• Slug: Sports–Sulka Video NBA Dreams. 1,500 words.
• Photo available

By Koby Braunstein
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Madeline Sulka is relentless in her pursuit to become the NBA’s first female head coach — a goal she first expressed in her Concordia University Irvine basketball bio as a player in 2017.

“All basketball players can relate that you don’t always know exactly what’s next when you are done playing,” Sulka said. “You love the game for so long, and it’s all you know. (Basketball) is engraved into who you are as a person.

“Coaching was never necessarily on my mind, (but) I was always a natural leader. I liked helping others and being that strong voice on the court that your teammates trust (and) that your coaches trust.” Continue reading “From ASU’s video room to NBA sidelines? Madeline Sulka pursues history on road less traveled”

• Slug: Sports–Karen Self Basketball Record, 1,200 words.
• 3 photos available

By Sebastian Mondaca Sepulveda
Cronkite News

CHANDLER – Surrounded by those who had been part of her journey, from players she once coached to colleagues who had watched her rise through the ranks, Karen Self could feel the weight of the achievement settle in. She had become the winningest coach in Arizona girls basketball history on Jan. 17 against Globe, a milestone that was not just hers alone, but one that belonged to an entire community.

Her legacy, built on 833 wins (and counting) and 12 state championships, was now woven into the fabric of Seton Catholic and the Arizona basketball scene.

At that moment, Self didn’t need to say a word. The love and admiration from those around her spoke volumes, capturing the essence of a career devoted to more than just the scoreboard. Continue reading “Seton Catholic’s Karen Self smashes wins record for Arizona girls basketball – and she’s not done yet”

• Slug: Sports-NCAA Hockey. 1,500 words.
• 2 photos available

By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A landmark legal battle by a 19-year-old Canadian defenseman has forever changed the face of college hockey in the United States.

The swift action began last August with a lawsuit that challenged the NCAA’s long-standing rule prohibiting Canadian Hockey League players from competing for Division I schools. Rumors swirled almost immediately that the NCAA would buckle and change its eligibility rule, which has barred generations of CHL players from competing in U.S. collegiate athletics.

On Nov. 7, the NCAA Division I committee voted to drop the ban. The new rule will take effect on Aug. 1 – and the landscape for college hockey in the U.S. will change drastically.

Continue reading “How the NCAA’s decision to welcome CHL players could reshape college hockey in the United States”

• Sports-Unrivaled League. 900 words.
• Photo available.

By Aya Abdeen
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Nearly three years ago, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport while traveling to Russia to play overseas during the WNBA offseason. She was held for nearly 10 months after being charged and sentenced for possessing vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.

Her harrowing experience highlighted the risks and uncertainties athletes face when seeking offseason opportunities abroad, underscoring the need for a safer, domestic alternative — a gap the Unrivaled Basketball League aims to fill for WNBA players.

“I was looking forward to it,” Griner said about the league, which debuted its inaugural season Jan. 17. “I feel like something was missing in my offseason. Continue reading “Unrivaled offers safer alternative to overseas play for Phoenix Mercury stars, WNBA players”

• Slug: Sports–Sun Devil Nutrition. 3,000 words.
• Photo available

By Dylan Ackermann
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Behind every athlete’s highlight-reel performance lies an unseen effort, where nutrition plays a starring role.

From carefully crafted meals to personalized fueling strategies, the journey to peak athletic performance starts long before game day – and it’s happening behind the scenes at Arizona State University.

Inside the 118,669-square-foot Butterfield Kent Furst Student-Athlete Facility, nestled at the north end of Mountain America Stadium, the magic unfolds through the seamless blending of science, personalization and collaboration among players, coaches, dietitians and chefs. Continue reading “Forks up, chow down: Inside Arizona State’s winning recipe for Sun Devil Athletics nutrition”

• Slug: Sports–Coaching evolution. 1,668 words.
• Photo available

By Keller Brown
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – While some view coaching football as a chore, others see it as an opportunity to teach a younger generation. With college football undergoing constant changes on and off the field, some have argued that the art of coaching a football team has evolved.

