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‘LeBron watches us’: Duquesne coach talks Akron roots ahead of game at former high school

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‘LeBron watches us’: Duquesne coach talks Akron roots ahead of game at former high school


A few weeks ago, Duquesne head coach Dru Joyce III sent a text message to a lifelong friend.

That friend quickly responded, which is the norm for most long-term friendships but extraordinary when you consider that friend is Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

“I just hit him the other day about a weak-side defense question, just to pick his brain on how he would play it,” Joyce told ESPN about his former high school teammate. “And he got back to me just with a bunch of confidence and said, ‘No, I think you’re going about it the right way.’ So we get to share in those basketball moments.”

On Saturday, Joyce will celebrate the legacy of James and the rest of their high school team with a matchup against Northeastern on LeBron James Court at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, their hometown. The game is free to attend. More than 20 years ago, James, Joyce and their teammates led the school to a state title in Ohio. Now Joyce will play his second consecutive game at his alma mater.

“This one is close to the heart, man. It is special,” he said. “I still approach it just like every game, but from the emotional side, man, I’m back home. I’m amongst my family and friends. This is the city that raised me. A lot of my journey happened, from a basketball standpoint, and just an overall connection with people at St. Vincent-St. Mary, and the opportunity to bring my team here to experience Akron, and I get to show them a bit of my hometown.”

To capture the full experience on Friday, Joyce took his team to the I Promise School, which was created by the LeBron James Family Foundation. The LeBron James Museum and House Three Thirty, a multiuse space also created by James’ foundation, were part of the team’s tour, too.

As they left the complex, Gloria James — the mother of the NBA superstar — came out and talked to Joyce. Some of Joyce’s players then begged him to hop off the bus so they could talk to the mother of their favorite player. That’s when a few of them learned that she and her son had watched Duquesne’s game against Villanova last weekend.

“Immediately, they were like, ‘LeBron … watched us?'” Joyce said about his team’s reaction. “What it does for our team is it elevates us.”

Joyce said he hopes Saturday’s game can help his team understand the legacy of the NBA superstar in his hometown and beyond. He said he and James have talked about his stint as a college coach who is now in his second season with the program. But they mostly talk the way friends do.

“More than anything, it’s still a loyalty, a trust and bond that we have,” he said.

That connection will be the theme on Saturday.

Joyce said family members and friends will be in attendance on Saturday. That list will include some of his former teammates.

While it seems unlikely James will be able to attend the game on Saturday — the Lakers have a road game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday — Joyce said he won’t be shocked if there are a few surprises.

“I don’t know who walks through that door on Saturday,” he said.

Overall, however, Joyce said he’s excited to extend the memory of a high school team that was led by the No. 1 pick of the 2003 NBA draft and coached by his father, Dru Joyce II, through Saturday’s matchup against Northeastern in Akron.

“It’s going to be fun,” he said.



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Washington State’s Emmanuel Ugbo suspended for rest of season

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Washington State’s Emmanuel Ugbo suspended for rest of season


PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State forward Emmanuel Ugbo, who is currently under a court order resulting from allegations of stalking and harassment, has been suspended for the remainder of the season.

Coach David Riley told reporters this week that Ugbo, who has neither played nor practiced for the Cougars since he was suspended on Jan. 28, will sit out the rest of the way.

“As an institution,” Riley told reporters, “we believe that’s the best course of action.”

Ugbo was accused by a Washington State women’s volleyball player of stalking and harassment after she ended their relationship. Last week, a Whitman County judge granted the woman a full protection order against Ugbo.

Ugbo’s suspension began with Washington State’s home game on Jan. 31, shortly after the woman filed for a temporary protection order. Ugbo averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes this season. He previously played for Boise State.



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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

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Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones


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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever. 

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season. 

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries. 

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024. 

Anthony Richardson throws pass

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Anthony Richardson reacts after touchdown

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

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When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

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Bayern could effectively end Dortmund’s season with Klassiker win

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Bayern could effectively end Dortmund’s season with Klassiker win


The German word of the week in the Bundesliga ahead of Saturday’s showdown (live at 12:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN+) is not the marketing invention der Klassiker but rather die Aufholjagd (literally, “the hunt to pursue”).

