Sports

Warriors Beat Kings on Big Night of Trades

Published

10 years ago

February 20, 2014

Sacramento, CA – Being without their starting center the Golden State Warriors assumed they had to do more both offensively and defensively to start the second half of the season off right. Hours before tipoff two of their players were traded and that might’ve fueled them even more.

With the trade deadline a day away both teams made moves to increase their talent. The Kings sent Marcus Thompson to the Brooklyn Nets for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans while the Warriors sent Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Steve Blake.

“Both guys are veterans and have been around the league and I know they will come in here with the right mindset,” said Michael Malone. “The value in both is that they can be tremendous role models for these young guys.”

“First one I’ve been around and it was kind of emotional,” Andre Iguodala said regarding the trade. “He was a great kid, great character and a hard worker. I wasn’t around him [Bazemore] long but he had an impact on me. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Sacramento lost to Golden State 101-92. This is the second time Warriors have beaten the Kings at home. Tonight’s win wasn’t difficult especially since Sacramento committed 21 turnovers. Golden State took advantage of that and scored 22 points off those turnovers, despite their best shooter having a subpar game.

“That team has enough fire power offensively–you don’t have to give them many possessions,” said Malone. “We seemed hell bent on giving them as many possessions as possible.”

Both teams were without key players due to trades and injuries. The Warriors played more aggressively and became more dominant in the end. David Lee finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Klay Thompson with 18 points and Stephen Curry added 13 points and eight assists. Curry who was a starter in the NBA All-Star game didn’t have his best night but felt his team played well enough for the win.

“It was a game that we were suppose to win,” Curry said. “I didn’t score a lot but I kept my turnovers down, I didn’t have any tonight. I was able to make the right decisions with the ball and that helps our team get wins in clutch time.”

Isaiah Thomas scored a game-high 26 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the 32nd time this season. But that wasn’t enough to stop the hot handed Warriors. Travis Outlaw finished with 18 points and Rudy Gay added 16 points and eight rebounds. The inability to share the ball has became a huge concern for Malone, too much ball handling and not enough passing has stirred the coaches corner.

“We have to try and get back to becoming a team that shares and moves the ball,” said Malone.

“I don’t think it’s selfishness. We’ve just got to be smarter,” Gay said. “And I’m saying this including myself. There are times you think you can score, but you have to make your team better.”

The Kings are without their leading scorer and center DeMarcus Cousins, who has a strained left hip flexor. Without him Sacramento has fallen 0-8 this season, but while the deadline approaches the fans are hoping that more moves can be made in bringing this team back to it’s playoff caliber.

In the meantime, the Warriors hold the cards this season, they have won three of their four meetings against the Kings thus far. The last regular season game for these two teams will be on April 4 at Oracle Arena. Until then it’s still a work in progress, there’s still a lot of basketball to be played and the team looks forward to turning things around.

Notes – Kings “Donate Life” Night – Transplant Recipients vs. Doctors was an exhibition pre-game prior to tip-off. The team consisted of transplants – of hearts, lungs, livers, kidneys and pancreases. They are all healthy and ready to take on another exceptional team — surgeons, doctors and nurses.

“The docs and nurses better look out – because I’m 6 feet tall and I’m taking no prisoners,” boasts heart transplant recipient, 44-year-old Nicole Ludwig. “I’m so excited to be doing this. Since I’ve had my transplant, I’ve wanted to give back and get the word out on donation — because, without my donor, I wouldn’t be here. Because of him, all of my dreams are coming true and I’m just so grateful.”

Fourteen year old liver transplant recipient, Connor Cheney, echoes those thoughts, “I am thankful to get the chance to show how very healthy I am – as we take on the doctors. My parents and family have called me their “superstar” since I received my life-saving transplant at 14 months old. That’s because I am alive and well and living my best life — all from the awesome gift from my donor.”

Meanwhile, the doctors are also gearing up for their big night on an NBA court. Dr. Kevin Anderson, a urologist with Kaiser Permanente, says he was a bit unsure which team he should be playing on, since he’s a heart transplant recipient, as well. But, he decided to suit up on the physician/nurses team – though he jokes that he might not be that much help. “Looking at the metaphysical part of things, when I was asked if I can play basketball, all I could say is, I’m hoping my donor was a great basketball player, because otherwise I’m sunk.”

Finally, Kings Vice President Phillip Horn, who spearheaded the Kings Donate Life Night in order to help raise awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donors, will also be taking to the court, on the recipient team, as a living donor. He donated his kidney to his wife, Danea, last fall.

“It’s an incredible honor to be on the same floor as so many amazing organ recipients who have returned to full health to play a basketball game and to represent my wife,” says Phillip. “I hope that we can take it easy on these docs so they can keep saving lives!”

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Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”

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Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February. Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy of Alexis Gray Lawson.

By Post staff

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February.

Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott Civic Center Hotel.

“I am truly honored to receive this incredible nomination,” said Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, who, along with college teammate Devanei Hampton, lead Oakland Tech to its second consecutive state title in 2005. “It took a village to raise me and get me here, and I truly am excited to continue the legacy.”

Gray-Lawson, a “second team” Parade All-American and an All-State honoree, as a senior in ’05, was chosen for the California Interscholastic Federation sportsmanship award. She only lost one game throughout her four-year career in high school. Her jersey was retired at Oakland Tech and placed in the National High School Hall of Fame as a four-time All-City recipient, averaging 17.2 points per game during her career.

Gray-Lawson received scholarships in volleyball, softball, and basketball before deciding to travel up College Avenue to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she played in more basketball games (143) than any other player in Golden Bears’ history. She finished her career as the Bears all-time 3-point leader (211), and she is ranked third in scoring with 1,982 points.

An All-Pac 10 and honorable mention All-American in 2010, Gray-Lawson also was the top player at 5’8” or under for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. Later that year, she was a third-round pick of the Washington Mystics in 2010 and played with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2011 and 2012. She also played professionally overseas in Turkey and Israel.

Other inductees are Clifford Ray (Basketball); Lee Lacy (Baseball); Spencer Haywood (Basketball); and Mohinder Singh Gil (Track & Field).

Organizers say the event promises to be a “historic and celebratory evening,” and iconic personalities from across the professional sports industry and its various disciplines will attend.

The no-host cocktail hour begins at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. All times are prompt. General tickets are $250.00; Seniors (65 and older) $150.00, and students $50. This includes dinner and the ceremony. Tables of 10 are available as well, and early purchase is recommended.

MESHOF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring athletes from all corners of the globe who have made significant contributions to the world of sports and broadening the public’s understanding of the contributions people of color have made to professional sports; and to provide educational life skills and mentorship opportunities for deserving youth. Proceeds will help maintain the City of Oakland’s Curt Flood Field, Oakland Parks & Recreation, and MESHOF’s after school and mental health initiatives.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsportshof.com. For additional information, please contact: Arif Khatlib @ afrosportshall@aol.com or India Alston @ india@beamcreativehouse.com