SPORTS digest

Basketball Classic coming to Poland

POLAND

Poland High School will host the Holiday Basketball Classic on Dec. 10. The Classic will have four high school basketball games — two girls and two boys — and raise money for the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

Labrae and Poland girls tip off at 1:30 p.m., followed by South Range versus Boardman girls at 3 p.m. Boys games start at 4:30 p.m. with South Range versus Girard followed by Boardman against Poland at 6 p.m.

Solar Bears release Noreen as head caoch

ORLANDO, FLA.

Drake Berehowsky has replaced Anthony Noreen as the head coach of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears.

Earlier this week, Noreen, who was 11 games into his second season behind the bench, was relieved of his duties. Noreen was them Youngstown Phantoms head coach from 2011-15 before leaving the USHL junior league for the pros.

“We want to thank Anthony for his service to the team, which he always approached with energy and passion, and we wish him success in his future endeavors,” Solar Bears Chairman Joe Haleski said in a team press release.

The Solar Bears have been struggling in home games, going 2-5 this season.

Beaver Local grad makes GCC Hall

GROVE CITY, PA.

Dr. Donald Lyle, a Beaver Local High School graduate, will be inducted into the Grove City College Hall of Fame in February. It’s a Hall of Fame he helped found.

Lyle spent 43 years at GCC as a coach, athletic director and administrator from 1972 to 2015. He jumped from being the men’s soccer, softball and baseball coach. He was the college’s AD from 2003 to 2015.

Harvard study calls for outside doctors

BOSTON

A new Harvard University study says the NFL should stop using doctors paid by the team to determine whether players are able to come back from an injury.

The report from the NFL Players Association-funded Football Players Health Study also recommends a short-term injured reserve for players recovering from a concussion, much like the system that baseball adopted five years ago.

The report issued Thursday includes 76 recommendations addressed to 20 stakeholders in the game — everyone from players and teams to equipment manufacturers and government regulators. The biggest message: Player safety will never be the top priority as long as those involved have competing calls on their loyalty.

To address the conflict of interest faced by doctors paid by the teams, the report recommends that the league and the union jointly hire the physicians who decide how to treat an injured player and when he can return to the game.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league would study the report and discuss the recommendations with its clubs, medical staff and the union.

Four Purdue football players suspended

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

Four Purdue football players were suspended from the team due to an investigation of sexual assault allegations by two female students, but prosecutors say they won’t file charges.

The school said Wednesday the incident occurred Oct. 13. It didn’t identify the players and said federal law prevented it from commenting further.

The female students’ attorney, Mario Massillamany, says the sexual assaults occurred at an off-campus house where the players lived. He says his clients reported the assaults to Purdue authorities and the West Lafayette Police Department.

Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington said in a statement that his office won’t file criminal charges after reviewing the evidence. He also said the players cooperated with investigators.

The female students aren’t considering a lawsuit but want the players expelled.

Staff/wire report