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Lance Blanks, part of the famed Longhorns 'BMW' guard trio from 1988-90, dies at 56 years old

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the players that helped make the Texas Longhorns basketball program nationally relevant in the late 1980s has died.Lance Blanks, a star guard for the Longhorns from 1988-90 and ESPN/Longhorn Network basketball analyst, died Wednesday in Dallas. He was 56 years old. MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersUniversity of Texas guard Lance Blanks waves a towel in celebration during the final seconds of the team's victory over Xavier in the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Dallas, March 23, 1990. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)Blanks, who was born in Del Rio and went to high school in The Woodlands, transferred to Texas after spending two seasons at Virginia and quickly became part of one of the most exciting teams the university had seen to that point. During Tom Penders' first season in 1988-89, Texas improved from 16-13 to 25-9, and the Texas "BMW" paved a new era in Longhor...

With 10 regular season games left, Longhorns have to treat every game like the postseason, coach says

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As far as David Pierce is concerned, the Texas Longhorns are in the playoffs now.The head coach said with the calendar turning to May, it's time to start treating the remaining 10 regular season games like it's the postseason. That begins Friday on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters"It's playoff baseball right now," he said. "The implications are out there and we've got to go play well."Texas is a game out of second place in the Big 12 with a 10-8 record, and Kansas is near the bottom at 6-12. A series win on the road, like the one last weekend against TCU, is the goal so they can keep pace near the top. A sweep, however, is of course icing on the cake and would put them in a better position to challenge West Virginia for the top spot in the conference.How's Texas going to do that? Pierce said the team can accomplish t...

Gophers’ Dawn Plitzuweit gets another WVU recruit to join her at UMN

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

New Gophers women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit has convinced another one of her West Virginia recruits to join her in Minnesota.Ayianna Johnson, a 6-foot-3 forward from Jefferson, Wis., officially joined the Gophers program for the 2023-24 season, the program announced Thursday.“She is an athletic post player who sprints the floor, rebounds outside of her area and is comfortable defending inside as well as on the perimeter,” Plitzuweit said in a statement. “She is a player who is always in attack mode.”Johnson joins 5-10 wing Grace Grocholski of Kettle Moraine, Wis., another West Virginia commit who moved to Minnesota after Plitzuweit was hired to succeed Lindsay Whalen at UMN.Johnson averaged 16.6 points and 11.5 rebounds a game as a senior, leading Jefferson to a 2023 WIAA regional title. While also running track and playing golf, Johnson averaged 17.8 points and 12.3 rebounds as a junior.Also this week, the Gophers added Janay Sanders, a 5-11 guard who played on...

Twins break out late in 12-inning win over White Sox

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The Twins’ bullpen tightrope act in the later innings of Thursday afternoon’s game was a sight to behold.The offense? Well maybe not so much.The Twins’ bullpen bent, but did not break in the latter innings of the game, holding strong long enough for the offense to collect the runs it needed in a wild 7-3 12-inning win on Thursday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.After watching Jhoan Duran, Jorge López, Brock Stewart and Emilio Pagán strand a combined nine runners — including one on third in three of those innings — the bats, who had provided little help to that point, finally broke through.When a Jose Miranda groundball bounced past Tim Anderson and into the outfield, Trevor Larnach, the automatic runner, raced home to score, breaking the tie.Nick Gordon then greeted reliever Sammy Peralta, making his major league debut, with a double to center, scoring one more run. The Twins added on with a bases-loaded walk and a Jorge Polanco single which scored two more runs to put ...

Timberwolves need a better Rudy Gobert next season

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

The counting stats and advanced numbers both suggest Rudy Gobert’s first season in Minnesota was the veteran center’s worst since at least 2015-16.The eye test said the same.The Timberwolves gave up a king’s ransom to acquire the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year last summer, and that’s not the player that took the floor for large stretches of the 2022-23 season.Gobert noted his season was filled with adversity. He was acclimating to a new home area and organization, all on the fly as he flew into Minnesota just days ahead of the start of training camp after leading France to the final of EuroBasket last fall. He quickly realized how good he had things in Utah, where his roots were firmly entrenched.Back in Utah, everything required for his daily recovery was conveniently located within the friendly confines of his own home. Those things were not all in place in his Twin Cities abode. To some degree, it was a position Gobert put himself in.The trade...

