TALKING POINTS

O’Hoppe family celebrates rookie C Logan making opening day

OAKLAND — Arms crossed, Michael O’Hoppe paced outside the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday eagerly awaiting the exact moment he would be let inside to gear up for rookie son Logan catching for the Los Angeles Angels on opening day.

With superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound, no less.

“It’s bigger than the dream — he’s catching Shohei Ohtani on opening day. It’s crazy,” mom Angela O’Hoppe said of seeing her son become the youngest Angels catcher to start a season opener.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound O’Hoppe, the lone rookie on the Angels’ opening-day roster, was in the starting lineup against the Oakland Athletics at 23 years, 49 days old. Buck Rodgers was previously the youngest Angels catcher to start an opener at 23 years, 237 days old in 1962.

O’Hoppe also became the first rookie catcher to start on opening day for the Angels since Bengie Molina in 2000.

“He got his size from me,” cracked his overjoyed father, who already beat the odds by surviving non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2021 after doctors gave him less than a year to live.

Michael watched intently from the warning track dirt behind the cage as Logan took his pregame cuts.

His family and close friends were thrilled and overcome with emotion. Hard to imagine it all happening, let alone this soon for the 23rd-round draft pick — 677th overall — out of Saint John the Baptist in West Islip, New York, on Long Island.

North Texas secures 1st NIT championship in C-USA showdown

LAS VEGAS — Kai Huntsberry scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, Tylor Perry scored 14 of his 20 after halftime and North Texas beat fellow Conference USA foe UAB 6861 on Thursday night to claim the program’s first NIT championship.

It was the fourth NIT championship game to feature conference opponents — and the first in 20 years. Conference USA is now 18-2 in the NCAA postseason — with Charlotte winning the College Basketball Invitational title and FAU advancing to the Final Four.

Perry, the conference player of the year and NIT MVP, made a steal and a 3-pointer on a fast break to give North Texas the lead for good at 55-53 with 6:22 remaining. Aaron Scott extended it to 61-55 after making a high-arching

layup and a jumper.

UAB guard Jordan Walker was fouled on a 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining and he made two free throws to get within 6359. North Texas had two shots on its next possession after an offensive rebound and Perry sank a jumper.

After UAB made two more free throws with 49.6 seconds left, Perry dribbled down the clock and hit a step-back jumper, with a foot on the 3-point line, for a 68-61 lead. UAB missed a 3-pointer and Huntsberry was fouled at 13.2 before securing it at the line.

North Texas won its second NCAA postseason championship under sixth-year head coach Grant McCasland. The Mean Green won the 2018 CBI title in his first season in Denton.

Scott finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for North Texas (31-7), which set a program record for wins in a season.

Walker scored 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting for UAB (29-10), which was in the NIT title game for the first time in program history. KJ Buffen added 11 points.

Javian Davis converted a three-point play with 12:43 left in the second half for UAB’s first lead, 47-45, since it was 15-14. The Mean Green scored 22 of the first 30 second-half points.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the teams — with North Texas winning two regular-season meetings before

a matchup in the conference tournament semifinals.

Gonzaga’s Timme among 5 finalists for men’s Wooden Award

LOS ANGELES — Drew Timme of Gonzaga is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the men’s college basketball player of the year.

He’s joined by Zach Edey of Purdue, Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana, Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Jalen Wilson of Kansas.

Timme took his team farthest in the upset-riddled NCAA Tournament with Gonzaga losing in the Elite Eight. Sasser helped Houston reach the Sweet 16. Purdue lost in the first round, while Indiana and Kansas were beaten in the second round.

The winner will be announced April 4 on ESPN. All five players have been invited to Los Angeles for the 47th annual presentation on April 7.

Also among the top 10 vote getters were: Jaime Jaquez Jr. of UCLA, Brandon Miller of Alabama, Penn State’s Jalen Pickett, Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis.

Voting took place from March 13-20. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley will receive the Legends of Coaching Award during the ceremony at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Knicks’ Randle out rest of regular season with ankle sprain

NEW YORK — Julius Randle will miss the rest of the regular season with a

sprained left ankle, and his availability for the playoffs — if the New York Knicks make it — is in doubt.

Randle was hurt Wednesday in a victory over Miami, and the Knicks said Thursday that the All-Star forward would be re-evaluated in two weeks. That would be two days before the postseason is scheduled to open on April 15.

The Knicks are in good shape to qualify for the postseason at fifth in the Eastern Conference with five games to play. But it’s hard to imagine they would be a threat to advance without Randle, who leads them with 25.1 points and 10 rebounds per game.

He was hurt in the second quarter Wednesday when Bam Adebayo landed on him after Randle grabbed an offensive rebound and pump-faked the Heat center into the air. Randle stayed in to shoot free throws but then immediately left the game, limping directly to the locker room.

AP source: Alabama’s Brandon Miller declares for NBA draft

Alabama All-American forward Brandon Miller is heading to the NBA after displaying versatile talent and athleticism in a lone season of college ball that was blemished by revelations he was present at a fatal shooting in January near campus.

ESPN first reported on Miller’s decision, and a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the report to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Miller hadn’t yet made an official declaration for the draft.