Pro Hockey News

Saturday, March 16, 2024

NBA: Orlando Magic Agree to Contract extension with Head Coach Jamahl Mosley

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Head Coach Jamahl Mosley, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. The contract extension runs through the 2027-28 season.

“Jamahl (Mosley) and his staff have done a tremendous job not only this season, but since we hired him back in 2021,” said Weltman. “His preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players, and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off. We are very happy to have Jamahl lead the Magic for years to come.”

 

This season, Mosley has led Orlando to a 37-28 record (.569), good for fifth-best in the Eastern Conference and just one-half game out of fourth. The Magic won their 35th game on Mar. 3, surpassing last season’s win total with 21 games remaining. Mosley was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October/November 2023, becoming the sixth coach in franchise history to be named NBA’s Coach of the Month and the first since March/April 2019.

 

Mosley became the 15th head coach in Orlando Magic history on July 11, 2021 and has compiled a career NBA regular season record of 93-136 (.406). During the 2022-23 campaign, he led the Magic to a 34-48 record, which was a 12-game improvement from the previous season - the best improvement in the Eastern Conference and third-best in the NBA. During his first season at the helm (2021-22), Orlando finished 22-60 (.268). Mosley made his NBA head coaching debut on Oct. 20, 2021 @ San Antonio and recorded his first NBA head coaching win on Oct. 24, 2021 @ New York.

 

Mosley came to Orlando after spending seven seasons (2014-21) as an assistant coach with Dallas. While on the coaching staff, the Mavericks reached the NBA Playoffs four times. He has also served as the head coach on the Mavericks summer league team that competed in Las Vegas.

 

Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mosley spent four seasons (2010-14) as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before joining the Cavaliers, Mosley spent five seasons (2005-10) with the Denver Nuggets. His tenure began in player development and advance scouting, before becoming an assistant coach for his last three seasons (2007-10) with the franchise. The Nuggets reached the playoffs, winning 50 games or more, each of his final three years. They won the Northwest division twice and earned a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2009.

 

Mosley was a four-year letterman at the University of Colorado (1997-2001), where he is one of 33 players in school history to score more than 1,000 points. Following his collegiate career, he played four seasons of professional basketball overseas, including two years for the Victoria Titans (Australia), one year with Baloncesto Leon (Spain) and one year in Korea.

 

Mosley was named head coach for the 2023 USA Select Team, which trained with the Men’s National Team prior to the FIBA World Cup. He also served an assistant coach for the 2021 USA Select Team and as an assistant coach at the 2018 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp. Mosley has also participated in Basketball Without Borders in Africa on several occasions.

 

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he and his wife, Kristina, have three children, Jemma, C.J. and Chance.

 

THE PLAYERS: Second Round Leaderboard, Post Round Notes

 Second-Round Leaderboard

Pos.

Player

R1

R2

Total

1

Wyndham Clark

65

65

130 (-14)

T2

Xander Schauffele

65

69

134 (-10)

T2

Nick Taylor

66

68

134 (-10)

T4

Matt Fitzpatrick

66

69

135 (-9)

T4

Maverick McNealy

67

68

135 (-9)

 

Wyndham Clark (1st/-14)

  • First player in THE PLAYERS Championship history to open with two consecutive rounds of 65 or better
  • Fourth player in tournament history with a 36-hole score of 130 or better; each of the previous three won by four strokes

129 (15-under), Webb Simpson, 2018, TPC Sawgrass (66-63)

129 (15-under), Jason Day, 2016, TPC Sawgrass (63-66)

130 (14-under), Wyndham Clark, 2024, TPC Sawgrass (65-65)

130 (14-under), Greg Norman, 1994, TPC Sawgrass (63-67)

  • 130 ties his lowest opening 36-hole total on TOUR (others: 2020 WM Phoenix Open/finished T34, 2020 Shriners Children’s Open/finished T13)
  • Fifth career 36-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play events on TOUR; 1-for-4 in converting to victory (2023 Wells Fargo Championship)
  • Second consecutive week on TOUR to hold 36-hole lead/co-lead; held a share of the 36-hole lead at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and finished runner-up, five shots behind Scottie Scheffler; first player to hold consecutive 36-hole leads/co-leads on TOUR since Scheffler in 2023 (CJ CUP Byron Nelson, PGA Championship)
  • One of two players with multiple 36-hole leads on TOUR this season (other: Scottie Scheffler/3)
  • Third player in tournament history with a 36-hole lead of four strokes or more; each of the previous two won by four strokes

Largest 36-hole leads at THE PLAYERS

5 strokes, Webb Simpson, 2018 (TPC Sawgrass)

4 strokes, Wyndham Clark, 2024 (TPC Sawgrass)

4 strokes, Jason Day, 2016 (TPC Sawgrass)

Largest 36-hole leads on TOUR in 2024

5 strokes, Patrick Cantlay, The Genesis Invitational

4 strokes, Wyndham Clark, THE PLAYERS

2 strokes, Joe Highsmith, Puerto Rico Open

  • Finished solo-second at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard; only player with a win and a runner-up this season
  • Earned his third career PGA TOUR title at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; all three wins have come in the last two seasons (2023 Wells Fargo Championship, 2023 U.S. Open, 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am)
  • Making fifth start at THE PLAYERS Championship; made the cut for the first time in 2023 and finished T27 (DQ/2019, MC/2021, MC/2022)
  • PLAYERS Championship winners who also won the U.S. Open: Lee Trevino, Jerry Pate, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy

