Jul 9, 2023 By Ap 3 min read

UNDATED (AP) — Two-time Olympic gold-medalist and former Tennessee star Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51. McCray-Penson was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Rutgers last season and the school confirmed her death. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. McCray-Penson joined Dawn Staley as an assistant coach at South Carolina from 2008-17. She was part of the Gamecocks’ first national championship in 2017. She won gold medals with the U.S. women’s basketball team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. She played in the ABL and won MVP honors in 1997 before heading over to the WNBA. McCray-Penson was a three-time All-Star in that league while playing for the Washington Mystics. She then had a 16-year coaching career.

STARKVILLE, Mississippi (AP) — Three-time all-Southeastern Conference linebacker and longtime NFL player Johnie Cooks died Thursday. He was 64. Cooks starred at Mississippi State from 1977-81. The school announced his death. There was no cause given. Cooks led the team in tackles in 1978 and 1981 and had a career best 24 tackles against Auburn in a game during his junior season. Cooks was a second round draft pick for Baltimore in 1982. He played six seasons with the Colts before joining the New York Giants and was part of their Super Bowl season of 1990.

SEATTLE (AP) — Major League Baseball opened its All-Star weekend in Seattle with a showcase game for top players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The HBCU Swingman All-Star Classic was forged from an idea by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as a way to give a stage for players from HBCU schools that have lacked exposure. It comes at a time when a recent study found Black U.S. players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters. There’s hope at the youth level, though, after four of the top five picks in last year’s amateur draft were Black.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina highly regarded freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley respects the accomplishments of the Gamecocks most recent group led by All-American Aliyah Boston. But Fulwiley said she and her fellow first-year players want more success than the school’s most recent national champions had. Fulwiley believes she’s part of a roster that can get this done. Fulwiley and fellow freshmen Tessa Johnson and Sahnya Jah are part of five new players on campus to prepare for next season. The group also includes Oregon transfer guard Te-Hina Paopao and junior college and one-time Rutgers forward Sakima Walker.