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Ayla McDowell’s path to South Carolina women’s basketball, Dawn Staley

COLUMBIA — When Ayla McDowell was a freshman, Taneisha Rogers, her basketball coach at Cypress Springs High School in Texas, sent a text message. It was to South Carolina women’s basketball associate head coach Lisa Boyer. “I don’t know where you are with recruiting the class of 2025, but you need to come see this […]

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COLUMBIA — When Ayla McDowell was a freshman, Taneisha Rogers, her basketball coach at Cypress Springs High School in Texas, sent a text message.

It was to South Carolina women’s basketball associate head coach Lisa Boyer.

“I don’t know where you are with recruiting the class of 2025, but you need to come see this kid,” Rogers wrote.

Though Rodgers was putting her freshman’s name on coach Dawn Staley’s radar, it was still early.

“I knew she wasn’t there yet,” Rogers told The Greenville News. “I didn’t see her playing at that level yet, but I knew the player that she was going to be just because of her work ethic.”

In many ways, Rogers’ early read was accurate.

McDowell, now a 6-foot-2 small forward/wing, learned that some college coaches were questioning her ability to defend and to shoot 3-pointers.

She began waking up Rogers at 5 a.m. for gym sessions before school and wouldn’t leave the court until she made 20 consecutive free throws or shot above 50% from certain spots on the 3-point line.

“If she didn’t really perform how she wanted to perform the game or workout before, she would keep that in her mind,” Rogers said. “She’d take that into her next workout to try to perfect or to be better at it than the day before.”

Year after year, McDowell worked. She aimed to become a product too shiny to turn down, and one that ultimately, a coach as successful as Staley would want to sign.

Rodgers believes what McDowell did at the 2024 Nike Nationals, which is the championship tournament for the Nike Girls Elite Youth Basketball League, changed everything.

For four days, Staley and her staff sat inches from the sideline in the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago to watch some of the best girls high school basketball.

“Sitting front row, kind of taking note of the way that she developed, I don’t think that she was on their radar,” Rodgers said. “(McDowell) really just kind of took her game to the next level. She played in ways that I don’t think, you know, many people knew that she could play.”

McDowell visited South Carolina on Oct. 5 and despite witnessing the football team lose 27-3 to Ole Miss, she shut down her recruitment right after.

She announced her commitment by revealing a Gamecocks T-shirt under her jacket on Nov. 13, becoming the first signee in the class of 2025 for Staley.

In some ways, Dawn Staley has a veteran in freshman Ayla McDowell

Staley admitted in March that when things go wrong, she blames the point guard. One of the greatest ever to play the position, Staley understands the intricacies and the ripple effects it has on the four other players.

Vocal criticism and blame can be a polarizing coaching method. Some embrace the challenge; others don’t.

Though she isn’t a point guard, Rodgers wanted McDowell’s vocal leadership to grow, so two seasons ago she gave her a challenge.

“Everything that went wrong in practice was her fault, and I told her that,” Rodgers said.

Ranging from turnovers or a dress code issue, it was McDowell’s fault.

“That made her kind of take a more vocal approach to being a leader,” Rodgers said. “I think that along with her natural God-given talent it’s gonna help her be ready for the next level. I think she’ll be an immediate impact.”

What makes Rodgers so confident in McDowell is not a short list. She’s witnessed her work ethic firsthand and understands McDowell just wants to impact the game. Whether that be cheering from the bench, providing 15 points or just five rebounds, she’ll be a freshman who is willing to be flexible yet effective in her role.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, Staley must replace three starters but brings in McDowell along with wing Agot Makeer and transfers in point guard Ta’Niya Latson and center Madina Okot. McDowell’s minutes and specific role could change game to game, and it’s unclear how Staley will utilize her, but regardless of how she does, Rogers expects her to challenge the other team.

“She’s just an elite-level wing who can score at all three levels,” Rodgers said. “So it’s extremely hard to scout what she does, because she can kind of play all over the floor.”

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin



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JHMR youth camp offers great way to gain bike confidence

A newsletter for local events, community happenings, and more… JACKSON, Wyo. — For the little rippers around town: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and JH Sports are hosting bike camps this summer that will teach children to better handle the demands of more technical mountain bike riding. The JH Sports Youth Bike Camp offers a convenient […]

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JACKSON, Wyo. — For the little rippers around town: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and JH Sports are hosting bike camps this summer that will teach children to better handle the demands of more technical mountain bike riding.

