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sports Diahuebs 28 aPRiL 2022

As Nets try to hang on vs Celtics, Embiid, 76ers can move on

(AP) — Kevin Durant and Celtics. after he took only 11 shots
Kyrie Irving are struggling Saturday in a 109-103 loss.
against Boston, and Ben The idea of four straight Irving was 6 for 17, missing
Simmons won’t be avail- losses in the first round all seven 3-pointers, and the
able to help them Monday seemed unimaginable before only people who don’t seem
night with the Brooklyn the season, when the Nets surprised are the Celtics.
Nets’ season on the brink. were an NBA Finals favor-
ite with Durant, Irving and “It’s going exactly how we
His former teammate plans James Harden. But Irving expected for the most part,
to play on, though. Joel Em- didn’t play at all to begin the just because we believe in
biid is determined to stay season and then only on the ourselves more than any-
in Philadelphia’s lineup, no road for most of it because thing,” Defensive Player of
matter how much pain he has he is not vaccinated against the Year Marcus Smart said.
in his right thumb. the coronavirus, making him “We knew the task coming in
ineligible in New York City. was high against a really good
Now 2 1/2 months after their Then Harden was dealt to team with two of the best
blockbuster trade, the Nets Philadelphia in a swap for players to ever do this. So for
and 76ers are in decidedly Simmons at the trade dead- us, we also knew that our de- Simmons hasn’t played at best players on the floor of-
different places. The 76ers line and Brooklyn never met fense had the potential to do all this season, sidelined by a ten enough, the Nets don’t
can move into the second those expectations. our best on those guys be- herniated disk in his back af- have the chemistry of a Celt-
round with a victory in Game cause of our length, our size ter coming to Brooklyn, and ics team that started slowly
5 against Toronto, while the Now even Durant doesn’t and the way we play defense was ruled out of Game 4 af- but has kept getting better as
Nets will be trying to avoid look as expected. Boston had together.” ter hoping to play during the the season went on.
a sweep when they host the him second-guessing himself series. Unable to play their

As college sports evolve, what will be NCAA president’s job?

(AP) - One of Mark Emmert’s go- mittee, co-chaired by Southeastern The role of the NCAA going forward
to lines when talking about his Before the NCAA chooses its next Conference Commissioner Greg could be to simply run champion-
role as NCAA president and the president and determines the skills Sankey and Ohio University athletic ships, including the management of
extent of his power to lead the as- and characteristics it wants from a director Julie Cromer, has been meet- media rights deals for those big-ticket
sociation is to explain how those new leader, the decision-makers for ing weekly and is expected to deliver events such as the March Madness
outside college sports mistakenly the nation’s largest governing body in a report with proposed reforms by basketball tournaments.
believe his job is similar to that college athltics must first decide what August.
of NFL Commissioner Roger they want the NCAA to be and to do. If that’s the case, is an NCAA presi-
Goodell. The 21-member panel has been dent — or CEO or executive director
“I think it’s a little bit premature to charged with examining what should —- even necessary?
“That’s the worst metaphor you define the characteristics you’d be be required of Division I schools,
could possibly use. I’m more like the looking for in a leader without really what benefits athletes should receive, “I think if we want to continue hav-
secretary-general of the United Na- getting through whatever is described how rules should be made and en- ing March Madness the way we’ve
tions. I oversee this process, I shape as the restructuring, transformation, forced, and how revenue should be had it, if we want to continue having
it,” Emmert told AP last summer in a re-reinvention process,” former Big shared. the coordination among the schools,
lengthy interview. Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said if we want to continue to have this, at
Wednesday. All of this activity comes as the least in theory, being education first
Tom McMillen, the former Mary- NCAA’s ability to govern has been and academic institutions competing
land basketball player and congress- The NCAA is in currently reshap- undercut by loss after loss in court, athletically, then yes, I think it is ben-
man who now leads the Lead1 associ- ing Division I —- the wealthiest most notably last year’s unanimous eficial to have a central figure over all
ation of Division I athletic directors, and most prominent level of college Supreme Court ruling against the as- of it,” Feldman said. “But if this be-
summed up the NCAA presidency sports, de-emphasizing the role of sociation. comes more conference-based, then
this way: “The job is tough. Expecta- the national office and handing more potentially no.”
tions without power.” power to conferences and schools. “It’s obviously a very different job
A new, streamlined constitution was than it was 12 years ago or even eight McMillen said he believes a central
Emmert announced Tuesday he was ratified in January, opening the door years ago,” said Gabe Feldman, di- governing body with a leader will re-
stepping down from the job he has for each of the NCAA’s three divi- rector of the sports law program at main necessary.
held for the past 12 years by June sions to govern themselves. Tulane. “And the role of the NCAA
2023, depending on how quickly a president may be significantly dimin- “You need someone first of all that
replacement is found. The Division I transformation com- ished if the decentralization efforts can articulate a vision of what college
continue and the authority moves sports should be, and I don’t think
more toward the conferences.” that vision is to be mirror images of
the NBA or the NFL for basketball
Feldman added: “But it doesn’t mat- and football,” McMillen said. “It’s to
ter how good the leader is. The cap- be a derivation of higher education.”
tain of the ship can’t navigate the ship
if they don’t have a map and if there To McMillen, the NCAA’s next lead-
are holes all over the ship.” er will need to be someone who has
or can build good relationships with
Emmert’s role during a decade of lawmakers in Washington. Emmert
sweeping upheaval in college sports had become a punching bag for poli-
was to lead an association that gov- ticians on both sides of the aisle while
erned by representative democracy. pleading for a federal law to regulate
There are more than 1,100 member athlete compensation.
schools serving nearly 500,000 ath-
letes. It’s a slow-moving bureaucracy, The NCAA’s next leader will also
with a wildly diverse membership need to be able to collaborate with
— even just within Division I’s 350 conference commissioners, especially
schools. those of the Power Five leagues such
as the SEC and Big Ten.