A’s finish off the Red Sox to win the four-game series

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s beat the Boston Red Sox for the third time in four tries, and they finished the homestand with a record of 6-2. The Red Sox, the defending World Champions, are having problems as they are 2-6 for the first eight games of 2019. The Sox finish the 11-game road trip with three games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix before returning home to Boston.

The A’s sent lefty Brett Anderson to the hill to face Red Sox. Anderson went 5 1/3 innings, and allowed three runs and eight hits. Anderson recorded his second win of the young season. Eduardo Rodriguez started for Boston, and his record dropped to 0-2.

Here’s how the A’s did it Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox put two runs on the board in the top of the first. Mookie Betts led off with a single. Left fielder Andrew Benintendi laid down a sacrifice bunt. A’s first baseman Mark Canha tried to nail Betts at second. Betts was ruled safe, and the A’s challenged the ruler. After a brief review, the call was upheld, and the Sox had men on at first and second with no out. Anderson struck out Steve Pearce for the first out. J.D.Martinez singled to load the bases. Anderson walked Xander Bogaerts to force in a run. Eduardo Nunez fouled out, and Anderson walked Brock Holt to force in another run. The Red Sox had an early 2-0 lead.

The Red Sox added a run in the third when J.D. Martinez hit a solo home run with one out. Anderson Walked Bogaerts for the second time, but he was able to get Eduardo Nunez to hit into an inning-ending double play. The A’s tied the game in their half of the third. A’s catcher Josh Phegley led off with a double. Rodriguez retired Robbie Grossman on a fly to right field. Phegley tagged up and motored to third. Marcus Semien walked, and that was followed by Stephen Piscotty’s second home run of the year.

The A’s sent Rodriguez to the showers in the bottom of the fourth when they plated three more runs to take a 6-3 lead. With one out, Ramon Laureano walked. Phegley followed with a single. Robbie Grossman doubled to drive in Laureano with the A’s fourth run. Rodriguez retired Marcus Semien for the second out of the inning. The next hitter, Stephen Piscotty, who had homered in his previous at-bat, hit a fly ball to deep right-center field. The ball appeared to be catchable, but it seemed as if it was drifting away from the clutches of Jackie Bradley, Jr. Piscotty’s ball landed between Bradley and Betts and then bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. Phegley and Grossman scored on the play. The A’s are in the driver’s seat as they led 6-3 after four.

In the bottom of the sixth, The A’s put another run on the board to take a 7-3 lead. With two out, consecutive singles by Semien, Piscotty, and Khris Davis produced the A’s seventh run of the game.

The A’s bullpen of Lou Trivino, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks kept Boston off the board and preserved the win for Oakland 7-3.

Game Notes: The A’s hitting star was Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty was 4-for-4 with two singles, a double, and a three-run homer. He drove in five runs and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

The A’s outfielders threw out two runners on the base paths Thursday. Robbie Grossman picked up an assist when he threw out Steve Pearce trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning. Ramon Laureano threw out Mookie Betts in the ninth when Betts tried to go from first to third on a single by Andrew Benintendi. For Laureano, it was the third time in the series that he nailed a runner trying to take an extra base.

The A’s have a record of 38-16 in the last 54 games played against the Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s line score was seven runs, thirteen hits, and no errors. Boston’s line was three runs, 10 hits, and no errors.

Time of game was three hours and 16 minutes. 15,095 fans were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s start a 10-game road trip Friday as they play the Houston Astros for three, Baltimore Orioles for four, and finish the trip with three against the Texas Rangers.

The A’s Frankie Montas will pitch Friday night, and he will be opposed by Houston’s Collin McHugh.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Can Sharks stop the madness? They’ve been losers in nine of their last 10 games; They’re in Edmonton tonight

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On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 It’s not getting any better and the players in the dressing room knew it before it was over as the Sharks had a 2-1 lead disappear after the Canucks scored three unanswered goals in the third period for a 4-2 win at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

#2 The Sharks looked like they had things under control in the second period with neither team scoring and the Sharks holding a 2-1 lead.

#3 The three unanswered goals in the third period started with the Canucks’ Tanner Pearson, who didn’t waste anytime scoring at 11:18. The Canucks’ second goal was by Markus Granlund at 13:39, and then Troy Stecher came through with a short-handed goal.