The JH Sports Youth Bike Camp offers a convenient way to give young cyclists the confidence needed to explore the terrain that Jackson Hole has to offer. The five-day camp is perfect for bikers age 7 to 13 who are physically and mentally ready to spend five full days of supervised mountain biking. Participants must be able to ride a 20″ bike, confidently operate hand brakes and balance safely on their bike — both seated and while standing on the pedals. For riders ages 3 to 5, JHMR is hosting a one-time Learn to Pedal Bike Camp from June 30 to July 3.

The camps will run Monday through Friday every week until the end of August. Please note: Parents must be available to pick their child up from camp in the event of injury, illness or rain cancellation.

JHMR is proud to offer small group instruction from their professionally trained mountain bike coaches: each camp is limited to five riders. Each day the campers will work toward mastering the skills required to be a well-rounded mountain biker. Mornings begin with trail riding and skills practice, followed by an afternoon in the Jackson Hole Bike Park, or on one of the world-class trails, to focus on that day’s specific skills. Coaches will track participants’ daily progress in order to keep parents informed of ability level and advancement.

The bike camp focuses on these 10 skills over the five days:

  • Braking
  • Body position/bike-body separation
  • Berm cornering
  • Flat cornering
  • Jumping/popping
  • Pumping/weighting and unweighting the bike
  • Climbing
  • Track stand
  • Drops
  • Technical trails/line choice

Bike rentals and lift tickets are not included.



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European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation

Member of the EU Commission The European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation is a member of the European Commission. The portfolio was previously titled European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport until 2019 when it was merged with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation to form its current title. The portfolio […]

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Member of the EU Commission

The European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation is a member of the European Commission. The portfolio was previously titled European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport until 2019 when it was merged with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation to form its current title.

The portfolio is responsible for policies in education and training, youth, sport, civil society, and culture. The commissioner leads the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.

History of the portfolio

[edit]

Commissioner Ján Figeľ was approved by the European Parliament in 2004 as the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism. This was enlarged since the Prodi Commission with the addition of training and multilingualism (The Directorate-General is still just Directorate-General for Education and Culture).

However, when Romania joined the European Union on 1 January 2007, responsibility for multilingualism was handed over to the new Romanian commissioner, Leonard Orban. In its place the portfolio now also includes youth, sport and civil society. Figeľ describes his position is very orientated to “the citizens and their quality of life”.[1]

The commission has become increasingly active in education. The ERASMUS programme, which was established in 1987, is a student exchange programme promoting mobility of students between European universities. The Bologna process aims to create a European Higher Education Area where academic qualifications can be recognised across Europe. The European Institute of Technology is a proposed research university.

With the 2014 inauguration of the Juncker Commission, the portfolio was once again renamed – multilingualism was removed in favour of citizenship: “Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship”. Citizenship in turn was soon replaced by sport.[2][3] The title from 2014 to 2019 was thus European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The portfolio from 2019 is named European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.

List of commissioners

[edit]

The previous portfolio to the current was Culture, merged with Audiovisual policy and EP relations.

No. Picture Commissioner Took office Left office Time in office Party Country Commission
1
Viviane Reding
Reding, VivianeViviane Reding
(born 1951)
13 September 1999 21 November 2004 5 years, 69 days CSV  Luxembourg Prodi
2
Dalia Grybauskaitė
Grybauskaitė, DaliaDalia Grybauskaitė
(born 1956)
1 May 2004 11 November 2004 194 days Independent  Lithuania Prodi
3
Ján Figeľ
Figeľ, JánJán Figeľ
(born 1960)
22 November 2004 1 October 2009 4 years, 313 days KDH  Slovakia Barroso
4
Maroš Šefčovič
Šefčovič, MarošMaroš Šefčovič
(born 1966)
1 October 2009 9 February 2010 131 days PES  Slovakia Barroso
5
Androulla Vassiliou
Vassiliou, AndroullaAndroulla Vassiliou
(born 1943)
9 February 2010 1 November 2014 4 years, 265 days EDI  Cyprus Barroso
6
Tibor Navracsics
Navracsics, TiborTibor Navracsics
(born 1966)
1 November 2014 30 November 2019 5 years, 29 days Fidesz  Hungary Juncker
7
Mariya Gabriel
Gabriel, MariyaMariya Gabriel
(born 1979)
1 December 2019 15 May 2023 3 years, 166 days GERB  Bulgaria Von der Leyen
8
Iliana Ivanova
Ivanova, IlianaIliana Ivanova
(born 1975)
19 September 2023 30 November 2024 1 year, 72 days GERB  Bulgaria Von der Leyen
9
Ekaterina Zaharieva
Zaharieva, EkaterinaEkaterina Zaharieva
(born 1975)
1 December 2024 Incumbent 201 days GERB  Bulgaria Von der Leyen II
  1. ^ Ján Figeľ European Commission
  2. ^ “Background paper N° 1” (PDF). EOC EU Office. November 2014. previously named “Education, Culture, Youth and Multilingualism” (Commissioner Vassiliou) and now to be called “Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship”. The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tibor Navracsics, had been designated by Juncker to be in charge of this portfolio
  3. ^ “European Commissioner of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics”. The Orange Files. 2013. Navracsics was originally nominated to the post of Commissioner of Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship, though European Commission President Juncker chose to divest Navracsics of the latter domain and assign him the responsibility to oversee issues related to sports instead




