Update on the latest sports

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-OBIT-CHANEY

Hall of Fame Temple basketball coach John Chaney dies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — John Chaney, one of the nation’s leading Black coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame basketball career at Temple, has died. He was 89.

His death was announced by the university Friday.

Chaney led Temple to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances over 24 seasons, including five NCAA regional finals. Chaney had 741 wins as a college coach. He was twice named national coach of the year and his teams at Temple won six Atlantic 10 conference titles.

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.

Chaney was an imposing presence on the court — restless, cranky, his otherwise natty clothes in shambles by the end of the game. Often, as he exhorted his team, he put himself in situations he later regretted. He was known for a fiery temper — sending a player into a 2005 game to commit hard fouls. Chaney served a suspension and apologized.

In 1994, he had a heated exchange following a game against UMass in which 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) — The Atlantic 10 says Friday night’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.

Meanwhile, 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. The Wildcats have had two previous games this season postponed but the home matchup with Texas is their first outright cancellation.

NFL-NEWS

Texans announce hiring of Culley as head coach

UNDATED (AP) — The Houston Texas 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 becomes the fourth coach in Texans history, replacing Bill O’Brien, who was fired after the team opened the season 0-4.

Culley, who has been with the Ravens since 2019, has worked as an NFL assistant since 1994, also spending time with Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Buffalo. He began his career as a college assistant and spent 1991-93 at Texas A&M.

In other NFL news:

— The Detroit Lions have added Duce Staley, Mark Brunell and Mark DeLeone to their coaching staff. Staley joins new coach Dan Campbell’s staff as running backs coach and assistant head coach. Brunell will be the team’s quarterbacks coach, and DeLeone will coach inside linebackers. This is Staley’s 11th season as an NFL coach. He was also a running back as a player for the Eagles from 1997-2003 and the Steelers from 2004-06. Brunell played quarterback from 1993-2011 for Green Bay, Jacksonville, Washington, New Orleans and the New York Jets.

MLB-NEWS

Phillies make it official, sign J.T. Realmuto to 5-year deal

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

A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Realmuto gets $20 million next season, of which $10 million is deferred, with $5 million each payable on July 15 in 2026 and 2027. Realmuto gets $23,875,000 in each of the final four years.

He would receive a $1 million assignment bonus each time he is traded, payable by the acquiring team.

He would get $50,000 each for every All-Star appearance, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, $100,000 for World Series MVP and $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP. He would get $500,000 for winning an MVP, $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third.

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

Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019 in a trade that sent right-hander Sixto Sánchez and catcher Jorge Alfaro to Miami along with pitching prospect Will Stewart and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation.

In other baseball news:

— 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. He is tasked with improving diversity at amateur levels. Griffey will work as an MLB ambassador at youth initiatives and at its special events, including the postseason and the All-Star Game. Griffey was a 13-time All-Star who hit .284 with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBIs in 22 seasons for Seattle, Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox.

— The Baseball Hall of Fame has opened an exhibit honoring the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship, including game-used items from several players. The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to win the franchise’s first Series title in 32 years. Among the items donated by the team are: the ball used by Clayton Kershaw for the opening pitch of Game 1 in the first neutral-site World Series in history; a bat used by World Series MVP Corey Seager in Game 6; and a road jersey worn by Mookie Betts in Games 3, 4 and 5. Other items are Max Muncy’s batting helmet and manager Dave Roberts’ jacket and face mask worn throughout the Series played during the coronavirus pandemic. The “Autumn Glory” exhibit will be on display at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, through the 2021 postseason.

USA BASKETBALL-AMERICUP

Thomas, Johnson on USA Basketball’s next AmeriCup roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — NBA veterans Isaiah Thomas and Joe Johnson are on USA Basketball’s roster for the final round of AmeriCup qualifying next month.

The Americans have already clinched an AmeriCup berth but still have two more games to play, against Bahamas on Feb. 19 and Mexico on Feb. 20. Those games will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

USA Basketball said Friday that Joe Prunty will coach the Americans in those games, assisted by Othella Harrington and Yale coach James Jones.

The Americans will train in San Juan from Feb. 13 through Feb. 18, and plan on releasing the full roster for the two qualifying games next week.

AmeriCup — to be held in September 2022 — is the 12-team tournament that serves as the championship of the teams in the FIBA Americas zone, covering nations from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. USA Basketball has won the AmeriCup title seven times in nine previous attempts.