The Rock Chalkboard

VIP takeaways: Kansas football spring practice No. 13
Kansas football's spring practice slate is underway. Normally, we'd have the chance to check out practices in person for about an hour or so a few times a week, but that obviously has not been the case in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Kansas football players looking forward to spring game
Kansas football learned what it was like not to have spring practice a season ago. This year, regardless of who the coach is next fall, that hasn't been the case.

Meyer's Mailbag: Jett Howard, TyTy Washington, Tennessee's offense, and the NCAA
In this edition of Meyer's Mailbag, I discuss Jett Howard, TyTy Washington, Tennessee's offense from last year to this upcoming year and a couple NCAA items.

Recruiting: Avery Johnson welcomes new pressure
During his time as an Elite 11 coach and Kansas City's renowned quarterback whisperer (aside from his duties being a head coach at Shawnee Mission East), Justin Hoover has mentored some of the area's best over the years, including major recruiting names like Graham Mertz and Drew Lock among many others.

The Circuit League: Five-star Omaha Biliew discusses his recruitment
Playing in his first official grassroots event since his middle school days, Omaha Biliew definitely set the tone for a productive grassroots season. A top-five-ranked prospect in the 2023 class, Biliew excelled in presenting himself in that light this past weekend at The Circuit Hoops Session.

Bits o Chalk

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr laments failure to box out, pay attention to detail in modern NBA
"It signals to me a modern team," Kerr said. "This is the modern NBA; guys don't box out. It's just the way it is. Every night on League Pass, I see the same thing. Players let guys come in from the weak side, and they think, 'I'll just get the rebound.' It's a disease that's rampant in the NBA. The problem is, if you're a real small team like us, then it's going to hurt you more than it will hurt other teams."

Six Alabama players taken in first round of NFL draft, tying Miami for record
Six former University of Alabama players were selected in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday, tying a modern record for a single school.

Chicago Bears select QB Justin Fields with No. 11 pick in NFL draft after making deal with New York Giants
Four years after trading up for Mitchell Trubisky, an experiment that eventually fizzled out, the Chicago Bears once again pulled off a stunning move Thursday night in the NFL draft when they traded up nine spots with the New York Giants to take Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick.

Green Bay Packers 'committed' to Aaron Rodgers, not trading him, GM says
"We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said. "But he's a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He gives us the best chance to win, and we're going to work towards that end."

Eraser Dust

Stampede at Israel Religious Celebration Kills at Least 44 - The New York Times
An estimated 100,000 people had gathered on Mount Meron to celebrate a religious holiday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “terrible disaster.”

Florida Legislature Approves Bill With Restrictions On Voting : NPR
The measure also limits who can hand out any item, including food or water or election-related material, to voters waiting in line. Items can't be given to voters within 150 feet of a ballot box. Only volunteers or staff working with the election supervisor can "provide nonpartisan assistance" to voters within that area.

Matt Gaetz associate admits both men had sex with teen girl
Joel Greenberg, a longtime associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz, admitted in a letter that both he and the embattled GOP congressman paid for sex — including with a minor, according to a report on Thursday.

Kalispell woman pleads not guilty in fatal crash | Daily Inter Lake
A Kalispell woman accused of causing a fatal accident in Pablo last fall while driving a stolen vehicle pleaded not guilty to charges of negligent homicide and theft, both felonies, on April 1 in Lake County District Court.

Library Prepares for Return to Normalcy - Flathead Beacon
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 1,000 patrons passed through the doors of the Bigfork, Columbia Falls and Kalispell branches every day. Over the last year, that number dropped to around 400, according to ImagineIF Libraries Director Connie Behe. Now, the system is preparing to welcome everyone back.

Noel Gallagher on ten years of High Flying Birds: ‘A lot of the early songs were written for Oasis’ | British GQ
If Oasis were all about the idiomatic collective experience, High Flying Birds are all about the personal and the particular. Whenever I hear an Oasis song, my head fills with other people’s experiences as well as my own; that never happens with High Flying Birds, as my relationship with them is far more intimate. While Gallagher's voice isn’t as strident or as resonant as his brother’s once was, it certainly has more depth and more colour. And when you hear him steer his way through “The Dying Of The Light” (originally released on High Flying Birds’ second album, 2015’s Chasing Yesterday), you’re basically listening to what Oasis would have sounded like six years ago anyway (complete with sneaky references to both Jimi Hendrix and Tears For Fears).