolfpack, posting a combined line of 11-17, 3 SV, 5.26 ERA, 222.1 IP, 10.9 BB%, 25.2 K%.
Josh Hogue played two years for the Wolfpack after transferring from Santa Fe JUCO, and the lefty hitter crushed it in the batters box for State with a career line of .322/.394/.518, 23 2B, 15 HR, 9.5 BB%, 14.8 K%, 6-9 SB, playing in 92 games with 90 starts. Those numbers would have been even more impressive if not for a leg injury that cut his 2024 season short. The Florida native was a 15th round pick of the Miami Marlins in the 2025 MLB Draft after hitting .327/.391/.562, 18 2B, 11 HR, 9.9 BB%, 14.0 K%, 4-6 SB last season for State. He debuted in A ball.
Carson Kelly spent his entire collegiate career in Raleigh, tossing 81.0 IP while compiling at 4-0 record with 2 SV, a 5.22 ERA, 14.6 BB%, and 25.5 K%. Of those career innings, 30.0 came in a fantastic freshman year of 2022. Unfortunately, control issues limited the impact Kelly was able to have over the remainder of his career, but he turned in a solid final season to the tune of 1-0, 4.03 ERA, 22.1 IP, 12.0 BB%, 27.2 K%.
A personal favorite of mine during his time with the Wolfpack, Andrew Shaffner was mini-Ohtani as the Virginia High School Class 1 Player of the Year in 2022 hitting .545 with 11 HR while going 6-0 on the mound with 3 SV and a 0.16 ERA. After yelling for two years that he needed – and deserved – more innings than he was getting on the mound, Shaffner finally received those innings in 2025 and responded with a season that garnered inclusion on the midseason NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List and eventual 15th round selection by the Cincinnati Reds. That 2025 Wolfpack campaign saw him put up a line of 4-1, 7 SV, 3.13 ERA, 37.1 IP, 4.6 BB%, 25.5 K%. For his NC State career, Shaffner posted a combined line of 4-1, 8 SV, 3.75 ERA, 69.2 IP, 7.1 BB%, 23.8 K% over 40 appearances on the mound, including 1 start. He also appeared in 17 games in the outfield for State in 2024, primarily as a late-game defensive substitute, hitting .167/.286/.167 over 7 PA.
Derrick Smith had an interesting career for the Pack, with two barely-there seasons sandwiched around a dominant 2024 campaign where he helped NC State make it to the College World Series and spent the summer with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. His first year in Raleigh saw him make just three appearances and log only 3.0 innings, but that 2024 season he went 3-2, 8 SV, 4.55 ERA, 29.2 IP, 8.9 BB%, 33.3 K% over 24 appearances. In one of Clint Chrysler’s finest coaching jobs, Smith continued to get innings to work through his early season struggles (14.09 ERA over his first 9 appearances) and turned into one of the best shut-down arms the remainder of the campaign. Over his last 15 appearances of 2024, Smith posted a 1.23 ERA with 7 SV. Unfortunately, injuries cost Smith almost the entirety of his 2025 season (3.0 IP), but his talents still saw him invited to play in the Cape Cod League and he was drafted in the 17th round by the Colorado Rockies.
Shane Van Dam was a two-sport athlete at D3 SUNY-Cortland, playing quarterback for the school’s football team in addition to his work as a pitcher. With his prospects far brighter on the mound, including pitching in the Cape Cod League following his freshman year at Cortland, Van Dam transferred to NC State where he was showing really solid development as the 2024 season progressed until an elbow injury ended his campaign prematurely. The subsequent Tommy John Surgery also cost him almost all of 2025, but he did return to make three appearances in May, displaying the same talent that had scouts tracking him in 2024. Van Dam ended up as a 9th round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2025, and finished his Wolfpack career with a combined line of 4-0, 1 SV, 4.57 ERA, 45.1 IP, 11.9 BB%, 20.8 K%.
A local kid from Holly Springs who saw limited action as a true freshman in the covid-shortened season of 2020, Matt Willadsen became a workhorse for the Wolfpack from 2021-2023, tossing 252.0 IP across those three seasons despite dealing with nagging injuries throughout, combining for a 15-12 record and 4.25 ERA over 43 starts and 50 appearances, with a 9.6 BB% and 23.0 K%. Like Van Dam, Willadsen ended up having Tommy John Surgery in 2024, but his came before the season ever started, wiping out his entire campaign. While he gutted it out to get back on the mound in 2025, he wasn’t what he formally was. He theoretically could have redshirted last season and come back this year for a 6th year, but already as a graduate student, he was ready to move on to the next phase of his life. Willadsen put together many memorable performances in a State uniform, but the one that stands out the most came in 2021 when he pitched the last 2.0 innings of a win over UNC from a game that had been suspended the previous day, and then came back to start the next game and toss 7.1 innings in earning the win over the Tar Heels.