Coaches come from all walks of life. Whether they are in their first season as the head of a program, or wrapping up decades of dominance at one school, everyone has a different philosophy of how they go about their business.

Monday’s College Football Playoff showcased those differences in coaching styles and experience, with Ohio State coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame Marcus Freeman – named the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year – emphasizing their unique approaches, while Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham & Co. nearly took down Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns in the CFP quarterfinals.

“I think (coaching philosophy) comes from obviously your experiences and where you come from,” former ASU football coach Todd Graham said. “Different people believe in different things.”

Continue reading “Rewriting the playbook: ASU’s Kenny Dillingham embraces new-school philosophy to reach old-school success”

• Slug: Sports-Bob Uecker Death. 1070 words.
• No photo available.

By Tucker L. Sennett
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – For 54 seasons of Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers fans experienced one constant: Bob Uecker.

Moments after a heartbreaking loss in the National League Wild Card series to the New York Mets in 2024 fans of the Brewers likely didn’t know it would be the last time they would hear ‘Mr Baseball’ on the call for their team. Uecker, the Hall of Fame broadcaster known for his wit and his iconic voice, died Thursday after facing “a private battle with small cell lung cancer” since early 2023, according to his family.

“I’m telling you, that one … had some sting on it,” the 90-year-old Uecker said on the radio broadcast in October, after the Mets ended the Brewers’ season. Continue reading “‘Mr. Baseball’ : Bob Uecker, legendary voice of Milwaukee Brewers, is mourned by the sport’s luminaries”

• Slug: Sports-Corbin Burnes Diamondbacks. 670 words.
• 2 photos available.

By Ari Wohl
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t offer Corbin Burnes the most money in free agency, but his new deal includes a perk no other team could match: a chance to stay local and prioritize his family.

Burnes moved to Arizona in 2018 with his wife, Brooke, who gave birth to twin girls last summer.  

“The family aspect of this was huge for us … When we heard that this could be an opportunity, we got really excited,” Burnes said. Continue reading “Family first: Prized arm Corbin Burnes details decision to join Arizona Diamondbacks”

• Slug: Sports–ASU Peach Bowl, 1,000 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Tucker L. Sennett
Cronkite News

ATLANTA – Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t believe in moral victories.

“This should hurt and be painful,” he said Wednesday. “The locker room is dreadful right now and it should be. If it weren’t, something would be wrong.”

Classic. Blockbuster. All-timer. Those are the words that will be associated with the 2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Texas. After a comeback for the ages, the Sun Devils couldn’t hang on and ultimately fell in double overtime 39-31, failing to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. Continue reading “Broken hearts: ASU football falls just short in Peach Bowl classic, shows promise for future”

• Slug: Sports–Skattebo Peach Bowl, 550 words.
• Photo available.

By Patrick Holleron
Cronkite News

ATLANTA – One moment, he is vomiting on the sidelines. The next, he is throwing a touchdown pass.

If anyone needed to see a quintessential Cam Skattebo game, Wednesday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl meeting with Texas was it.

Although the 39-31 overtime loss wasn’t the ending to his college career he wanted, Skattebo was determined to give everything he had for the team he calls family. Continue reading “‘These guys will be in my life forever’: Cam Skattebo reflects on ASU football career”

• Slug: Sports–Fiesta Bowl, 650 words.
• 5 photos available.

By Saleh Awaad
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – Nearly 38 years ago, Penn State forced Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde to throw five interceptions in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl as the Nittany Lions secured the program’s second national title in five years against the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes. 

During Tuesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup at State Farm Stadium, Boise State’s offense encountered a similar fate.

Ashton Jeanty, the Broncos’ 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up,  put the college football world and NFL teams on notice this season, finishing the year with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground. However, in No. 3 Boise State’s biggest game of the season, Jeanty struggled to add another dominant game to his resume against a stout Penn State defense, which forced the Broncos into four turnovers in a 31-14 win to secure a spot in the CFP semifinals.  Continue reading “Penn State defense channels 1987 Fiesta Bowl victory to secure 2024 CFP semifinal spot”