DURHAM, N.C. — There’s a youth movement at USA Basketball camp this weekend with young WNBA players Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese making their debuts with the national team.

They’ve been competing against each other in college and the WNBA over the past few years and Bueckers was happy to have them as teammates again. Many of the young players had competed together for the U.S. on American youth teams. They’ll get their first taste of the senior national team in a camp at Duke this weekend.

“It’s great competing with them for a change instead of against them and I think we really bring out the best of each other,” Bueckers said. “I think that’s what USA Basketball does. Just so many amazing athletes and women coming together for one common goal. I think that’s always brought out the best of each other. It’s really fun to be able to share the court and be on the same side for a change.”

Bueckers gave the group the nickname “Young and Turnt” – a phrase used by youth players in the past to describe their high energy and excitement playing with USA Basketball.

The trio, along with other senior national newcomers Cameron Brink, Aliyah Boston and JuJu Watkins, are the future of USA Basketball with veterans Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird retired and other longtime fixtures in the lineup nearing the end of their careers. The U.S. has won eight straight Olympic gold medals and four consecutive world championships. Olympic veterans Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum will also be at the three-day camp.

“Obviously there’s some vets and there’s the older class who have already came in and won gold medals, and they have that experience,” Bueckers said. “So as a younger group, you want to ask them questions, soak it up, be a sponge. Like, get their experience and then grow in our experience as well.”

The average age of the 17 players at the camp is just over 25. Bueckers said having so many young players who have been together brings a comfort level.

“There’s a familiarity of competing with and against each other,” she said. “We kind of know each other and it’s more comfortable that way, too. We’re all coming in and we’re having the same expectations of just wanting to go in there and compete and have fun and bring our vibes in and just be us.”

Bird, who is now the managing director for USA Basketball, said this camp will hopefully give the new players a look at international basketball at its highest level.

“Really have it be a tone setter,” said Bird, who helped the U.S. win five Olympic gold medals as a player. “What is it to wear USA on your chest? What is it to be on this team? Whether it’s a World Cup qualifier we’ll get to in March or hopefully the gold-medal game of a big competition, you have to set the tone on Day 1.”

Though many invites went out for the camp, Bird said past Olympians such as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Napheesa Collier had other commitments.

“There’s a lot of moving parts, that’s always how it is for USA Basketball,” Bird said. “For the young players, it’s a great opportunity to get their first feel and first taste.”

Hearts are still pounding after the gripping finale where the Division 1 teams battled for glory in the final games at the T-Mobile District Arena in San Juan Puerto Rico. After three thrilling days and 94 intense matches, Special Olympics Angola women’s team emerged as champions of the first-ever 2025 Unified 3×3 Basketball World Cup. Special Olympics Angola claimed the crown after a hard-fought victory over Special Olympics Uruguay, with a score of 9-4.

The inaugural Special Olympics Unified 3×3 Basketball World Cup brought together nearly 200 athletes, dignitaries, performers and fans for an unforgettable celebration of sport, culture and inclusion. Hosted by Special Olympics International and Special Olympics Puerto Rico, this historic event unites basketball players with and without intellectual disabilities, known as Unified partners, from countries across the world. Modelled after the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup™, the Cup featured three days of fast-paced 3×3 competition, with 19 men’s teams and 17 women’s teams demonstrating the true meaning of sporting excellence and inclusive basketball.

These global teams poured months of preparation, heart, and passion into every play, and their dedication shone brightly on the court. Special Olympics Angola was represented by athletes and Unified partners Georgina Monteiro, Lucrécia António, Maria Yambe, Janice Pilamambo and Marioneth da Silva. Their coaches are Yolanda Suzana and Antonio Bartolomeu, the national director of Special Olympics Angola.

In the words of the team members: “She is not my sister by blood, she is my sister by heart”. Special Olympics Angola Lucrécia Antonio and Unified partner Janice Pilamambo share a bond that goes way beyond the basketball court. Across the world, this is what Special Olympics and Unified Sports is all about! 

The team’s victory came after an undefeated streak of five matches against Special Olympics Puerto Rico (13-8), Special Olympics Jamaica (14-4), Special Olympics Egypt (8-2) the semifinal against Special Olympics Nicaragua (14-3), and the final with Special Olympics Uruguay (9-4).

