The Rock Chalkboard

KU basketball players set for action in NBA restart from Orlando
Markieff Morris went from playing a fairly sizable role with the Detroit Pistons to coming off the bench full-time the Lakers. He averaged only 14.8 minutes per game in the eight contests with his new team, but the Lakers, led by a 35-year-old LeBron James, are in win-now mode and thus will take any additional talent they can get.

KU basketball announces walk-on guard E.J. Elliott will transfer
“We want to thank Elijah for all of his contributions to our program in his two years here,” said KU coach Bill Self through an athletics release. “He has been a great teammate and is a hard worker who wants the opportunity to contribute more on the court. We wish Elijah and his family nothing but the best.”

Two KU basketball players among candidates for NBA Draft Combine
According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the list "would eventually be whittled down to 70 if needed by teams," again by vote. However, if the combine does indeed take place, it would seem likely Dotson and Azubuike would both safely be in the running. The two have previously attended the event and have been projected by various outlets as potential late first-round or early second-round NBA Draft picks.

Three-star Fayetteville LB Kaiden Turner talks football roots
Kaiden Turner began playing football in kindergarten. When he started playing, he would go up against second graders, meaning he was already looking to go against bigger and more developed bodies around the time he'd be learning things like simple addition and subtraction.

New Crystal Ball pick logged for 4-star 2021 PF KJ Adams
Adams is the No. 73-ranked recruit in the class of 2021. He has reported more than a dozen offers, with a previously announced top 10 of Arkansas, Baylor, Georgetown, Iona, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and UCF.

247Sports' Brian Snow logged the first KU Crystal Ball pick in Adams' recruitment on Monday before four others joined him. In explaining his Crystal Ball pick, Snow cited "numerous sources" who believe the Jayhawks "are the clear frontrunner to land his pledge."

Breaking down new 2020 KU football opponent Southern Illinois
Last year, the Salukis impressed many with their quick turnaround. Following a 2-9 season in 2018 with one conference win, Southern Illinois rebounded to post its first winning record since 2013. Southern Illinois went 7-5 (5-3 in conference). One of those wins came at Indiana State, who Kansas narrowly beat last year, 24-17.

Bits o Chalk

Ten players taking a big risk in the NBA Draft but should have stayed in college - CBSSports.com
Now that we know, for good, who is returning to college and who is staying in the NBA Draft, let's move on for a moment from teams and instead talk about the prospects -- particularly the players who are staying in this year's draft pool but might be making the wrong decision.

2017 NBA Finals: Cavs-Warriors III could ultimately be decided by these four stats - CBSSports.com
The Warriors and Cavaliers face off next week in the NBA Finals for the third straight time. The two teams are separated by a single game over the past two seasons, regular season and playoffs. But there are crucial stats that will decide this series, and here are four among them.

David Stern: Lakers could have traded for Chris Paul, but Mitch Kupchak panicked - CBSSports.com
David Stern was an extremely successful commissioner of the NBA. The mark he left helped set up the NBA for the massive levels of success it enjoys today, but there are a few blemishes on an otherwise perfect record. Pushing through the NBA dress code and allowing the SuperSonics to leave Seattle come to mind. However, none are as infamous as the Chris Paul trade veto.

Shaquille O'Neal considers LeBron James a mixture of Michael Jordan, Magic and Shaq - CBSSports.com
"He's a mixture of Michael, Shaq and Magic," O'Neal told cleveland.com. "Shaq, because he's bigger and stronger than everybody. Michael because he can score whenever he feels like it. And Magic because he does a great job getting everybody else involved. He's been like that his whole career. Even in high school. I knew he was a special guy in high school."

Eraser Dust

How The Second Stimulus Check Is Similar Yet Different Than The First Stimulus Check
Yesterday, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced the HEALS Act on the Senate floor and a number of Senators proposed their respective parts.

Whitefish restaurant closes as 2 employees tested for COVID-19
A popular Whitefish bar and restaurant has temporarily shut its doors as two employees are being tested for COVID-19.

Casey's in Whitefish stated in a social media post that "two symptomatic employees" are being tested for coronavirus.

Why Montana Is a Test Case for Democrats’ Winning the Senate - The New York Times
The race between Steve Daines, the Republican incumbent, and Steve Bullock could prove crucial in a year when Democrats need to win in conservative-leaning states where President Trump may still prevail.

Coronavirus crisis hits Europe's tourism industry soon after reopenings | Fox News
European countries started opening up to each other’s tourists in mid-June, but recent events have shown the perils of reopening travel between countries. Britain had to impose a sudden 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving from Spain, Norway ordered a 10-day quarantine for people returning from the entire Iberian peninsula, and France urged its citizens not to visit Spain’s Catalonia region.

Virus vaccine put to final test in thousands of volunteers - StarTribune.com
The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine study got underway Monday with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers helping to test shots created by the U.S. government -- one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race.

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