Chris Youngblood joins Thunder on two-way contract — and more

Shams Charania: The Portland Trail Blazers are signing guard Chris Youngblood to a two-way NBA deal from the Oklahoma City Thunder's OKC Blue G League team, agent Kashim Butler of KBA Sports tells ESPN. Youngblood played 32 games on a two-way with the Thunder as a rookie last season.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Chris Youngblood joins Thunder on two-way contract

This year’s edition of the World Baseball Classic gets under way on what is, to us, Wednesday night with games kicking off in Tokyo. Most teams will be playing exhibitions against a major league club on Tuesday or Wednesday with their pool play beginning on Friday. The Orioles players who are on these rosters will not be back in camp until their team has been eliminated from the tournament.

Here’s the players from the Orioles organization who are on WBC rosters and the schedules for their teams:

USA

• Gunnar Henderson

The star Orioles shortstop is the lone American representative this time around. He might be playing third base rather than shortstop, with Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. expected to get a lot of reps at short.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in Houston, Texas

• March 3: Exhibition vs. Giants, 3pm, ESPN
• March 6: vs. Brazil (road team), 8pm, Fox
• March 7: vs. Great Britain (home team), 8pm, Fox
• March 9: vs. Mexico (home team), 8pm, Fox
• March 10: vs. Italy (home team), 9pm, FS1

Canada

• Tyler O’Neill
• Micah Ashman

The Canadian outfielder O’Neill continued his Opening Day home run streak in his home country last year. He’s looked good so far this spring. Don’t get hurt while playing for Team Canada! Ashman, a reliever, was acquired from the Tigers for Charlie Morton last July.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in San Juan, PR

• March 3: Exhibition vs. Blue Jays, 1:07, MLB Network
• March 7: vs. Colombia (home team), 11am, FS2
• March 8: vs. Panama (home team), 7pm, FS2
• March 10: vs. Puerto Rico (road team), 7pm, FS2
• March 11: vs. Cuba (road team), 3pm, FS2

Great Britain

• Ryan Long

It’s a running joke on Camden Chat that Long is a distant cousin of our writer Stacey. Long, 26, was a 17th round pick in 2021 who has mostly topped out at the Double-A level.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in Houston, Texas

• March 6: vs. Mexico (home team), 1pm, FS1
• March 7: vs. USA (road team), 8pm, Fox
• March 8: vs. Italy (road team), 1pm, tubi
• March 9: vs. Brazil (home team), 1pm, tubi

Israel

• Dean Kremer

There are a number of MLB-experienced players on the Israel roster and one of them is Kremer, who might even be the best pitcher this team has.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in Miami, Florida

• March 7: vs. Venezuela (road team), 7pm, FS2
• March 8: vs. Nicaragua (home team), 7pm, tubi
• March 9: vs. Dominican Republic (home team), 12pm, FS1
• March 10: vs. Netherlands (road team), 7pm, Fox Sports

Panama

• Enrique Bradfield Jr.

We know he’s good on defense and we know he’s fast on the bases. Can he threaten enough power to be a decent major league regular? Mostly we’ll find out at Triple-A this year, though if he gets to face some MLB-caliber pitching in the WBC, that won’t be bad for him either.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in San Juan, PR

• March 6: vs. Cuba (home team), 11am, FS2
• March 7: vs. Puerto Rico (road team), 6pm, FS1
• March 8: vs. Canada (road team), 7pm, FS2
• March 9: vs. Colombia (home team), 12pm, FS2

Puerto Rico

• Jose Espada
• Rico Garcia
• Luis Vázquez

All three of these players appeared for the Orioles last season, although none had a major role. Garcia has a spot penciled in that’s his in the bullpen. Espada could make it as well. Vázquez has an opportunity to take a utility spot given that both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are starting the season on the injured list.

