HORNETS-KAMINSKY
First-round pick Kaminsky signs contract with Hornets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β First-round draft pick Frank Kaminsky has signed a contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
The team, which announced the signing Thursday, didn’t release terms of the deal.
The ninth overall pick in last month’s NBA draft, Kaminsky was the Big Ten Player of the Year, He averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks in 33.6 minutes per game as a senior at Wisconsin.
Kaminsky was a 54 percent field goal shooter who also shot 41 percent from 3-point range. He ranked second in the conference in rebounding, third in scoring, third in field goal percentage and seventh in 3-point percentage.
CLEMSON-CHANGES
Clemson adjusts to offseason problems
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) β It has not been the most trouble-free offseason for Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney.
The Tigers have lost perhaps their best offensive lineman when Isaiah Battle declared to enter the NFL supplemental draft, while rising defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko was dismissed from the team in May after he was arrested and charged with financial transactional fraud.
Also last month, Clemson kicker Ammon Lakip was suspended indefinitely from the team after he was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and driving under the influence. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Lakip’s status would be reevaluated during the summer.
The losses all come in areas of concern for Clemson entering the season β and have coaches shuffling to fill the voids on offense, defense and special teams.
COLLEGE HOME RUN DERBY
North Dakota’s Jeff Campbell champ in College Home Run Derby
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) β Jeff Campbell of North Dakota won the College Home Run Derby, hitting 10 homers in the finals to easily defeat Wake Forest’s Will Craig on Thursday night.
Campbell set a derby record with 20 first-round homers, the longest traveling 479 feet. The senior first baseman-pitcher followed with four more in the second round to secure a spot in the two-man finals.
Craig went deep nine times in the first round and waited two hours until his next turn. He hit 16 in the second round for a total of 25, quitting with two outs left after he took the overall lead and knocked out Georgia Tech’s Kel Johnson.
Craig had only 18 minutes between his turn in the second round and the finals, and he could only get five more balls over the fence.
There were no bat restrictions for the eight contestants, and major-league baseballs were used.
NASCAR-CONFEDERATE FLAG
NASCAR tracks jointly ask fans not to fly Confederate flag
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) β Every track that hosts a NASCAR national series race has asked its fans to refrain from displaying the Confederate flag at its events.
In a statement signed by International Speedway Corp., Speedway Motorsports Inc. and 30 tracks, the facilities vowed to have “welcoming environments in all of sports and entertainment.”
The statement released Thursday includes independent tracks such as Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, Pocono Raceway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
NASCAR Chairman Brian France has called the flag a symbol he personally finds offensive and said he wants to be as aggressive as possible in barring it from sanctioned events.
Daytona International Speedway will hold a voluntary flag exchange program this weekend in which fans can swap any flag of their choice for an American flag.
GREENBRIER CLASSIC
Tiger Woods shoots 4-under 66 at Greenbrier Classic
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) β Tiger Woods has rebounded from a dismal U.S. Open with a 4-under-par 66 in the opening round of The Greenbrier Classic.
Helped by Thursday’s morning rain that softened the Old White TPC course in West Virginia, Woods posted his lowest score of the season and matched his best in relation to par. It was only the fourth time he shot in the 60s in 21 rounds.
Two weeks ago at the U.S. Open, Woods had the highest 36-hole score of his pro career β 156.
He started on the back nine Thursday and shook off a double bogey on the sixth hole. He finished his round with three straight birdies.
Woods was four shots behind Scott Langley, who shot 62. Jonathan Byrd and Danny Lee each shot 63. Brian Davis and Ryo Ishikawa had 64s.
