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Dec. 12—The Trinity boys basketball team strapped in Thursday against Susquehanna Township — but not necessarily in the way the Shamrocks hoped for. It was a rollercoaster ride on Lawrence Kostelac Jr. court. Trinity fenced in the Indians for 21 first-half points and rode 8-0 and 10-0 runs for a 12-point halftime lead. Once the teams exited the locker room, Township jerked the Shamrocks off the rails, erupting for 53-point second-half explosion. Despite the turbulence, Trinity bore down to tough out a 76-74 barnburner. Senior Owen Schlager piloted the Shamrocks through the storminess, piling up 31 points while converting six straight foul shots in the final 30 seconds of regulation. "It was really just a team effort," Schlager said. "We all came together at the end. Halftime was a 12-point lead, so obviously, going into the half, we were very happy with ourselves. Offensive rebounding, we put an emphasis on that, and I think we cleaned that up. But they ended up hitting shots in the second. We can't let them get back in the game like that, so we'll take the win, but we got a lot to improve." Much of the Shamrocks' turbulent tendencies were self-inflicted. Trinity (4-2, 2-0 Mid-Penn Capital) lost the turnover battle, coughing up the ball 15 times, and succumbed to early foul trouble with three starters — Reece Brown, Dre Steele and Liam Sexton — all logging limited first-half minutes. The 'Rocks resorted to a tender approach in the second half, which allowed Township (1-3, 0-2) to turn on the afterburners. Alfonso Burnett and Mekhi Slappy each recorded 14 of their team-high 19 points across the last 16 minutes, flipping a 33-21 halftime deficit into a 52-45 third-quarter hole and into a 74-72 decision with 10.9 seconds remaining. "In the second half, we came out soft on defense, and I think we were tentative because of the foul trouble," Trinity head coach Larry Kostelac Jr. said. "... And the bottom line is, (Township) took advantage of that. They are skilled athletes. They are very good players. They have four or five guys that can score the ball, and they scored. And they were scoring at that rim." If the Indians weren't cashing in at the cup, they continued to draw contact. The visitors took 21 turns at the charity stripe and banked 15 attempts. Between the free throws and the points in the paint, Township trimmed the Trinity advantage to five with 2:30 left, to four at the one-minute mark, to three with 30 seconds to play and threatened with a pair before four Schlager foul shots. "Imagine if we stayed out of foul trouble, what we could've gotten," Kostelac said. "And so it was a good team win. I thought Owen obviously did what a Division I player does at the end of the game. He got the ball in his hands, he gets fouled, he gets on the line and makes it. That's why he's a Division I player. A lot of kids can't do that." The late-game heroics weren't the only instance where Schlager saved the Shamrocks. With Township slicing the Trinity lead to four early in the second quarter, the Siena College commit skied to six points amid the 'Rocks' 10-0 rampage. Steele stepped up in the second half, scoring 12 of his 17 points. Brown also emerged, ripping off eight tallies in the fourth to reach 10. "It took a while in the summer (for us to click), but once we got it going, it was really good," Schlager said. "Obviously you have those ups and downs, so just having everyone contribute, it's just a great thing, and shows us that these kids can do what we want them to do. And if they can contribute on that level every night, that would be great for us." Thursday's triumph completed a six-game slate in 14 days for Trinity. The turnovers, the fouls and the attrition were the product of the long and windy road. Some stretches followed the path. Some ventured off course. But in the end, the Shamrocks strapped in. "It shows our potential," Schlager said. "We were really locked in, the whole team was. We wanted to come to the game, hold them, and when we scored, we wanted to blow them out. That didn't happen, but it shows the potential where we can get to. And if we keep working with each other, keep on practicing, we'll end up in a pretty good spot." Christian Eby is a sports reporter for The Sentinel and cumberlink.com . You can contact him at ceby@cumberlink.com and follow him on Twitter at: @eby_sports (c)2024 The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) Visit The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pa.) at www.cumberlink.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Fly with confidence

Report reveals that FBI spied on its likely new director, Kash PatelThe two-minute timeout. The transfer portal as de facto free agency. Collectives generating name, image and likeness (NIL) money for athletes becoming like a payroll. The impending arrival of revenue sharing. It didn't take long for Belichick to envision how a college program should look based on his own NFL experience. "I do think there are a lot of parallels," Belichick said. And that's at least partly why the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is now taking over at North Carolina. Years of rapid change at the have only increased the professionalization of college football across the country, with schools adjusting staffing to handle growing duties once seemingly more fitting for a pro team. UNC just happens to be making the most audacious of those bets, bringing in a 72-year-old who has never coached in college and asking him to build what amounts to a mini-NFL front office. But