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Michigan State basketball could be back in the mix for a 5

Tom Izzo has had an eventful offseason so far and he’s piecing together yet another quality Michigan State basketball team for 2025-26 that could compete for a second straight Big Ten title. Right now, Purdue is the class of the conference, but Michigan State isn’t far behind. The Spartans have lost Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, […]

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Michigan State basketball could be back in the mix for a 5

Tom Izzo has had an eventful offseason so far and he’s piecing together yet another quality Michigan State basketball team for 2025-26 that could compete for a second straight Big Ten title.

Right now, Purdue is the class of the conference, but Michigan State isn’t far behind.

The Spartans have lost Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, Xavier Booker, Gehrig Normand, and Jase Richardson this offseason, but they’ve also added Trey Fort and Kaleb Glenn from the transfer portal and Cam Ward and Jordan Scott in the 2025 class.

There’s still room — and a need — for one more player, preferably in the backcourt.

With the backcourt losing Holloman, Akins, and Richardson, only Jeremy Fears Jr. and Kur Teng remain with Fort coming in to help. One more combo guard or backup point guard would complete the roster. Izzo said that Richardson hasn’t closed the door on a return, but that’s unlikely to happen, but there’s another intriguing option that just presented itself on Saturday.

Top 2025 combo guard target Darius Adams decommitted from UConn on Saturday.

Why is this important?

Michigan State finished second in his recruitment before he committed to the Huskies back in the fall so it feels like there’s a pre-established relationship there that could be reignited with him back on the market and the Spartans in need of backcourt help.

Adams is a 6-foot-5, 165-pound combo guard from La Lumiere in Indiana and he’s ranked the No. 23 overall prospect in the 2025 class, per the composite on 247Sports.

Word on the street is that Alabama is showing some early interest but Tennessee was also a finalist for Adams before he committed to UConn. This should still be an option for the Spartans. Izzo needs to reach out because he could be the final piece to the 2025-26 Big Ten championship puzzle.

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Team USA Defeats Germany, 6-3, in Men’s Worlds Preliminary Round Action

Just 1:42 into the contest, Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres/University of Connecticut) opened the scoring to give the U.S. an early lead, capitalizing with a wrister from the left circle off a feed from Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets/University of Michigan) on the power play. Frank Nazar (Mount Clemens, Mich./Chicago Blackhawks/University of Michigan) doubled the advantage at the […]

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Just 1:42 into the contest, Tage Thompson (Orange, Conn./Buffalo Sabres/University of Connecticut) opened the scoring to give the U.S. an early lead, capitalizing with a wrister from the left circle off a feed from Zach Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Columbus Blue Jackets/University of Michigan) on the power play.

Frank Nazar (Mount Clemens, Mich./Chicago Blackhawks/University of Michigan) doubled the advantage at the 9:44 mark when a feed from Cutter Gauthier (Scottsdale, Ariz./Anaheim Ducks/Boston College) deflected off Nazar’s skate at the top of the crease and into the back of the goal. 

With 5:43 remaining in the opening frame, Thompson carried the puck into the offensive zone, weaved through the German defense and fired a shot on goal that rebounded to the left circle where Drew O’Connor(Chatham, N.J./Vancouver Canucks/Dartmouth College) put it into an empty net to make it 3-0.

At the 8:43 mark of the middle stanza, Germany’s Eric Mik picked up a power play tally with a short-side shot from the left circle to cut the lead to 3-1. 

Jonas Muller brought Germany within one goal with 5:17 to play in the second period, with his wrist shot finding the top corner of the net from the slot.

Just 48 seconds later, Germany’s Wojciech Stachowiak scored on the power play to even the game, redirecting a shot from the point on the back door past netminder Joey Daccord (North Andover, Mass./Seattle Kraken/Arizona State University).  

Garland buried what proved to the game-winning goal on the power play 4:50 into third period with a one-timer from the slot off a feed from Clayton Keller (St. Louis, Mo./Utah Mammoth/Boston University). 