#4 How much is this the defense’s fault or goaltender Martin Jones, who bears most of the responsibility for a loss like this?

#5 The Sharks try again in Edmonton and they just might have a shot at getting a win. The Oilers have lost their last four games with recent losses to the Avalanche, Knights, Ducks, and Stars.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Lechler to go into Hall as Raiders punter for 13 seasons; Raiders sign Grant at wide receiver; plus more

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Photo credit: @TDenFamilia

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Former Oakland Raider Shane Lechler can look forward to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame after the five year wait . He played in 206 games for the Raiders and missed only two games in 13 seasons. In those 13 seasons, Lechler called Oakland his home. A seven-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the best punters in NFL history.

#2 Wide receiver Ryan Grant has signed with the Oakland Raiders. Grant formerly with the Indianapolis Colts signed with Oakland on Wednesday Grant’s deal is worth one year, $2.5 million.

#3 You can’t win them all the A’s, who won the first two games against the visiting Boston Red Sox on great pitching, and delivered two shutouts, but they dropped game three of the four-game series to the Red Sox. However, the A’s have been delivering excitement each night.

#4 The Giants had some troubles on this road trip, but still, they have gone 2-5 thus far. They have concluded their road series with the Dodgers with a 5-3 loss. They have their home opener on Friday, can they get back on track with some home cooking?

#5 The Sacramento Kings might be making changes again and knowing how much Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Vlade Divak like Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. Do you see Walton getting fired by the Lakers as rumored and going to the Kings, which means Kings head coach Dave Joerger will get the boot at season’s end?

Headline Sports with Tony R is heard each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Bullpen can’t hold onto lead as Giants fall to Dodgers late 5-3

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By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants gave a gallant effort in this three-game series against the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but in the end, they came up just a bit short, dropping the series by virtue of a 5-3 loss at the hands of their intra-state rivals at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night.

They surprised LA in the first game but dropped the second game, but they were in position to take the third – and the series – when starter Derek Holland left the game into the hands of a bullpen that has shown to be capable this young season.

The Giants held the lead into the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead when righty reliever Reyes Moronta ran into immediate trouble. He gave up a leadoff double to catcher Austin Barnes but seemed to get things back on track by punching out pinch hitter Alex Verdugo.

After a walk, he got Justin Turner to fly out and was one strike away from getting out of the inning. But that’s when David Freese, whose heroics led the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 2011, lined one off the wall in right-center to bring in two runs and give the Dodgers a 4-3 advantage.

“Reyes has been so good over the past year and this year, but give them credit,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He just mis-located a fastball in the end.

“We have a good bullpen, so that’s going to have to be out strength, holding on to those games.”

The Dodgers added another run in the eighth, when Chris Taylor’s double, which landed in the same area as Freese’s did an inning earlier, brought in Cody Bellinger.

The two-run cushion was more than enough for closer Kenley Jansen, who nailed down his third save of the season with a perfect ninth inning, as the Dodgers took the three-game series.

Derek Holland had a solid outing against the Dodgers Wednesday night. The crafty left-hander went five innings and surrendered only a pair of runs on three hits, walking four and striking out seven in taking the tough no-decision.

The Giants will return to Oracle Park to host its home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday afternoon at 1:35 pm.

Red Sox snap their four-game losing skid with 6-3 win over the A’s

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Boston Red Sox snapped two streaks as they beat the Oakland A’s 6-3 in game three of the four-game series. Previously, the Red Sox lost four in a row and had not scored a run in 22 straight innings.

A’s starter Marco Estrada went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, one of which was unearned, and two hits before exiting the game. A’s starters went six innings in the first six games of the homestand, and that streak was also snapped at the Oakland Coliseum Wednesday.

Both bullpens came through as neither team could do anything until the fateful ninth inning. The Red Sox scored three times after two were out in the ninth to earn their second win of the year.

The A’s drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Singles by Kendrys Morales and Jurickson Profar put men on at first and second with no out. Eovaldi walked Marcus Semien to load the bases. Eovaldi struck out Ramon Laureano for the first out. Nick Hundley singled off the glove of Rafael Devers to drive in the A’s first run. It was Hundley’s first RBI of the year. Eovaldi retired Robbie Grossman and Matt Chapman to end the inning. The A’s lead 1-0.

