The Rock Chalkboard

Jayhawks, fans share joy of return at first in-person Late Night in 2 years | KUsports.com
And with Hollywood actor Rob Riggle hosting, a scrimmage by the top-five men’s basketball team as the featured act and legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC capping the evening off in style, the 37th annual Late Night ushered in a new season of Kansas basketball like few before it.

Late Night scrimmage marked Jayhawks' first action inside Allen Fieldhouse this season | KUsports.com
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot,” said senior transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands. “But it was our first time actually playing in Allen Fieldhouse. We haven’t practiced there at all. So for us to be playing there, it gets hot in there, and it’s just a different atmosphere.”

KU volleyball pushes win streak to 9 in battle of Big 12 unbeatens | KUsports.com
"Obviously they don't panic," KU coach Ray Bechard said after the victory. "This team, they always play next point."

Wichita-based 6th Man Strategies reaches deal to represent all 18 Kansas men's basketball players in NIL endeavors | KUsports.com
Wichita-based company, 6th Man Strategies, LLC, has reached a deal to represent all 18 Kansas men’s basketball players in their name, image and likeness, the company announced on Friday morning.

Jayhawks plan to rotate 3 safeties in 1st half at ISU while Kenny Logan Jr. sits | KUsports.com
A 6-foot, 205-pound junior from St. Augustine, Fla., who also serves as KU’s primary kickoff returner, Logan enters the game at Iowa State (6 p.m. kickoff, FOX Sports 1) as the Jayhawks’ leading tackler, with 37 total stops. Logan also has a team-leading four pass breakups, and has forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble already this season.

Bits o Chalk

NBA MVP or not, LeBron James is the best player in the world
James continued his playoff brilliance in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 130-86 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night with 30 points, seven assists, four rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots.

Late Night scrimmage marked Jayhawks' first action inside Allen Fieldhouse this season | KUsports.com
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can shoot,” said senior transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands. “But it was our first time actually playing in Allen Fieldhouse. We haven’t practiced there at all. So for us to be playing there, it gets hot in there, and it’s just a different atmosphere.”

NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigns amid misconduct allegations levelled at Paul Riley
The decision comes in the wake of a report that detailed allegations of sexual coercion and abuse by now former North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley that spanned his tenure with multiple teams. Riley was fired from his post on Thursday.

Wisconsin Badgers to name Camp Randall Stadium's field after former coach, AD Barry Alvarez
Alvarez coached Wisconsin from 1990 to 2005 and set a program record for career coaching victories, winning three Rose Bowl titles at a school that had gone 9-36 in the four years before his arrival. His 119-74-4 career record includes a 1-1 mark as an interim coach in bowl games that capped the 2012 and 2014 seasons.

Ole Miss Rebels receiver Jonathan Mingo likely out vs. Alabama due to foot injury, source says
Ole Miss junior wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is expected to miss Saturday's game against No. 1 Alabama after suffering a foot injury, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Sources -- Philadelphia 76ers withhold $8.25M owed to Ben Simmons amid NBA star's holdout
The Philadelphia 76ers did not pay Ben Simmons the $8.25 million -- 25% of his contract -- that he was owed Friday and placed that money into an escrow account, sources told ESPN.

Eraser Dust

An American tragedy: US COVID death toll tops 700,000 - ABC News
The United States reached another grim milestone on Friday, as the confirmed coronavirus death toll topped 700,000, just over a year and a half into the pandemic, and despite the wide availability of vaccines.

Merck pill seen as 'huge advance,' raises hope of preventing COVID-19 deaths | Reuters
Oct 1 (Reuters) - An experimental antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co (MRK.N) could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of contracting severe COVID-19, according to data that experts hailed as a potential breakthrough in how the virus is treated.

Abortion rights hang in the balance, as advocates rally across the country : NPR
Abortion-rights advocates are protesting in cities across the U.S. on Saturday, with their movement feeling deeply uneasy about what comes next after Texas enacted the nation's most restrictive abortion law, and with the conservative Supreme Court possibly ruling on the future of Roe v. Wade during its next term, which starts Monday.

Trump asks U.S. judge to force Twitter to restart his account
Former U.S. President Donald Trump asked a federal judge in Florida on Friday to ask Twitter to restore his account, which the company removed in January citing a risk of incitement of violence.

Columbia Falls resort tax goes into effect | Western News
The tax does not apply to groceries, with the exception of candy and soda. It does not tax medicine, hardware supplies, auto parts, cars and trucks, motor oil, gasoline, newspapers, vehicles, furniture, dishes and the like.

Original Van Halen Frontman David Lee Roth Is Retiring
David Lee Roth, the original lead singer of the rock band Van Halen, will conclude his career this January. “I’m throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal over the phone on October 1. The 66-year-old musician said he thought he would be the first band member to die instead of Eddie Van Halen, who died of cancer last year. “Diamond Dave” added that his doctors and handlers had compelled him to consider how being onstage impacts his health.