plenty could follow. "I really think there's going to be some of those guys that maybe don't have a job in the NFL anymore," Kansas State general manager Clint Brown said, "and now that this is going to be structured in a way where there is a cap that that's going to be something they're interested in." The rapid changes in college athletics have fueled that, notably with players able to transfer and play right away without sitting out a year and be paid through NIL endorsement opportunities in the past five years. Recruiting is now just as much about bringing in veteran talent through the portal as signing recruits out of high school, mirroring the NFL with free agency and the draft, respectively. And a bigger change looms with revenue sharing, the result of a $2.78 billion legal settlement to antitrust lawsuits. Specifically, that model will allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million for athletes in the first year, with a final hearing in that case set for April 2025. It will be up to schools to determine how to distribute that money and in which sports, though football's role as the revenue driver in college sports likely means a prominent cut everywhere as a direct parallel to a professional team's salary cap. Throw all that together, and it's why coaches are adjusting their staffs like Florida's Billy Napier interviewing candidates to be the Gators' general manager. "We're built to do it now," Napier said. "The big thing here is that we're getting ready to be in a business model. We have a cap. We have contracts. We have negotiation. We have strategy about how we distribute those funds, and it's a major math puzzle. "We're going to build out a front office here in the next couple of months, and it's primarily to help us manage that huge math problem," Napier added. "There'll be a ton of strategy around that. I'm looking forward to it." Still, that also explains why Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, the former head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, said: "This job as a head coach is a juggernaut. There's way more to do here than I had to do in the NFL." And it explains why the Tar Heels are betting on Belichick to be the right fit for today's changing climate. "If I was 16 of 17 years old, a coach who came at you and won how many Super Bowls? And he said, 'Come play for me,'" said New York Giants offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, now in his third year out of UNC. "I mean, that's pretty hard to turn down now, especially in this day and age, he's telling you to come play for him and he's offering you some money, too. I mean, you can't go wrong with that choice." The timing worked for UNC with Belichick, who was bypassed for some NFL openings after leaving the New England Patriots last year and instead spent months taking a closer look at the college game. Those conversations with coaches — some in the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences, he said Thursday — made him understand how the changes in college aligned with his pro experience. "College kind of came to me this year," Belichick said. "I didn't necessarily go and seek it out." And his mere presence in Chapel Hill makes a difference, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham saying his "visibility" would likely allow the team to raise prices for advertising such as sponsorships and signage. Belichick is also hiring Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager and executive, as the Tar Heels' general manager. Cunningham also said the plan is for Belichick to continue his appearances on former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning's "Manningcast" broadcasts during Monday Night Football as well as ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" — all giving the coach the chance to promote himself and the program. Yet these steps to reshape football at North Carolina comes with a rising price. Belichick will make $10 million per year in base and supplemental pay, with the first three years of the five-year deal guaranteed, according to a term sheet released by UNC on Thursday. That's roughly double of former coach Mack Brown, whose contract outlined about $4.2 million in base and supplemental salary before bonuses and other add-ons. Additionally, Belichick's deal includes $10 million for a salary pool for assistant coaches and $5.3 million for support staff. That's up from roughly $8.1 million for assistants and $4.8 million for support staff for the 2022 season, according to football financial data for UNC obtained by The Associated Press. And those figures from 2022 under Brown were already up significantly from Larry Fedora's tenure with the 2017 season ($4 million for assistant coaches, $2.3 million for support staff). There is at least one area where the Tar Heels are set for Belichick's arrival: facilities. UNC spent more than $40 million on its football practice complex with an indoor facility (2018) as the biggest project, while other projects include $3 million in upgrades to the locker room and weight room (2019), $14.5 million on renovations to the Kenan Football Center (2022), even $225,000 on Brown's former office (2021). Now it's up to Belichick to rethink the approach to football here for the changing times. "We're taking a risk," Cunningham said. "We're investing more in football with the hope and ambition that the return is going to significantly outweigh the investment." AP Sports Writers Tom Canavan in New Jersey; Mark Long in Florida; and Eric Olson in Nebraska; contributed to this report.