Logan Cooley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Utah Mammoth/University of Minnesota) scored an important insurance marker at 16:31 after Keller intercepted a pass behind the net, fed Garland in the left circle who found a wide-open Cooley on a cross-ice feed. Keller accounted for the 6-3 final with an empty-net goal at 18:07.

Daccord picked up the win in the U.S. goal with 18 saves.

Team USA is back in action tomorrow (May 18) against Kazakhstan. Puck drop is set for 10:20 a.m. ET, live on NHL Network. 

NOTES: The U.S. outshot Germany 44-21 … Team USA was 2-5 on the power play, while Germany was 1-2 … Conor Garland, with a goal and three assists, was named the U.S. Player of the Game.





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Free museums abound in Pa. Find the one for you with this guide.

This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Summer is the season for day trips and exploring new places. But when you’re planning excursions, the costs can quickly […]

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This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here.

Summer is the season for day trips and exploring new places. But when you’re planning excursions, the costs can quickly add up.

Good news for your wallet: PA Local is here to help! This guide includes 29 museums and historic sites across Pennsylvania that you can visit at no cost — plus an iconic one that charges just $1.

They range in size — some can be toured in half an hour, while others can fill half a day — but they’re all a bargain. So when you make plans for your next trip around the commonwealth, be sure to add some of these spots to your itinerary.

For a science-themed outing

When you think of Philadelphia museums, its massive art galleries and history collections likely come to mind. But there’s also a solid handful of free science-oriented options to round off a day in the City of Brotherly Love. The Wagner Free Institute of Science houses thousands of fossils and minerals; the Science History Institute offers an hour’s worth of exhibits on 500 years of scientific practices and discoveries; and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center offers a quick look at the region’s watershed.

At Penn State University in State College, there’s multiple science offerings: the Frost Entomological Museum, a small collection focused on Pennsylvania arthropods, and the EMS Museum & Art Gallery, where you can view materials related to earth and mineral science.

In Erie, you can enjoy some time outdoors at Presque Isle State Park before stopping by the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, which boasts interactive exhibits.

And if you find yourself with a free evening in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Observatory seasonally offers two-hour tours geared toward adults. (Reservations are required, and you have to stay with your guide the whole time.)

To learn about history

Pennsylvania is old, so there’s history to be found in nearly every corner.

In Philadelphia, you can visit the Liberty Bell for free and tour Independence Hall for $1. If you want to see something a little less mainstream, there’s the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, a house where the famous author and poet once lived (currently closed for renovations but scheduled to reopen late summer), or the Temple Shoe Museum, a small collection of footwear-related exhibits you can view by appointment only. The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History is another free option, and you can easily spend a few hours there.

Just outside of Philly, there’s Valley Forge, where Washington’s army stayed for a winter during the American Revolution. It has a museum exhibit at the Visitor Center. War history buffs in the Philly suburbs can also stop by the Bucks County Civil War Museum in Doylestown during its small window of public hours on Saturdays.

Fayette County is home to Fort Necessity National Battlefield, the site of the first fight in the French and Indian War. There’s an interpretive and education center on site focused on both the battle and the National Road, America’s first federally funded highway.

In Berks County, the Conrad Weiser Homestead — once home to an 18th century German immigrant who served as a liaison for the Pennsylvania government in its dealings with Native American tribes including the Iroquois and Lenape — sits on 26 acres and has three tourable buildings.

If you’re a train lover, head to Scranton to check out Steamtown, a historic site and museum that focuses on the early days of American railroads and the people who kept them chugging. Or you can check out Harris Tower in Harrisburg, where a group of enthusiasts maintains a seasonal railroad museum. It’s open Saturdays between the last weekend in May and the end of October.

Another seasonal option is the Appalachian Trail Museum in Cumberland County. This volunteer-run museum tells the story of the popular hiking trail since its beginnings a century ago.

