Open the Youtube video

Oklahoma will be looking for a new athletic director for the first time in nearly three decades.

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione is set to retire after 28 years at the helm of Sooner sports. Castiglione will stay on for the calendar year as the Sooners begin a search for his replacement. Castiglione will assist in the search and will stay on as athletic director emeritus after the hire is made, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The Sooners will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. Tuesday to announce Castiglione’s retirement. The press conference will be attended by Castiglione, OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. and OU board of regents chair Anita Holloway.

The announcement represents the end of one of the most significant era in Oklahoma athletics history.

Castiglione, 67, was hired as the program’s athletic director in the summer of 1998. Since then, he has overseen 26 national championships — including the football program’s 2000 championship — and 117 league titles. He also played a significant role in the Sooners’ transition from the Big 12 to the SEC, and the Sooners’ recent hire of Jim Nagy as the new football general manager.

Per Thamel, Castiglione approached the administration around a month ago about his plans to retire. He is currently the longest-tenured athletic director in college sports.

Castiglione’s retirement comes at an incredibly pivotal time for Oklahoma. The Sooners’ football program heads into Brent Venables’ fourth season with the program and facing a ton of pressure after two losing seasons in three years. The Sooners also opted into revenue sharing with its athletes as part of the House v. NCAA settlement.

Harroz is tasked with finding a replacement who will mitigate uncharted territory for collegiate athletics, as well as maintain OU’s competitiveness in the SEC. Most of all, that replacement will have huge shoes to fill.

The post OU athletic director Joe Castiglione to retire after 28 years appeared first on On3.

Botola Pro side Wydad Athletic Club are reportedly poised to let go of 21 senior players as part of efforts to scale down their squad ahead of the new season.

New coach ushers in big changes

The club, which recently parted ways with former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena, has appointed Mohamed Amine Benhachem as the new head coach. Benhachem has reportedly identified the players he wants to work with, as well as those who will be offloaded.

This development follows a disappointing end to last season, which saw Wydad finish third in the league and suffer elimination in the group stages of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Notable departures

According to reports from Morocco, the list of departing players includes:

Goalkeeper: Youssef El Moutie

Defenders: Aymane Dairani, Abdelmounaim Boutouil, Jamal Harkass, Nabil Marmouk, and Fahd Moufi

Midfielders and Forwards: Ismail Moutaraji, Pedrinho, Arthur Wenderroscky, Mehdi Moubarik, Stéphane Aziz Ki, Saifeddine Bouhra, and Walid Nassi

Fringe Players and Youth: Ayoub Marsa, Rayhi, Ghilane, and Obang

Lorch set for permanent move to Wydad

Meanwhile, Wydad have reportedly decided to sign Mamelodi Sundowns winger Thembinkosi Lorch on a permanent deal following his stellar performances at the FIFA Club World Cup. The winger, who scored against Juventus during the tournament, is expected to cost around R20 million.

An official announcement from both clubs is expected once Lorch completes his medicals.

Resurgence after slow start at Sundowns

The former Orlando Pirates star joined Mamelodi Sundowns but struggled for game time. He was later loaned out to Wydad by then-coach Mokwena six months ago. Since then, Lorch’s stock has risen significantly due to his impressive displays on the global stage.

Football salary: How much does Thembinkosi Lorch earn?

Lorch’s move from Orlando Pirates to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2024 saw his monthly earnings skyrocket to a reported R450,000, according to multiple sources. This marked a sharp rise from his previous salary bracket of R130,000–R165,000 while at Pirates.

A court case in 2023 revealed he was earning around R50,000 net due to child support deductions, but that figure no longer reflects his current standing in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Although his salary at Wydad Athletic Club remains undisclosed, his high-profile loan spell suggests he is earning at a comparable rate in Morocco.

Chiefs legend slams Wydad fans over Mokwena abuse.

Briefly News also reported that a Kaizer Chiefs legend criticised Wydad fans over the way they treated South African coach Rulani Mokwena.