The A’s increased the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Marcus Semien walked to lead off the inning. Ramon Laureano, who is having quite a series against Boston, sent Eovaldi’s 83 MPH curveball over the 400-foot marker in center field for his second home run of the year and his second in the series with the Red Sox.

Boston’s Blake Swihart snapped Boston’s 22 innings of scoreless ball against the A’s when he homered over the wall just to the left of the 388-foot marker in right-center field. The Red Sox trail 3-1 midway through the fifth.

The Red Sox plated two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. Mookie Betts worked Marco Estrada for a leadoff walk. Estrada struck out Andrew Benintendi for the first out of the inning. The next hitter, Rafael Devers, hit a ground ball to second baseman Jurickson Profar who airmailed the ball over Marcus Semien’s head into left field. Betts went to third on the play. Estrade then walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Estrada and brought in lefty Ryan Buchter to face the left-handed hitter Mitch Moreland. Moreland, who loves to hit against the A’s in Oakland, doubled down the right field line to drive in two, Melvin changed pitchers again and his reliever, J.B. Wendelken, retired the last two hitters to end the inning. The score is 3-3 in the middle of the sixth.

The Red Sox dodged a bullet in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, Marcus Semien singled. With Laureano at-bat, Semien stole second and advanced to third when Blake Swihart’s throw to second went into center field. Laureano hit a ball that Sox shortstop Brock Holt, going to his right, fielded the ball and threw to first. Laureano was ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a 50-second review. The score was still 3-3 after eight.

The Sox scored three runs on four hits. Eduardo Nunez led off the frame with a single. Nunez was caught stealing and A’s reliever Fernando Rodney struck out Brock Holt for the second out. Blake Swihart kept the inning going with a single. Jackie Bradley, Jr. followed with a single sending Swihart to second. Rodney uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to third and second. The AL MVP Mookie Betts worked the count to 3-2. Melvin had Rodney pitch to Betts. Mookie hit a ground ball that hit third base and bounded away from Matt Chapman. Swihart and Bradley scored, Andrew Benintendi followed with a triple to drive in Betts, and the Red Sox had their first lead of the series 6-3.

Game Notes: Neither pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi nor Marco Estrada, figured in the decision. Eovaldi, who struggled a bit with his control, went five innings and allowed three runs and four hits. Eovaldi hit A’s third baseman Matt Chapman with a pitch in the first inning. The 90 MPH fastball hit Chapman on his left wrist. Chapman shook it off and stayed in the game.

Ramon Laureano hit his second home run of the year with a man aboard in the fourth to give Oakland a 3-0 lead. Boston’s bullpen held the A’s scoreless the rest of the way. Matt Barnes received credit for the win, and the A’s Fernando Rodney took the loss. Ryan Braiser picked up his first save.

The Red Sox line score was six runs, nine hits, and one error. Blake Swihart was the hitting star for Boston with a home run and two singles. The A’s line was three runs, five hits, and one error. Ramon Laureano hit a two-run dinger in the fourth.

The A’s are now 5-4 for the year, and Boston improved to 2-5.

Time of game was three hours and 21 minutes. The attendance was 14,207.

Up Next: Game four will be played Thursday afternoon at the Coliseum. It will be a battle between two left-handed pitchers as Brett Anderson (1-0) will go for Oakland and Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1) will pitch for Boston.

Gulls get late goal, edge Barracuda 4-3

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda came out flat early and had a couple of bounces go against them late in a disappointing 4-3 loss against the San Diego Gulls in a Pacific Division battle on Wednesday night at SAP Center.

Jack Kopacka fed a pass over to Matt Berry, who centered a pass out in front of the net, where Ben Street got a piece of it, and then had the puck deflect off Nick DeSimone’s stick into the back of the net for the game-winning goal late in the third period. Street’s sixth goal of the season came at the 14:32 mark.

The Cuda had a chance to give themselves a comfortable cushion of six points over the Gulls with five games left, but now have their So Cal rival hot on their heels with only a two-point margin separating the twp teams between second and third place in Pacific Division.

