The Tour de France picked up where it left off Sunday with another wildly aggressive day of racing in northern France.

There was a brawl between monument masters Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar for the sprint win, Visma-Lease a Bike was all offense, and there was a bizarre beef between some of the world’s top sprinters.

Van der Poel pulled on the maillot jaune for the second time in his career with what was – surprisingly – only his second win at Le Tour. He edged out Pogačar in a superstar uphill sprint that saw Jonas Vingegaard third rider home, only a length back.

Podium hopefuls Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič didn’t show their legs in the final kick, but they might just be thankful to have made the elite front group after they suffered costly losses on stage 1.

A couple of interesting narratives out of the stage?

Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike mean business. Just like Saturday’s opening stage, the “Killer Bees” were on the attack through the final, and the two-time maillot jaune himself threw a few jabs over the closing climb. Pogačar won’t be able to stampede his way through the Tour’s three weeks like he did last year.

The second storyline span out of the other end of the peloton. Is there something sour among the sprinters? Biniam Girmay, Brian Coquard, and Jonathan Milan were seen sharing some seriously terse words after they contested the intermediate kick.

Class of 2027 guard LJ Smith announced a scholarship offer from Indiana on Sunday afternoon.

It appears IU assistant Kenny Johnson is leading the charge here.  Smith thanked Johnson in his announcement of the offer on X.

Based on the average of the national recruiting rankings, Smith is a 4-star, the No. 49 player in the 2027 class, and the No. 2 combo guard.  Two outlets — 247Sports and ESPN — have Smith as a top-30 player in the class.  He appears to be trending favorably.

Smith played his first two years of high school at Lincolnton H.S. in Lincolnton, N.C.   As a high school sophomore he averaged 33.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game.  He scored at least 40 points in seven games as Lincolnton went 24-6.

In 2024-25, the 6-foot-4 Smith broke the NCHSAA sophomore single-season scoring record.

For travel basketball Smith plays for Team Thad on the Nike EYBL Circuit.  He is playing up a year with the 17u team and averaging 13.8 points while shooting 44.4% from three on 54 attempts.

Smith is a fluid athlete and a skilled guard who can score the ball at an elite level.  He’s a very good shooter and has a solid frame for his age.  That latter point should allow Smith to be a force in the paint on offense, and a top-end defender.

Smith is already one of the most coveted guards in his class.  He also has offers from North Carolina, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.

For a complete look at Indiana’s 2026 through 2028 offers and prospects, GO HERE.

 For complete coverage of IU basketball recruiting, GO HERE.   

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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MILWAUKEE – At Riverside University High School, the girls soccer team is in a league of their own. 

What they’re saying:

“It’s very fun, very energetic,” said Hser Mu Nar, Riverside senior defender.

“We’re all pretty close, like we all get along pretty well,” said Eh Moo Gay Paw, Riverside senior forward.

As you can tell, the Tigers are a close-knit group.

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Many of these girls have played together since freshman year, but they have much more than soccer in common. 

“We’re another family,” said Eh Gay, Riverside senior goalkeeper. “Some of us are related. Some of us aren’t.”

Dig deeper:

Riverside has a pretty significant Karen population.

The Karen are an ethnic group who come from the mountainous region of Southeast Asian, mainly Myanmar, which is formerly known as Burma, along with Thailand. However, hundreds of thousands of Karen have fled their homes due to religious and ethnic persecution. 

“We come from all over,” said Eh Moo. “We come from like, either Burma or Thailand, and then we don’t really have a country of our own. I guess you could say like we come from like a refugee camp, so we’re like all over the place.”

For Eh Moo Gay Paw, Hser Mu Nar and Eh Gay, their families immigrated in the early to mid-2000s to Milwaukee with other Karen refugees to join an already growing Karen population in town. 

“I know it was tough for them,” said Hser Mu. “I remember my dad telling me on the way here, my mom was crying since she was leaving her hometown where she grew up and everything.”

“My parents, my mom grew up in the mountains,” said Eh Moo. “My dad was born in Burma. It wasn’t easy, but we had help.”

Years later, their love for soccer brought them all together, and now, the team boasts quite a few Karen. 

