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Hannon to speak at Curbstone
Bob Hannon, the president and chief professional officer of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley as well as the radio voice of Youngstown State football, will be the guest speaker at Monday's luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.
The event begins at 11:45 a.m., and the public is welcome to attend.
All sports fans are welcome and you do not need to be a current or former coach.
Committee has YSU football fifth
The Youngstown State football team was ranked fifth in the second NCAA FCS Playoff Committee rankings that were announced on Thursday afternoon during ESPN2’s College Football Live telecast.
The Penguins were ranked third in the first playoff rankings of the season which were on Oct. 20. YSU came from behind to beat North Dakota, 31-28, last Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium. The Guins visit Murray State this Saturday.
The top two remain unchanged from the previous rankings as Montana State and Tarleton State lead the way. Stephen F. Austin moved up from fifth to fourth to third while South Dakota State now sits in fourth.
Northern Arizona, Austin Peay, South Dakota, Tennessee Tech and Lamar. NAU and Austin Peay both moved up while the Coyotes stayed at eighth. New to the rankings were Tennessee Tech and Lamar.
The final playoff selections will be made on Sunday, Nov. 22.
ESPN, CFP enter final review for CFP
Talks between ESPN and College Football Playoff are in the final stages of review in their bid to expand the postseason to 24 teams next year, the CFP announced in a two-sentence statement on Friday.
Though no timeline was provided, a formal decision on the agreement will come following the review, the CFP said. The media rights deal would cover the nine-figure sums the major conferences would lose by eliminating their respective title games.
ESPN previously reported offering an additional annual payment of $345 million to the CFP to double the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams. The current six-year deal which begins this year is worth $7.8 billion.
The parties have been discussing a format in which the Power Four conference champs and the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six earn automatic bids, with the other 19 teams being chosen by a selection committee.
The first two rounds of the expanded playoff would be held on college campuses, with the top eight teams getting a first-round bye and hosting games the following week.
The major bowls would continue to host the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the championship game behind held in late January.
Porzingis steps away from the NBA
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis announced he is stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health due to an undisclosed matter in a social media post on Friday.
Porzingis did not reveal the nature of the issue in a message posted on his X account, and the 31-year-old didn’t make it clear as to whether he’ll resume playing.
"I was really looking forward to running it with this group, but as I ramped up, my body didn't respond the way I anticipated,” Porzingis wrote.
"I'm doing good, but I know what it takes, and I'm not where I want to be to perform at the level I expect from myself," he added. "At this point, I've made the decision to prioritize my health and step away from the game I love."
Selected fourth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2015 draft, Porzingis was on his sixth team in 11 seasons.
The issue appears to date to last season when the Latvian missed significant time after being acquired by Golden State in a trade with Atlanta. The Warriors, however, fully anticipated Porzingis to be ready for this season after signing him to a two-year, $40 million contract in late June.
Porzingis' status has been uncertain since late September, when the Warriors announced he would be out indefinitely with a health issue and not travel with the team to Hawaii for training camp.
In his message, Porzingis said he intends to work with the Warriors to "find a solution that makes sense."
He closed his message by writing: "I'm thankful to my family and close ones for always being there. Much appreciation to all of you for the support. Onwards and upwards."