Troy visits Narcisse and South Alabama — and more

Troy Trojans (24-5, 15-2 Sun Belt) at South Alabama Jaguars (11-17, 4-13 Sun Belt)

Mobile, Alabama; Friday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: South Alabama plays Troy after Chrysta Narcisse scored 21 points in South Alabama's 57-43 win over the Southern Miss Lady Eagles.

The Jaguars are 8-7 on their home court. South Alabama has a 0-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Trojans are 15-2 in Sun Belt play. Troy is the best team in the Sun Belt scoring 15.0 fast break points per game.

South Alabama makes 40.5% of its shots from the field this season, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than Troy has allowed to its opponents (37.4%). Troy averages 7.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 5.6 per game South Alabama gives up.

The teams square off for the second time this season in Sun Belt play. Troy won the last meeting 84-73 on Feb. 19. Emani Jenkins scored 18 points to help lead the Trojans to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Amyah Sutton is averaging 11.8 points for the Jaguars. Daniela Gonzalez is averaging 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds over the past 10 games.

Jenkins averages 3.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Trojans, scoring 12.3 points while shooting 43.2% from beyond the arc. Zay Dyer is shooting 47.0% and averaging 17.1 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jaguars: 2-8, averaging 59.3 points, 36.1 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 37.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.1 points per game.

Trojans: 9-1, averaging 81.9 points, 48.0 rebounds, 18.1 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.6 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Editor's note: Much of this story ran as part of the Panhandle Legends series, produced by Amarillo historian and author King Hill, and was produced for a series by KAMR that can be found on the myhighplains.com website.

With the win of a gold medal by the USA Hockey Team in the Winter Olympics in the air, it harkens back to another huge team win — one for USA Basketball in 1936, led by Happy/Amarillo legend Joe Fortenberry.

In fact, that U.S. basketball team not only won gold, but the first ever issued for that sport in the Olympics. And Fortenberry was partly behind one of basketball's most signature moves.

Standing tall at 6 feet, 7 inches, Fortenberry was born in 1911 and was raised in Happy, where he first picked up a basketball for the high school team. His time on the courts continued throughout college when he attended West Texas State Teachers College (later known as West Texas A&M University), where his skills dominated the Buffaloes for three years.

During his tenure, Fortenberry led the WT team to consecutive 20-win seasons in 1932-1933 and earned All-American honors during that time. After WT, Fortenberry played for the Ogden Buffaloes in Utah and the McPherson Globe Refiners in Kansas. He was also credited with the first case of “dunking the ball” during a game in Madison Square Garden in 1936, as recorded by NY Times Sports Writer Arthur Daley. Daley’s story said that Fortenberry and his teammate Willard Schmidt skipped shooting for a layup and just “leaped up and pitched the ball downward into the hoop, much like a cafeteria customer dunking a roll in coffee.”

This was considered the first public instance of a slam dunk in basketball, more than 20 years before the move became popularized by players such as “Jumping” Johnny Green or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

When the U.S. team arrived in Germany for the Olympics, they were met with surprise rule changes, according to USA Basketball. They abolished the three-second rule, a seven-player limit on each team and had a designated outdoor court of sand and clay.

The 6’7” Fortenberry was almost disqualified by a rule proposed to limit players to a height of 6’2” or below but was rescinded after the U.S. complained. The McPherson Globe Refiners and Washington Huskies took turns with seven University Pictures team members playing the Olympic basketball matches and eventually wound up facing the Canadian national team in the final game.

But those weren’t the only obstacles the winning team faced. During the playoffs, a downpour hit Berlin, which left the clay and sand court like a swamp with no alternate time or location. It all seemed designed to throw the game against the U.S. But, despite the overwhelming odds, Fortenberry equaled the entire Canadian roster with eight points.

The final score showed the U.S. team winning 19 to 8, which secured them the first basketball gold medal in Olympic history.

Fortenberry was quoted in a 1992 interview with the Amarillo Globe-News as saying, “Adolf Hitler said it was an outside game and that’s where we were going to play it.”

Fortenberry goes on to AAU All American

After his triumph in the Olympics, Fortenberry became a four-time AAU All-American and won three Missouri Valley AAU titles and the 1940 AAU national championship. According to the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame (TPSHOF), Fortenberry also continued to play on various Army Air Corps teams during World War II.

He has been remembered not only as the first inductee in the TPSHOF, but also a quiet, unassuming gentle man, beloved friend and family member.

