The Rock Chalkboard

2022 ATH Jaren Kanak pondering college options, position choice
Of course, Kanak is hoping to be as well-rounded an athlete as possible, and he's already earned offers from the likes of Kansas, K-State, Iowa, Nebraska and Washington State.

Hot Board 6.0: Top candidates emerging for Kansas' next AD
Version 6.0 update: Two reported top candidates have been identified as the Jayhawks seek to pick their next AD. The Jayhawks, per a CBS Sports report, appear to be narrowing the search. Mike Harrity and Travis Goff, two names that have long been on the Hot Board, appear to be headed for interviews, per Dennis Dodd. More below..

The Drive: What to make of KU basketball's 2020-21 season
The 15th season of The Drive concludes following KU basketball's elimination from the 2021 NCAA Tournament at the hands of USC. The Jayhawks finished the year at 21-9 (12-6 Big 12).

Scouting notes on Brandon McKissic ahead of college announcement
Brandon McKissic, a transfer guard from UMKC, is set to announce his college choice in a matter of days. In a recent interview with 247Sports, McKissic said he is down to six suitors, which are Florida, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oregon State and St. Louis.

Report: Army deputy AD Mike Harrity, Northwestern deputy AD Travis Goff 'gaining traction' in Kansas' search
“Hearing Mike Harrity (Army) and Travis Goff (Northwestern) getting some traction at Kansas,” Dodd wrote in a tweet. “Could be on campus soon for interviews.”

UMKC Grad transfer Brandon McKissic focusing on six as he nears a decision
Brandon McKissic: Going into the portal, I’ve been in there twice. The time in December when I went in it kind of gave me an idea of what was going to happen because coaches knew that I was probably going to go back in. What happened this time, I didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect Kansas to call, I didn’t expect Oregon State to call. The only reason why I could see KU calling in slightest bit is because I’m at UMKC and we played them last year and I had a pretty decent game.

KU basketball NBA Draft situations, announcements to monitor
The 2020-21 KU basketball season came to an end on Tuesday, as the Jayhawks fell to USC in blowout fashion in the Round of 32. The Jayhawks finished the year at 21-9, going 12-6 in conference play en route to a second-place finish.

Bits o Chalk

Reseeding the men's March Madness 2021 field for the Elite Eight
Without further ado -- because Pac-12 fans have been anxiously awaiting its arrival -- we present our reseeding of the Elite Eight:

Dominant overtime helps UCLA secure spot in Elite Eight of NCAA men's basketball tournament
Ten days ago, UCLA went into halftime of its First Four game against Michigan State with an 11-point deficit. The Bruins had ended the regular season with four straight losses and backed into the NCAA tournament, and their trip to Indiana looked to be a short one.

United States' failure to qualify for Olympics 'a tragedy' - Jason Kreis
United States men's coach Jason Kreis admitted his squad is "devastated" not to be going to the Olympics after losing 2-1 to Honduras in CONCACAF qualifying in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday.

New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara among players displeased with likely 17-game NFL schedule
"S--- dumb... as hell," Kamara tweeted.

Indiana men's basketball hires Mike Woodson; deal is for six years, sources say
The contract is for six years, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, as Woodson returns to his alma mater.

Frank Vogel says Los Angeles Lakers 'got a lot better' with addition of Andre Drummond
"We're all thrilled to add Andre Drummond, a player of his caliber, to our team," Vogel said following the Lakers' 96-93 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday night. "He's one of the best centers in the league, someone that every defensive coordinator is going to have to account for and to figure out how to handle him when they're trying to slow down [Anthony Davis] and [LeBron James] and our guards.

Coach Penny Hardaway says Memphis Tigers' NIT championship 'just the start'
With no seniors on the roster, the Tigers won 11 of their last 13 games. The only setbacks in that span were a pair of one-possession losses six days apart against NCAA Elite Eight team Houston.

Eraser Dust

Cargo ship blocking the Suez is partially floated: Suez Canal Authority
The giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal was partially refloated early Monday, days after the vessel got stuck and brought a vital global trade route to a standstill.

WHO report says animals likely source of Covid - POLITICO
A joint WHO-China study on the origins of Covid-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press.

Filibuster Fight: Why The Stakes Are High For Both Parties : NPR
"And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster — another Jim Crow relic — in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that's what we should do," Obama said, instantly resetting the debate over the Senate procedure that allows a minority party with 41 votes to stop most legislation.

This One Eating Habit Raises Your Risk of Early Death by 50%, Says Study | Eat This Not That
A new study just published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics contains some troubling news for people who have become addicted to take-out over the course of the last year. According to the research, which analyzed 15 years of dietary behavior among more than 35,000 adults aged 20 and older, “frequent consumption” of restaurant-made meals is strongly linked to early death.

The States Where Efforts To Restrict Voting Are Escalating | FiveThirtyEight
But the push to restrict voting rights expands beyond just a few states. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a voting rights advocacy group, 253 bills to restrict voting access had been introduced in 43 state legislatures as of Feb. 19. And according to our own tracking, at least 53 additional bills have been introduced since then.1 Of these 306 bills, 89 percent were sponsored entirely or primarily by Republicans, according to the bill-tracking service LegiScan.

Food truck's meat sourced from C-Falls cattle | Daily Inter Lake
Wagyu beef is standard fare for upscale steakhouses and exotic restaurants — Flathead Valley food trucks, not so much.

New Whitefish food bank director brings international experience | Daily Inter Lake
A decade later, Albert is applying lessons from that experience — including a focus on local decision-making and a holistic approach to caring for people — to her new role as executive director of the North Valley Food Bank in Whitefish.

Lil Nas X releases unofficial 'Satan' Nike shoes containing human blood - CNN Style
Rapper and singer Lil Nas X is launching a controversial pair of "Satan Shoes" featuring a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and a drop of real human blood.