• Slug: Sports-Grand Prix. 480 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails and captions below).
• Video story available.

By Cameron Dean
Cronkite News

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Smoking tires, screeching engines and the cheers of passionate racing fans are coming to this seaside city as the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach hits the streets this weekend.

The main event is Sunday’s IndyCar series street race, an 85-lap, 167-mile contest that forces drivers to contend with twists, turns, bumps and obstacles. It’s a far cry from racing the oval at the Indianapolis 500. Continue reading “Skidding tires, anxious drivers: Long Beach Grand Prix fires up this weekend”

• Slug: Sports-Saben Lee Suns, 2,000 words.
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By Tanner Tortorella
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – It was the summer of 2013 and inside Corona Del Sol High School’s gym, Sam Duane, the boys basketball coach, was beginning the journey to winning back-to-back state titles. He looked at returning and new talent, searching for the pieces that could help the Aztecs reach the mountaintop once again.

Among the field of Division I-level prospects stood a scrawny 6-foot freshman who caught Duane’s eyes immediately.

The guard “oozed athleticism” and had trampolines on the bottom of his shoes, with his freaky jumping ability that left many in awe. His raw athletic ability captured Duane’s attention, and he knew this kid could be special if developed correctly. That 14-year-old kid was none other than current Phoenix Suns guard Saben Lee. Continue reading “Native Sun: How Saben Lee’s NBA dreams from Corona Del Sol days led to Arizona homecoming”

• Slug: Sports-Suns Playoff History, 1,556 words.
• 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Tanner Tortorella
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Entering the 2022 postseason, the Phoenix Suns were confident. With 64 regular-season wins, the most in franchise history, and sitting atop the Western Conference for the first time since 2005, savvy experts forecasted smooth sailing to back-to-back Finals appearances for the Suns.

However, as history has so cruelly shown, the postseason in the Valley is a foggy experience.

The Suns blew a 2-0 series lead to the Dallas Mavericks in the conference semifinals, losing Game 7 on Phoenix’s home court in embarrassing fashion, 123-90. With expectations hanging high, the Suns falling extremely short made it much harder to brace for the harsh crash into reality. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns eager to reverse postseason failures in upcoming NBA playoffs”

• Slug: Sports-Suns Clippers Preview, 988 words.
• 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The dust of the regular season has settled, and playoff matchups have been set.

Among the most intriguing first-round series is the best-of-seven set between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. Both entered the season with legitimate championship aspirations. Both have never won a championship. Both have dealt with a plethora of injuries to star players this year. And both have valid reason to believe they can beat the other.

The fourth-seeded Suns will start with home-court advantage Sunday. Another advantage they have over the fifth-seeded Clippers is health. Trade deadline acquisition Kevin Durant, incumbent star Devin Booker and playmaking extraordinaire Chris Paul have all missed significant time with injury this season but enter the playoffs fully healthy. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns prepared for early test vs. Los Angeles Clippers in NBA playoffs”

• Slug: Sports-Bettman Coyotes Arena, 760 words.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Remy Mastey
Cronkite News

TEMPE – A spirited and sometimes tense environment defined the Tempe Chamber of Commerce Thursday as prominent figures including NHL commissioner Garry Bettman spoke passionately in support of the Coyotes’ proposed arena in Tempe while protesters outside voiced their opposition.

The press conference was scheduled to take place in a parking lot next to a Goodwill store but was moved earlier in the day due to vandalism of the property. The words “Vote no” in reference to upcoming votes on propositions 301, 302 and 303 were spread with chalk and graffiti across the building, Goodwill Chief Executive Officer Tim O’Neal said.

“We are incredibly angry by those actions and they were clearly the actions of critics and opponents of this campaign,” Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said. “This is unacceptable actions by individuals who need to be held accountable. It is one thing for you to disagree with a project and with a deal, but it is unacceptable for you to vandalize a pillar of the community.” Continue reading “‘Enough bullying’: NHL Commissioner Bettman, Coyotes defend plan for new Tempe arena”

• Slug: Sports-Pat Tillman Run, 1,060 words.
• 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jordan Leandre
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Sparked by a brainstorming session at a bar in Chandler, Pat’s Run organizers are preparing for the 19th annual race that honors former Arizona State and Cardinals football star, Pat Tillman.

Tillman famously walked away from his NFL career to join the elite Army Rangers in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He was killed by friendly fire while serving near Sperah, Afghanistan in 2004. He was 27 years old.

The run, which begins Saturday at 7 a.m., is a 4.2-mile race that ends at the 42-yard line of Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Tillman wore No. 42 during his career at ASU, which included a Rose Bowl appearance and a Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award. Continue reading “Pat Tillman’s legacy lives through annual 4.2-mile race to raise money for veterans”

• Slug: Sports-Suns Undefeated with Durant, 1,237 words.
• 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By David Bernauer
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On Feb. 8, Mat Ishbia was officially introduced to the public as the next governor of the Suns and took questions from the media. Among those he fielded were questions about how active his team would be with the trade deadline looming just 24 hours away.

“I’m going to empower my people to make decisions, give them all the resources and support to be successful, then let them do a great job,” Ishbia said. “I’m not going to be sitting here counting the dollars, I’m going to be focused on how we improve our team.”

That night, Ishbia and Suns President of Basketball Operations James Jones traded a haul of players and picks for Kevin Durant, one of the NBA’s all-time greats still in his prime. Since then, Durant has played only eight games as a result of a right MCL sprain that he arrived in the Valley with, and a sprained left ankle suffered minutes before he was set to make his home debut. Continue reading “‘Pick your poison’: Kevin Durant’s impact abundantly clear as NBA playoffs approach”

• Slug: Sports-Brice Turang Brewers, 2,073 words.
• 1 photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Noah Furtado
Cronkite News

PHOENIX — Across half a decade, American Family Fields — the Milwaukee Brewers’ spring training facility — kept a former MLB first-round draft pick connected to his dream.

After being selected by the Brewers in 2018, an 18-year-old Brice Turang was tossed into the organization’s farm system with all of the attached toil. The highly touted Turang was among as many peers as grown adults scraping day by day so they could eventually walk up the steps of an MLB dugout from the months of April to November. And his $3.4 million signing bonus did not buy him any guarantees.

Through the minor leagues, Turang, an infielder, was pegged with the pressures that came with an almost perpetual rookie status. Almost. Continue reading “Brice Turang before the Bigs: Eighth-grade draft hopeful, USA baseball alum, $100 home run hitter”

• Slug: Sports-Hannah Scharf ASU Gymnastics, 915 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Kathryn Field
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Hannah Scharf started her gymnastics career at the age of 4. Now, 18 years later, she’s heading to the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships as an individual qualifier for the second time in her Sun Devil career.

To earn the individual qualifier spot, Scharf grabbed the highest all-around score of any gymnast whose team did not qualify for NCAA championships. It all came down to her performance on the second day of NCAA regionals in Pittsburgh, where earlier this month she secured a 39.625. Scharf’s score was the second highest, only behind a gymnast from Florida, which advanced as a team.

While Scharf, a senior, would rather have her teammates competing alongside her when the championships begin Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, she is excited about the opportunity to showcase her talent on the biggest stage in college gymnastics. She also knows that the knowledge and experience she will gain from this experience will help her to be a better leader within the team. Continue reading “ASU gymnast Hannah Scharf ready to take on NCAA women’s championships as an individual qualifier”