• Slug: Sports-Isaiah Oliver, 1,000 words
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By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – Since 2021, the city of Las Vegas has been no stranger to championships. The Las Vegas Aces are back-to-back WNBA champions and the Vegas Golden Knights are the reigning Stanley Cup champion.

Sin City will crown another champion Sunday night as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs duel in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.

The Big Game is a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl, when the Chiefs beat San Francisco, 31-20, for Kansas City’s second Lombardi trophy in franchise history. Continue reading “Sin City showdown: 49ers, Chiefs quarterbacks and coaches looking to make history Super Bowl Sunday”

• Slug: Sports-Isaiah Oliver, 1,000 words
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By James Morel
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – They still marvel at the move, the one where Isaiah Oliver seemingly launched himself into the universe and everyone wondered when he’d come down. That was 10 years ago, when Oliver was a dual-athletic threat at Brophy Prep, wowing everyone on the gridiron and the track.

“Isaiah went up one-handed; it was like that cartoon go-go gadget. His arm just extended probably 12 feet in the air, then (he) sprinted untouched for the touchdown,” said former Brophy Prep football coach Scooter Molander, fondly reminiscing about one of Oliver’s acrobatic feats in high school.

Nearly a decade removed from his time with Brophy, Oliver, now a cornerback on the San Francisco 49ers, will get a chance to shine on the biggest stage in sports Sunday when the 49ers meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl.

Continue reading “Tenacity, jaw-dropping talent propels Phoenix native and San Francisco cornerback Isaiah Oliver to Super Bowl”

• Slug: Sports-Cesar Chavez Player Death, 500 words
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By Maxwell Williams
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – High school football is evolving each year. To mimic the next level of athletes, many programs plan retreats or specialized training camps away from school grounds akin to the getaways of collegiate athletics. For Cesar Chavez High School and one freshman in particular, an offseason escape tragically turned deadly.

Christopher Hampton, a 15-year-old freshman, was reported missing to authorities on July 17, and a post on social media from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office revealed that his body was found on the afternoon of July 18. His death by drowning in Show Low Lake was confirmed to be an “accident” on Oct. 19.

Now, nearly seven months after the incident, the Phoenix Union High School District has decided to update its travel policy. Continue reading “Family lawyer says Phoenix Union’s revised travel policies show guilt in student death”

• Slug: Sports-Sophie Cunningham Broadcast, 940 words
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By Justin de Haas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Sophie Cunningham is entering her sixth season with the Phoenix Mercury and has no intention of retiring anytime soon, but she may have already found her second career.

WNBA fans across the country know what Cunningham can do on the court, where she is averaging more than 11 points per game as a starter the past two seasons and has become a leader on the squad. The Phoenix guard has cemented herself as one of the core players on the team, but now she is establishing herself at the studio desk.

The Phoenix Suns hired Cunningham in December 2022 to work alongside Suns broadcaster Tom Leander and Suns Ring of Honor member Tom Chambers as a guest analyst on the pregame and postgame shows. Chambers and Cunningham have formed a friendly rivalry since she was hired and Leander – now in his 30th season with the Suns – can attest to how that mutual respect and her youth in the industry makes her a lot of fun to work with.

Continue reading “Crossover success: Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham scores big as Phoenix Suns analyst”

• Slug: Sports-Brock Purdy Feature, 1,250 words
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By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

GILBERT – After Super Bowl LVII in Glendale grabbed much of the Valley’s attention last February, football fans were not expecting there to be many Arizona connections when this year’s circus descended on Las Vegas.

With the Arizona Cardinals struggling out of the gate this season, the dream of supporting someone locally in Super Bowl LVIII quickly disappeared.

That is until the San Francisco 49ers clinched their ticket to the big game this year. Continue reading “Purdy-pandemonium: 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has massive hometown support before Super Bowl LVIII”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Jeff Munn Sweaters, 1900 words
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By Maxwell Williams
Cronkite News

TEMPE – While watching a game of ASU women’s basketball, viewers naturally focus on the bright orange ball zipping its way around the hardwood. However, it’s not uncommon for a more vivid display of colors to steal the show courtside.

The sartorial choices of KTAR FM radio play-by-play broadcaster Jeff Munn are hard to miss.

Now decades in the making, Munn’s sweater collection adds a nice pop of color to the sideline, his bright threads providing a sharp backdrop to his game commentary. Maroons, golds, blues, greens, stripes and even pizza slices – if one can dream it, chances are Munn has a sweater for it. At the end of the day, Munn’s vibrant duds pay homage to his daughter Hayley, a 25-year-old filmmaker.

Continue reading “Sweater believe it: Jeff Munn’s signature fashion collection, born with ASU women’s basketball, shapes broadcast legacy”

• Slug: Sports-Super Bowl Media Day, 840 words
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By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

LAS VEGAS – For most of the years since it was founded in 1905, Las Vegas was barred from hosting professional team sports because of “Sin City’s” status as a gambling mecca.

Gambling has been legal in Nevada since 1931, but as more and more states have legalized sports gambling since the mid-2010s, the stigma surrounding professional sports in Las Vegas has waned.

And Las Vegas is taking full advantage. Continue reading “Lights, camera, action: Las Vegas rolls out red carpet for 49ers, Chiefs ahead of 2024 Super Bowl”

• Slug: Sports-Grayson Allen’s Journey, 920 words
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By Asher Hyre
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Jim Martin, who coached Grayson Allen at the Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida, recalls his first handshake with the Phoenix Suns guard when he was a fifth grader.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever shook hands with him … he had the biggest hands for a kid,” Martin said.

