Stamkos hopes to return to series
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos continues to progress from surgery to remove a blood clot and indicated there is a slim chance he can return during the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Stamkos, who scored 36 goals during the regular season, has been sidelined since he underwent surgery to remove the clot near his right collarbone on April 4. He is unlikely to play in Friday’s pivotal Game 4.
The Lightning trail the Penguins 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Magic land Vogel as coach
Frank Vogel has reached a deal in principle to become the new coach of the Orlando Magic, the Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday.
Vogel will replace Scott Skiles, who resigned as coach last week after one season on the job.
Vogel, 42, wasn’t retained by the Indiana Pacers after spending the previous five-plus season as coach of the franchise. He went 250-181 in the regular season and made five playoff appearances.
The Memphis Grizzlies were highly interested in Vogel’s services. The Houston Rockets and New York Knicks also had interest.
‘Wolves Towns leads All-Rookie Team
Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks were unanimous selections on the NBA All-Rookie Team, the NBA announced.
Joining Towns and Porzingis on the first team are Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The second team consists of Miami’s Justise Winslow, the Los Angeles Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell, Denver’s Emmanuel Mudiay, Indiana’s Myles Turner and Sacramento’s Willie Cauley-Stein.
Duke adds C Bolden to 2016 class
Duke added to one of the top recruiting classes in the country on Thursday when center Marques Bolden selected the Blue Devils over Kentucky.
The 6-foot-11 Bolden announced his choice during a news conference at his high school in DeSoto, Texas. He is ranked No. 11 in the country overall by Rivals.
“I am happy this is over with,” Bolden said. “You could tell this was a very difficult decision for me because it took so long. I was looking for the perfect situation and I realized that’s not going to happen.
“I did not want to regret my decision that’s why I took so long. It’s the biggest decision in my life so far.”
Bolden, a McDonald’s All-American, helped DeSoto win a state championship this season, averaging 23.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots as a senior.
Butler extends Holtmann through 2022
Butler has rewarded coach Chris Holtmann with a contract extension that runs through the 2021-22 season.
The Bulldogs won more than 20 games in each of Holtmann’s first two seasons. He has made the NCAA Tournament in each of his two seasons, joining Brad Stevens as the only coaches in school history to do so.
Butler went 22-11 last season and finished fourth in the Big East.
The Bulldogs are adding the highest-ranked recruiting class in school history. The class was ranked as high as 20th.
