Page 24 - 7-24-15 Friday's Edition

Sports
Titans Ink Marcus Mariota, Last Unsigned
Teenager Shines
At National Championship
On June 25th, the National USSSA Championship was held in Cocoa Beach. Among those competing in the basket- ball championship was one representative from the Tampa Tarpons who excelled and demonstrated his skills.
Leonard “Leo” Parker, a member of the team, walked away with the USSSA Champi- onship MVP Award. His team beat the Beast Mode, a team out of Miami, in the finals 66- 49. Leo was named the over- all tournament MVP.
Coach Willie said, “If Leo continues to put his trust in the Lord and work hard in all things; God will continue to bless him.”
Leo was given the opportu- nity to participate by Tampa Tarpon Coaches Scott Yount, Chip Orr, and Mark Brown.
Leo is the son of Urvick
LEONARD “LEO” PARKER ... Voted Championship MVP
and Tiffany St. Jean and grandson of Willie and Deveda Jackson, and Jan- ice Parker.
He will enter Jesuit High School when school begins as one of two freshmen chosen to play on their Junior Varsity Team, bypassing Jesuit’s freshman basketball team.
Richard Jefferson Closing In On Deal With Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are closing in on a deal to sign vet- eran swingman Richard Jef- ferson, according to league sources.
Sources said Jefferson, who committed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month, changed his mind in recent days and is finalizing a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Cavaliers in- stead.
The move will add some wing depth for Cleveland, which could potentially strengthen the Cavaliers' bar- gaining position as they con- tinue to haggle with the unsigned J.R. Smith, who opted out of the final season of his existing contract (valued at $6.4 million) to become a free agent July 1.
Jefferson's return to Dal- las was initially considered such a formality that the 35- year-old joined owner Mark Cuban and starting small for-
Richard Jefferson is backing out of his commitment with the Mavericks with owner Mark Cuban's blessing.
ward Chandler Parsons at a July 3 celebration of the Mavs' ill-fated verbal agreement with marquee free agent DeAndre Jordan.
But Jefferson's free agency has since played out in a similar fashion to Jordan's, with a U-turn on his intention to sign with Dallas to return to the Eastern Conference with the title-chasing Cavaliers
1st-Round Pick
MARCUS MARIOTA
The Tennessee Titans have locked up their top draft pick, quarterback Marcus Mari- ota, nine days before players report for training camp, the team announced Tuesday.
Financial terms were not re- vealed. The four-year deal in- cludes a fifth-year team option, which is standard for all first- round draft picks.
Mariota was the last un- signed first-round pick from this year's draft. The sides had been at odds over offset lan- guage, which allows a team to recapture guaranteed money if a player is released and signs with another team.
The Titans and Mariota agreed to partial offset lan- guage.
"We are glad to have the deal with Marcus done, and I'd like to thank both Marcus and his representatives for their dili- gence in working with us to fi- nalize this contract," Titans general manager Ruston Webster said in a statement released by the team.
"We were confident that Marcus would be under con- tract before training camp, and we look forward to him starting his career on time with his teammates when we open camp next week."
Seth Curry's Strong Summer League Lands Him Deal With Kings
Seth Curry and brother, Stephen Curry are about to be NBA neighbors, according to league sources.
Sources say that Seth Curry and the Sacramento Kings are in the process of fi- nalizing a two-year deal worth just shy of $2 million in the wake of his strong summer league performance with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Seth Curry, 24, had a brief stint in the NBA last season with the Phoenix Suns while his older brother, Steph, won
SETH CURRY
league MVP honors with the Golden State Warriors.
James Harden Named MVP At NBPA's First Annual Players Awards
LAS VEGAS -- NBA players have long since stressed that the way they evaluate team and individual performances differs from fans and media. In the NBA Players Aassocia- tion's first ever "Players' Awards," they underlined the supposed distinction, selecting James Harden as “Most Valuable Player”.
Stephen Curry vs. James Harden
James Harden was the players' choice for MVP, but Stephen Curry beat him out for the official award as voted on by the media. Here's how the two ranked in the NBA in various statistics last season. ESPN Stats & Information
Stephen Curry finished 262 voting points and 75 first- place votes ahead of Harden to win the traditional MVP award, as voted on by select media members, for the 2014- 15 season.
But Harden, who finished ahead of Curry this past sea- son in points and rebounds per game, but behind him in advanced statistics such as player efficiency rating, (PER), was the players' choice, emerg- ing from backstage at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio Las Vegas to accept the trophy after not sitting in the audi- ence for the other award an-
JAMES HARDEN
nouncements.
Among those whom
Harden thanked during his acceptance speech was the players' union, for "giving players a voice to speak their minds."
Curry was named by play- ers as this year's "Clutch Per- former" and "Hardest to Guard." He and Golden State Warriors teammates Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli also accepted the award for the best home-court advantage, which went to the reigning champions' Oracle Arena.
LeBron James, who fin- ished third in traditional MVP voting, won the award for "Player you secretly wish was on your team."
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