Team Angola’s success is rooted in the unwavering commitment of their coach, Yolanda Chitula. Since joining the program in 2022, she has never missed a single basketball event. Starting her journey at Special Olympics as a teacher and trainer, she overcame challenges to build a strong 3×3 team from the ground up. Under her guidance, the players learned quickly, supported one another, and created an inclusive environment that impressed everyone around them. Yolanda dreams of taking Special Olympics Angola to every corner of the country, and continuing to share opportunities and joy with more athletes.

Special Olympics Angola is the newest Program in the Africa Region, founded in 2022, but it is making tremendous moves as it expands its reach and partnerships. Under the skillful leadership of chairperson Jean-Jacques Nzadi Conceição, the former professional basketball player and FIBA Hall of Famer, the Program has ramped up activities and almost doubled its athlete count to 1,363 last year. And they are continuing this momentum through an innovative partnership with Manchester City and global appliance group Midea.

This partnership is another big step taken by Special Olympics Angola, who were among the first Programs to officially join the Special Olympics Global Coalition for Inclusion, under the Minister of Youth and Sports Honorable Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade. This partnership is set to transform the educational and athletic landscape for 3,085 youth across 128 schools nationwide, including those with intellectual disabilities. Over the next three years, more than 200 teachers will receive specialized training to ensure inclusive practices are effectively implemented. 

Coach Yolanda Chitula received training from FIBA instructors at the event, and was amazed at the scale and organization of this global event. “We also surprised the other teams with a beautiful and difficult dancing choreography, and they noticed our contagious energy, dancing and playing,” she said. “There were so many countries present, and many had not even heard of Angola. We in turn learnt about many new countries.”

Team captain Maria Yambe shared that, “This was my first time away from home, and the long journey was stressful, but we received such a warm reception in Puerto Rico. The organizers and volunteers were most attentive to our needs, and answered our questions with great care and respect. It was an incredible experience.”

Marioneth Da Silva is a Unified Partner on the team. “I have two brothers with autism. Seeing up close the scale, the impact and the inclusion that Special Olympics provides left me deeply moved and forever changed,” she said. “It was inspiring to witness the integration, respect and opportunities offered to all athletes. I am grateful for all the work that made this event possible and I am so happy to be part of such a special and enriching moment.”

“For me, the Games were more than a competition, they were a celebration,” said Special Olympics Angola national director António Bartolomeu. “We took 24 hours to arrive in Puerto Rico from home, and Special Olympics Angola made history by winning the gold.”

CORVALLIS — Tiara Bolden admits she didn’t inherit an aptitude for music from her family. Or dance moves.

But she can cook, she said. Meals and defenders.

“My mom, she played basketball, track, all that,” Bolden said. “My dad’s side, it’s nothing but musicians or NARPs. Non-athletic regular people.”

The star guard for Oregon State women’s basketball gives her father Dennis credit, however: he and his brother Chris contributed to a platinum record with writing, production and arrangement credits on “EV3,″ the third studio album from 90s girl group En Vogue.

Both brothers — particularly Bolden’s uncle Chris — have a lengthy history in the music business. Dennis is a talented pianist who loves to play the organ. Bolden said her father and his siblings pursued a record deal and thought they might be the next Jackson 5, then known as the “Golden Boldens.”

That nickname has stuck with Bolden among some of her OSU teammates, she said with a grin.

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Music is a binding force for Bolden’s family, but so is sports. Bolden first got into basketball by watching older brother Denzel, who she speculates is named after another icon of the 90s: Denzel Washington.

In second grade, Bolden signed up for youth basketball. Growing up in Eugene, she had a chance to watch Sabrina Ionescu and the Ducks play up close. But it wasn’t until the OSAA state tournament her junior year of high school that the Churchill High School graduate said she fell in love with the game.

“We were fortunate enough to play against Crater, and this is like the biggest game of the year for everybody,” Bolden said. “And we played it in Gill Coliseum. I had the time of my life in that game. I hit this little step back three and everybody went crazy and it blew up on Twitter.”

That game made Bolden realize she could play at the next level. After Churchill’s state tournament run was over, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Bolden played one last, truncated high school season the following summer and made the jump to junior college.

After one season at Eastern Arizona College in remote Thatcher, Arizona near the New Mexico border, Bolden transferred to Division I La Salle in Philadelphia. Time far away from home helped Bolden grow as a person and hone her game with hundreds of shots per day behind the scenes, she said.

After one season with the Explorers, an opportunity with Scott Rueck and OSU popped up. In a family full of Ducks, Bolden decided she would be a Beaver.