It turned out Allen had ambition as big as his grade-school paws. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns’ Grayson Allen success due to childhood work, dedication”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Open Weather, 870 words
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By Stephen Buxton
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – As the galleries fill up this weekend for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, fans and players will be watching the Weather Channel as closely as the Golf Channel throughout the week.

The “People’s Open” follows the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA Tour schedule, and the AT&T was cut short Sunday after 54 holes due to dangerous weather conditions.

There is a chance that the TPC Scottsdale might be in for similar weather challenges with a so-called “atmospheric river” headed toward the desert southwest. Continue reading “Weather woes? Incoming storms become major player at WM Phoenix Open”

• Slug: Sports-Arizona Offertunity Bowl, 950 words
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By John Busker
Cronkite News

SURPRISE – In what might have been their last chance to be seen by college scouts, seniors from Arizona and California walked onto the football field for their final game as high schoolers.

The first “Offertunity Bowl” took place in Surprise on Jan. 27, at the campus of Ottawa University – Arizona. A team of Arizona high school seniors played a team of California high school seniors, with players from both sides looking to get last-minute recruiting exposure before national signing day on Feb. 7.

The event was put on by the AIGA Foundation, a nonprofit that helps high school students get scholarships in sports. The organization has its roots in Polynesia, hosting different events and games in the mainland U.S., Hawaii and American Samoa. While they work with young athletes from all walks of life, mostly from California, their biggest event, the Polynesian All-American Bowl, focuses on the best Polynesian high school players in the U.S. and American Samoa. The organization has produced three games so far as part of its 2024 Bowl series, and the “Offertunity Bowl” was the first in Arizona. Continue reading “‘Offertunity Bowl’ gives Arizona high school football players one last chance at a scholarship”

• Slug: Sports-Booker Scoring Run, 840 words
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By Asher Hyre
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As the final buzzer sounded in a matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns nearly four years ago, Devin Booker took off to the locker room disgruntled, shaking his head as he ran into the tunnel without exchanging handshakes with the opponent. The lightly-packed Talking Stick Resort Arena crowd was quiet and disappointed, even though they had just witnessed something special.

Booker had just scored 48 points, capping off a three-game stretch in which he poured in 157 points and became just the seventh player in NBA history to score 150-plus in three consecutive games (59 at the Jazz, 50 against the Wizards, and 48 against Memphis). His silky smooth jumper was being introduced to the national stage, and the efficiency in this stretch was off the charts, as he shot 62% from the field and was 13-for-22 from his patented mid-range area, according to NBA.com’s shot-tracking numbers.

However, the Suns fell to 17-60 with their sixth straight loss on that March 30, 2019 night, losing at home to the 31-45 Grizzlies. Suns fans wondered if Booker was a player who could also help put wins on the board along with his large scoring numbers. It seemed as if no matter what historical feats Booker accomplished on a game-to-game basis, the Suns would still lose. Continue reading “Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker sets NBA ablaze with scoring spree”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Women’s Basketball, 930 words
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By Jayla French
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was a women’s college basketball program.

The patience demonstrated by Arizona State is already paying off in better returns from a season ago.

Registering only eight wins in 2022-23, the Sun Devils have already surpassed that total with 10 wins this season, while going 2-7 record in conference play compared to a 1-17 mark in 2022-23. After a discouraging start littered with many obstacles, the team didn’t bow out. Instead, it dug in and has continued chasing improvement each week. Continue reading “ASU women’s basketball showing poise, promise in rebuild under coach Natasha Adair”

• Slug: Sports-MLB Free Agency, 1,200 words.
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By Aaron Schmidt
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – As the crisp 50-degree Arizona winters wear off and the freshly cut grass grows greener, baseball looms in the Grand Canyon State.

Most pitchers and catchers report in the next two weeks, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres even sooner since they open the regular season March 20 and 21 in Seoul, South Korea. Players, coaches and trainers from 15 Cactus League teams will assemble, working to solidify a competitive roster ahead of the 2024 campaign. Yet, a plethora of notable names are still available in the Major League Baseball free agency market.

Four of the top eight free agents, Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Chapman, are still on the board. Notably, they’re all represented by Scott Boras, one of the most powerful agents in all of baseball. Continue reading “Snell, Bellinger, Kershaw, oh my! Notable MLB players remain unsigned as spring training nears”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Men’s Basketball Reflection, 1045 words.
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By Maxwell Williams
Cronkite News

TEMPE – For the Sun Devils, last weekend’s trip to Eugene and Corvallis was nothing short of a disaster, closing out their January schedule with two more tallies in the loss column. In a season of ups and downs for the men’s basketball team, ASU has a chance to get back on track with a homestand against two California teams to begin the second month of 2024.

Stanford (10-9) faces ASU (11-9) Thursday night at Desert Financial Arena, followed by a visit from the Cal Bears (8-12) Saturday afternoon. If the home crowd can replicate the tremendous vibe it showed the last time ASU played in Tempe, it might help alleviate the lingering bad taste left from the Sun Devils’ awful showing during their recent pair of games in Oregon, both losses.

“These are two huge games for us at home, and we’re hoping for a big, big turnout. Because, a lot can happen by the end of this week, positively or negatively,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said. Continue reading “Energy is everything: ASU men’s basketball faces pivotal homestand, coach Bobby Hurley doesn’t want fans to ‘watch the paint dry’”