The Rock Chalkboard

How Ochai Agbaji is performing at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine
"To my teammates, thank you for being my brothers and having my back no matter what," Agbaji said in his announcement. "Battling together each and every day pushed us to improve in so many ways. I'll miss that. And to Jayhawk nation, ... I'll miss playing in front of you all but look forward to representing KU for the rest of my life and making you proud."

KU's Marcus Garrett nominated for Big 12 Athlete of the Year
The candidates for Big 12 Athlete of the Year for KU Athletics have been released. The KU candidate for Female Athlete of the Year was volleyball's Jenny Mosser, while Marcus Garrett was the nominee for Male Athlete of the Year.

Aidan Shaw recaps KU basketball official visit, updates timeline
The four-star wing, ranked No. 44 in the Top247, was able to speak with the academic staff, and then he went to KU coach Bill Self's house to meet with other players and start to build some relationships. Shaw noted he was familiar with some of the players before from playing in pickup games and seeing them in the area. He also had seen the dorms on a previous visit.

Bengals OC evaluates rookie RBs Chris Evans, Pooka Williams
“Keep progressing and be ready when it comes time to play,” Callahan said. “Those guys are going to be in a spot now where they’re going to get some preseason reps, and you’re going to be able to see them play against competition with pads on and live tackling. It’s really hard to get a feel for running backs any other time outside of that. Their value comes when they can break tackles and make people miss when they’re really trying to bring them down. The preseason games will be really big for those guys.”

Bits o Chalk

Sources - Dallas Mavericks finalizing deal to make Jason Kidd next head coach
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is also close to hiring longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison to a front-office leadership position, sources said. Cuban and Harrison, who is close to Kidd, have had in-depth discussions about the coaching candidates and identified Kidd as the target, sources said.

In lawsuit, unidentified former Blackhawks player says ex-assistant sexually assaulted him, team did nothing
CHICAGO -- An unidentified former Chicago Blackhawks player says in a lawsuit against the team that a then-assistant coach sexually assaulted him in 2010 during a playoff run to a Stanley Cup title and that the team did nothing after he informed a now-retired employee.

Manchester City close to £100m British record move for Jack Grealish - sources
Sources told ESPN's Mark Ogden earlier this month that City boss Pep Guardiola had made Grealish a key target along with Harry Kane, and now City are ready to pay around £100 million ($139m) for the midfielder. The deal would be a British record if it goes through, eclipsing the £89.3m ($124m) Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba in 2016.

Paul George 'moves on' from Game 2 heartbreak, leads LA Clippers to big win
Lue wanted to touch base with his players, starting with George, his All-Star guard who missed two costly free throws late in the Clippers' heartbreaking loss in Game 2 in Phoenix. Lue let George know the crushing defeat was behind them and that the Clippers would not be where they are without him.

Eraser Dust

Conan O'Brien: 16 essential bits from his 28-year late-night run | EW.com
Late-night TV is about to get a little less zany, a little less brainy, a little less... tall? However you quantify it, the after-hours talk show landscape won't be the same without Conan O'Brien. On Thursday night, the revered and longest tenured late-night host in America is wrapping up a storied 28-year run in late-night, most recently an 11-year tenure on Conan. Here, we salute the essential recurring bits, gags, guests, and laughs that O'Brien lorded over whilst at Late Night With Conan O'Brien (NBC, 1993-2009) and Conan (TBS, 2010-present) - and yes, there's even a key moment from his seven-month stint as host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

Miami-Dade building collapse: Death toll rises to 4 - CNN
About 55 of the 136 units at Champlain Towers South crumbled at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, leaving huge piles of rubble on the ground and materials dangling from what remained of the structure, officials said.

POLITICO Playbook: Graham: Biden made GOP look like ‘f---ing idiots’ - POLITICO
The gist is this: If Biden’s proposal for “family infrastructure” and climate change doesn’t pass, then neither will the bipartisan infrastructure deal that senators just struck. Think of this as a Plan B after Sens. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) refused to promise they’ll support Part 2, Democrats’ multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package.

Dad dumbfounded by stepson’s ‘humiliating’ Father’s Day gift: ‘I almost cried’
He explained the situation on Reddit’s “Am I the A******” forum. Despite him putting in the effort, his stepson doesn’t seem interested in bonding. Whenever the teenager does give him attention, it usually turns out to be a prank. But on Father’s Day, the Reddit poster believes his stepson took the jokes too far.

‘Nightmare Scenario’ book excerpt: Inside the extraordinary effort to save Trump from covid-19 - The Washington Post
An excerpt from the book ‘Nightmare Scenario’ details how Trump's illness was far more severe than the White House acknowledged. Advisers thought it would alter his pandemic response. They were wrong.

Kalispell council OKs numerous development projects | Daily Inter Lake
IN OTHER business, the council unanimously approved a request to annex Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic into the city and zone the property at 100 Ponderosa Lane as a city B-1 Neighborhood Business zone.

Noel Gallagher reveals who he wants to portray him in a biopic
Noel Gallagher has declared that Michael Fassbender would be the ideal man to portray him in a biopic.

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