“It was easy since we spoke the same language, had the same background and culture,” said Hser Mu. “It was easy for me to get along with them and just be friends with them.”

On the pitch, speaking Karen is an added advantage.

“We all speak it,” said Eh Gay. “It does help us on the field as well because we can just yell out each other’s name.”

And it’s clear, this trio takes pride in who they are.

“At first, people would ask us like where we come from, who we are, what we speak,” said Eh Moo. “We’re not very known, so we don’t really take offense to it.”

What we know:

In turn, they enjoy teaching others about the Karen.

“I don’t have the actual flag, but this is what our flag looks like,” said Eh Moo. “There’s red, white and blue and there’s like a tiger because we’re called the tigers and it represents our school.”

“It has sunrays,” said Hser Mu. “The nine sunrays represent the nine different regions we come from and in the middle of the sunray, there’s a frog drum which is our traditional instrument.”

The girls also celebrate Karen New Year and go to summer school to stay connected to their roots. 

“If we stick more to our culture, there’s going to be more people that understand us and what we have gone through and our past,” said Eh Gay.

Consider their head coach Vincent Goldstein one of those people. 

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“I’ve learned a lot,” said Vincent Goldstein, Riverside girls soccer coach. “First of all, culturally, I know they’re people that are very vibrant. They’re a population of people that really enjoy soccer. Soccer’s really big among the Karen population. They’re a lot of my favorite students. They’re really good kids.”

That’s the beauty of being on a team because the assists come not only on the field, but also in life. 

“I would have a lot less life experience if I wouldn’t have met them,” said Goldstein. “Here at Riverside, we really embrace the Karen population. We want more of them to come here, so we do what we can to try to promote them and try to make this place welcoming to everyone, but including the Karen.”

And for these girls, their pact will be an everlasting one. 

NEW YORK – The Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School Middle School basketball team continues to etch its name in New York City basketball history, claiming their fifth consecutive Charter School Athletic Association (CSAANYC) Basketball Championship this year.

The Harlem-based program, led by Harlem-native Head Coach and school principal Dermon Player, alongside Jamaican-born Coach Garfield Richards, overcame steep challenges to keep their championship streak alive — making this year’s win perhaps the most remarkable yet.

“This year’s win is more memorable and meaningful because without the lack of a gym facility, we were not able to have on-court practices,” said Coach Player. “We spent our time doing conditioning and team meetings.”

Instead of letting the absence of a home court derail their preparation, the coaching duo leaned on their experience, philosophy, and the resilience of their players to stay sharp and focused.

In an exclusive interview with South Florida Caribbean News, Coach Richards reflected on the effort that went into the season:

“We had two coaches with very similar coaching philosophies, determination and know what it takes to win. We also had one of the best players in the country, Amare Almodovar.”

Almodovar, already making waves nationally, is ranked 13th and 5th in the Class of 2030 by most scouting reports, and is projected to become a top college recruit in the years ahead.

Alongside Amare, a talented supporting cast of Isaiah Freeman, Keanu Santana, David McCorkle, Blake Alvarez, and A’mir Quadalupe provided the depth and chemistry needed to secure yet another championship.

Despite fielding a very young team this season, the program’s culture of hard work and family continued to pay dividends. Coach Player noted they plan to bolster the roster even further for next season and hope to finally secure an affordable gym facility to train in properly.

While the middle school program thrives, Coach Player acknowledged that the high school does not yet have sports teams — but he remains committed to building out full athletic programs for Capital Prep Harlem Charter School.

The two coaches share complementary but distinct philosophies. Richards emphasizes effort: “If other players are working out two hours, we are working out six hours. Work hard, work smart, and have fun,” he said.

Player, on the other hand, focuses on competing at a high level while fostering discipline, skill development, and a sense of family: “Seeing my players become successful motivates me. Success to me is a scholar athlete who struggles in the classroom but graduates middle, high school, or college — or a player with limited athletic ability who earns an athletic scholarship,” he explained.

As they look ahead, Coaches Player and Richards have no plans to slow down. “Every time we step on the court, our goal is to win a championship,” said Player.

With two coaches who live and breathe success, and a roster of hungry, talented players, the future of Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School basketball looks brighter — and perhaps more limitless — than ever.