O’Bryant gets chance to shine: LSU signee Johnny O’Bryant, already selected for the 2011 McDonald’s All-Star Game, has now been named to the roster for the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic, scheduled for April 16 in Charlotte, N.C. O’Bryant, a 6-foot, 10-inch power forward from Cleveland, Miss., signed with the Tigers in the early signing period and will be eligible for the 2011-12 basketball season. O’Bryant is averaging 19.2 points per game, 14.7 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per contest. The McDonald’s All-Star Game is March 30 in Chicago and will be televised by ESPN.
Commissioner wants to keep team in New Orleans: David Stern, the NBA commissioner, says some league owners would not be opposed to the New Orleans Hornets. But Stern told ESPN the league’s goal since taking over the Hornets in December has been to “make it unattractive to move (the team) or contract it.” While there has been no shortage of potential owners who want to buy the Hornets and move the team, Stern says that’s not what the league wants. “Right now we are steaming full speed ahead with every single possible [intent] to make that team successful in New Orleans,” Stern says. Read the full story here.
Heralded pitcher won’t go this weekend: LSU head coach Paul Mainieri says starting pitcher Tyler Jones has been suspended for an unspecified violation and will not be in uniform when the Tigers open their regular season this weekend against Wake Forest. Jones, a 6-4, 204-pound right-hander and junior college transfer from Milwaukee, is expected to be one of the top three starters this season. Last season, he went 9-2 with a 3.01 earned-run average and 77 strikeouts as the staff ace at Madison Area Technical Junior College, which advanced to the Junior College World Series. Mainieri says Jones won’t be in uniform or in the dugout over the weekend but will rejoin the team on Monday and might make his start as early as Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium against the University of New Orleans.
