Sports
Former Princeton star Caden Pierce transferring to Purdue
Former Princeton star Caden Pierce, the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year, is transferring to Purdue, he told ESPN on Friday.
Pierce is sitting out this season to finish his degree at Princeton before playing his final season in West Lafayette in 2026-27. He announced his intentions to transfer over the summer before officially entering the portal in October.
The 6-foot-7 forward also considered UConn, Duke, Louisville and Gonzaga before picking Purdue.
“I went on all five visits, just looking for the place that felt most like home for one year for me,” Pierce said. “Purdue obviously has an unbelievable program that coach [Matt] Painter has built over the years. When I was on campus, with the coaches and with the guys, it felt like a great place for me. I wanted to be a part of that program. Mackey Arena is one of the best venues in college basketball, and I can be part of something special.”
Pierce, the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce and former North Carolina forward Justin Pierce, started 89 games during his three seasons with the Tigers. He won Ivy League Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2023, playing a key role on Princeton’s Sweet 16 team, including a 16-rebound performance in a NCAA tournament second-round win over Missouri.
His breakout came as a sophomore, when he averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and won Ivy League Player of the Year honors. Among the 22 low- and mid-major conference players of the year in 2023-24, Pierce was the only one to return to the same school the following season.
He battled through injuries for most of last season, with an ankle injury in late December resulting in two fully torn ligaments and two partially torn ligaments. He nonetheless earned second-team All-Ivy honors, averaging 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
“I’m feeling great,” Pierce said. “That’s been the nice thing about this year. I’ve been able to address whatever deficiencies I had without feeling like I had to play through injury or whatever I had. I was able to move at my own pace, get my body feeling great and stronger than ever.
“It’s been a different, unique year. That’s the only way to put it. I’ve never taken a full year off of competitive basketball. It’s been a little bit of an adjustment. I’m still working out, getting all my work in, but it’s by myself. I’ve had limited opportunities to play 5-on-5. Being removed from a competitive environment for this long has made me gain a new appreciation for the competitive side of basketball and the camaraderie in the locker room.”
At Purdue, Pierce will be part of a sizable reload and should slot into the Boilermakers’ starting lineup immediately. Painter will lose four starters, including All-American Braden Smith and program stalwarts Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer. C.J. Cox is expected to return in the backcourt, while reserves Omer Mayer, Jack Benter, Gicarri Harris and Daniel Jacobsen could all see expanded roles.
The Boilermakers are also bringing in a top-15 recruiting class, a group that includes three SC Next 100 prospects: Luke Ertel, Sinan Huan and Jacob Webber.
“They’re losing a lot of guys, a lot of older guys, a lot of seniors,” Pierce said. “It’s going to be a younger team. One of the things that makes coach Painter so respectable is he didn’t promise anything throughout the process. ‘You’re still going to have to earn anything, but the opportunity is going to be there. You’re an older guy, make your presence felt in the locker room and on the floor.’ That’s kind of why they wanted me.
“It appeals to me. I’m really looking forward to making my presence felt. Getting in the locker room with a good group of guys and being a part of something.”
Italy’s sports minister has called on the country’s soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina to resign after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup on Tuesday.
Italy‘s penalty shootout loss to 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoffs comes after the Azzurri were eliminated at the same stage by Sweden ahead of the 2018 World Cup and by North Macedonia in 2022.
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“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC.”
Gravina is still holding onto his job after also surviving the qualifying elimination for the 2022 World Cup.
“Next week we will make much deeper reflections on the situation,” Gravina said, hinting that he could call for a new election for the country’s top soccer position. “There are a lot of evaluations to consider.”
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has also yet to give any indication about his own future after taking over when Luciano Spalletti was fired after Italy lost its opening qualifier to Norway last year.
“I’m not interested at all in talking about my future today,” Gattuso said following the loss in Bosnia. “It hurts, it really hurts. More than hurting me, it hurts to see this group which has really given everything in these months and I think we deserved to get back what we put in and I honestly think it’s too reductive and too immature to be talking about my future today.”
