The Rock Chalkboard

KU commit Sydney Curry believes JUCO path helped his maturity
There was nothing wrong, per se, with Sydney Curry's first shot at his recruitment. Before he was a top-10 JUCO prospect, Curry was the N0. 89-ranked power forward in the 2019 class. He landed at Miami (Ohio) but had high-level reported D-I interest — from schools like Indiana and Ohio State, no less.

College basketball AP Top 25 rankings revealed for Dec. 14
The latest college basketball AP top 25 rankings have arrived. And conference play is underway or about to begin across the sport. There were minimal changes at the top of the rankings this week, but we still saw some surprises, including the upset loss by Illinois against Missouri and a rough week for the Duke Blue Devils.

Kansas DB Davon Ferguson officially enters transfer portal
Back on Nov. 16, Kansas coach Les Miles informed media that safety Davon Ferguson had opted out, saying at the time he did not envision Ferguson remaining with the Jayhawks' program. On Monday, Ferguson made that news official.

OT De'Kedrick Sterns affirms KU commitment, will enroll early
Back on Dec. 1, three-star offensive tackle and Kansas commit De'Kedrick Sterns made the announcement that he would be re-opening his recruitment. But he never strayed far from Kansas, affirming to Phog.net on Dec. 4 that he was "still going" to KU.

Bits o Chalk

Roger Goodell says NFL won't jump line for COVID-19 vaccine ahead of Super Bowl LV
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that even with COVID-19 vaccines now being distributed to hospitals nationwide, NFL players and personnel will not be jumping the lines for vaccination before Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2021.

Florida's Keyontae Johnson 'following simple commands,' remains in critical but stable condition
University of Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson remains in critical but stable condition and is "following simple commands," according to a statement Monday from the school.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin pokes fun at Nick Saban when asked about Auburn job
Kiffin jokingly went into full Saban mode at his news conference Monday when asked if he is a candidate for the Auburn head-coaching job and whether he has talked to anybody at Auburn.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson thrives in debut without restrictions
When Zion Williamson told reporters about not having any sort of restrictions on him this season, he was happy. The smile on his face was bright and his happiness shined through on the video call last week.

Eraser Dust

Russia's President Putin congratulates Joe Biden on election victory
It’s taken a while, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has now congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his victory, the Kremlin announced Tuesday, a day after the U.S. Electoral College voted to clinch the Democrat’s defeat of President Donald Trump.

COVID-19 relief deal: Extra $300 in jobless aid but no stimulus checks
A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled a $908 billion coronavirus rescue package Monday, with a potential deal coming down to the wire since Congress has until the end of the week to strike an agreement that can be tied to longer-term spending legislation.

Attorney General William Barr resigns - CNNPolitics
Attorney General William Barr on Monday said he would resign next week, ending a tenure in which the President Donald Trump loyalist carried the administration's "law and order" message but ultimately dealt the most credible blow to Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 election was littered with fraud.

Michigan Republican state Rep. Gary Eisen rebuked for ‘threats of violence’ at electoral college - The Washington Post
“Threats of violence, or a refusal to denounce it, will not be tolerated in the Michigan House,” Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) said on Twitter on Monday. “We will not condone this behavior. In a Republic, we settle our differences on Election Day.”

Treasure hunter in jail for refusing to reveal location of loot
A former Ohio treasure hunter is about to mark half a decade behind bars — for refusing to reveal the location of 500 gold coins missing from a historic shipwreck.

Chris Pine to Star in 'Dungeons and Dragons' Movie for Paramount - Variety
Chris Pine is in negotiations to star in “Dungeons and Dragons,” Paramount and eOne’s upcoming film adaptation of the popular fantasy role-playing game.

The new 'Mortal Kombat' movie reaches theaters and HBO Max on April 16th | Engadget
When Warner Bros. announced plans for day-and-date releases across theaters and HBO Max for its entire 2021 slate, the studio mentioned that release dates are subject to change. One of the movies on deck is the new James Wan-produced Mortal Kombat flick, which previously had a January 15th release date, but now is scheduled to arrive on April 16th.