Newsmakers
Transferred Kansas guard Naadir Tharpe will transfer closer to home for his final season of eligibility, ending a tumultuous run with the Jayhawks that included three Big 12 championships and multiple off-court distractions. Tharpe said in a statement that he made the decision to transfer so he could be closer to his daughter.
Announced New Southern Mississippi coach Doc Sadler says he’s ready to lead the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament. The school announced the hiring and had a news conference on campus Thursday. Sadler says the Golden Eagles are in position for immediate success after 56 victories over the past two seasons.
• Pippa Mann will run the Indianapolis 500 this month in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization. Mann will drive the No. 63 for Dale Coyne Racing. Her car, helmet and firesuit will be pink as part of a campaign to help raise funds and awareness for the Komen foundation throughout May.
• Donald Trump gets to host a major championship on one of his golf courses. The PGA of America announced a partnership that will bring the 2022 PGA Championship to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The Senior PGA Championship will go to Trump National Golf in Potomac Falls, Virginia, in 2017.
Favored Untapable should feel right at home when she takes to the track for the $1 million Kentucky Oaks. After all, she’s undefeated in two previous races at Churchill Downs, and she’s the early 4-5 favorite for today’s 140th running of the nation’s richest race for 3-year-old fillies.
Fined Driver Marcos Ambrose understands the $25,000 fine NASCAR levied against him for punching Casey Mears in the face. Ambrose and Mears were both punished this week for a post-race altercation at Richmond, Virginia.
Apologized Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice’s lawyer says the running back “is sorry for what he did” and wants to move forward with his life in the wake of assault charges. Rice pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault stemming from a February incident with his then-girlfriend in an Atlantic City casino.
Died Olympic pistol shooter Walter R. Walsh, who captured gangsters as an FBI agent in the 1930s and went on to train Marine Corps snipers after a 12th-place finish in the 1948 London Olympics, has died. Walsh, who would have turned 107 on Sunday was the longest-lived Olympian. His health deteriorated after a minor heart attack a few weeks ago.