The former Bafana Bafana star showed his support for the ex-Sundowns mentor and explained some of the challenge the South African tactician has encountered while coaching in Morocco.

LeBron James is seemingly the latest athlete to start playing golf after posting a video of his swing on social media recently.

Of course, like everything he does in his professional and personal life, the video of James went viral, and golf fans worldwide commented on his technique.

While it was probably wise to ignore most of the replies, LeBron just received some advice that he should definitely take on board from three-time major champion Jordan Spieth.

Spieth thinks the Los Angeles Lakers superstar could add 30 yards of distance to his shots with one simple fix.

Jordan Spieth reviews LeBron James’ golf swing and shares key advice

Spieth first explained to TV personality Kay Adams that James’ golf swing is “pretty solid” considering he has only just started playing.

“It’s pretty solid,” he said. “A lot of times, other athletes go to golf and they start swinging super long, and their arms go everywhere.

“It is compact. There is some potential to obviously get a lot more power into it, but he’s off to a good start there!”

He added that LeBron’s apparent newfound interest in golf can only be a good thing, as it will bring eyeballs to the game.

“Any time you get these stud athletes that want to get into the game… I don’t know if he wants to get into the game or just lost a bet. I don’t know why he was out there playing, because I don’t think he had golfed very often. But if that is what he wants to do, and post golf, that is going to be good for us.”

Spieth then shared some simple advice to help LeBron hit the ball further. He suggested a longer backswing with more wrist action to generate power.

“He could use his wrists more,” Spieth continued. “It’s kind of an arm swing, so he could just get a lot more power if he let that club flow and used his wrists a little bit.

“As he goes back, the club only gets to what looks like a half swing, so if he gets a bit more of a turn and throws his wrists into it, he could gain 30 yards in 30 minutes, which is kind of cool for… if he cares, whoever gets to coach him on that. He is going to be pretty excited about that.”

Jordan Spieth compares PGA Tour player to Kevin Durant

On the subject of basketball and golf, Adams asked Spieth to name the PGA Tour player most similar to Kevin Durant.

Durant is an all-time great in the NBA, whose standout attribute is making the game look easy. So, Spieth compared him to Scottie Scheffler.

“Recently, it’s been Scottie Scheffler,” he replied. “You’re talking about the person who is going to step up and throw 25 and eight and six on you every night.

“So Scottie has been the best, with historic-type ball striking in the last three or four years. That would make the game about as easy as it gets, which I think is how Durant can make it look when he’s on.

“Durant has been that way since he was in college, and it’s crazy. He had some gruesome injuries, still came back and was the same guy, and now he gets to go and get a little fire lit under him with some young talent and some pressure to go perform.

“Scottie is a little younger, he has a bigger runway, but obviously, to be a Kevin Durant-type player over your career in golf, you have to keep doing it for a long time. But Scottie is the best comparison lately for sure.”

Ben Shelton will take on Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon on Wednesday. The personable 22-year-old has become something of a viral sensation for his enjoyable interviews. So too has his family and girlfriend Trinity Rodman as they enthusiastically cheer him on from the stands.

On Monday, after Shelton beat Lorenzo Sonego, Rodman posted a blunt message to fans and broadcasters on her Instagram story. The USWNT star clearly did not appreciate ESPN bringing up her famous father, Dennis, while she was on-screen. Nor that she has apparently been referred to as “Tiffany” rather than “Trinity.”

“For those who don’t know… my name is TRINITY not Tiffany,” Rodman wrote. “Also, for Ben’s matches he has his family there as his support system, which includes his dad… my dads not even in MY life no need to bring him up during HIS matches when I don’t even want him talked about during mine. It’s him and his loved ones’ moment. Thank you”

Rodman and Shelton announced their relationship publicly earlier this year. The 23-year-old Rodman is recovering from a back injury but seems likely to be in the stands on Wednesday when Shelton takes on the world No. 1 in Sinner with a Wimbledon semifinals berth on the line.

More Wimbledon on Sports Illustrated