“It was disappointing,” said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “To be honest with you, I thought we would’ve had a way better effort. We were playing some pretty good hockey the past three games. To play like that in a playoff type of atmosphere, not enough guys showed up (to play) for us.”

San Diego (34-23-4-3) drew first blood late in the first period. Matt Berry skated in at the left slot and centered a pass over to Kalle Kossila, who one-timed the puck over the glove of Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (14-13-5) into the back of the net for his 14th goal of the season at the 19:47 mark. Josh Mahura received the secondary assist.

San Jose (35-21-3-4) weren’t able to capitalize on their only power play in the period as they were outshot 13-9 in the opening frame. Their best scoring chance came when defenseman Kyle Wood had a point-blank shot stoned by Gulls goalie Kevin Boyle (23-12-1) halfway through the period.

San Jose tied the game up on the power play to open up the second period. Alex True fed a pass over to Cavan Fitzgerald at their own blue line. Fitzgerald put on a skating clinic dancing around two Gulls defenders at center ice, then skated into the Gulls zone and from the left slot snapped a beauty of a wrist shot top self into the far right corner for his seventh goal of the season at the 2:56 mark.

San Diego regained the lead when they capitalized on a 3-on-2 odd man rush. Street centered a back-handed pass over to Corey Tropp whose shot was initially saved by Bibeau, but wasn’t able to keep the puck in his glove. Brent Gates Jr. cleaned up the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 6:32 mark.

Bibeau made a huge point-blank save on Justin Kloos on a tic-tac-toe attempt with six minutes remaining in the period with San Diego on the power play.

TJ Hensick scored a highlight reel goal to even up things late in the middle frame. Jeffery Viel fed a pass over to Hensick at the left blue line. Hensick then danced around Kopacka and skated into the middle of the faceoff circles and rifled a wrist shot through three defenders past Boyle on the right side for his fifth goal of the season at the 15:19 mark.

“We put ourselves in a situation we didn’t want to be in after tonight,” said Hensick. “This group has been mentally tough all year. We’ll find a way to bounce back, regroup, have a positive practice tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”

Jon Martin received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for spearing Jake Dotchin with less than three minutes left in the middle frame. Bibeau was the Cuda’s best penalty killer in that final 2:46 stretch, making three huge saves, including a breakaway attempt on Berry, to keep the score tied at two heading into the second intermission. Dotchin never returned to the game.

In the third period, San Jose killed off the rest of Martin’s major penalty as San Diego wasn’t able to generate any quality chances.

San Jose used the power play to their advantage once again. Jayden Halbgewachs sent the puck down low to captain John McCarthy from the right slot. McCarthy tried to jam the puck home creating a mad scramble in front of the net. After an unsuccessful attempt from Alex True, Wood knocked home the rebound past Boyle for his fifth goal of the season at the 8:42 mark.

“I knew once J-Mac (McCarthy) got it he was gonna try to jam it (past the goalie),” said Wood. “I was just waiting there backdoor, (waiting) for something to happen. Lucky it bounced to me and I kinda just chipped it in. It was a big goal at the time.”

The lead wouldn’t last long as Chase De Leo skated into the slot, threw a shot on net that caromed off Bibeau right on to the stick of Kloos, who buried the rebound into the back of the net for his 16th goal of the season at the 10:03 mark.

Boyle stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced to earn his 23rd win on the season. Bibeau, who kept the Cuda in the game from start to finish, made 34 saves on 38 shots in suffering the tough luck loss.

“I don’t think we showed enough desperation tonight,” said McCarthy. “I thought our game was a bit too casual. At this time of the year we gotta find a way to win the next game and come out with a better effort on Friday.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 2/4 on the power play. They have scored a power play goal in four consecutive games. San Diego was 0/4. The Cuda are a perfect 20/20 on the penalty kill in their last five games.

Forward Dylan Gambrell was back in the lineup for San Jose after being reassigned by the San Jose Sharks.

Help on the way: Ivan Chekhovich and Vladislav Kotkov were assigned to the Cuda this week from their respective junior league teams. Marcus Vela made his Cuda debut this past Sunday after completing his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire.

Bibeau was named the Cuda’s 2018-19 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The award is given to the player in recognition for their outstanding contributions to the San Jose community.

The announced attendance was 2,963.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host the Grand Rapids Griffins in a weekend series starting Friday, April 5 at 7:00 pm at SAP Center.