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Young Stars to Shine at Upcoming Tennessee Youth Baseball State Tournament

Murfreesboro, TN – Grab your ball caps and folding chairs—it’s almost time! In just a few short weeks, the crack of the bat and the cheer of proud families will fill the air as the Tennessee Youth Baseball Association (TYBA) hosts its much-anticipated State Tournament, July 11–13, 2025, at Barfield Park, 697 Veterans Parkway, Murfreesboro. Open […]

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Murfreesboro, TN – Grab your ball caps and folding chairs—it’s almost time! In just a few short weeks, the crack of the bat and the cheer of proud families will fill the air as the Tennessee Youth Baseball Association (TYBA) hosts its much-anticipated State Tournament, July 11–13, 2025, at Barfield Park, 697 Veterans Parkway, Murfreesboro.

Open to players ages 3 to 15, this three-day celebration of baseball brings together teams from across the state for a weekend filled with teamwork, sportsmanship, and unforgettable summer memories. Families interested in having their young ballplayers join the excitement can get more info by calling 615-319-8508, emailing tyba4u@comcast.net, or visiting http://tybaball.com.

Now celebrating its 28th year, Tennessee Youth Baseball Association began right here in Murfreesboro and has grown into a cornerstone of the local youth sports community. With a heart for helping young athletes grow both on and off the diamond, the association proudly instills values of leadership, respect, and sportsmanship—principles coaches say every child can recite by heart.

“The attitude is unbelievable,” said one coach. “There are three words my boys use on and off the field: leadership, respect, sportsmanship. That’s what it’s all about.”

From pint-sized t-ballers to budding middle-school stars, Tennessee Youth Baseball Association offers more than just baseball. It’s a place where kids develop confidence, lifelong friendships, and a love for the game that lasts long after the final inning. Over the years, families have seen how baseball has helped kids grow in resilience, cooperation, and self-discipline—all while having a ton of fun.

Whether you’re a longtime fan of youth baseball or just looking for a wholesome way to spend a summer weekend, the TYBA State Tournament is a can’t-miss Murfreesboro tradition.

Mark your calendars for July 11–13 and come cheer on the future of Tennessee baseball!

 





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Youth arrested in connection to gang-related vandalism

Items found in vehicles of subjects arrested in an investigation of gang-related graffiti in Everett. Courtesy of the Everett Police Department. EVERETT, JUNE 19: The Everett Police Department (EPD) have made four arrests, one adult and three juveniles, in connection to three separate gang-related graffiti vandalism investigations this spring. Investigation 1: On March 6, officers […]

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EVERETT, JUNE 19: The Everett Police Department (EPD) have made four arrests, one adult and three juveniles, in connection to three separate gang-related graffiti vandalism investigations this spring.

Investigation 1:

On March 6, officers from the EPD held a graffiti vandalism paint-over operation that took place in the 1100 block of W Casino Road, near Walter E Hall Park. The operation targeted a location displaying known gang tags, which are known to have direct ties to gang violence, EPD said in a press release.

Two days following the event, a vehicle was observed dropping off four subjects who subsequently tagged the fence with gang-related graffiti.

A month later on April 3, the Everett Police Violent Crime Unit (VCU) and south patrol officers located the suspect vehicle using the Flock Safety System License Plate Readers (LPRs). The grant-funded Flock Safety cameras are utilized to capture reported license plates and monitor high crime areas before police arrive on the scene.

The occupants of the vehicle were identified, and officers found cans of spray paint and alcohol inside the vehicle, which was later towed pending a search warrant. The occupants of the vehicle included three individuals, a 15-year-old male, a 15-year-old female and an 18-year-old male.

