The Rock Chalkboard

Ochai Agbaji's career-high 26 lifts KU basketball over Oklahoma
“I was kind of feeling it for a second there,” said Agbaji after the 69-62 KU win. “When I had any space I was just about to jump up and shoot it .”

Hot Board 2.0: Candidates to replace Jeff Long as Kansas AD
On Wednesday, Kansas athletic director Jeff Long announced he was stepping down as the leader of the department. The news came just one day after Long gave a press conference stating he believed he was the person to hire the Jayhawks' next football coach.

Three takeaways: Reviewing KU basketball's win vs. Oklahoma
No. 11 KU basketball defeated No. 25 Oklahoma, 69-62, on Thursday, to pick up its 20th win of the season. The Jayhawks, who outscored the Sooners by 20 points in the first half, held off a furious OU comeback attempt in the final minutes of the game.

Photo gallery: KU basketball defeats Oklahoma at T-Mobile Center
Marcus Garrett finished second on No. 11 Kansas (20-8, 12-6 Big 12) in points, posting 17 (7-for-12 shooting) while recording three steals. He also had five rebounds (four defensive) and four assists. Dajuan Harris added four points, five assists and four steals off the bench, while Mitch Lightfoot chipped in another 11 points and four boards.

Report: Northwestern Deputy AD Travis Goff 'a name to consider' for Kansas AD
The search is underway at Kansas for not only a new football coach but also a new athletic director, as Jeff Long stepped down from his position on Wednesday less than 48 hours after head coach Les Miles and the program mutually parted ways in wake of harassment allegations against Miles from his tenure at LSU that came to light. And while a favorite for Long's successor in Lawrence has yet to emerge, it's possible that the Jayhawks could be making a phone call to at least one official in Big Ten Country to express interest.

Kansas football promotes Emmett Jones to interim coach
"He's waited patiently and learned behind some of the best," tweeted wideout Malik Johnson of Jones on Wednesday. "In my years of football, nobody, and I mean nobody, motivates through just talking like coach Emmett Jones does. I feel like he can bring a lot of energy to this team. I also know he could help KU win."

Bits o Chalk

Patrick Ewing annoyed at being 'accosted' by MSG security, jokes 'everybody in this building should know who the hell I am'
Patrick Ewing, minutes after coaching Georgetown to a thrilling victory over rival Villanova in the Big East tournament, said he was annoyed by the security measures he has encountered this week at Madison Square Garden -- the hub of his Hall of Fame NBA playing career.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy blasts team after 'embarrassing' loss to Minnesota Timberwolves
"Look, I understand it's on me and what we're putting out there defensively is embarrassing, quite honestly," Van Gundy said. "We've all got to take ownership of it. A lot of it is me and a lot of it is our players, and they've got to take some ownership. We didn't compete tonight, and that's the bottom line.

Golden State Warriors' James Wiseman benched for missing COVID-19 tests
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr benched rookie center James Wiseman for the first half of Thursday's 130-104 loss to the LA Clippers after Wiseman missed the first two COVID-19 tests he was scheduled for during the All-Star break.

Sources -- QB Cam Newton returning to New England Patriots on 1-year deal
"I'm getting tired of changing [teams]," the quarterback said. "I am at a point in my career where I know way more than I did last year. Yes, I would go back."

Eraser Dust

Biden directs states to open vaccinations to all adults by May 1 - CNNPolitics
Addressing a pandemic-worn nation a year after coronavirus brought life to a halt, President Joe Biden on Thursday offered a plan to lift the country from crisis using a pair of upcoming dates: May 1, by which he will order states to allow all adults to receive vaccines; and July 4, when he said Americans can again celebrate Independence Day in person.

You may get your $1,400 stimulus check sooner than you thought | KXAN Austin
Eligible Americans may see their $1,400 stimulus payment as early as this weekend.

Child Tax Credit: Millions of parents could soon get up to $3,600 per child - CBS News
That's because the relief bill includes an overhaul of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), a 24-year-old part of the nation's tax law that today primarily benefits middle- and upper-income families. The American Rescue Plan overhauls the CTC by expanding the benefit from $2,000 annually to as much as $3,600 per child. It also includes more low-income households and doles out the credit's benefit through monthly cash payments.

Kalispell Takes Step Forward in Expanding Lawrence Park Trail System - Flathead Beacon
Kalispell Parks and Recreation installed the first phase of the nature trail over a period of two years following the complaints. In a partnership with Montana Conservation Corps (MCC), Boy Scouts of America, community volunteers and an Applied Materials grant, the trail now gives staff access to remove transient camps and dumpsites while providing public access to the trail.

Michigan State announces new name for Spartans basketball team
Under the new five-year deal, Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage will be the presenting sponsor of the famed men's basketball team which will now be known throughout the Breslin Center as, "MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage."

Earth-sized exoplanet may have lost its original atmosphere, but gained a second one through volcanism
Orbiting a red dwarf star 41 light-years away is an Earth-sized, rocky exoplanet called GJ 1132 b. In some ways, GJ 1132 b has intriguing parallels to Earth, but in other ways it is very different. One of the differences is that its smoggy, hazy atmosphere contains a toxic mix of hydrogen, methane and hydrogen cyanide. Scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence this is not the planet's original atmosphere, and that the first one was blasted away by blistering radiation from GJ 1132 b's nearby parent star. The so-called "secondary atmosphere" is thought to be formed as molten lava beneath the planet's surface continually oozes up through volcanic fissures. Gases seeping through these cracks seem to be constantly replenishing the atmosphere, which would otherwise also be stripped away by the star. This is the first time a secondary atmosphere has been detected on a world outside our solar system.

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