Top-20 senior Bryson Howard announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday, giving Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils their first commitment in the 2026 class.

Bryson Howard, son of former NBA veteran Josh Howard, had a blue-blood recruitment, picking Duke over fellow finalists North Carolina and Kentucky. He took his official visit to Durham, North Carolina, last month, and the Blue Devils maintained their positive momentum from that trip over the last couple of weeks.

“I loved my visit to Duke,” Howard told ESPN. “I spent a lot of time with the coaches and players. We went to Coach Scheyer’s house for dinner, and it felt like home.”

A 6-foot-5 left-handed wing, Howard was one of the biggest risers in the country during the spring and summer while playing for Pro Skills on the Nike EYBL circuit. He averaged 19.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21 games, while shooting 46.2% from 3-point range on more than five attempts per game.

Howard went from unranked to No. 28 after the spring and is now No. 20 in the senior class. His shotmaking and upward trajectory should suit Duke.

“When I attended practice, I saw that their style of play fits my game,” he said. “The practice was very positive and full of energy, with a pace that was up and down. Coach Scheyer believes I will thrive in his system.”

Howard excels as an outside shooter with pinpoint accuracy. He has excellent mechanics on his shot, complete with body control, a fluid motion and a high release point. He is equally adept at scoring in catch-and-shoot situations, on the move and off the dribble. When finishing, Howard shows versatility as a reliable lob catcher and fearless driver who absorbs contact and converts at the rim.

Duke has landed the No. 1 recruiting class in each of the last two cycles, with Scheyer eschewing portal-heavy reloads in favor of leaning on talented freshman classes.

After Howard, Duke remains in pursuit of Jordan Smith (No. 2), Cameron Williams (No. 3), Austin Goosby (No. 19) and Maximo Adams (No. 26). Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 18) is visiting the Blue Devils’ campus this week, and they hosted Canadian big man Maxime Meyer this past weekend.

They also welcomed elite 2027 prospect Sayon Keita for a visit in the summer, and the FC Barcelona center is a candidate to reclassify to 2026.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Dominik Szoboszlai has said Liverpool‘s four-game losing streak has led to “a lot of meetings” in an effort to drag the faltering champions out of their slump.

Liverpool face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League in Germany on Wednesday hoping to avoid a fifth straight defeat in all competitions — a sequence that the club has not recorded since September 1953.

Sunday’s 2-1 home league defeat against Manchester United — their first Anfield loss against United since January 2016 — has put Liverpool on the brink of their worst run of results for 72 years and midfielder Szoboszlai said that Arne Slot’s players have been trying to talk themselves out of the nosedive they have been in since a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace last month sparked their losing run.

“It never happened in my career but in a lot of guys’ career they lost four in a row,” Szoboszlai said. “We have to stick together, that’s important.

“We had a lot of meetings, we spoke with each other and the most important thing is we stay together — it is the most important thing when it is a hard time. We are ready to show a reaction and that’s what we’re going to do.

“This will turn. If you work hard and keep going the luck will go on your side.

“Hitting the post three times [against United], we created chances and did not let chances for the team we played against. Sometimes it happens.”

Liverpool face Frankfurt having lost away to Galatasaray on their last Champions League fixture and Slot’s team had a disrupted build-up to the game due to the squad flight to Germany being delayed by almost four hours on Tuesday due to a “technical error.”

And although 24 teams qualify from the League Stage, giving the biggest clubs a healthy cushion during the eight-game stage, Hungary international Szoboszlai says Liverpool must win in Frankfurt to kick-start their season.

“From two games we won only one and lost another one so we have to take the three points for sure,” he said.

“But most important we have to show the character we have, what Liverpool can do and what we are able to do.

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“We showed it last season becoming champions and now everyone is ready for us but that’s a good thing, you have to take it as a positive and be ready for them.

“For me this Champions League campaign is something special as the final is in Budapest.

“But it is a long journey so we have a lot things to do, to learn and change and just focus on ourselves.”

Vincent Kompany has extended his contract as coach of Bayern Munich by two years until 2029, the Bundesliga champions announced on Tuesday.

Kompany was not Bayern’s first choice when he was appointed in the summer of 2024, but the Belgian reclaimed the German title for the Bavarians in his debut season at the club.

“It feels like I’ve been here a lot longer and that I know the club well,” former Manchester City captain Kompany said in a statement.

“It’s been a great experience so far. We’ve started on a wonderful journey. Let’s keep working hard and celebrate much more success!”

At a press conference later on Tuesday ahead of Bayern’s Champions League home match against Club Brugge a day later, Kompany said he was “busy preparing for the games” when Bayern bosses approached him about an extension.

“When the proposal came up, and my only request was that it doesn’t become a big topic and that we could quickly refocus on the next game.

“Personally, everything just feels right in Munich… There aren’t many places better than Bayern.”

Bayern defender Jonathan Tah told reporters: “we’re all delighted about the contract extension.”

The 39-year-old coach has Bayern flying with 11 wins in 11 games this season, sitting atop the Champions League and Bundesliga tables.

“Vincent Kompany has brought the fun back to FC Bayern — and the spark has really caught on. Under his leadership, a real team has grown that plays dominant and attractive football,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.

“I like Vincent’s level-headedness. He never pushes himself into the limelight and makes our players better with his meticulous work.”

Kompany’s appointment came as a surprise when Bayern paid a £10 million ($13 million) to release him from his contract with Burnley in 2024.

“When we appointed Vinny, we had a clear vision of our shared path and he quickly proved that he would help FC Bayern move forward — both on and off the pitch,” said Max Eberl, the club’s sporting director.

“He’s a role model who unites players, fans and everyone at the club, and we want to build something long-term with him.”

Under Kompany, Burnley won promotion to the Premier League but were relegated after just one season, recording the lowest top-flight points tally in their history.

Despite winning 12 of the previous 13 Bundesliga titles, stability in the Bayern dugout has been rare during that run.

Pep Guardiola, whose three-year stint at the club ended in 2016, was the last Bayern coach to complete at least two full seasons.

Before bringing Kompany to the club, Bayern reportedly tried to sign Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner and Ralf Rangnick but were knocked back by each candidate.

When an attempt to hold on to then coach Thomas Tuchel, who had already agreed to leave at the end of the season, was also rebuffed, Bayern turned to Kompany.

Kompany confirmed on Tuesday that Serge Gnabry and Josip Stanisic would be out for Wednesday’s match with Brugge.