Schedule and opponents

Pool play in San Juan, PR

• March 6: vs. Colombia (road team), 6pm, FS1
• March 7: vs. Panama (home team), 6pm, FS1
• March 9: vs. Cuba (road team), 7pm, FS1
• March 10: vs. Canada (home team), 7pm, tubi

Reserve players

The following players are on the Designated Pitcher Pool for their teams, meaning they are not on the active initial roster but could be added between rounds:

• Australia: Kailen Hamson
• Dominican Republic: Yaramil Hiraldo
• Mexico: Nestor German

Why Patriots Should Not Sign Trey Hendrickson originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New England Patriots should be looking to add to their pass rush this offseason, but should not be fooled by some big names on the market.

Trey Hendrickson is a player the Patriots should avoid, even though on paper, he may seem like a phenomenal addition. He has been in a contract dispute with the Cincinnati Bengals for a couple of years now, and may finally be wearing a different jersey next season. However, despite his track record of success, he may not be worth it.

He is still looking to get paid after the Bengals ended up coming to short-term resolutions with him the last couple of years. He has 81 career sacks and led the NFL in sacks in 2024. However, he will turn 32 in December and missed most of last season thanks to an injury. He is an aging player who is going to cost plenty of money, coming off a poor year.

Some team is going to pay Hendrickson what he wants. However, the Patriots have a solid team and are not reportedly operating like a team that feels it needs to spend big to win the Super Bowl right now. The pass rush needs to be addressed, but there are options besides Hendrickson.

If the Patriots are going to invest in a pass rusher, it would be wise to spend on a younger player. Maxx Crosby is a name to watch in trade rumors. In free agency, Jaelan Phillips, Boye Mafe and Odafe Oweh are young players who could be solid additions. If the Patriots are not overly enthused by free agent options, the NFL Draft could provide them with a young pass rusher.

Regardless, the point is that Hendrickson may no longer be worth what he is looking for in guarantees. The four-time Pro Bowler and 2024 First-Team All-Pro is a great player, but did not do himself any favors last season. Signing him is not a risk the Patriots need to take right now, especially with needs elsewhere on the roster as well.

The Throne national basketball tournament is set for its fourth annual games. From March 19 to March 21, the premier postseason event will take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, pitting 16 of the top high school basketball teams in a single-elimination tournament.

Eight boys teams and eight girls teams will play for their respective crowns in March Madness-style brackets at American Dream Mall, put on by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and Gold Level Sports and Entertainment (GLSE). The teams will play under a club program name rather than the high school name itself, but all students on each team attend the stated high school, the Throne's press release said.

Games will be aired on NBA TV and the NBA App.

The NBPA Foundation will donate $25,000 to the athletic program of both championship-winning teams.

Here are the teams, tournament club names, seedings and schedule, with USA TODAY Sports Super 25 national rankings listed, where applicable (rankings as of March 2).

The Throne Rosters

Boys high school basketball teams

1. Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale, FL) — Eagles (No. 4 in Super 25)
2. Sunnyslope (Phoenix) — Vikings (No. 5)
3. Rainier Beach (Seattle) — Beach (No. 21)
4. Wheeler (Marietta, GA) — Wildcats
5. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, NY) — LuHi
6. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ) — BC Crusaders
7. Columbus (Miami, FL) — Los Explorers
8. Heritage (Frisco, Texas) — Coyotes

Girls high school basketball teams

1. Etiwanda (CA) — Eagles
2. Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, VA) — Cavaliers
3. Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, NY) — LuHi
4. St. John Vianney (Holmdel, NJ) — Lancers
5. Tualatin (OR) — Timberwolves
6. St John’s College (Washington, D.C) — Cadets
7. Friends Central (Wynnewood, PA) — Phoenix
8. St Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) — Panthers

The Throne Schedule

Girls: March 19

• Game 1 (10:00 a.m.): (2) Cavaliers vs. (7) Phoenix
• Game 2 (11:40 a.m.): (3) LuHi vs. (6) Cadets
• Game 3 (1:20 p.m.): (1) Eagles vs. (8) Panthers
• Game 4 (3:00 p.m.): (4) Lancers vs. (5) Timberwolves

Boys: March 19

• Game 5 (4:40 p.m.): (1) Eagles vs. (8) Coyotes
• Game 6 (6:20 p.m.): (4) Wildcats vs. (5) LuHi
• Game 7 (8:00 p.m.): (3) Beach vs. (6) BC Crusaders
• Game 8: (9:40 p.m.): (2) Vikings vs. (7) Los Explorers

Girls bracket: March 20

• Game 9 (3:00 p.m.): Winner Game 1 vs. Game 2
• Game 10 (5:00 p.m.): Winner Game 3 vs. Game 4

Boys bracket: March 20

• Game 11: (7:00 p.m.): Winner Game 7 vs. Game 8
• Game 12 (9:00 p.m.): Winner Game 5 vs. Game 6

Girls Championship: March 21

• Game 13 (1:00 p.m.)

