One area to watch on Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats teams this season and future seasons is the frontcourt. How the Wildcats’ frontcourt defends and displays versatility is going to be a key to next season as the Wildcats pursue a ninth national championship.

A 5-star prospect in the 2026 class, Miikka Muurinen, has whittled down his list of schools that have offered him to seven. Kentucky is among those seven schools.

ESPN has the 6-foot-10, 185-pound Muurinen listed as the No. 11 player in their ESPN100 for the Class of 2026.

Muurinen is a native of Jarvenpaa, Finland, and he currently stars at Arizona Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona.

Muurinen’s profile on 247 Sports Composite has him listed as the No. 9-ranked player in the country and No. 2 power forward. He is listed as the No. 1 player in Arizona.

Muurinen does not have an official visit to Kentucky scheduled. He only has visits scheduled at Michigan (Sept. 14) and Arkansas (Sept. 20).

If he commits to Kentucky, it would be a great addition to Kentucky’s frontcourt for the 2026-27 season.

Kentucky Reacts

In this week’s Kentucky Reacts survey, the majority of fans voted for Denzel Aberdeen to be UK’s third starter in the backcourt next to Jaland Lowe and Otega Oweh.

This survey was brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Rising senior Miikka Muurinen has included Indiana in his final seven schools.

The 6-foot-11 forward from Finland will also consider Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, NC State, and North Carolina going forward.

According to the average of the national rankings, Muurinen is the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect and the No. 1 power forward in the 2026 class.

The 5-star attends Compass Prep in Arizona for high school.

Muurinen has already visited Arkansas and Michigan.  The IU staff is working to get him on campus for a visit.

Indiana has been involved with Muurinen since the new staff took over in the spring.  He formally announced an IU offer earlier this week.

Muurinen has not laid out a timeline to announce his college decision.  His junior season high school highlights are below.

For a complete look at all of Indiana’s 2026 targets, 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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ERIE, Pa. – After previously announcing a pair of recruits in the fall Gannon men’s basketball coach Easton Bazzoli has released the remainder of his recruiting class for 2025-26. Bazzoli added six players this summer – three transfers and three freshmen – for a total of eight newcomers on the roster this coming season.

Freshmen Jaden Calloway, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bishop Hartley (Oh.) High School, and Carter Wamsley, a 6-foot-7 forward from Central York (Pa.) High School, are joined by fellow freshmen Jack Burchard (Meadville (Pa.) High School), Lathan Coleman (South Plantation (Fla.) High School), and Julian Rivera (Highland (Va.) High School). In addition twins Lucas Morgan and Mackenzie Morgan have transferred to Gannon along with Precious Idiaru. The Morgans will be junior, with Lucas Morgan previously playing at St. Cloud State and Mackenzie Morgan at West Texas A&M. Idiaru is coming in from Longwood.

Here’s a look at the newest Golden Knights:

Jack Burchard – G, 6-0, Fr., Meadville, Pa. / Meadville HS
Burchard is no stranger to area basketball fans after enjoying a stellar career not far down I-79 at Meadville High School. The 6-foot-0 guard finished his career as one of Meadville’s all-time leading scorers with 1,587 points. He was a three-time All-Region selection, earning first team honors as a junior and senior and second team as a sophomore. He was also an Big School All-District honoreehis final two seasons.

“I am really excited to have Jack in our program,” Bazzoli commented. “He is a proven winner coming from a top program in D-10 and has a competitive edge to him that fits who we are.”

Burchard is renowned for his outside shooting touch, finishing his career with 148 3-pointers. As a senior he led the Bulldogs to a 16-9 record. They were the District 10 Class 5A champions and advanced to the PIAA Tournament. As a senior he averaged over 20 ppg. for the second straight year, finishing at 20.2 ppg. along 8.2 rpg., 4.5 assists, and 2.1 steals. He shot 45 pct. from the floor (184-of-406), making 27-of-113 3-pointers, and went 105-of-154 (68 pct.) from the line.

As a junior Burchard posted averages of 21.9 ppg. and 5.3 rpg., with 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He shot 46 pct. from the floor (174-of-377), with 36 three’s in 120 attempts, and was 120-0f-172 (70 pct.) from the charity stripe.

Burchard scored in double figures all four years, finishing at 15.6 ppg. as a sophomore and 10.7 ppg. as a freshman. As a sophomore he made 44-of-134 3-pointers (33 pct.) after making 41-of-102 (40 pct.) as a freshman.

“I chose Gannon because I want the best,” Burchard pointed out. “I know that Gannon has the best basketball program and coaches that will give me the tools to succeed on and off the court. I am excited to be a part of a winning program where I can contribute in any way that I can.”
 