The basketball hero lived out the remainder of his life in Amarillo before his death after a battle with cancer in June 1993. He was survived by two daughters, Sally and Trish and a son, Oliver. His wife, Bobbie, who was all of 5’ tall, worked at the Amarillo Globe-News in the library “morgue” for many years, with her sister, Mary Kate Tripp.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Fortenberry found fame at 1936 Olympics despite obstacles in Germany

Onana’s Manchester United Future Hinges on Pre Season Opportunity

André Onana, currently on loan at Trabzonspor, is said to be intent on reclaiming his place at United and believes he will be afforded the opportunity to do so when pre season begins., according to The Guardian.

Onana’s situation is layered with context. Signed from Inter in July 2023 on a five year contract for an initial £44.1m, he arrived as a statement acquisition. Erik ten Hag made him first choice, valuing his distribution and personality. Yet inconsistency defined much of his tenure. A sequence of high profile errors eroded confidence, culminating in his omission for April’s trip to Newcastle after he was culpable for both goals in a 2-2 draw at Lyon. By the start of this season, he was no longer in possession of the shirt.

Loan Spell and Renewed Determination

The 29 year old joined Trabzonspor on 11 September, a move prompted by United’s decision to recruit Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for £18m. Onana is due back in May and, according to the report, feels he will be given a chance to compete.

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That ambition collides with reality. Lammens has been quietly impressive in his debut Premier League campaign. Five clean sheets in 21 appearances underline consistency. In Monday’s 1-0 win at Everton, he produced a string of vital saves and commanded his area confidently.

Michael Carrick’s assessment was telling. “You want a goalkeeper to be reliable, trustworthy and, instead of creating the chaos, you want him to take the chaos away and calm things down,” said the interim manager. “I think Senne is that. He’s quite quiet at times and unassuming but he’s got a real steeliness. To step in, it’s a big role – for some.”

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Financial Context Shapes Squad Decisions

Beyond the goalkeeping debate lies a broader financial picture. United have reported a net profit of £4.2m in the financial year’s second quarter, a marked improvement on a £27.7m loss in the same period last year. However, the approximate £10m cost of sacking Ruben Amorim will appear as exceptional items in the third quarter. Previous exceptional items included £14.5m compensation to Ten Hag and his staff.

Current borrowings have risen to £295.7m from £268m, a reminder that squad decisions carry financial weight. Whether United can afford sentiment will be a decisive factor.

Onana may well be granted a platform in pre season. Reclaiming the jersey, though, demands more than opportunity. It requires authority, reliability and trust, qualities that currently define his younger rival.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

ForManchester United supporters, this feels like familiar territory. Big fee, big personality, flashes of brilliance, followed by costly errors at critical moments. Promises of redemption are easy in May. Delivering consistency in October at a packed Old Trafford is harder.

There is also a sense that the club cannot afford another prolonged audition. Lammens has shown composure and steadiness, attributes that United have lacked in recent seasons. Fans crave calmness behind a defence that has already endured upheaval.

Onana’s confidence has never been in doubt. The concern is judgement under pressure. When Carrick speaks of taking chaos away, supporters hear a subtle critique of what came before. Trust, once lost, is slow to rebuild.

Financially, United’s improved quarterly figures offer breathing room, yet rising borrowings temper optimism. Supporters will question whether rotating between two expensive goalkeepers represents prudent planning.

Pre season may provide a clean slate. For many fans, however, the threshold for belief is high. Sentiment will not outweigh evidence. If Onana is to reclaim the No 1 shirt, he must do so decisively, without ambiguity, and without the errors that shaped the narrative in the first place.

Old Dominion Monarchs (10-20, 6-11 Sun Belt) at Georgia State Panthers (10-20, 7-10 Sun Belt)

Atlanta; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Old Dominion takes on Georgia State after Ketron Shaw scored 26 points in Old Dominion's 97-88 loss to the Marshall Thundering Herd.

The Panthers are 7-6 in home games. Georgia State averages 10.0 turnovers per game and is 5-10 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.

The Monarchs are 6-11 against Sun Belt opponents. Old Dominion is 6-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 10.4 turnovers per game.

Georgia State is shooting 38.0% from the field this season, 6.5 percentage points lower than the 44.5% Old Dominion allows to opponents. Old Dominion has shot at a 44.0% rate from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points above the 43.5% shooting opponents of Georgia State have averaged.

The teams meet for the second time in conference play this season. Old Dominion won 78-55 in the last matchup on Feb. 14. Shaw led Old Dominion with 28 points, and Malachi Brown led Georgia State with 25 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jelani Hamilton is scoring 17.6 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Panthers. Brown is averaging 16.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 43.5% over the past 10 games.

Jordan Battle averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Monarchs, scoring 14.4 points while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc. Shaw is shooting 53.8% and averaging 20.7 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 2-8, averaging 69.4 points, 29.2 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 37.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.0 points per game.

Monarchs: 4-6, averaging 78.2 points, 29.8 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.