Two USM standouts headed to Little East hall
GORHAM, Maine – Former University of Southern Maine standout student-athletes Renee (Heath) Towne and Tim Bonsant will be inducted into the fourth class of Little East Conference Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Providence (R.I.) Marriott Hotel.
The LEC is inducting 12 individuals as part of its fourth Hall of Fame class.
One of the most prolific players in the history of the Huskies’ men’s basketball program, Tim Bonsant finished his career with 1,616 points and presently ranks fifth on the Huskies’ all-time scoring list.
One of the finest two-sport athletes at USM, Towne distinguished herself as a member of the Huskies’ field hockey and softball teams, earning numerous conference and regional awards in both of her chosen sports.
Open to the public, with a $50 per person price of admission, the induction ceremony will be streamed live at www.littleeast.tv. Tickets and congratulatory program advertisements can be purchased online at http://mkt.com/LEC.
Patriots release TE Pascoe, two others
Veteran tight end Bear Pascoe was among three players released by the New England Patriots on Monday.
Pascoe played his first five seasons with the New York Giants and also spent the past two campaigns with Atlanta and Detroit, respectively.
A former sixth-round draft pick, Pascoe has 40 receptions and a pair of touchdowns in 85 games, including 34 starts. He faced an uphill battle to make the roster with Martellus Bennett signed in the offseason to backup incumbent Rob Gronkowski.
The Patriots also cut loose safety Cedric Thompson and defensive back V’Angelo Bentley.
Lakers add Team China forward
The Los Angeles Lakers signed forward/center Yi Jianlian on Monday.
Yi, the sixth overall draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007, averaged 7.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in five NBA seasons with four different teams.
The 6-foot-11 Yi had his best NBA season with the New Jersey Nets in 2009-10, posting career-high averages of 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Yi was a member of Team China in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. He averaged 20.4 and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 46.7 from 3-point range in five games.
Redskins RB Jones out for rest of preseason
Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones will miss the remainder of the preseason with a left shoulder injury, the team announced Monday.
Jones sustained a separated shoulder in the first quarter of Friday’s preseason game versus the New York Jets and did not return. The 23-year-old rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season in 2015 and was expected to handle a larger workload with Albert Morris signing with the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason.
Coach Jay Gruden told reporters that he has “high hopes” that Jones will be ready for the regular-season opener against Pittsburgh on Sept. 12.
Giants sign kicker Bullock
The New York Giants signed Randy Bullock on Monday as fellow kicker Josh Brown prepares to serve a one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Giants also waived untested Tom Obarski in favor of Bullock, who has spent his first three seasons with Houston and the New York Jets after winning the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker in college football at Texas A&M.
A fifth-round selection by the Texans in 2012, Bullock spent two seasons with the club before he was released on Sept. 29 after missing two of his first five extra points in 2015. The Jets quickly signed Bullock, who made 14-of-17 field-goal attempts and 19-of-20 extra-point tries in eight games.