Lathan Coleman — F, 6-6, Fr., Plantation, Fla. / South Plantation HS
Coleman is an exciting frontcourt newcomer who played a key role for a South Plantation High School team that won 45 games the last two years. The 6-foot-6 swingman played for one of the highest classifications in Florida High School basketball.     

“I am fired up for Lathan to be joining the program,” Bazzoli related. “His high energy personality carries onto his effort on the floor. Lathan is a big-time athlete that loves the work and has his best basketball ahead of him.”

The Paladins finished at 20-8 in 2024-25, qualifying for the 2025 FHSAA Class 6A Boys Basketball State Tournament. Coleman averaged 12.3 ppg. and 8.0 rpg,, along with 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. He shot 53 pct. from the floor (126-of-239), making 19-of-54 3-pointers, and was 73-of-110 from the line (66 pct.).

As a junior Coleman averaged 6.1 ppg. and 6.1 rpg. with 1.2 blocks as South Palisades finished at 25-6, reaching the FHSAA Class 6A regional semifinals. He shot 45 pct. from the floor (70-of-156) with 12 3-pointers in 38 attempts along with going 38-of-76 at the line (50 pct.).

“I chose Gannon University because from the moment I visited, I felt the genuine love and brotherhood that radiates throughout the campus,” exclaimed Coleman. “That strong sense of community, both within the university and in its connection to the surrounding area, made it feel like a true home where I knew I could grow and thrive.”
 
Precious Idiaru – F, 6-10, 240, R-Jr., Speyer, Germany / LA Premier Prep / Longwood / UMKC
A native of Germany, Idiaru provides Gannon with a large presence in the middle along with plenty of experience at the Division I level. The redshirt junior played two seasons at University of Missouri Kansas City before playing a year ago at Longwood, helped the Lancers to an 18-14 record.

“Precious is one of the more unique guys in the world,” Bazzoli pointed out. “He has an infectious personality, an elite work ethic, and has an enormous amount of versatility on the floor at 6’10”. Really excited for him to join us.”

Idiaru appeared in nine games last year, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds, along with an assist, a steal and a blocked shot. He made 4-of-7 field goals and 1-of-3 free throws. He had a season-high six points vs. Regent (3-of-4 FGs), adding four rebounds, and also had four rebounds vs. Mary Baldwin.

Idiaru redshirted at UMKC in 2023-24 after playing in 27 games as a true freshman in 2022-23. In his freshman season he averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. That included a career- best 11 points at North Dakota State, along with six rebounds against Calvary.

He played in high school at LA Premiere Prep, averaging 9.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.  He previously played for the German National Team and was a three-time regional champion in Germany. His twin brother Promise also played at UMKC.

“I chose Gannon because of the incredible opportunities it offers!, Idiaru commented. “The young coaching staff brings fresh energy and a style that fits how I like to play, which made the decision easy. I’ve kind of forgotten how fun playing basketball can be, so after talking to the players and hearing that playing at Gannon was the most fun they’ve ever had reminded me how much I love the game and made me excited to be a part of it.”
 
Lucas Morgan – G, 6-4, Jr., Sydney, Australia / Marist Catholic College North Shore / St. Cloud State
Morgan is one part of the twin tandem of Morgan’s joining the Gannon program this season. A 6-foot-4 guard, Lucas Morgan played the last two seasons at St. Cloud State and joins the Golden Knights with 59 games, including 56 starts, and 635 points under his belt at the Division II level.

“Lucas is going to be a perfect fit in the system,” Bazzoli stressed. “He is a highly versatile player coming from another great division 2 conference where he has been a proven producer in all stat categories. His IQ and size will greatly benefit the team.”

A native of Sydney, Australia, Morgan helped lead St. Cloud State to a 20-12 finish in 2024-25, losing to Minnesota State in the NSIC quarterfinals. He started all 32 games averaging 27.9 minutes per game. Morgan ended the year as the third-leading scorer (11.4 ppg.) and rebounder (4.7 rpg.), adding 38 assists, 40 steals and 13 blocked shots. He was one of the top 3-point threats on the Huskies, making 34-of-92 from beyond the arc (37.0 pct.). He shot 45.1 pct. from the floor (115-of-255) and was 101-of-122 (82.8 pct.) from the line.

Morgan scored a season-high 21 points against Augustana (2/15/25) on 8-of-10 shooting while making three 3-pointers to go with five rebounds and three steals. All told he had ten games with 15-or-more points and scored in double figures in 21 games. He fell just shy of a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds against Sioux Falls (1/24/25), going 11-for-11 from the line. He also scored 20 points against Winona State (1/17/25). He posted the third-longest consecutive free throw streak in program history, making 34 in a row.