Warriors’ defense downs the Nuggets 116-102

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors took a giant step as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 116-102 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors have a two-game lead and own the tiebreaker in the race in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors are now 53-24 and Denver 51-26 with five games left to play. The Warriors face four teams with a losing record and Denver has to play a couple of playoff teams.

The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 30-24 in the first quarter and 29-19 in the second quarter to lead by 16 at the half 59-43. Kevin Durant led the team in offense, and DeMarcus Cousins put the clamps on Denver’s big center Nikola Jokic.

In the third quarter, the Warriors increased the lead to 22. Kevin Durant was ejected from the game with 8:21 left to play when he argued with a referee for not calling a foul. The referee called two technical fouls on Durant, who was sent to the locker room. Durant has been charged with 15 technicals this year, and one more will get him a one-game suspension. Warriors’ head coach kept his starters in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were down by almost 30 when they made a run at the Warriors. It was too little, too late as Golden State held on for the 116-102 win.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. It was Cousins’ best game as a Warrior, and if he continues to play well, he will be a tremendous asset for the Warriors in the playoffs. Kevin Durant finished the night with 21. Steph Curry had 17, and that total included five threes. Klay Thompson had 13. Kevon Looney added 10 and Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie all put points on the board.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 17. Paul Millsap 11, Jokic 10, Jarred Vanderbilt 10, and Monte Morris 10.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at Staples Center in LA. Game time will be at 7:30 pm. LeBron James will not be in the Laker lineup as he is done for the year.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Ice meltdown in Vancouver–Sharks can’t answer Canucks’ 3 goals in third period; Quakes’ best game in 0-0 draw against Colorado so far; plus more

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On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In one that you can call just a big meltdown, the San Jose Sharks started a two-game road trip in Vancouver Tuesday night, had a 2-1 lead and looked like they might actually win this one against the Canucks, but all for not as the Canucks scored three unanswered goals to hand San Jose its ninth loss in 10 games 4-2.

#2 The San Jose Earthquakes are a team that is all shook up. They have not won one a game yet this season and have played six games and their best game was against Colorado in a 0-0 draw. London tells us from he has seen of the Quakes what the problem is?

#3 The San Francisco Giants have shown some improvement on the current road trip taking the first game against the Dodgers on Monday night 4-2, thanks to Brandon Belt’s home run to help pace the win. On Tuesday night, the Giants lost by a run, but it’s been something to look forward to after they struggled in San Diego losing three out four.

#4 The Oakland A’s are getting plenty of pitching they got a 7-0 shutout over the World Champion Red Sox on Monday and then on Tuesday they got a 1-0 shutout with great A’s starting pitcher Mike Fiers and A’s reliever Blake Treinen.

#5 The Sacramento Kings just couldn’t do anything with James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night in Golden One Center. Harden put away 36 points and he was again a scoring machine in a 130-105 win.

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford men’s basketball news and notes

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By: Ana Kieu

It’s the offseason and there’s not much to cheer about the Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team, but I’m going to compile a list of the latest news and notes for those of you who still happen to be interested in the team.

March 21st

Sophomore forward KZ Okpala named to the NABC All-District Team.

Okpala continued to earn postseason accolades. The Cardinal standout was a Second Team All-District selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Okpala, who was also a First Team All-Pac-12 selection and a First Team United States Basketball Writers Association pick, was voted a semifinalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.

Okpala led Stanford in scoring at 16.8 PPG in his second year at The Farm. He ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring with the second-most 20-point games (15) in the conference. He also ranks 17th in the conference in rebounding (5.7 RPG), and 12th in defensive rebounding (4.5 DRPG). During the regular season, he finished fifth in the conference in scoring (17.5 PPG).

Okpala scored a career-high 30 points in the win at Cal in February. He recorded four consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career in the middle of the conference season, achieving the mark against Arizona (29), Arizona State (21), Washington (22) and Utah (22). He earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in November after averaging 29.0 ppg in victories over Seattle and UNC Wilmington. He finished his sophomore season at The Farm with a pair of double-doubles, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Pac-12 opener against UCLA and 20 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener against Seattle.

Stanford completed the season 15-16 overall and 8-10 in the Pac-12.