And we can’t forget about Gettysburg. You’ll obviously want to see the Civil War battlefield and its museum and visitor center — but did you know you can also tour the nearby farm of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower?

If you like art

Art lovers who find themselves in the Lehigh Valley are in luck, because the Allentown Art Museum started offering everyday free admission in 2022. Exhibits range from Renaissance and Baroque art to Tiffany glass.

In Pittsburgh, you can see the Frick Art Museum’s permanent collection, with its Chinese porcelain and Flemish tapestries, for free. (If you want to see any special exhibitions, you’ll have to pay.) Thirty miles southeast in Greensburg, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art features paintings, sculptures, and gardens, and it offers free guided tours most Saturdays.

For the modern-day renaissance person, a tour of the state capitol in Harrisburg is a great option. You’ll learn about history and government, and your guide will also show you the building’s breathtaking art while briefing you on the Pennsylvania artists who made it.

And if you happen to be spending some time on or near a college campus, you may very well be able to see some art for no charge. To name a few options, you’ll find the Berman Museum at Ursinus College; the Phillips Museum of Art on Franklin & Marshall’s campus; the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania; the Palmer Museum of Art on Penn State’s main campus; and the University Museum and Kipp Gallery at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (Note: Some of these museums are only open while their home colleges are in session, meaning they might not be the best summer pick. Make sure you check operating hours and dates when planning your visit.)

You might also be able to see art on display right in your own community during a First Friday event. Although these monthly evening events often aim to give artists the opportunity to sell their work, you can usually just look and appreciate it at no cost. Some places also offer free activities or live music. Communities big and small host First Fridays — for example, Lancaster, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Wellsboro, and many more.

Did we miss your favorite free museum in Pennsylvania? If so, let us know what it is and why it’s awesome.

BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.



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DISTRICT SOCCER

PORT ANGELES — The Sequim boys soccer players and coaches both said they’ve been working hard this season to improve the team’s set pieces. On Thursday night, that work paid off. The Wolves scored two goals on headers off corner kicks, and those two scores held up in a 2-0 win at Wally Sigmar Field […]

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DISTRICT SOCCER

PORT ANGELES — The Sequim boys soccer players and coaches both said they’ve been working hard this season to improve the team’s set pieces.

On Thursday night, that work paid off.

The Wolves scored two goals on headers off corner kicks, and those two scores held up in a 2-0 win at Wally Sigmar Field over Bremerton as Sequim moved on to a winner-to-state match in the District 3 tournament.

Sequim (8-9-0) will next play Fife (14-3-1) at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood at 11 a.m. today, with the Port Angeles-Franklin Pierce game immediately following at the same venue. That is also a winner-to-state game. Those games will be broadcast on the NFHS Network.

Coach Dave Breckenridge said his team kept its composure in the face of Bremerton’s physical style of play. One Bremerton player was given a red card out of the game late in the second half.

“We didn’t play their game, and we kept our composure. We didn’t stoop to their level,” Breckenridge said. He said the team has been working hard in
practice on corner kicks and set pieces.

“We’ve been working on that for weeks,” Breckenridge said.

“We’ve struggled all year with it,” said Nico Musso, who had Sequim’s second goal. “All the work we’ve done finally paid off.”

Bremerton (5-14) was the surprise team of the tournament, making it to the third round despite its poor record by beating Clover Park (10-5-2). The Knights also narrowly lost to a good Franklin Pierce team 2-1 and for the most part gave the Wolves all they could handle despite being shorthanded.

Evan Cisneros had a couple of good chances early against the Knights. He had a shot in the 16th minute that actually got through the Bremerton goalkeeper, but the ball stayed out. In the 21st minute, Cisneros had a high shot that forced the keeper to make a leaping save.

That shot helped create a corner kick, however. Sebastian Buhrer took the corner and Cisneros was rewarded when he headed the cross in for the Wolves’ first goal.

