Update on the latest sports

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-OBIT-CHANEY

Hall of Fame Temple basketball coach John Chaney dies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Most of Temple’s best men’s basketball teams were guided by head coach John Chaney, who ran the program from 1982-2006.

The school announced Friday that Chaney has died at age 89 following a brief illness.

Chaney led the Owls to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Atlanta 10 conference titles over 24 seasons, including five NCAA regional finals. He had 741 wins as a college coach, including 516 with Temple.

He became a de facto father to dozens of his players, many coming to Temple from broken homes, violent upbringings and bad schools. He often said his biggest goal was simply to give poor kids a chance to get an education.

A fashionable dresser, Chaney was also known for being in shambles by the end of a game. His fiery temper put him in situations he later regretted. In 1994, he had a heated exchange following a game against UMass, where he threatened to kill coach John Calipari. Chaney apologized and was suspended for a game. The two later became friends.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Friday night’s game between No. 22 Saint Louis and Richmond postponed

UNDATED (AP) — Friday’s men’s basketball game between No. 22 Saint Louis and Richmond has been postponed because of COVID-19 concerns raised by the Saint Louis medical staff.

The Billikens lost to Dayton on Tuesday night in their first game in over a month after having their previous seven games postponed because of the coronavirus. They arrived in Richmond on Thursday and flew back to Saint Louis Friday without elaborating on their reason for not playing.

Kentucky says its men’s basketball game Saturday night against No. 5 Texas has been canceled and all team activities have been paused for 48 hours. The school says it took those steps because of a combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and quarantining.

Meanwhile, the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball team has paused all team-related activities and postponed its next three games because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing.

NFL-NEWS

Texans announce hiring of Culley as head coach

UNDATED (AP) — The Houston Texans have announced the hiring of David Culley as their new head coach.

The longtime assistant gets his first head coaching job on a team in turmoil with a source telling The Associated Press this week that star quarterback Deshaun Watson has requested a trade. The 65-year-old Culley replaces Bill O’Brien, who was fired after the team opened the season 0-4.

Culley had been with the Ravens since 2019 and has worked as an NFL assistant since 1994, also spending time with Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Buffalo.

In other NFL news:

—The NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them. More interviews didn’t equal more hirings this offseason. According to an analysis of candidates known to have interviewed for seven head coach openings this month, 11 were minorities and 16 were white. Only two of the seven jobs went to minorities. Some consider it progress but most agree there’s a long way to go.

NHL-NEWS

NHL postpones Golden Knights-Sharks games

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL has postponed the Vegas Golden Knights’ two games next week against the San Jose Sharks over concerns about the coronavirus.

Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (peh-TRAN’-jeh-loh) and three coaches are in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and unavailable. The league also postponed Thursday’s game between the Knights and St. Louis.

The games against the Sharks had been scheduled to be played Feb. 1 and 3 in Glendale, Arizona, where the Sharks have been based because of coronavirus rules in Santa Clara County.

Also in the NHL:

The league has suspended Wild forward Kevin Fiala (fee-A’-lah) for three games without pay for boarding Kings defenseman Matt Roy. The players were chasing a loose puck into the corner in the second period Thursday night when Fiala shoved Roy from behind, sending him face-first into the boards. Roy was down for several minutes before being helped off the ice and did not return.

MLB-NEWS

Phillies sign Realmuto to 5-year deal

UNDATED (AP) — Two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto (ree-al-MOO’-toh) and the Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their five-year, $115.5 million contract on Friday.

Realmuto’s average annual salary of $23.1 million became the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in an eight-year, $184 million deal with the Minnesota Twins that covered 2011-18.

Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019.

In other baseball news:

— The Indians have signed Cesar Hernández to the one-year, $5 million contract the two sides hammered out earlier this week, one-year after the second baseman’s Gold Glove season with the club. The 30-year-old Hernández was an invaluable addition last season. He led the AL with 20 doubles and helped the Indians secure a wild-card berth. He batted .283 with three homers, 20 RBIs and 35 runs in 58 games of the pandemic-abbreviated season.

— Ken Griffey Jr. has been hired as a senior adviser to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Major League Baseball said Friday that the Hall of Fame outfielder will work in baseball operations and on youth baseball development.