After a search warrant for the vehicle was approved, three loaded pistols were located inside the vehicle.

“The connection between gang graffiti and violence is incredibly troubling, especially as we see more young people drawn into this dangerous cycle,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said. “We know that when a young person is carrying a firearm, they are likely one conflict away from tragedy—taking someone else’s life and derailing their own. That’s why we are treating this issue with the urgency it deserves. Our focus remains on preventing violence before it happens: through partnerships, upstream solutions and holding people accountable when necessary.”

Investigation 2:

On May 6, Everett patrol officers responded to an additional report of graffiti vandalism in the 1100 block of W Casino Rd. Responding officers observed fresh graffiti, which was identified as gang-affiliated, and saw a vehicle pulling away from the scene.

Officers detained the occupants of the vehicle and noticed spray paint cans and a significant amount of alcohol. The driver of the vehicle was an 18-year-old male, and the additional occupants were all juveniles.

This vehicle was impounded pending a search warrant and upon warrant service, a stolen firearm was discovered.

Investigation 3:

On April 26, the Everett Police Department’s Volunteers in Police Service painted over gang-related graffiti vandalism located along 75th St SE, across from Lions Park. The fence was then tagged with gang graffiti the evening of the following day. A suspect vehicle was identified using the Flock Safety System LPRs and further investigation led to the identification of a 17-year-old male as the suspect.

On May 14, the Violent Crime Unit located the 17-year-old suspect during a traffic stop in South Everett. He admitted to officers he was gang affiliated. Further investigation showed he was in possession of a stolen firearm with an extended magazine.

“Evidence shows that gang-related graffiti is directly linked to violent acts, and the multiple arrests and gun charges resulting from our recent investigations underscore that concerning relationship,” Everett Police Chief John DeRousse said. “Firearms in the hands of young people are a particularly volatile and tragic combination. We are seeing guns used to settle disputes, retaliate against perceived threats or gain status – and it’s putting lives at risk. Because of this, Mayor Franklin identified youth safety as a critical priority this year, directing resources towards prevention as well as robust investigations and holding offenders accountable for the harm they cause our community.”

Several of these investigations are still ongoing, but to date:

  • A 15-year-old female was booked into the Denny Juvenile Justice Center for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 2 and Possession of Graffiti Implements
  • A 15-year-old male was booked into the Denny Juvenile Justice Center for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 2 and Possession of Graffiti Implements
  • A 17-year-old male was booked into the Denny Juvenile Justice Center for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm 2 and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
  • An 18-year-old male was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for Minor in Possession and additional weapons violations.

Based on a press release from the Everett Police Department. 



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Stanley Cup Shenanigans & Winning in Youth Sports | Ep #97 | FOX Sports Radio

The Florida Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup Championship. Covino & Rich reflect on some of the craziest antics players have had during their time with the Cup. Coach Rich is at it again, and questions whether or not winning is important in youth sports. And Buster Posey “speaks out” against the Devers trade, […]

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The Florida Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup Championship. Covino & Rich reflect on some of the craziest antics players have had during their time with the Cup. Coach Rich is at it again, and questions whether or not winning is important in youth sports. And Buster Posey “speaks out” against the Devers trade, and C&R notice how different he looks compared to the babyface player we know. And join us for CRC20 in Vegas this weekend!

#FSR #CRSHOW #Overpromised

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.





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BOBBY BRAKE NAMED NEW HEAD BASKETBALL COACH AT ALBION GRADE SCHOOL

The Edwards County School Board has named Bobby Brake as the new head basketball coach at Albion Grade School. The decision was made during Tuesday night’s board meeting. Brake has served as an assistant coach for the team over the past several years, bringing experience and familiarity to the program. A graduate of Edwards County […]

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The Edwards County School Board has named Bobby Brake as the new head basketball coach at Albion Grade School. The decision was made during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

Brake has served as an assistant coach for the team over the past several years, bringing experience and familiarity to the program. A graduate of Edwards County High School, Brake earned the title of Male Athlete of the Year his senior year before continuing his athletic career at Millikin University, where he played varsity football for three seasons.

In addition to his new head coaching role, Bobby continues to serve as an assistant coach for the Edwards County football team.

Bobby and his wife, Makenzie, recently celebrated the birth of their first child, a baby girl, just last month.

Brake replaces Nathaniel Schmittler, who was recently promoted to Athletic Director at Edwards County High School. The two have a long history, having been teammates on the ECHS basketball team.

Bobby Brake is the grandson of Dave Rigg of Albion.



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