March 27th

Stanford joins Butler, Missouri and Oklahoma as part of standout field in Kansas City.

Stanford will play in the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic at Sprint Center in Kansas City this November.

“We are excited to be a part of the Hall of Fame Classic,” said Jerod Haase, Stanford’s Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball. “It is a great field at an outstanding venue. Playing in Kansas City and exploring the Hall of Fame will be a great experience for our team. We look forward to the opportunity to compete in a high-level tournament against some of the best teams in the country.”

The Cardinal is part of the championship rounds of the tournament alongside Butler, Missouri and Oklahoma. The semifinal rounds will be held on Monday, November 25, with the finals taking place on Tuesday, November 26. All four contests will be aired on the ESPN family of networks.

Matchups and game times for the tournament will be announced at a later date.

This marks Stanford’s second appearance in the Hall of Fame Classic. Stanford was part of the 2006 tournament, then named the CBE Classic. Stanford fell to Air Force in the second round of the 2006 tournament.

Stanford is 2-1 all-time against Oklahoma, with its last meeting against the Sooners coming in the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Tucson, Arizona. Stanford’s 1-2 all-time against Butler, having last faced the Bulldogs in 2011. Stanford fell in its only meeting against Missouri, dropping a 78-70 decision to the Tigers at the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

The Hall of Fame Classic is part of Hall of Fame Weekend, which also includes the 14th annual induction ceremony for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. That event will take place on Sunday, November 24 in Kansas City.

For more information on the Hall of Fame Classic, visit www.halloffameweekend.com.

April 1st

Todd Lichti will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

One of Stanford’s all-time greats is set to be recognized among college basketball’s all-time greats. Todd Lichti, who starred at Stanford from 1985-89, will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Lichti is part of a prestigious 2019 class that includes Indiana’s Calbert Cheaney, Duke’s Shane Battier, Purdue’s Terry Dischinger, Providence’s Ernie DiGregorio, UNLV’s Larry Johnson, and former coaches Homer Drew, Lute Olson and the late Rick Majerus. The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 24 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City.

“I thought my basketball award days were long behind me,” Lichti said. “It’s humbling to be part of this conversation so many years on, let alone to now be a member of this select group. I struggle somewhat to put this into context coming from everyday beginnings, the son of two school teachers, and returning there in my life now where I suppose I’m most comfortable.”

“I must thank my teammates and coaching staff while at Stanford,” Lichti continued. “They worked as hard as I did to achieve what we did and from whom I learned much. My family has always been an incredible support system since my childhood — and now my wife and son are.

“One of the first things I did upon hearing the news was look at the list of players already inducted searching for one name — Hank Luisetti,” Lichti added. “He was there and that made it okay for me to be included.”

Lichti will be the second National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee from Stanford in the last three years. Mike Montgomery was a 2016 inductee.

“When I arrived at Stanford, there was a group that was very hungry for success,” said Montgomery, who coached the Stanford program from 1987-2004. “Todd was the clear leader of this group and commanded the respect from everyone around him. He was very talented and possessed the charge to lead our program to success it had not seen in nearly five decades. I am very proud of his accomplishments at Stanford and beyond. He is an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized among college basketball’s greatest of all-time. I look forward to celebrating his enshrinement this November.”

A three-time All-America selection, Lichti is one of only four players in conference history and the lone Cardinal to earn all-conference honors each of his four years. One of the most decorated players in program history, Lichti completed his career as Stanford’s leading scorer with 2,336 career points. More than three decades after his graduation, the total ranks second all-time. He scored in double figures in 121 of his 124 career games at The Farm.

Noted as the pioneer behind Stanford’s national rise to basketball prominence, Lichti guided Stanford to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 47 years as a senior in 1989. He was honored as a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press in 1989, also receiving All-America laurels from the United Press International his junior and season seasons. He led Stanford to 76 wins over his four years as a Cardinal.

Lichti’s career scoring average of 18.8 PPG ranks third all-time. Along with his scoring totals, the standout guard ranks among the leaders in program history in field goals made (second, 820), rebounds (15th, 697), assists (11th, 304), steals (fourth, 156), three-point field goal percentage (second, .477), field goal percentage (14th, .538), free throws made (third, 584), free throw percentage (fifth, .840), and starts (fourth, 119).