Welcome to the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame election where there will be precious little suspense when the election results are announced Tuesday at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network.
Beltrán, after being snubbed his first three years on the ballot for being part of the 2017 Houston Astros’ cheating scandal, looks to be a lock. One of the greatest switch-hitters of all time, Beltrán has received 89.2% of nearly half of the ballots already made public according to Ryan Thibodeaux’s Hall of Fame tracker.
Andruw Jones, the 10-time Gold Glove center fielder who hit 434 homers and was one of the greatest defensive outfielders in history – saving 265.9 more runs than the average defender – could also join Beltrán. Jones, whose spectacular career plummeted at the age of 30, has garnering 83% of the early public votes entering Tuesday.
The two should be joining second baseman Jeff Kent, who was elected by the contemporary era committee in December, on center stage July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The most fascinating aspect of this election is not who’s getting in, but who’s gaining momentum, thanks to advance analytics, a new round of voters, and a heavy dose of sentimentalism.
No one’s candidacy is more baffling than starter Andy Pettitte. His chances for election looked dead two years ago. Suddenly, he's flourishing. He received just 13.5% of the vote two years ago, but in his eighth year of eligibility this year, he is now receiving 57.4% of the votes, according to Thibodaux’s tracking.
Pettitte was never the best pitcher on his own team, but was one of the steadiest in the game. He was a postseason fixture, helping lead the Yankees to five World Series championships and three pennants. He pitched in an MLB-record 44 postseason games, winning 19 of them, including eight series-clinching games. He won 256 regular season games, but also had a 3.85 ERA, which would be the highest of any pitcher elected on a BBWAA ballot.
Pettitte’s candidacy gained momentum when Yankees starter CC Sabathia was elected a year ago with eerily similar numbers, with the exception of Sabathia striking out 3,093 batters compared to Pettitte’s 2,448 total.
Still, the elephant in the room is that Pettitte was an admitted PED user, and the Baseball Writers' Association of America has made it quite clear how it views steroid users.
Barry Bonds, who hit the most homers in history and was easily the greatest player of his generation with his seven MVPs, never got close to being voted into the Hall of Fame on the BBWAA ballot. Bonds also has since been snubbed twice by his peers and executives on the contemporary era committee. He must wait six years to be included on the next contemporary era ballot, and if he again receives five or fewer votes, he’ll be permanently off the ballot.
Roger Clemens, who won 354 games and was a seven-time Cy Young winner, also is in the same Hall of Fame doghouse for his links to PEDs. He’s also ineligible to be on the ballot again for six years.
So, why in the world would Pettitte, who was outed in the Mitchell report on PEDs in baseball, and confessed to using HGH once his name surfaced, suddenly receive a huge bump of voting support.
No player in baseball history has ever admitted to PED use and been elected to the Hall of Fame.
Not one.
If Pettitte were somehow elected, how hypocritical would it be to keep Clemens, Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and everyone else out who was linked to PEDs?
And if voters are forgiving Pettitte, who has apologized for using HGH, does that mean that Alex Rodriguez should be too? He has been profusely apologizing at every opportunity for using PEDs, receiving the longest drug suspension in baseball history.
Why are we forgiving Pettitte, because he says he used only HGH to recover for injuries? Or is it because he’s a genuinely good guy, model teammate, was popular with the media, and is the pitching coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic?
If Pettitte is elected one day, will we suddenly stop caring who cheated, who was clean, and simply elect whoever had the best numbers, no matter how long they played?
Please, make it make sense.
While Pettite’s candidacy has new life, we’re seeing a rise with other players, too, with second baseman Chase Utley picking up 20 new voters, and trending at 67.9%. Utley’s popularity has grow thanks in part to advanced metrics. His career WAR, according to Baseball Reference, is the 15th highest of all second basemen, and 10 of the top 14 have all been enshrined in Cooperstown. Utley was always respected as a tenacious winning player, and was integral part of the Phillies’ glorious postseason run, but he still ended up with just 1,855 hits.
If Utley gets in, how can his double-play partner, Jimmy Rollins, the former MVP and four-time Gold Glove winner be left out? If you vote for one, shouldn’t both be in? Besides, Rollins is the only shortstop in history with more than 2,400 hits, 200 homers, 400 steals and 800 extra-base hits, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic.
And if Utley is in, shouldn’t former Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia follow? Pedroia looked to be on the way to Cooperstown – winning an MVP award, four Gold Gloves and two World Series rings – but he suffered a left knee injury that all but officially ended his career after 12 full seasons. He wound up with 1,805 hits, but has picked up 19 new votes since a year ago.