Gattuso was given a contract until the end of this summer’s World Cup, with an automatic renewal until 2028 if Italy reached the tournament in North America.
Even if Gattuso hasn’t made up his mind whether to stay or not, the Italian soccer federation gave a clear sign it would like him to remain on Tuesday.
“I have to praise Gattuso. I think he’s been a great coach, he is a great coach, I’ve asked him to stay on in charge of these players,” Gravina said.
The issues in Italian soccer extend beyond the national team.
The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010; while in this season’s continental competition, all four Italian clubs were eliminated before the quarterfinals.
Added former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi: “Unfortunately the third consecutive elimination from the World Cup is not an April Fool’s joke. It’s a sign that Italian soccer has failed. Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
Former Cowboys player Trysten Hill appears to grin after arrest tied to alleged assault of pregnant woman
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Former NFL defensive tackle Trysten Hill was booked into a Texas jail last week on multiple charges relating to an alleged assault of a pregnant woman.
Ellis County Sheriff’s Office jail records list “assault of a pregnant person” and “interfering with an emergency request for assistance.”
FOX 4 in Dallas obtained the records, which also showed Hill was arrested March 26.
Hill was booked and held on a $3,500 bond connected to two bond-forfeiture warrants from a 2025 criminal investigation, the sheriff’s office said.
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Trysten Hill of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium Oct. 20, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Hill appeared to grin in his booking photo.
The identity of the alleged victim and any relationship to Hill were not disclosed. Fox News Digital contacted the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
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After his three-year career at Central Florida, the Cowboys selected Hill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He appeared in 25 regular-season games with the Cowboys, recording 39 combined tackles over four seasons.
Trysten Hill of the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium Oct. 9, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Hill joined the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2022 season, recording five solo tackles and one sack in six games. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2023 but was released before the regular season kicked off.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Trysten Hill reacts against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium Aug. 8, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (Eric Canha/USA Today Sports)
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The New England Patriots signed Hill to their practice squad later in 2023.
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He mulled retirement, but Bill Self won’t be ending his college coaching career just yet.
Self announced he will be returning to the Kansas Jayhawks’ sideline for the 2026-27 season.
“With renewed clarity and the ongoing support from our administration, I remain focused and committed to Kansas basketball competing for a national championship,” Self’s statement said.
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Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks walks across the court before a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena Feb. 2, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
“I look forward to seeing and hearing the best fans in college basketball next season at Allen Fieldhouse.”
Self made the decision after consulting with his family, especially considering his health issues in recent seasons.
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Self has dealt with chest tightness and balance concerns, which resulted in a hospitalization in 2013, forcing him to miss the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. He had two stents placed for treatment of blocked arteries.
In July 2025, Self was admitted to a hospital after feeling ill. He was reportedly experiencing “concerning symptoms,” leading to another surgery to have stents inserted. He was later released from a hospital and coached the Jayhawks this year.
Self did miss a game in January against Colorado, when he was taken to a hospital as a precaution, the school noted at the time.
Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks watches his team play against the Houston Cougars in the second half during the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Center March 13, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
The Jayhawks fell to St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament, which led reporters to naturally wonder what Self had in mind about his future.
“I’ll get back and visit with the family,” Self said, via ESPN. “I’ve had, obviously, some issues off the court health-wise. And that will be discussed. But I love what I do. I want to feel good while I’m doing it, though.”
Self has been a college basketball head coach since the 1993-94 season, starting his tenure with Oral Roberts. After stops at Tulsa and Illinois, Self joined Kansas for the 2003-04 season, and he hasn’t left since.
Self has won two national championships in his 23 seasons with the Jayhawks, his most recent coming in 2022. Kansas has also reached the Final Four four times under his leadership.
Kansas head coach Bill Self reacts as the team plays California Baptist during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament March 20, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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In 815 games, Self owns a 648-167 record with Kansas. He also has 855 wins as a head coach in his 33-year career, which includes 27 NCAA Tournament appearances.
With the NCAA transfer portal opening April 7, Self will be right back to work building another Kansas roster he hopes to get deeper in March Madness next season.
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