As a freshman in 2023-24 Morgan appeared in 27 games, making 24 starts. He averaged 10.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and 0.7 blocks. He made 29-of-76 3-pointers while shooting 44.3 pct. from the floor (90-of-203) and 81.3 pct. from the line (61-of-75). He scored a career-high 25 points in 21 minutes off the bench in his first career game against Pittsburg State (11/10/23), making 9-of-13 shots with three 3-pointers. Morgan recorded his first career double-double with an 11-point, 10-rebound performance against Mary (12/12/23), and tallied his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Southwest Minnesota State (2/28/24).

Morgan is a 2023 graduate of Marist Catholic College North Shore. He competed at the 2023 Australia U20 Championships with New South Wales and earned a silver medal. In addition to reuniting with his brother Mackenzie at Gannon, his older sister Issy just completed her career at Davidson as a member of the women’s basketball team, scoring almost 1,000 career points.
“I chose Gannon because it’s a great opportunity to compete for a championship and also play with my brother,” Morgan stated.

Mackenzie Morgan – G, 6-4, Jr., Sydney, Australia / Marist Catholic College North Shore / West Texas A&M
The second half of the Morgan twins is Mackenzie Morgan, who played the last two years at West Texas A&M. Like his brother Lucas, Mackenzie brings plenty of experience on the Division II level while appearing in 67 games for the Buffs, with 19 starts. He is used to a winning culture as West Texas A&M won 49 games during his two seasons, including 19-12 a year ago and 30-5 in 2023-24. The Buffs reached the Final Four his freshman year and were an NCAA Tournament team in 2024-25, as well.

“Mackenzie has a contagious positive attitude to him that will impact our entire roster,” Bazzoli pointed out. “He is a great fit to who we are as a program with his work ethic and shooting ability. I cannot wait to see him take the next big step in his growth as a player in the Gannon uniform.”

Morgan appeared in 31 games with 19 starts a year ago. The 6-foot-4 guard played just under 25 minutes per game and averaged 6.9 ppg. and 4.1 rpg. with 34 assists, 20 steals and six blocks. He shot 42.4 pct. from the floor (61-of-144), making 38-of-92 3-pointers (41.3 pct.), and was 55-of-68 from the line (80.9 pct.). He scored in double figures in seven games including a career-high 22 points vs. St. Mary’s (TX) (2/20/25), making 5-of-7 3-pointers. He had a high of eight rebounds vs. Fort Lewis (12/20/24).

In 2023-24 Morgan was a key reserve on the West Texas A&M squad that reached the Final Four, scoring 34 points and pulling down 28 rebounds. That included a season-high 13 points vs. Texas A&M International (12/12/23). He shot 37.9 pct. from the floor, 45.0 pct. from beyond the arc, and 75.0 pct. from the charity stripe.

Morgan also attended Marist Catholic College North Shore helping the team to a Combined Catholic Schools State championship where he averaged 22.1 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds per game.

“I chose Gannon because it felt like a good fit for me,” Morgan commented. “The coaches were super welcoming, the school’s in a great location, and it’s a great opportunity for me to play with my brother and compete for championships.”
 
Julian Rivera – G, 6-1, Fr., Gainesville, Va. / Highland (Va.) HS
Rivera was the starting point guard on a Highland High School team that reached the state championship game three straight years, winning the VISAA Division I State Championship earlier this year after finishing as the Division II runner-up in 2023-24 and the Division II state champion in 2022-23. 

The Hawks ended the year at 42-7, winning the VISAA State Tournament Div. 1 championship with a 56-51 win over Bishop O’Connell in the championship game. The Highland Roster included Nate Ament, one of the top recruits in the country and a University of Tennessee signee. Ament is considered one of the top draft prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft. Rivera combined with Ament to lead the Hawks to the state title, finishing with six points with great ballhandling against a strong Bishop O’Connell defense. The state title helped Highland jump to No. 14 in the MaxPreps national rankings and No. 22 in the ESPN Top 25 rankings. The season also included a 61-57 win over Prolific Prep (Cal.), the top team in the country, in the Hoopball Classic in Springfield, Mass. Rivera contributed 10 points in the victory.

“I am fired up for Julian joining our program,” noted Bazzoli. “He filled the box score up for one of the best teams in America this year at Highland (VA). Impacting winning and people are the two key things that will be an easy transition for him.”