There are in all honesty, very few, even here in the bustling Ruhrpott this week, who believe Borussia Dortmund are likely to make up nine points on leaders Bayern Munich. With the goal difference equation stacked in favor of the Rekordmeister, that is the challenge facing BVB with only 11 games left. But a head-to-head Gipfeltreffen (summit meeting) offers a chance for a new perspective.

Dortmund have spent much of this season under Niko Kovac defying stereotypes: showing a more stable face, grinding out wins, pressing better, reemerging as clearly the second-best team in the Bundesrepublik.

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But on Wednesday night in Bergamo, the old problems came back to haunt die Schwarz-Gelben, and the team collectively had to Lehrgeld zahlen (literally pay up as a result of being taught a painful lesson) after being eliminated by Atalanta in their knockout round playoff tie in the UEFA Champions League.

Whether Dortmund can translate those lessons — among them, don’t start a big match so passively and Gregor Kobel, don’t give the ball to the opposition with extra time looming — into something successful against a team of Bayern’s sheer quality, is another matter.

Bayern are almost certain to break the Bundesliga’s single-season goal-scoring record (they have 85 goals and need 17 more, a mere bagatelle surely?) Harry Kane requires 14 between now and mid-May to surpass Robert Lewandowski‘s 2020-21 benchmark of 41 league goals. The Englishman has registered a Doppelpack (double) in each of his past three league matches and if he stays fit, you would not bet against him becoming the most goal-rich winner of the Torjägerkanone award ever.

With Michael Olise scoring freely and more importantly, assisting others, and Luis Díaz posing significant problems for opposing sides, Bayern win most games by overwhelming and obliterating. Nobody does it better.

There is, however, a slight glass-jaw quality defensively, which has been evident since January, with only one Bundesliga clean sheet so far this calendar year.

Augsburg for example, have gone to the Allianz Arena and beaten them, Hoffenheim caused them bother even while down to 10 men, and last week Eintracht Frankfurt scored a couple of late goals that Bayern fans, anticipating an easy win, will have seen as nervig (irritating).

At the time of writing, it is unclear who will stand between the posts for the Rekordmeister. Manuel Neuer has been working all week in a bid to get back into the side after sustaining a calf muscle injury at the Weserstadion nearly two weeks ago.

However, Bayern have faith in 22-year-old understudy Jonas Urbig, who looks ever more like the future custodian. Urbig stumbled in the Augsburg game, but his performances have ranged mostly from good to excellent.

If there are any doubts about Neuer’s fitness, it would seem foolish — given the eight-point difference at the top and crunch Champions League matches ahead — to take a chance. Alphonso Davies is out for the foreseeable future with a muscle fiber injury, but with Konrad Laimer available again, Vincent Kompany has plenty of squad depth in the fullback positions with Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito.

It almost seems unfair to Dortmund, given the colossal task that they face on Saturday, that right wing back Julian Ryerson is suspended. The Norwegian, once viewed as an honest journeyman, has transformed himself into one of the most valuable players in Kovac’s squad.

Diligent in normal play, Ryerson’s deliveries from open or set play situations can be devilish and he recently crafted all four goals in the same game against Mainz. Yan Couto, more adventurous going forward but less secure defensively, must fulfill that role against Bayern.

At least Nico Schlotterbeck will return to anchor the Dreierkette (back three) in front of Kobel, whose 11 clean sheets top the Bundesliga goalkeeping charts. BVB will require energy and guile in abundance from Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha in midfield against the formidable duo of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Saturday is due to be another day of Verkehrschaos in Dortmund and there have been a few recently. This one is due to industrial action by the trade union, Verdi, knocking out the Stadtbahn (city train/tram service) and bus lines. Fans have been urged to walk the 40 minutes from the Stadtzentrum (city center) to the Signal Iduna Park.

Thereafter, there’s a very real danger that in 90 minutes, Dortmund’s season could effectively disappear in a puff of smoke. Already out of the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal, defeat in the Klassiker would make an Aufholjagd unthinkable.



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