Sequim’s second goal in the 49th minute was nearly identical to the first, just at the other end of the field. Josh Alcaraz took the corner kick and this time Musso headed the ball in to give the Wolves an insurance goal. That score held up for the next 30-plus minutes as Bremerton put some pressure on but never got a shot past Sequim keeper Nolan Valenzuela.

It was the second postseason win for the Wolves, who also beat Steilacoom 2-1 in overtime in the district opener on the same field.

“This feels good,” Musso said. “The last two years, we haven’t even come close to making state. We’ve been building our chemistry and we’re getting there. I think we can get it.”

________

Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or
sports@peninsuladailynews.com.


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Prominent College Football Head Coach Predicts Sky-High NIL Spending in 2025

NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another. As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports. Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse. There […]

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NIL expenditures have skyrocketed over the past few seasons in college football, with the nation’s top programs all struggling to keep up with one another.

As spending has grown, so has the debate surrounding the current state of NIL in sports.

Even the President of the United States has gotten involved in the discourse.

There are various opinions circulating about what needs to be done moving forward. A common theme among them seems to be that while student athletes deserve to get paid, there needs to be some level of structure in the system to preserve the long-term viability of college athletics as a whole.

The upcoming House vs. NCAA settlement ruling could offer some guidelines to the NIL landscape. However, until the settlement is approved, spending will only continue to skyrocket, particularly among the upper echelons of college football.

Recently-extended Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema has a pretty good idea of what the nation’s top teams are shelling out, and he recently touched on the topic in an interview.

According to 247Sports’ Carter Spahn, Bielema made a pretty astonishing prediction.

“You’re going to see teams this year in college football — just because I know the landscape that I’m dealing with — that are probably in the neighborhood of 30-35,” Bielema said. “Maybe even some of them close to $40 million rosters, which is insanity at its best, but it’s also awesome for our kids.”

Bielema has long supported NIL but acknowledges that not every team has the same resources. After all, the Fighting Illini are far from a football powerhouse, so while teams like Ohio State may be able to afford to spend $40 million, Bielema doesn’t have that luxury.

“Last year, we finished fifth in our 18-team conference,” Bielema said. “We had about a $5 million pool that we were working off of, but the four teams ahead of us, I think, were north of $20 million. You can pull that off once in a while, but to pull that off year in and year out is just not in the deck of cards that we’re dealt.”

College football, in many ways, has always been a story of the “haves” and the “have-nots.”

Elite programs have always had an easier time hoarding top talent, but NIL has seemingly grown this disparity far more than ever.

$40 million in NIL may seem absurd now, but without some change in the near future, that figure could end up looking like small potatoes five years down the line.

More NIL News





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Kirby Smart’s NIL comments at Georgia after Jackson Cantwell’s pledge to Miami draws reaction

(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports) Notes Dawg247’s Kipp Adams, Georgia is preparing for a House settlement that could provide some structure, with the ability to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool on July 1, with about $13.5 million expected to go to football players. “It’s trying times, because not everybody knows kind of what we’re playing by, […]

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(Photo: Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)

Notes Dawg247’s Kipp Adams, Georgia is preparing for a House settlement that could provide some structure, with the ability to pay athletes directly from a $20.5 million pool on July 1, with about $13.5 million expected to go to football players.

“It’s trying times, because not everybody knows kind of what we’re playing by, you know, in terms of the rules and everything,” Smart said. “But it’ll work itself out. It’s one of those challenging times for everybody. Our coaches and assistants are the ones on the road having to deal with it, and the head coaches are out trying to raise money and playing golf tournaments.”



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NFL lineman Dan Skipper says college players need to love misery of football

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For former Arkansas Razorback turned Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper, it’s pretty easy to see how bad chasing NIL dollars has been for athletes when it comes to trying to transition to the NFL. Skipper not only knows what it takes to hold onto a professional football career at the highest […]

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For former Arkansas Razorback turned Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper, it’s pretty easy to see how bad chasing NIL dollars has been for athletes when it comes to trying to transition to the NFL.

