Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-3-16 Online Edition

Sports
Buccaneers Draft Hometown
Stephen Curry Resumes Light
Very few athletes have the luck to play their entire foot- ball career in their home state. Derrick Brooks was one of those people, having played high school football in Pensacola, college football in Tallahassee, and professional football in Tampa.
Former Wharton High School and University of Florida cornerback, Vernon Hargreaves, III has joined that fraternity as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him with the 11th pick in the first round.
The Bucs were scheduled to pick ninth, but traded down in a deal with the Chicago Bears. Hargreaves said that’s when he got a little nervous, and his heart dropped.
After being selected by the Bucs, Hargreaves was quoted as saying, “It’s a dream come true.”
Although the Bucs signed a pair of cornerbacks in free agency with Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson the ad- dition of Hargreaves was still a necessity.
Last season, opposing
Arkansas).
Hargreaves, III not
only earned first-team All- SEC honors in all three of his seasons in Gainesville, but also lined up multiple All- American honors in 2014 (three interceptions, 13 pass breakups) and 2015 (four in- terceptions, four pass break- ups) due to his playmaking ability.
At Wharton, Harg- reaves played football for Coach David Mitchell. As a sophomore in 2010, he had 44 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. As a junior in 2011, he had 49 tackles and two interceptions, along with 11 offensive touchdowns. As a senior in 2012 Hargreaves had 110 tackles and five inter- ceptions. He was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the 2013 Under Armour All-America game.
At Wharton, Harg- reaves also competed in track and field, posting a per- sonal best time of 22.56 sec- onds in the 200 meter dash, fourth in the 100 meter dash (11.10), and the long jump (22 feet, 3-1/2 inches).
Game 3 Return 'Pretty Good'
Athlete In First Round
Shooting, Says Chances Of
VERNON HARGREAVES, III
quarterbacks completed 70% of their passes, with 31 of them going for touchdowns. The Bucs expect to see im- provement from last season in the secondary, and con- sider Hargreaves to be the best pure cover corner in the draft.
Hargreaves carries the football genes of his father, Vernon II, who was on the University of Connecticut’s 100th anniversary’s team and has coached linebackers and special teams for multiple schools (USF, Houston,
Stephen Curry has re- sumed light shooting without movement on his injured right knee, with the hope that he can get into scrimmages by the end of the week, perhaps in time to be ready for Game 3 of the Golden State War- riors' Western Conference semifinal series against Port- land.
And during a sideline inter- view with ESPN's Lisa Salters during Sunday's Game 1 win against Portland, Curry said the chances of him returning for Game 3 are "pretty good."
"To me they're pretty good so I'll do anything I can this week to make that happen," Curry said.
STEPHEN CURRY
earlier Sunday that the odds that the reigning MVP would be ready for Game 2 on Tues- day at Oracle Arena are "pretty slim."
"It just depends how his week goes," Kerr said of Curry's status for Game 3. "We'll just monitor him and see how it goes and hopefully get him back at some point. It's nice to have that long break between 2 and 3."
Coach Steve Kerr said
Doug Baldwin To Pete Carroll:
Buccaneers Focus On Defense In NFL Draft, Filling Needs At CB, DE
Shortly after the Seattle Seahawks made their final pick Saturday, wide receiver Doug Baldwin tweeted a message to his head coach.
Twenty-four obviously be- longed to Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who announced his retire- ment in February.
Of course, general manager John Schneider confirmed Saturday that Lynch has still not officially filed his retire- ment papers. But Carroll
DOUG BALDWIN And MARSHAWN LYNCH
said that Lynch is committed to being retired, and it's a non-issue for the organization right now.
A wrap-up of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' draft.
Best move: It was savvy to pick up defensive end Noah Spence in the second round at No. 39 overall. He is more intriguing than any other Tampa Bay selection, be- cause the Bucs have lacked an impact edge rusher since Simeon Rice left after the 2006 season. Of course, there is risk involved with Spence, given his off-the- field issues. But as general manager Jason Licht said Friday night, "You can’t sen- tence a guy for life." Don’t ex- pect 10 sacks right away from Spence, but he has the po- tential to torment offensive lines in the near future. The Bucs will keep their fingers crossed that Spence has grown up, because he can be- come a standout presence if he develops well.
Welcome to the NFL, Roberto Aguayo. He better enjoy the afterglow of becoming the No. 59 overall selection, because things will turn serious in a hurry. The Bucs traded their third- round pick (No. 74) and one of their two fourth-round se- lections (No. 106) to make him the highest-drafted kicker since Mike Nugent went to the New
Dirk Koetter said the Bucs will look at Smith as a safety to begin, which is a move that makes sense.
It’s no guarantee, but Caleb Benenoch might find a way to make his pres- ence known on the offensive line. The fifth-round selec- tion has experience as a tackle and as a guard, so he could provide competition for reserves Gosder Cher- ilus and Evan Smith. If Benenoch turns some heads at training camp, it could get interesting.
As expected, the Bucs placed a heavy emphasis on defense in this draft by adding intriguing talent. It’s hard to argue with the selec- tions of Hargreaves and Spence in the first two rounds. Aguayo’s addition in the second round leaves room for debate. Still, if he becomes dependable, few will remember that the Bucs traded their third-round pick (No. 74) and one of their two fourth-round selections (No. 106) to the Kansas City Chiefs to move up and take him at No. 59 overall. Dan Vitale is the only fullback on roster after Saturday. Smith, Benenoch and linebacker Devante Bond will have chances to provide depth.
Bears Part Ways With Safety
No New Players Wear Marshawn Lynch's No. 24
NOAH SPENCE
York Jets as the No. 47 over- all pick in 2005. Aguayo had a fantastic college career at Florida State, winning the Lou Groza Award in 2013, but the spotlight will be blinding from Day 1. Can you imagine the grousing from frustrated fans if Aguayo scuffles as a rookie? Can you imagine the wild second- guessing that will take place if he leaves any doubt? Aguayo must be close to perfect right away.
It’s not shocking that the Bucs added another corner- back in the fourth round, but Ryan Smith going as the No. 108 overall pick con- tinued a theme of short play- ers at the position for Tampa Bay. Smith is 5-foot-11, 189 pounds, and Vernon Harg- reaves III is 5-foot-10, 204 pounds. Brent Grimes is 5- foot-10, 185 pounds, and Josh Robinson is 5- foot-10, 199 pounds. Coach
Antrel Rolle, Offensive
Guard Matt Slauson
The Bears have released veteran safety Antrel Rolle and veteran offensive guard Matt Slauson.
"We thank Matt and Antrel for the dedication and leadership they brought to our organization," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. "Both men did everything we asked of them. Part of grow- ing as a team is making diffi- cult decisions like the ones we made today. We never take them lightly, given the respect we have for everyone who has put on a Bears uniform. We wish each of them the very best as they move forward."
Rolle, 33, played in just seven games last season be- cause of ankle and knee in- juries. Chicago placed him on injured reserve in December, after the safety suffered a se- rious knee injury on the prac-
ANTREL ROLLE
tice field.
Rolle, who lasted only one
season in Chicago, signed a three-year contract last off- season, but he collected all the guaranteed money ($4.9 mil- lion) in the first year of the deal. The Bears clear $2,718,750 worth of salary- cap space with the move.
Antrel Rolle was limited to just seven games in 2015 because of ankle and knee in- juries.
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