“Todd was the greatest player I had the good fortune to play with,” said Andrew Vlahov, Lichti’s Stanford teammate for two seasons. “His intelligence, competitive spirit and friendship played a large role in shaping my own attitudes as a student-athlete at Stanford and beyond. His basketball talents were incredible and are well documented, but people should also know that his character, integrity and humanity are also world class. A deserving recipient and one that all Stanford past and present students and faculty can be extremely proud of.”

Lichti was the 15th overall selection and first pick of the Denver Nuggets in the 1989 NBA Draft. He played five seasons in the NBA, where he averaged nearly eight points per game for his career. He later starred for several seasons in the Australian National Basketball League for the Perth Wildcats until he retired from basketball.

Lichti was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

“Todd is certainly one of college basketball’s all-time greats,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said. “It has been a true privilege to get to know him since I arrived at Stanford. His tremendous achievements on the court are only a piece of what he has accomplished as a professional, a husband and a father. This is a well-deserved honor and we look forward to celebrating along with Todd in Kansas City in November.”

The Hall of Fame’s 14th induction celebration in Kansas City will precede the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic, which will feature Stanford in its four-team field alongside Butler, Missouri and Oklahoma.

April 2nd

Josh Sharma has been selected to play in the NABC College All-Star Game at the Final Four.

All-Pac-12 standout Josh Sharma has been selected to play in the National Association of Basketball Coaches College All-Star Game, which features 20 of the nation’s most outstanding seniors in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.

The College All-Star Game will be held this Friday, April 5 at 1:30 pm PT on the court at the NCAA Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The game is free to attend and open to the public. The contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Sharma was selected to the 10-man West All-Star Team after a standout senior season on The Farm. He was a candidate for the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player Award and established a school record for field goal percentage in a season. His mark of .673 was not only a program record, it was the eighth-best field goal percentage in a season in Pac-12 history. He completed his standout career eighth on Stanford’s field goal percentage list, shooting .563 for his career.

Sharma was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection as a senio  after finishing the year as the conference’s field goal percentage leader and ranking in the top-10 in the league in offensive rebounds (third, 2.6 ORPG), blocks (seventh, 1.4 BPG) and rebounds (ninth, 7.1 RPG). He averaged 11.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG during Pac-12 play, posting double-doubles in five of his final seven games. Sharma averaged 14.7 PPG and 11.1 RPG in those seven games.

Sharma collected Pac-12 Player of the Week honors twice during the season. He was first recognized in late December after a 23-point, 18-rebound performance in the win over Long Beach State. He was honored again after posting a double-double in a sweep of UCLA and USC in February.

The full rosters for both the East and West teams for the NABC College All-Star Game are available on the NABC’s website.

Stanford football’s Pro Day to take place on Thursday

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal football team’s NFL Pro Timing Day will take place Thursday at Siebel Practice Field starting at 11 am PT. ESPN3 will broadcast the high-profile event with Troy Clardy ’97 and Tank Williams ’02 on the call.

15 former Stanford student-athletes are expected to showcase their skills in the weight room and on the field. Those 15 include linebacker Joey Alfieri, wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, punter Jake Bailey, wide receiver Isaiah Brandt-Sims, center Jesse Burkett, quarterback Keller Chryst, offensive lineman Brandon Fanaika, offensive lineman A.T. Hall, defensive back Alijah Holder, offensive lineman Nate Herbig, wide receiver Trenton Irwin, running back Bryce Love, defensive back Alameen Murphy, linebacker Bobby Okereke, and tight end Kaden Smith.

Stanford’s Pro Day will operate with a similar format to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis each winter.

The day will consist of classroom testing, weight room evaluations, on-field agility drills and football-specific position drills.

In the morning, select participants will begin in the weight room with measurables such as vertical leap, broad jump and bench press. After that, they’ll participate in the outdoor portion of the event. The outdoor drills are open to the public and admission is free.

On the field, select participants will be timed in the 40-yard dash, 5-10-5 shuttle, three-cone agility and position-specific drills.

Stanford will host its annual Cardinal and White Spring Game at Cagan Stadium on Saturday, April 13 at 1 pm PT. Admission is free and players will be available for postgame autographs.