Skipper not only knows what it takes to hold onto a professional football career at the highest level for multiple years, but also has first-hand knowledge as to how poorly developed many big money NIL players are when they first arrive in the NFL. One of the first things done now is to have players go around and say where they are from and how much they made in NIL at that school.

In an interview with “The Coaches Pod” last week, Skipper said he’s stunned at how much players are making as a large percentage are taking pay cuts to come to the NFL. He’s even more shocked to see these high dollar players get on the field and prove they aren’t worth anywhere near the money they are being paid.

“Kids spouting out, you know, $300,000, $400,000, yada yada yada, $2.2 [million],” Skipper said. “And I think there were three or four kids in the [$400,000] to $600,000 range who weren’t even on [practice] squad at the end of it. Like, that’s insane. Are you making half a million dollars in college and you’re not one of the best, you know, 53 plus 16 times 32, plus [all the players on injured reserves]?”

In some cases they players weren’t only so poorly developed at football that they couldn’t even make the practice squad. There were high dollar players who straight up couldn’t play football at all, which was highly perplexing the NFL players working alongside them.

“We saw it last year,” Skipper said. “You know, kid made $500,000 in college, could not play a lick of football. I don’t know. You can’t develop [bouncing school to school in] football. It’s not basketball. Like football, you get better playing next to people consistently, right? You go from fall camp, play all fall next to someone, spring ball, all summer workout. You know, and feel where these guys are, and you know where each other’s at. You can’t just, fall camp, see you later. Fall camp, see you later. It’s just not how you get better at this game.”

One consistent thing he noted when analyzing last year’s draft was how many successful players stayed at the same school all the way through. Skipper views it almost as harmful to players to line their pockets with so much money at a young age, only to have them fall off a steep cliff when their NFL dreams come immediately crashing down.

“You take your Top 10 quarterbacks every year and say they’re each getting $2 million for a round number,” Skipper said. “All right, so there’s $20 million in those kids. Of those 10, maybe one or two of them are any good in the league. There will be four or five that float around and [practice] squad their way through it, if they’re smart enough, or, you know, have a trait or something of that nature. But you go from $2 million at, you know, 19-20 years old to, oh, now you’re gonna go sell insurance. Like, are we really doing these kids a favor?”

For him, learning to value money while being on his own for the first time was important. Continuing to develop as he chased the NFL contract carrot in college helped him to appreciate small things while avoiding trouble.

“I know if I had any sort of cash in college, it wouldn’t have been good for me,” Skipper said. “We’d make $100 working security [at local bars or Wal-Mart AMP]. We thought we were high on the hog. Go to Goodwill, buy a Lazy Boy, throw to the bed of a truck, cooler of beer and you’re good to go.”

The biggest think Skipper has seen is a change in motivation, which is not a good thing. He is a firm believer that money can’t be the driving force behind wanting to play and grow in football.

“When you’re knee high to a grasshopper, you play because you love to hit someone,” Skipper said. “[Chasing money is] not why you started playing football … I want to hit someone, you know. And then it changed. I want to play on Friday nights. I want to be a varsity player. And then it was, you know, play on Saturdays. Get a couple offers. I want to play in the SEC. Like, all these goals and dreams change, and then, I don’t know, but football is just, if you’re in it for the money at 18 or 19, I don’t know.”

Still, he wants to be clear. Football, especially at the professional level, takes too much of a toll not to want and need quality compensation no matter how much someone loves the game.

“I’m 30, and I still love the game,” Skipper said. “The money’s great. I wouldn’t play for free. Let’s get that clear this year. Let’s get that clear. I’m not playing for free, but at the same point, like you have to love the misery of it. There’s nothing fun about getting in this yard and pushing a prowler on this thing when it’s, you know, 100 degrees with 90% humidity. That is horrible, but I know I need to do it to be ready. There’s nothing fun about squatting 600 pounds once a week all year long. That’s what it takes.”



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