The Rock Chalkboard

UPDATED: Early candidates to replace Jeff Long as Kansas AD
Manning has been a name thrown out as having interest in the position, with The Athletic reporting Manning openly expressed interest in the job. Of course, Manning would likely be a popular figure among donors of the program and KU coach Bill Self, as he was an assistant at the University for more than half-a-decade after wrapping up a lengthy NBA career.

Kansas players campaign for Emmett Jones to step in as coach
The Jayhawks parted ways with head coach Les Miles on Monday following the events of the last week, during which specific and detailed allegations came to light dating back to Miles' time at LSU. KU athletic director Jeff Long appointed newly hired offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, who he overlapped at Michigan with, to an acting-head coach role.

Hot board 2.0: Who will replace Les Miles with Kansas football?
Version 2.0 update (3/11/2021): Jeff Long has since been ousted as Kansas' athletic director. He accepted a settlement to step down from the position. That changes the candidate pool, with Chip Lindsey and Dan Enos dropping further in likelihood. Jeff Monken was also added to the list of candidates, as was Graham Harrell. We've also added one current staff member to the list.

Details of Kansas' settlement with AD Jeff Long revealed
Kansas settled with departing athletic director Jeff Long to the tune of $1.375 million, the school announced Wednesday. Per Phog.net’s Scott Chasen, Long had a buyout of more than $3.5 million, along with a clause that could have extended his contract.

New 3-stars in Texas: Emerging QB Richard Torres, Baylor commit Cedric Roberts, and more
The 2022 Top247 update that dropped in late February covered myriad moves across the country within the context of the 2020 football season for numerous states, as well as some recent 7-on-7 action and elite camps. After some discussion with the 247Sports rankings team, we have decided to implement a weekly window for moves outside the Top247, which will allow for more timely updates of prospects in the three-star range, especially unrated players who emerge. Here's a look at some names in Texas who were added Wednesday to the 247Sports rankings database.

Bill Self comments on AD Jeff Long's departure from Kansas
“This has certainly been a challenging time for all of us who love KU and I recognize that change can be difficult,” Self said in his statement. “Jeff and I enjoyed a good working relationship and I wish him well in all of his future endeavors. I have the utmost trust and respect for Chancellor Girod and I am confident that he will find us a tremendous new leader of our athletics program. I look forward to what the future holds in store for Kansas Athletics.”

AD Jeff Long out at Kansas following split with Les Miles
In a statement released Wednesday, Long stated he is stepping down after a conversation with Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod. Girod announced that Kurt Watson — "one of KU’s most trusted advisors," Girod said — will be the interim AD.

Bits o Chalk

As committee gauges its protocols, all a team needs to play in NCAA tournament is five healthy players
For months, the NCAA has been laying out protocols to ensure the tournament will go off in somewhat normal-looking fashion. The biggest change is that all 68 teams will descend on Indianapolis next week, and all games will be played in and around the city over 19 days.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Meyers Leonard's use of anti-Semitic slur 'distasteful and hurtful'
"He said something that was extremely distasteful and hurtful," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And we're left with the aftermath of that."

Kyle Lowry - Future uncertain, but 'I will retire as a Toronto Raptor'
"Let me say this: I will retire as a Toronto Raptor," Lowry said after the team practiced Wednesday night ahead of the start of the second half of the season in Tampa, Florida, against the Atlanta Hawks.

San Antonio Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge agree he won't return to team
The San Antonio Spurs and veteran power forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge have mutually agreed that he will not return to the team, coach Gregg Popovich announced before Wednesday night's 115-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

365 days of uncertainty, change and hope in the NBA and America
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in a car outside his apartment in uptown Manhattan. Michele Roberts, the executive director of the NBPA, was in a car outside her apartment in Harlem. And they were both talking -- in a dizzying flurry of phone calls -- to a group huddled together in a conference room on the event level of Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Eraser Dust

A $60 billion surprise in the Covid relief bill: Tax hikes - POLITICO
One takes away deductions for publicly traded companies that pay top employees more than $1 million. Another provision cracks down on how multinational corporations do their taxes. A third targets how owners of unincorporated businesses account for their losses.

Prince William says royals 'not a racist family' after Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview
We're very much not a racist family," William said in response to questions from the media as he visited a school in east London with his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Fukushima tsunami 2011: Survivor clung to a tree for hours to escape death in Japan's worst natural disaster - CNN
Minutes before waves up to 10 meters (nearly 30 feet) high swept in, Kurosawa, then aged 40, had scrambled 3 meters (10 feet) up a pine tree, wrapped his legs around a branch and hung on for his life.

Biden seeks to chart a path out of the pandemic in prime-time address - CNNPolitics
President Joe Biden can report in his first prime-time address Thursday that a vaccination drive now reaching 2 million people daily has brought America far closer to exiting the pandemic than when he took office 50 days ago.

Helena man cited in neighborhood flap over Trump/Biden flags | Local | helenair.com
AHelena man is scheduled to appear in Helena Municipal Court on March 15, after being cited by police for disorderly conduct for allegedly using offensive language in a neighborhood dispute over some dueling political flags.