Boys Championship: March 21

• Game 14 (3:00 p.m.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: See the full schedule for The Throne National Championship

March has suddenly snuck up on us, which means actual real baseball will begin in earnest later this month. We’ll get to experience the thrill of the World Baseball Classic once it begins in a few days, but the curtain raising on the MLB season is mere weeks away at this point. That means rosters are starting to get formed and while injuries may still have their say in which team gets assembled in what way, the basic skeleton of the Phillies is likely already in place.

Roster projections are nothing new and help us get ready for the games, so making one is something of a warm up for the year. We have done this already once this season, so now, a month later, it seems appropriate to do so one more time. Let’s take another stab at what the final 26-man roster is going to look like.

Catcher – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan

While Realmuto is entrenched at the starter’s position, it’s the backup spot that is more interesting. There has been no indication that Garrett Stubbs is an immediate threat to taking the job back from Marchan, yet it doesn’t seem implausible that it could happen. Doing so would require the team moving on from Marchan in either a trade or a waiver placement, something they might be loathe to do so as to protect whatever catching depth they might possess.

Yet there might be a tinge of merit to the idea that Stubbs’ familiarity with the incoming ABS system might be somewhat beneficial to the team. Having had a full-ish season in Lehigh Valley with the system might be attractive in a weird sort of way. Couple that with his having worked for most of the season with Andrew Painter, an increasingly important part of the 2026 Phillies, and there could be a benefit to his remaining Realmuto’s caddy. In the end, that meager “upgrade” over Marchan probably isn’t worth a roster change, but it’s at least something to pay attention to as the spring games continue.

Infield – Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp

This group is six remains the same as nothing has changed about what may or may not happen with alignment. Outside of a surprise trade this late in the game, these will be the infielders. There is always the chance that Dylan Moore sneaks in as that 26th man that gets cut almost immediately, but he just hasn’t done much of anything this spring to warrant getting additional serious looks.

What, were you expecting Rhys Hoskins?

Outfield – Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Adolis Garcia, Johan Rojas

No change here either, yet the specter of Bryan de la Cruz hovering in the corner and taking over for Rojas is very real.

Designated hitter – Kyle Schwarber

Easiest choice there is.

Starting rotation – Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter

Again, no changes. If anything, Rob Thomson might be chiseling this starting five in a stone tablet as opposed to writing in pencil. The reports around Painter and his re-emerging arm slot have invigorated the coaching staff and lent credence to the idea that last season was more of a rumble strip that woke him up on his path to Philadelphia. A full season of pitching after having sat out for two seasons will wear a body down, but now with a full offseason behind him and the major league coaching staff getting their hands on him, optimism is high.

Sunday’s outing helps as well.

Relief pitching – Jhoan Duran, Jose Alvarado, Brad Keller, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Zach McCambley, Kyle Backhus, Jonathan Bowlan

The reporting surrounding Kyle Backhus, coupled with the views that we have seen from him, are likely landing him the final bullpen spot. A slight uptick in velocity to go with his general funkiness on the mound are going to cause headaches for opposing batters.

McCambley is possibly teetering at this point as he either make the team or goes back to Miami thanks to Rule 5 draft rules. That return to the Marlins possibly happens whenever Wheeler is ready to return to the rotation, but if he, McCambley, can continue to get outs during spring training games, the team might lean into the idea of keeping optionable pitchers in Lehigh Valley to continue to preserve depth for the long season ahead.

Injured list – Zack Wheeler

Wheeler throwing off a mound already is good news for the team, though caution will still the rule of the day. An early May return looks like the best outcome as some minor league rehab starts will probably be needed before the team waves the green flag on his season.