As a junior Rivera had 10 points and eight rebounds in the Div. II state championship game, a loss to Miller School of Albermarle. The Hawks ended the season with a 24-12 record. That came after a 2022-23 campaign which saw Highland capture the Div. II state title with a 42-40 win over Miller School and end the year at 30-3.

Highland competed in the Metro Private School Conference, but joined a second conference last season, joining the Elite Prep League that includes the likes of Fork Union, Mt. Zion Prep (MD), Perkiomen School (PA), Hargrave Military (VA), Winston-Salem Christian (NC), Canada Topflight Academy (Ottawa, Canada), the Skill Factory (Atlanta, GA), Andrews Osbourne Academy (Willoughby, OH) and Massanutten Military Academy (VA). The move allowed Highland to compete against prep and post-grad schools.

“I chose Gannon because I could feel the sense of community and the winning culture that’s displayed here,” Rivera commented. “I also felt so welcomed by everyone I met in Erie and I felt wanted by the basketball community.”

Last Monday, before a shooting outside closed the library, a man had pulled a knife inside the building, using homophobic slurs and threatening staff and patrons.

LISBON — The Supreme Court of Ohio recently declined to accept jurisdiction for an appeal sought by a Canfield man sentenced to three years in prison in March 2024 for aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

Lowell Horst, 30, Lisbon Road, tried to take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court after losing the appeal his attorney filed with the Seventh District Court of Appeals last year, with the appellate court issuing its decision at the end of January, affirming the trial court’s judgment, although there was a dissenting opinion issued.

In a brief entry, the Ohio Supreme Court declined the case last month. The attorneys for Horst made some of the same arguments in their memorandum to the Supreme Court of Ohio that were made for the appellate appeal.

Horst remains incarcerated after Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton sentenced him on March 8, 2024. A jury found him guilty of the two charges. His driver’s license was suspended for 15 years.

Horst admitted to watching sports highlights on YouTube on his phone and not paying attention while driving west on state Route 172 on Sept. 22, 2023. Ohio State Highway Patrol investigators concluded his Chevy Silverado traveled left of center and collided head-on with an eastbound GMC Terrain. The driver of the GMC Terrain, Leslie Coss, 83, of Massillon, suffered serious physical injuries and his wife, Mary Coss, 81, died at the scene. Leslie Coss died a few months later.

Their daughter, Sharon Lendon, administrator of their estates, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Horst and his employee, Weaver Steel Construction of Leetonia, that was settled and dismissed in the fall.

In the appeal to the Seventh District Court, Horst’s appellate attorneys argued that a potential juror in his case was improperly excluded based on his religion, that the defendant’s expert witness, Henry Lipian, was improperly prohibited from providing Perception Response Time testimony that could have negated a finding of recklessness and the court erred by failing to instruct the jury on a lesser-included offense of vehicular homicide.

The majority of the appellate court found the arguments without merit, affirming the trial court’s decisions.

The appellate court decision noted that the potential juror was a Mennonite minister and admitted during questioning that he doesn’t like to stand judgment of someone, with his vocation making it more challenging, but that he could do it. The court noted that “regardless, Ohio law does not prohibit the use of a peremptory challenge based on religion.” The argument by the defense was found without merit and overruled.

The appellate court decision, which was written by Judge Cheryl Waite and agreed with by Judge Scot Stevenson, sitting by assignment from the Ninth District Court of Appeals, went into great detail about the testimony of Lipian and the defendant.

Based on the record,Waite wrote that “the trial court’s decision to limit the PRT testimony in this case was correct. Significantly, at best, Lipian could only testify as to when a reasonable person could have perceived the oncoming vehicle, not when appellant (Horst) actually saw the GMC.”

She wrote that the overwhelming evidence of record clearly shows that Horst didn’t see the other vehicle or notice that he traveled left of center because he was distracted by the sports highlights on a YouTube video.

“Whether this rose to the level of recklessness was solely a jury question,” the judge wrote.

As for whether the trial court erred by not giving the jury an instruction about a lesser included offense of vehicular homicide, the appellate court sided with the trial judge, saying she did not abuse her discretion.

In the dissenting opinion, Judge Mark Hanni dissented from the majority and wrote that the trial court erred in excluding the expert testimony regarding perception response time and should have given a jury instruction on the lesser-included offense of vehicular homicide.

mgreier@mojonews.com

Summary: A new study questions whether playing youth football leads to harmful protein buildup in the brain. Researchers examined 174 donated brains, including former high school and college players, and found no link between contact sports and excess tau protein in a key memory region.

Instead, the protein accumulation was tied to aging rather than head trauma. The findings urge caution in overinterpreting subtle brain changes as evidence of disease.