 

Miscellaneous Notes

  • Xander Schauffele (T2/-10) holds his best 36-hole position since the 2023 RBC Heritage (T2); Schauffele, whose most recent of seven PGA TOUR titles came at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, has 15 top-10s since the start of the 2022-23 season, the second-most of any player in that span (22, Scottie Scheffler)
  • Nick Taylor (T2/-10) is making his seventh start at THE PLAYERS Championship, with his best result coming in 2019 (T16); with a win, Taylor would become the first player with multiple wins during the 2024 season (won the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff over Charley Hoffman)
  • Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (T6/-8) opens with rounds of 67-69 and is six strokes off the lead; no player has successfully defended a title at THE PLAYERS (best finish by a defending champion is T5 by three players: Hal Sutton/2001, Tom Kite/1990, Jack Nicklaus/1977)
  • One of 22 players making their debut at THE PLAYERS Championship, Germany’s Matti Schmid (T6) leads the field with three eagles, which ties his career-high (2023 Kentucky Championship); no player has ever recorded more than three eagles in a PLAYERS Championship
  • Garrick Higgo WD during the second round due to a wrist injury

Friday, March 15, 2024

NFL: Jaguars Sign Armstead and Jones, Add Free Agents

 The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed DL Arik Armstead and QB Mac Jones.

Jones was drafted by New England in the first round (15th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. Since 2021, he has completed 864 passes for 8,918 yards and 46 touchdowns. 

During his rookie season (2021), he was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team and received his first Pro Bowl Games selection. The Jacksonville, Fla., native played collegiately at Alabama (2018-20) where he led the Crimson Tide to the 2020 BCS National Championship title and was a consensus first-team All-America selection.

Armstead was drafted by San Francisco in the first round (17th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.  He has played in 116 games with 97 starts in his nine-year career, recording 33.5 sacks, 42 tackles for loss, 85 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. 


The Elk Grove, Calif. native was named the 49ers Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee four consecutive seasons (2020-23).


The Jacksonville Jaguars earlier came to terms with four players.

 

NAME

POS.

HT.

WT.

EXP.

COLLEGE

PREV. TEAM

Ronald Darby

CB

5-11

193

10

Florida State

Baltimore Ravens

Gabe Davis

WR

6-2

225

5

Central Florida

Buffalo Bills

Devin Duvernay

WR

5-11

202

5

Texas

Baltimore Ravens

Darnell Savage

S

5-11

198

6

Maryland

Green Bay Packers

 

Darby was originally selected in the second round (50th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2015 draft.  He’s played in 105 games with 95 starts in his career, recording eight interceptions, 97 passes defensed, and 398 total tackles (343 solo).  After spending the first two seasons of his career in Buffalo (2015-16), he spent time with Philadelphia (2017-19), Washington (2020), Denver (2021-22), and most recently Baltimore (2023). During his time in Philadelphia he played under Head Coach Doug Pederson and helped the Eagles claim their first Super Bowl title in 2017.  Originally from Oxon Hill, Md., Darby earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year at Florida State (2012) and went on to help his team win the BCS National Championship in 2014.

 

Davis was drafted by Buffalo in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. During his four seasons with Buffalo (2020-23), he recorded 163 receptions for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns in 64 games (47 starts). Davis also appeared in seven postseason games where he totaled 22 receptions for 474 yards and six touchdowns. Since entering the NFL, 76.7 percent of Davis’ catches have resulted in a first down or touchdown, the highest percentage of all NFL players during that time. He’s averaged 16.7 average yards per reception in his career, the second-most in the NFL since 2020.  The Sanford, Fla., native played collegiately at Central Florida where he recorded 23 career receiving touchdowns which is the most in school history.

 

Duvernay was originally drafted by Baltimore in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. In four seasons, Duvernay has posted 94 receptions for 898 yards and five touchdowns. He also has registered 27 rushing attempts for 219 yards and one touchdown. The University of Texas product has 73 kickoff returns for 1,811 yards and two touchdowns, including a 103-yard return in 2022. He also has 69 punt returns for 886 yards. Since 2020, Duvernay ranks first in punt return average (12.8) and eighth in kickoff return average (24.8) among all players with at least 50 returns in each category. His 12 punt returns of at least 20 yards also rank first in the NFL since 2020. He has twice been named to the Pro Bowl (2021 & 2022) and was also voted Associated Press first-team All Pro in 2021.

 

Savage spent his first five seasons with Green Bay who originally drafted him in the first round in 2019 (21st overall).  He’s played in 72 games with 69 starts in his career, recording nine interceptions, 32 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  From 2019 – 2022, he was one of eight NFL safeties who posted 55-plus tackles, five-plus passes defensed and an interception each season.  Originally from Salisbury, Md., Savage earned All-Big Ten honors in his final two seasons at Maryland