Purple lanes: Bill calling for Minnesota highway signs to honor Prince passes Senate

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

The late pop superstar Prince will have a highway named after him in his home state, following a vote by Minnesota lawmakers Thursday.The Senate vote was 55-5 to rename the highway that runs past Prince’s Paisley Park museum and studios. Among those watching was his oldest sister, Sharon Nelson. The bill passed the House unanimously last month on the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death, and now goes to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign.Purple signs will soon go up along a seven-mile stretch of State Highway 5 in the Minneapolis suburbs of Chanhassen and Eden Prairie — designating it the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. Prince’s friends and fans are footing the bill, said the lead sponsor, Republican Sen. Julia Coleman, of Waconia.“Prince was a true genius, a visionary artist who pushed the boundaries of music and cultures in ways that will never be forgotten,” Coleman told her fellow senators. “His influence can be heard in the work of coun...

Man charged with setting mosque fire; he’s suspected of vandalizing Ilhan Omar’s office

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

A man suspected of setting fires to Minneapolis mosques and vandalizing the office of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was indicted Thursday on federal charges of arson and damage to religious property.Jackie Rahm Little, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury for an April 24 fire at the Masjid Al-Rahma mosque. Authorities are also investigating him as a suspect in a fire that damaged the Masjid Omar Islamic Center inside a Somali shopping mall on April 23, as well as in the January vandalism of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office and of a Somali American police officer’s vehicle, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a news conference.“The freedom to worship is sacrosanct. We will respond to any attack on any house of worship with urgency and determination,” said Luger, who noted that the charge accusing Little of damaging religious property is a civil rights violation.An undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota of Jackie Rahm Little, who was arrested on Satur...

'Falling off a cliff' - Cardinals fans weigh in on team's slow start

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Cardinals fans are letting their frustration be known as the Cardinals' early-season struggles continue. The Redbirds dropped their sixth straight game Thursday afternoon, falling to an NL-worst 10-22 record. Boos came out at various times in the Cardinals' last three games against the Los Angeles Angels, all three ending in defeat. St. Louis is off to its worst start in nearly half a century. Many fans met with FOX 2 on Thursday to voice their frustrations. RELATED - Marmol defends costly bullpen decision, claims Cardinals team more frustrated than fans “We have generational talent on the offense side of things, but the pitching just isn’t there,” says one fan. “We’ve got Edman and Goldschmidt and Arenado, a great team, but we have to figure out the pitching. I just had to shield her eyes, so she didn’t have to watch the first game like this and watch the blowout." From first-timers taking in today’s day game against the Angels, to longtime fans, almost eve...

Ban on Illinois law enforcement stopping drivers over objects hanging from rearview mirror heads to governor's desk

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) - In Illinois, it is illegal to hang anything from your rearview mirror in your car. It doesn't matter if it is a decoration or an air freshener -- state law says you could get pulled over and fined for having anything hanging from your mirror. The logic behind the law is it can obstruct your view while driving. Bill to prevent police from stopping drivers for rearview mirror hanging items moving through capitol A bill supported by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias passed out of the Senate Thursday that would change the law so police can't pull someone over solely for having something hang on a rearview mirror. "There is absolutely no data to support that pulling people over for an air freshener or a rosary hanging from their rearview mirror reduces violent crime or prevents accidents,” Secretary Giannoulias said. “Amending the current law will not jeopardize public safety; instead, it will result in greater equity on the road and improve relationshi...

Family makes emotional plea after woman shot, killed in hotel parking garage

Published Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:15:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - An East St. Louis mother of three who had spent the last years pleading with anyone who would listen to help her find her son's killer has become a murder victim.She was killed inside a parking garage at North 9th Street outside her job in downtown St. Louis, and now her family has made an emotional plea.The police identified the victim as 56-year-old Latatia Stewart. She was an employee of the Marriott hotel in downtown St. Louis and was found shot multiple times behind her car."She was leaving her job, and they shot her three times. Whoever shot my wife, God gone take care of you,” said Paul Stewart, Latatia's husband. Prosecutor from Kim Gardner’s office dies on I-270 Police said Latatia was gunned down Wednesday around 6 p.m. Her husband said she worked for the Marriott hotel in downtown St. Louis for 20 years and wants the gunman caught.“She was gunned down yesterday and shot three times. They killed my son was killed a few years ago, and she was seeking justice f...