Key Facts

• No Link Found: Youth football players did not show increased p-tau in the CA2 hippocampus.
• Age Factor: Protein buildup in the brain was more strongly associated with aging than with sports.
• Caution Advised: Findings highlight challenges in distinguishing normal aging from disease in brain studies.

Source: Northwestern University

In recent years, some scientists and advocates have warned that playing contact sports like football and hockey may increase the risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to a buildup of a specific protein in the brain.

But a new Northwestern Medicine study of 174 donated brains, including some from former high school and college football players, pumps the brakes on that theory. 

“The long and short of it is no, this protein in this specific brain region is not increased in people who played football at the amateur level. It throws a little bit of cold water on the current CTE narrative,” said corresponding author Dr. Rudolph Castellani, professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine neuropathologist. 

The study was recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

It raises important questions about how scientists interpret subtle brain changes associated with aging, Alzheimer’s disease and repetitive head impacts.

How the study worked

The study analyzed brain tissue from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, which collects brain donations from people who had psychiatric conditions (e.g. schizophrenia, major depression, general anxiety, substance use disorder, etc.) throughout their life.

Of the 174 samples collected from older adult men (with a median age of 65 at death), 48 men participated in football in high school or college while 126 had no history of playing a contact or collision sport. 

The study did not include brains from professional athletes. 

The scientists focused on a small memory-related brain region called CA2, part of the hippocampus. This region has been shown to accumulate phosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein — which is often present in neurodegenerative disease — in a variety of contexts, including normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease and in individuals with a history of repetitive head impacts.

But the findings suggest p-tau buildup in CA2 isn’t specific to contact sports. The scientists found no over-representation of CA2 p-tau in individuals with a history of youth football participation. Instead, the presence of p-tau in this region was statistically associated with age.

“What’s novel here is a return to the null hypothesis — that there may be no link between repeated head injuries and p-tau buildup in this location,” said Castellani, who also is the neuropathology core director of the Northwestern University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

“Rather than assuming p-tau in CA2 is inherently pathological, we’re asking whether it might be part of normal aging or a non-specific response to environmental factors.”

The study also highlights broader challenges in the field of neurodegeneration research. In particular, the authors point to the difficulty of assigning clinical meaning to subtle pathological findings.

The paper’s section, “Knowledge gaps and implications for future research,” underscores how even expert consensus groups struggle to define CTE in clinically meaningful terms.

“Modern studies on CTE may be expanding the boundaries of what’s considered normal variability in the human brain,” Castellani said. “This work reminds us to be cautious in interpreting pathology without clear clinical correlation.”

The authors call for larger studies to better understand how p-tau relates to aging and head injuries, while urging the scientific community to critically evaluate assumptions about what constitutes neurodegenerative disease.

About this CTE and neurology research news

Author: Kristin Samuelson
Source: Northwestern University
Contact: Kristin Samuelson – Northwestern University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Closed access.
“Postmortem tau in the CA2 region of the hippocampus in older adult men who participated in youth amateur American-style football” by Rudolph Castellani et al. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Postmortem tau in the CA2 region of the hippocampus in older adult men who participated in youth amateur American-style football

Background

Researchers have reported that hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) accumulates in the Cornu Ammonis 2 subfield (CA2) of the hippocampus with age, preferentially in primary age-related tau astrogliopathy, in association with early Alzheimer’s disease, and preferentially in chronic traumatic encephalopathy neuropathologic change.

Objective

Examine the possible association between preferential p-tau in the CA2 region of the hippocampus and history of playing high school American-style football.

Methods

Postmortem brain tissue samples were obtained from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development for 174 men (median age at death = 65 years; range = 50–96). There were 126 with no known history of participation in contact or collision sports and 48 (27.6%) who participated in football.

Results

Approximately half were rated modified Braak stage I (47.1%) and modified CERAD stage 0 (52.0%). Preferential CA2 p-tau was present in 29.9%. The average age for those with versus without preferential CA2 p-tau was 75 and 63, respectively (Cohen’s d = −1.27, large effect).

The sport history groups did not differ in age (p = 0.607). In both univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, older age groups (odds ratio [OR] = 3.42 and 3.23) and those with greater modified CERAD scores (OR = 1.78 and 1.48) were significantly more likely to have preferential CA2 p-tau. There was not a significant association between football participation and preferential CA2 p-tau.

Conclusions

There was not a significant association between participation in high school football and preferential CA2 p-tau identified after death. These results support other theories in the literature—that preferential CA2 p-tau is associated with aging and with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change.