>>Gruden: “Thrilled” To Be Coaching Raiders
(Alameda, CA) — Jon Gruden is back as the head coach of the Raiders. He explained at a news conference yesterday that he’s thrilled to be the coach for the Raiders again and feels there is unfinished business. He added he’s going to do everything he can to get this team right again. Gruden’s deal is reportedly worth around 100-million-dollars over the next ten seasons.
>>Matt Nagy Introduced As New Head Coach Of Chicago Bears
(Chicago, IL) — Matt Nagy is now the 16th head coach of the Bears. The former Chiefs offensive coordinator was formally introduced as Chicago’s coach yesterday, saying it’s a true honor and a dream to coach the Bears. Nagy explained the fans and team are hungry. The Bears finished 5-and-11 this past season, ranking 29th in points scored and 30th in total offense.
>>Panthers Fire OC Shula, QB Coach Dorsey
(Charlotte, NC) — The Carolina Panthers are making changes to their offensive coaching staff. They’ve fired longtime offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey. Head coach Ron Rivera says they want some new ideas on that side of the ball. Shula had been with the Panthers for seven seasons, serving as OC since 2013.
>>Blackhawks Clobber Senators
(Ottawa, Ontario) — The Blackhawks scored five goals in the second period as they clobbered the Senators 8-2 in Ottawa. Nick Schmaltz scored a pair of power play goals in the frame and Patrick Kane assisted on four of the five tallies. Chicago has won three-of-four and is tied with two other teams for the final Western Conference wild card. They host the Wild tonight.
>>Blues Drop Third Straight To Panthers
(St. Louis, MO) — The Blues couldn’t hold leads of 2-0 and 3-2 and lost 7-4 to the Panthers at Scottrade Center. Paul Stastny, Colton Parayko, Vladimir Tarasenko and Tage Thompson scored for St. Louis, which has lost three in-a-row. The Blues are third in the Central with 55 points, four behind first-place Winnipeg.
>>Heat’s Johnson Ejected For Throwing Punch
(Toronto, Ontario) — The Heat’s James Johnson is putting his fighting skills on display. He traded punches with Toronto’s Serge Ibaka [[ ee-BAH-kuh ]] in the third quarter, with both players ejected. Miami’s versatile forward is well-known for his MMA work. Goran Dragic [[ GORE-on DROG-itch ]] and DeMar DeRozan also got into it after the buzzer in the testy matchup. The Heat won, 90-89.
>>OU’s Trae Young Goes Off In Second Half
(Norman, OK) — A bad first half didn’t keep Oklahoma star Trae Young down. The ninth-ranked Sooners topped number-eight Texas Tech 75-65 in Norman behind 27 points and nine assists from Young. The star point guard started the game 1-for-12. Young’s dad played at Texas Tech, which was one of the school’s the freshman passed over to play for the Sooners.
>>Illinois Hosts Hawkeyes Tomorrow
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois returns to the hardwood tomorrow night at home against Iowa. The Fighting Illini have lost their last two games, both on the road to Minnesota and Michigan. Illinois is just 4-and-7 since starting the season 6-and-0. The Illini are 0-and-4 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are 9-and-9 and 0-and-5.
Coming up Friday Night on the Talk 101 High School Game of the Week presented by Landmark of Taylorville, it’s The Eisenhower Panthers, playing host to the MacArthur Generals. The Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy Pregame show gets underway at 7:15p.m., the tip-off follows at 7:30p.m. Join Scott Busboom and Kevin Hale with the call Friday night, live from Eisenhower High School on Talk 101 FM!