H&M CELEBRATES NEW STORE WITH CHRISTINA AGUILERA NEW YORK , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at noon, H&M celebrated the reopening of its iconic Times Square flagship, located at 1472 Broadway, with a special appearance and ribbon cutting ceremony with global pop superstar Christina Aguilera . The refined space, featuring elevated aesthetics and materials, includes immersive experiences showcasing the very best of the brand's fashion identity. At the time of opening, the store will showcase a variety of fashion-forward collections including the H&M Studio Holiday Capsule, which was launched in select stores and online today, offering a modern take on partywear. The store caps off a season of investment and reignited direction for the Swedish brand in its U.S. home of New York City . "I am so excited to be here at H&M's gorgeous new store, in Times Square no less," said Christina Aguilera . "What perfect timing for this location to reopen with their new collection just before the start of the holiday season. We're very excited to bring on the joy for the season!" This fall, H&M celebrates the launch of its most impressive season of fashion yet, which will be on full display at the new Times Square store. The fully redesigned flagship is an elevated, dynamic space featuring women's and men's collections, including special shop-in-shop destinations for H&M Move, the brand's sport offering, as well as denim, lingerie, and accessories. The location will also carry clothing for children ranging from newborn to 10 years old. "H&M debuted in the US nearly 25 years ago with a flagship location in New York City . As a pivotal city for our brand, we continue to invest in our NYC stores to ensure they remain cutting-edge and inspirational to our ever-evolving customer," says Michael Beaumont , Regional Head of Expansion for H&M Americas. "With this refreshed flagship store, customers will be able to see and feel H&M's strengthened brand identity firsthand through hyper-curated artistic and design elements, innovative technologies, and interactive experiences — all anchored by H&M's diverse fashion offerings." The focus on customer experience is reflected in the brand-new immersive fitting area, a first in North America , where fashion lovers can explore trends, try on looks, and bring their style dreams to life. The fitting rooms, a first offer a customizable, multi-sensory experience with LED screens in the floor and ceiling, along with interactive mirrors. Customers can express themselves by selecting visual themes and music based on their style choices and moods, making the shopping experience more personalized and engaging. With visuals and music curated specifically for the new store, these rooms will also encourage customers to create and share their own content. "Our Times Square location is an amazing new space for customers to interact with our brand as well as each other," says Linda Li , Head of Customer Activation and Marketing for H&M Americas. "Features like our new immersive fitting rooms combine music, fashion and fun to let our customers become their own style star." The redesigned flagship showcases impressive new design features like an iconic glass wall flanking each side of the main escalator, designed by Denver based agency, Hovercraft. This signature piece combines art and technology into a multi-story ambient light display, providing customers with a dazzling show on their way to the upper levels. Other interior upgrades include fluted concrete panels, seamless terrazzo flooring, custom built wood fitting rooms and two enormous LED screens on the ground and second floor. Contact: mediarelations.us@hm.com For more images of the opening and new store, click here . For more information from the H&M group and press images visit hmgroup.com/media View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hm-reopens-iconic-times-square-flagship-in-new-york-city-as-new-brand-showcase-302313611.html SOURCE H&MBelichick's bid to reshape UNC football latest sign of pro influence on college level