“My whole family, they all went to U of O, they graduated from there,” Bolden said. “And I was the one kid that was like, ‘You know what? I want to do something to my family hasn’t done.’ I wanted to go to Oregon State. Out of all the places that I’ve been to, one of the biggest things that I gave as, like, a piece of advice for other people, is to go where you’re wanted, but also go where you feel like you’re going to be supported the most.

“I’ve told Scott (Rueck), I wish I was here for all four years. Just because of the experiences and the way that people welcome you with open arms, it’s very special.”

Bolden averaged 8.1 points per game in her first season with the Beavers in 2024-25. But this season, after an eventful camp which included a season-ending knee injury to leading returner Catarina Ferreira, Bolden has stepped into a leading role by averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game on better than 50% shooting.

That 10-game run included tying her career-high with 25 points against Illinois, pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds against Utah State, and a return home to Eugene, where she finished with 16 points in a loss to the Ducks. The Beavers are 6-4 entering a matchup with undefeated Arizona State on Sunday.

With family packing the stands at Matthew Knight Arena, Bolden described the game at Oregon as “weird” but meaningful. It was another chance to draw parallels between the life she grew up with and the one she’s been able to find at OSU.

“We all grew up in a competitive household, whether it was games, cooking competitions, talent shows, things like that,” Bolden said. “But our family is definitely one that sticks by each other through thick and thin. And my family’s so big that it felt like every person I saw in town was basically like my cousin.

“So, that’s where basically my sense of community came from, how I grew up. And that transcends into college sports with me wanting to be in this community (at OSU). I’ve always had a big family that is always going to be there to support me no matter what.”

STATESBORO – Georgia Southern gave the kids what they wanted on Friday for its annual Kids Field Trip Day game, setting several records en route to a 136-74 victory over Coastal Georgia at the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center.

The Eagles (7-3) set school records for the most points in a game and the most three-pointers hit (15) in the victory over the Mariners, an NAIA school from nearby Brunswick, Ga.

Both teams set the tone early in an explosive first quarter that saw 64 points scored between the two teams. Georgia Southern led, 39-25, at the end of one, then held the Mariners to just 11 points in the second quarter as they built a 65-36 lead at halftime.

The second half opened up with exactly what the announced crowd of 4,167 elementary, middle and high schoolers anticipated as Kayla Cleaveland’s shot in the paint gave the Eagles 67 points. It was two of Cleaveland’s game-high 35 points, setting a new freshman scoring record at Georgia Southern.

The Eagles got the record-breaking total points and the record-breaking three-pointer with 31 seconds left as Kyla Bryant hit a three to make the score 136, surpassing the 133 points scored by Georgia Southern against Carver on December 13, 2021. The 15 threes broke the previous record of 14 threes set three times previously, the last time on January 8, 2021 vs. Appalachian State.

As a team, the Eagles shot 68.5% from the field (50-of-73), the third-best single-game shooting performance in school history. Georgia Southern also dished out 33 assists, which is third-most in a single game, and the 50 field goals rank fifth in school history. Finally, the 62-point margin of victory is tied for the seventh-best.

Cleaveland’s 35 points led a sextet of Eagles in double figures. Mckenna Eddings registered a career-high 27 points, while Kishyah Anderson added 17 points. Shanti Simmons had 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Destiny Garrett had 12 points and nine assists. Finally, Laney Scoggins registered a career-high 12 points as well.

Amanda Roach led four Mariners in double figures with 20 points.

Eagle of the Game

Cleaveland hit 12-of-15 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, and added 6-of-8 from the free throw line for her 35 points, breaking the previous freshman scoring record of 34 set by Tracy Wilson at Charleston Southern on February 8, 1989. She is one of only six players in Georgia Southern women’s basketball to score 35 points in a game, joining Wilson, Phylette Blake, Terren Ward, Regina Days and Gwen Thomas.

Stat of the Game

The Eagles’ 44 points in the third quarter mark the first time that Georgia Southern has surpassed 40+ points in a quarter since the NCAA moved to the four quarter system in 2015-16.

Quotables

Head coach Hana Haden on the Kids Field Trip Day game against Coastal Georgia

“It was a great performance by our team today. It’s always fun to play on Kids Day, it was an awesome environment. They were a lively audience and I thought our girls gave a really good show. We played very well and shared the ball with 33 assists. Two huge performances by Ken [McKenna Eddings] and Kayla [Cleaveland], when they’re hitting shots, the basket can get very big for them. Proud of our effort and energy and the way we competed today.”

