SYDNEY:

Australia is in a “tight” race to get injured captain Pat Cummins ready for the first Ashes Test in November, coach Andrew McDonald admitted Friday, while insisting he was “still optimistic”.

Pace spearhead Cummins has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test against the West Indies in July.

McDonald said there was “a lot more positivity” surrounding the skipper’s chances of playing in the opening Test match in Perth starting November 21.

“But the reality is, we’re starting to get tight in terms of the times,” McDonald said.

“We’re still optimistic, hopeful, but this time next week, I think we’ll be in a position to get a better gauge on where he’s at.”

Cummins would need at least “four, four-and-a-half weeks” of bowling practice to condition his body for the rigours of Ashes cricket, McDonald said.

“One of the benefits with Patty is that he has had the ability to prepare for Test matches off shortened preparations.

“So if it was to be shrunken down, we’d be very confident that he would still be able to perform in the first Test.”

McDonald said he would weigh up whether Cummins could be included in the side even if he was a “little bit underdone”.

Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

They enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22.

Cummins was the leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved, longtime chaplain of the Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team who became a folk hero during its Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2018, died Thursday, the school said.

She was 106.

“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff,” Loyola president Mark C. Reed said. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community, and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.”

Sister Jean — born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on Aug. 21, 1919, then taking the name Sister Jean Dolores in 1937 — joined the staff at Loyola-Chicago in 1991. Three years later, she became part of the basketball team, first as an academic adviser before transitioning to chaplain. Health issues caused her to step down from her role in August.

She was the Ramblers’ No. 1 fan, and that was on display during the 2018 NCAA tournament when, as the No. 11 seeds, they went on an improbable run to the Final Four, ultimately losing to Michigan. Sister Jean, 98 at the time, was with them every step of the way, praying for the team — and its opponents — before each game and encouraging the Ramblers to play hard, play together and play smart.

And if they lost? She told them regularly not to sweat it; it just wasn’t meant to be.

“She’s an incredible person,” star Loyola-Chicago guard Clayton Custer said at the time.

Fans throughout college basketball, and beyond, agreed.

She became an international celebrity during the Ramblers’ run. Sister Jean bobbleheads and athletic apparel sold fast. She was the subject of countless national TV interviews. And there were even news conferences for her ahead of games. During the loss to Michigan at the Alamodome in San Antonio, T-shirts read “Win One for the Nun!” and a sign in the crowd encouraged the Wolverines to give obedience to “Jean’s Plan.”

Her fame didn’t wane in the years to come.

When she turned 100, Loyola-Chicago announced a scholarship fund and endowment in her honor to support students, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker proclaimed Aug. 21, 2019, “Sister Jean Day” across the state. When she turned 103, the Chicago train station plaza at the Loyola campus was renamed in her honor, with a large sign that read “Home of the World Famous Sister Jean!” to greet visitors there. And when she turned 105, she received a proclamation from President Joe Biden — who sent her flowers on at least one previous occasion.

Biden’s message, in part, told Sister Jean: “You have shown us all that yours is a life well lived.”

She remained close to the team, as well.

When Loyola-Chicago qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2021, a vaccinated Sister Jean was cleared to travel to Indianapolis, and before the Ramblers’ second-round game against top-seeded Illinois, she gave them a prayer and a scouting report.

“We have a great opportunity to convert rebounds as this team makes about 50% of layups and 30% of its 3 [pointers]. Our defense can take care of that,” she told the team.

It worked, as Loyola-Chicago upset the Illini to reach the Sweet 16.

“She still sends me an email after every single game,” former Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser once said. “There is no human like her.”

Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister Jean grew up in a devoutly Catholic family. Her religious calling, she said, came at the age of 8. She was in third grade when she met a kind, joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brimming with admiration, she would pray every day: “Dear God, help me understand what I should do, but please tell me I should become a BVM sister,” she recounted in her 2023 memoir.

“I guess God listened to me on that one,” she wrote.

She followed her calling to the order’s motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where she made her vows. She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago and Southern California, where she also coached girls’ basketball, before she ended at Mundelein College — on the Chicago lakefront — in the 1960s. The school became affiliated with Loyola in 1991, and Sister Jean was hired to help students with the transition.

In 1994, she was asked to help student basketball players boost their grades — “the booster shooter” she called herself — and later that year, she was named chaplain of the men’s team. The role, she wrote in her memoir, became “the most transformational and transcendent position” of her life.

“Sports are very important because they help develop life skills,” she said. “And during those life skills, you’re also talking about faith and purpose.”

The university said Sister Jean is survived by her sister-in-law, Jeanne Tidwell, and her niece, Jan Schmidt.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES:

Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, who won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics, was arrested this week in Los Angeles on suspicion of drink driving, the California Highway Patrol said Thursday.

Pierce, a 10-time All-Star during his 19-year NBA career, was found asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle on a freeway shortly before midnight on Tuesday, the CHP said in a statement.

Lanes on the motorway had been closed because of a crash, and when they reopened officers saw a Range Rover stopped in traffic.

“When officers approached, they found the driver, later identified as Paul Pierce, asleep at the wheel,” the CHP said. “Officers noted signs of alcohol impairment and conducted a DUI investigation.”

Pierce, 47, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and his case will be presented to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office for review, the CHP said.

Pierce, who teamed with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in Boston as part of the Celtics “big three,” was named Most Valuable Player of the 2008 NBA Finals, in which Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 to claim a 17th NBA title.

A California native, Pierce attended high school in the Los Angeles area.

He was selected 10th overall in the 1998 NBA draft by the Celtics and also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers before he retired in 2017.