If Pedroia gets in with his shortened career, do we look closer at Mets third baseman David Wright, who picked up 14 new votes? He had a sensational 10-year start of his career, but his career prematurely ended after dealing with spinal stenosis, winding up with just 1,777 hits.
There could be a trickle-down effect for the pitchers, too.
If Felix Hernandez – who is receiving 56.6% of the balloting after picking up 43 voters from a year ago – gets into Cooperstown, will pitchers with nothing-burger Hall of Fame candidacies suddenly look as appealing as prime cuts?
Hernandez was dominant from 2009-2015, winning a Cy Young award with four top-four finishes, but his career cratered when he turned 30. He ended up with 169 victories and never pitched in the postseason in his career. And the only starters voted into the Hall of Fame on the BBWAA ballot with fewer than 170 victories and 2,800 innings are Sandy Koufax and Dizzy Dean.
If Hernandez (169-136, 3.42 ERA) finds his way in, how can you keep out Cole Hamels (163-122, 3.43 ERA, along with eight postseasons)? How about Mark Buehrle (214-160, 3.81, three postseasons)?
How are we going to view Jon Lester and Adam Wainwright in the future? They each had 200 victories, and unlike Hernandez, actually led their teams to World Series championships and pennants.
So, where does it end?
Look, everyone who appears on the Hall of Fame ballot had an outstanding career, but entrance into Cooperstown is supposed to be reserved for the elite of the elite.
It shouldn’t be a popularity contest.
It shouldn’t be sympathy votes because of shortened careers.
We shouldn’t lower our standards.
Come on, if former outfielder Bobby Abreu received only 5.5% of the vote in his first year on the ballot in 2020, there’s no reason to suddenly believe he’s a Hall of Famer because his .395 career on-base percentage is illuminated by analytics. He made only two All-Star teams and never once finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting in any of his 18 years.
It’s perfectly fine to maintain lofty standards and help assure that only the best of the best receive the game’s ultimate honor.
It doesn’t mean that a player must produce 3,000 hits, a slugger has to hit 500 homers, a starter has to win 300 games or a closer obtain 600 saves. The Hall of Fame will have cobwebs waiting for new inductees if we don’t recognize that the traditional benchmarks have changed.
But we don’t have to squeeze in as many players as possible through the Hall of Fame doors while waiting for Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera to arrive.
The Hall of Fame deserves to maintain a membership confined to the greatest who ever played the game.
What a start to the western road trip for the Pittsburgh Penguins who put up a half dozen goals on the Seattle Kraken for a 6-3 victory on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Emerald City. The Penguins jumped out to an 2-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game but the Kraken battled back and were able to tie it in the second period. That tie lasted less than a minute as the Penguins posted a quick response to jump back in front then held on from there for the win and to extend their points streak to four straight. [Pensburgh]
Next up for the Penguins, they head across the border into Canada for the first of a back-to-back set against the Alberta teams with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.
Pens Points…
It’s all road games for the Penguins this week as they undertake their annual trip to Western Canada with a quick stop in Seattle. Back-to-back late nights will see the Penguins take on Calgary and Edmonton midweek before wrapping up the trip with an early evening tilt in Vancouver on Sunday. [Pensburgh]
Next month, the Penguins will team up with Sportsnet Pittsburgh to host their annual Charity Game on February 26th when they take on the New Jersey Devils in the first game following the Winter Olympics. The ever popular charity bags will be up for sale and feature special items included in each. [Penguins]
NHL News and Notes…
A big week from Tage Thompson saw him post three points per game in a three game week with three goals and six assists to take home First Star of the Week honors. Also grabbing the weekly awards were defenseman Roman Josi and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. [NHL]
Kiefer Sherwood is on the move in what is sure to be the first of many moves involving the Vancouver Canucks in the coming weeks. Sherwood is off to San Jose to join the Sharks in exchange for a pair of second round picks and defenseman Cole Clayton. [Sharks]
The Six Nations is a key staging post on the road to next year’s World Cup and with injuries biting, Wales offer the only real chance to experiment
On the face of it the Champions Cup has been helpful for the majority of Six Nations head coaches before this year’s championship. Gregor Townsend, for example, would dearly love Scotland to play with the purpose and passion currently oozing from Glasgow and will doubtless wish to ensure his national side exhibit similar characteristics.
Ditto France. If Fabien Galthié overlooks the electric form of Matthieu Jalibert, particularly with Romain Ntamack out injured for the next few weeks, his trademark thick-rimmed glasses must have misted up. There can be no rational reason not to bury la hachette with the Bordeaux fly-half and invite him to combine as brilliantly with Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud as the trio do at club level.