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The Smartest Dividend Stocks to Buy With $3,000 Right NowPurdue athletic director Mike Bobinski promised to give new coach Barry Odom everything he needed to revive the Boilermakers program. Increasing the NIL budget is a solid start. Odom knows what's coming next — the questions. So naturally, it didn't take long for the former UNLV coach to be asked one thing he's likely to hear frequently on the recruiting trail: Could he explain the payment dispute that led to the departure of his starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, after just three games this season? “I think every story, you look at what you're able to say, what's the truth, what's the reality and what's fabricated,” Odom said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “I think you look at that very specific instance there was very open communication from the day the recruiting process started. Everything we did as a staff, as a university, as an athletic department was by the book and by the law.” Sluka transferred from Holy Cross to UNLV after twice being selected as a Walter Payton Award finalist. The award goes to the best player in the Football Championship Series. He didn't last long in Las Vegas. Sluka entered the transfer portal after winning all three starts, claiming he never received a promised $100,000 NIL payment. Odom issued a statement at the time saying the program abided by the “applicable rules.” On Tuesday, he seemed to acknowledge that part of the explanation was a continuing quarterback competition between Sluka and Hajj Malik-Williams, who took over as the starter and led UNLV (10-3) to its best record in 40 years and a second straight Mountain West Conference championship game appearance. Malik-Williams was a second-team all-conference selection. Odom likely will need more detailed answers for prospective recruits if he intends to make the Boilermakers competitive again in a Big Ten with four playoff-bound teams. Odom does have some advantages at Purdue — a strong alumni base led by former NFL star Drew Brees, a recently renovated stadium, other upgraded facilities and the school's longtime reputation as the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.” The biggest advantage, though, will be Purdue going all in on NIL money. “We’re going to operate at the full cap," Bobinski said. “We’re going to be as resourced as anybody in the country, allowing Barry and his staff the ability to go out there and be eyeball to eyeball with everybody we’re competing for, a transfer or from a high school recruiting perspective.” Bobinski said Odom's results at UNLV were the primary attraction, though. As the Boilermakers continued to struggle in November, Bobinski started studying the revival of a UNLV program that had struggled for decades. What he found was that the man Missouri fired in 2019 after posting a 25-25 record in four seasons had earned a second chance with a Power Four program. “What was accomplished at UNLV these last couple years was nothing short of remarkable,” Bobinski said. “What that shows me is Coach Odom brings a very unique combination of an old-school, traditional football toughness and mindset with ability to operate and adapt to today’s college football environment.” It's a combination Purdue desperately needs following an embarrassing 2024 season in which it went 1-11 (0-9 Big Ten) and suffered the two most lopsided losses in school history — 66-7 to Notre Dame and 66-0 to Indiana. He takes over a team that lost its final 11 games and did not beat an FBS opponent. Navigating the path back in what's likely to be the first year of revenue sharing and NIL caps tied to roster limits could be even trickier given what he's facing. The state's other two most prominent programs — No. 3 Notre Dame (11-1, No. 5 CFP) and No. 9 Indiana (11-1, No. 8 CFP), will meet in a first-round playoff game on Dec. 20. There are other complications, too. Purdue signed only six recruits on the first day of the early signing period and has 21 players currently in the transfer portal, including All-American safety Dillon Thieneman, starting linebacker Yanni Karlaftis, starting tight end Max Klare and two quarterbacks. “We've got to be great evaluators, and then you've got to build an offense or a defense and a kicking game around the strengths of our players,” Odom said. “And then we've got to be great teachers at making them and teaching them, understanding the reasons we're calling the play and how important their job is to get that job done.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football