Freshman Kayla Cleaveland on the big shot to open up the second half

“It’s a fun opportunity to be able to be the 67th point. But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. All they did was try and find me and give me the ball, they knew I had a hot hand and they were supporting me every step of the way.”

Next Up

Georgia Southern will open up Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday, December 18, hosting Georgia State in a 5 p.m. contest at The Hill.

A youth basketball coach and former Harlem Globetrotter posted videos this week showing his dusty vehicle covered in racial slurs and hate symbols outside his Petaluma home.

William “Bull” Bullard, 41, posted a video on Instagram showing his sport utility vehicle covered in swastikas, racial slurs and other hate symbols drawn into dust that had accumulated on Bullard’s vehicle. 

“Why do people think that vandalizing vehicles with racial slurs is OK?” Bullard said in a separate video posted to his Instagram. “A lot of y’all don’t understand that racism is not a game. … I’ve been a victim of it my whole life.”

Bullard goes on to say the incident has been disheartening for him since his move to the Bay Area to coach basketball and be a mentor to young people. 

Bullard said in his first post that this is the “third or fourth time” he has experienced racism since moving to the Bay Area from Detroit. He added in the video that he is seeking to press charges against whoever is responsible.

Petaluma police Lt. Zilverio Rivera told the Chronicle that an investigation into the incident was suspended after officers were unable to gather any evidence from the scene. The report first came in through the department’s online reporting system, but officers could not determine exactly where the crime happened after speaking with the person who made the report.

“Luckily, the insignia was a swastika drawn with a finger on a dusty vehicle,” Rivera said. “No damage was done besides obviously the concerns over the swastika.”

Bullard could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The NHL Power Players youth advisory board is back for its seventh season.

This season’s board is made up of 23 teens, aged 13-17 from the United States and Canada that were chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants.

Launched in 2019, the Power Players offer feedback and suggestions to the NHL on how to help grow the game amongst young people like themselves.

New board member Sophie Knakal, a 16-year-old from Manhasset, NY, is excited to have the opportunity to show kids her age what hockey has to offer.

“With the program, I wish to accomplish gaining more fans, getting more teenagers to become fans of the NHL,” Kankal said. “When I meet people, I love sports [so] the first thing I ask them is, ‘oh what’s your favorite sport?’ And I hardly ever hear hockey and I want to change that. It’s such an exciting and action-packed game.”

Knakal got into hockey thanks to her dad, a huge New York Rangers fan. She played two seasons of travel hockey as a kid. The family has had Rangers season tickets since she was 7 years old.

When she saw the NHL Power Players advertised while watching NHL Network every morning, she knew she had to join.

“I went online and looked at the Power Players website and thought it was really cool that they have this initiative where they have kids give them advice on how to market to them,” Knakal said. “I think it’s really smart because they want to market to kids. So, hearing from kids would be a great way to get that first-hand experience.”

The advisory board meets twice per month where they discuss their opinions on happenings around the League such as the players’ new relaxed dress code and how to increase reach to casual fans, especially females.

The program is also an opportunity for the members to develop leadership skills to benefit their future careers with many interested in a career in sports or advocacy. Perfect for Knakal, who plans on majoring in sports management in college and her dream is work for the NHL one day.

Peyton Tigchelaar, a 17-year-old from Vancouver, BC, joined the board to help increase outreach to diverse communities.

“My passion is increasing visibility to women’s sports and underrepresented ethnicities. I’m a girl and I’m also Chinese, so there aren’t very many people like me who are hockey fans or even play the sport itself. I would really like to diversify the fan base.”

Tigchelaar was inspired by her experience this past summer with the organization Black Girl Hockey where she had a blast working with professional athletes to teach girls of all ethnicities hockey.

Born into a hockey family, Tigchelaar started playing the sport in 2016 after joining the San Jose Sharks learn to play program when she lived in California. Both her parents played hockey and her grandfather played professionally.

Sophie, Peyton and may of their fellow board members will travel to two of the NHL’s marquee events this season, the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Miami and the 2026 Stadium Series Navy Federal Credit Union in Tampa Bay, where the members will be face to face together for the first time.

“I’m super excited for the Winter Classic,” Tigchelaar said. “I have been preparing for Miami for months now. I am so excited to meet the board because we don’t really get the chance to see each other in person. I’ve only met one of the Power Players so far in person and I just want to meet everyone else, so I think that’s going to be a great way to connect with everyone.”