The Rock Chalkboard

Jeff Long 'guarantees' KU running basketball program 'right way'
"I can really kind of repeat what we said in our statement," Long began on the show. "You know, we simply disagree with the facts as the NCAA believes them to be. We see the facts that they have. We arrive at a very different conclusion then they do. We support coach [Bill] Self. We believe in the way he runs our program and the way our coaches conduct our program. So we now have our 90 days to provide a response to each one of those seven allegations. We are very well prepared to do that."

Bill Self motivated to coach 'harder and better' after NCAA news
“Nothing that’s happened is anything that we didn’t expect some form of that," Self said to a small group of reporters on Thursday. "I’m not saying we expected the exact details, but no, everything’s been fine. It’s kind of been business as usual to be honest and today was really good to get on the court and the guys worked their tails off today. We had a really good first day.”

Is Kansas next after NCAA hits Georgia Tech with sanctions?
Georgia Tech basketball made headlines Thursday when the NCAA announced sanctions against the program, including four years of probation and a 2019-2020 postseason ban, for receiving impermissible benefits from boosters.

Two KU football players named 2019 Senior CLASS award candidates
The word "CLASS" is actually an acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School." The award carries with it other criteria beyond a player standing out on the field and being a senior. Per the release, to "be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition."

Caden Cox commits to KU football as walk-on RB in 2020 class
"I thank God for blessing me with the talents he's given me [and] allowing me to be in this position," Cox wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to my father [and] mother for pushing me everyday and always believing in me. Thank you to my coaches and teammates that help me become a better person and player. Thank you to my trainers, Jake Sharp and the whole Sharp Performance team, along with my guy James Tabor for all they have done to help me."

Jayhawks: Offense in far better place than it was in 2017 debacle at TCU | KUsports.com
“I don’t think about that night,” the senior left tackle told reporters earlier this week, ahead of the Jayhawks’ Saturday matchup with the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas.

KU soccer falls to Texas in Big 12 opener | KUsports.com
The Kansas soccer team fell in the Big 12 opener Thursday night at Rock Chalk Park.

Bits o Chalk

Lakers lose Kuzma indefinitely due to foot injury
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his foot, an injury he suffered while he was with Team USA this summer, the Lakers announced.

Eagles CB has movement after hit by teammate
Teammates said Maddox was joking and laughing while on the stretcher, and that helped ease their minds as they turned their focus to the end of the game.

Lynn -- Gordon will be 'No. 1 guy' when he's ready
"He was our starter for a reason," Lynn said. "I like the way Austin [Ekeler] and JJ [Justin Jackson] have been working. They've done an excellent job and proved they can play in this league. They will still have a major role in this offense, but as soon as Melvin's ready, he'll go back to being our No. 1 guy."

Lonzo on LaVar -- 'It's always love at the end'
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball watched, as seemingly everyone else did, as a clip of his father, LaVar, calling him "damaged goods" made the rounds last week.

Maddon - Don't care if Cubs' lineup irks Brewers
"We're going to put a good team out there, but of course they're going to bitch," Maddon said with a laugh. "Of course they are. I get it. But quite frankly, there are certain things I don't give a s--- about. And that would be one of them."

Eraser Dust

Referee Shot In The Head By Cannon During College Football Game
An official was shot by a cannon while working Maine Maritime Academy’s homecoming football game Saturday against Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Yep, a cannon. In the head. During the game. He’s on the right side of the frame in the video:

These Are The Best American Cities For Coffee Lovers | HuffPost Life
In honor of National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated American cities in terms of coffee-lover friendliness. This comparison was based on metrics such as number of coffee shops per capita, presence of coffee-centric events, average price of a cappuccino and Google search traffic for the term “coffee.”

Daily Inter Lake - Local News, Independent feature film uses favorite local backdrops
In addition to the Flathead National Forest, the team will film at the Blue Moon Nite Club, the Kalispell Eagles, Sykes Diner and the Western Outdoor store.

Hungry Horse News - Front Page Slider, Columbia Falls native wins NBC comedy competition
Bereta graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 2000. Bereta began his career in comedy writing shortly after graduating from Gonzaga University with a degree in broadcast studies.

Nigeria 'torture house': Hundreds freed after Kaduna police raid - BBC News
He said it was a "house of torture" and described it as a case involving human slavery.