@SamConnon
Champaign-Urbana, IL
Joined November 2017
Happy to announce that I am now part of the content team at @DraftKings / @DKNetwork! I'm really looking forward to working with an amazing collection of writers, editors and researchers at one of the biggest brands in sports. Thanks to everyone who made it possible!
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Sam Connon retweeted
Former Chargers RB Joshua Kelley wrote, directed and self-financed two short films this summer, one of which stars a former Chargers teammate. "Once we're done playing, it's scary. I just wanted to show athletes that it's possible to pivot and do your thing." - Kelley espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/4981…
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Ben Johnson's first season in Chicago was a huge success, and @SamConnon has high-praise for the future 👀
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Sam Connon retweeted
I remember asking assistant coach Mo Cheeks, what’s harder to do? Workout after practice or before?? I only asked cuz by time I would get to the gym, Russ was already done in the morning and I usually got mine in after practice. Mo like, “coming in before practice is probably harder”…since then, it’s been my routine….a lot of people looked at the emotions on the court and thought Russ was loud, nah to me, he was quiet and methodical. He lead by example and once the lights were bright, he let everything out and experienced pure freedom. It was inspiring as his teammate and everywhere I went, I seen it inspire people from all walks of life, crazy thing is, he didn’t say much, he just showed up. For 18 years. This basketball life is sacred to us as professionals, what we put into that court means everything. Some of us wish we could go back and do things with a little more intent and some can just wipe their hands and be satisfied with the time spent. Who u gonna be? We know what zero was on…keep inspiring in the next phase of life champ. I don’t care what happens, can’t erase what it was…The first YNs, finals run in our early 20s, all star games, seeing each other get injured and bounce back, the bus rides, plane rides, card games, jokes and arguments, the whole thing, memorable!! …to the whole Westbrook family, Nina, the kids, mama Westbrook, big Russ, Ray, Donnell, everybody from luezinger high and ucla and many more that I’m forgettin, much love and Congratulations on a iconic career.
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Before he ever played an inning of college baseball, Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman was the starting kickoff specialist for Oregon State. Here he is recovering his own onside kick against Boise State in 2016.
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Rutschman was 2-for-3 on onside kicks that season. He was also First Team All-State as a kicker his senior year of high school, when he hit a state-record 63-yard field goal. Somebody get Mike Vrabel on the phone, I think Andy Borregales might have some competition.
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“We gotta call it like it is” *proceeds to offer up the most extreme possible hypothetical that has never happened before*
"What if an NBA player decided to transition to playing in the WNBA? How elite would they be? How great would they be? We gotta put stuff in its proper perspective and call it like it is" - Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM
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Jaime Jaquez Jr. did all of this… - Took UCLA to a Final Four - Made 3 All-Pac-12 Teams - Won Pac-12 POTY - Consensus All-American - 1st round NBA Draft pick - Finished 4th in ROTY - Finished 2nd in 6MOTY …and notable basketball media members still spell his name “Jacquez.”
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*THE* UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team is coming to the one and only Champaign, IL, next season?
UCLA men's basketball announced Big Ten games for next season: 2 each against USC, Oregon & Washington + home games against Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State & Wisconsin. Road: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue & Rutgers
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Sam Connon retweeted
QUEENS OF THE BEACH! 👑 👑 👑   The Bruins are the 2026 NCAA Beach Volleyball champions!   #GoBruins | #ChampionsMadeHere
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UCLA guard Donovan Dent not earning an invite to either the NBA Draft Combine or the G League Combine feels…weird?
Sources: G League Combine invite list (44 players, alphabetical, subject to change): Michael Ajayi — Butler Alijah Arenas — USC Donovan Atwell — Texas Tech Nate Bittle — Oregon Elliot Cadeau — Michigan Rafael Castro — George Washington Zach Cleveland — Liberty Jacob Cofie — USC M.J. Collins Jr. — Utah State Quadir Copeland — NC State Melvin Council Jr. — Kansas Tucker DeVries — Indiana Tre Donaldson — Miami (FL) Reynan dos Santos — Mexico City (G League) Malique Ewin — Arkansas Jamal Fuller — Long Island Isiah Harwell — Houston Jaden Henley — Grand Canyon Bryce Hopkins — St. John's Graham Ike — Gonzaga Kasen Jennings — Appalachian State Trey Kaufman-Renn — Purdue Keba Keita — BYU Kobe Knox — South Carolina Xaivian Lee — Florida Malique Lewis — SE Melbourne (Australia) Tamin Lipsey — Iowa State Fletcher Loyer — Purdue Aidan Mahaney — Santa Barbara Robert McCray V — Florida State Boopie Miller — SMU Mark Mitchell Jr. — Missouri Paulius Murauskas — Saint Mary's Jaron Pierre Jr. — SMU Kowacie Reeves Jr. — Georgia Tech Jaylin Sellers — Providence Markhi Strickland — North Dakota State Aiden Tobiason — Temple Seth Trimble — North Carolina Cade Tyson — Minnesota Ernest Udeh Jr. — Miami (FL) Lamar Wilkerson — Indiana Darrion Williams — NC State Noam Yaacov — Oostende (Belgium)
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Our greatest scientific minds do not understand it, but I trust we will make a breakthrough before the end of the century.
Jackie Robinson Stadium is in Westwood — AKA, in Los Angeles. And yet, it is the coldest stadium in the country.
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UCLA got three clips from their R64 win over UCF into One Shining Moment 2026.
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My first beat at the @dailybruin was covering @UCLAWBB back during the 2017-18 season. I covered the team on-and-off for the next six years. So satisfying to see this program win its first NCAA championship, a real full-circle moment.
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Does Mick Cronin deserve criticism for not being able to retain Aday Mara? To some extent, sure – hard to know exactly what happened BTS in the portal era, but it was certainly a devastating loss. But criticizing Cronin’s use of Mara on the court? THAT is revisionist history.
Aday Mara had 10, 6 and 5 in 20 minutes of play in the NCAA Tournament last year. The talent was always there, and anyone trying to claim there's some weird revisionist history on Aday Mara is an idiot. UCLA misused him. Period.
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This is not an accurate representation of Aday Mara’s time at UCLA.
Never forget: Mick Cronin couldn't figure out how to use Aday Mara. Make it make sense.
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UCLA men’s basketball ranks No. 5 in @totally_t_bomb’s Power Rating since February 18. Still absolutely bonkers to see that adjusted offense/defense split for a Mick Cronin team, no matter how many times he tells us exactly who and what this team is.
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Donovan Dent's last seven games: - 15 assists, 0 turnovers - 8 assists, 0 turnovers - 15 assists, 1 turnover - 8 assists, 1 turnover - 7 assists, 0 turnovers - 12 assists, 2 turnovers - 12 assists, 2 turnovers 77 assists, 6 turnovers Casual 12.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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The women had to play the full Big 12 tournament on this monstrosity, but suddenly it’s a safety concern now that the men are complaining about it?
NEWS: The Big 12 will be transitioning to a hardwood court for the remainder of the Big 12 tournament. The LED glass basketball court has been greeted with mixed reviews, including feedback that it is slippery.
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