SPORTS DIGEST || Bohannon, YSU hoops ranked 9th in HL poll

Bohannon, YSU hoops ranked 9th in HL poll

Indianapolis, Ind.

Youngstown State sophomore Naz Bohannon was voted the Preseason All-Horizon League Second-Team, and the YSU men’s basketball was predicted to finish ninth after a vote of the league’s head coaches, athletics communications directors and selected media.

Bohannon was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2017-18 after averaging 7.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranked sixth in the Horizon League.

He scored 230 points and grabbed 259 rebounds, the most by a YSU player since 1991-92. Bohannon had at least 10 rebounds seven times and posted four double-doubles. Bohannon also scored in double figures eight times and posted a career-high 16 points against Cleveland State on March 2.

Pa. standout commits to YSU football

NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA.

A three-star safety prospect has committed to Youngstown State’s football team, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported on Wednesday.

Norwin’s Jayvon Thrift picked the Penguins after fielding offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse and Indiana.

Thrift is the second Norwin recruit to pick the Penguins this fall. Knights’ linebacker Gianni Rizzo commited to YSU in August.

Lawsuit: MLB could’ve prevented fan death

ATLANTA

In court documents filed this week in a lawsuit following the 2015 death of a fan who fell from the upper deck at an Atlanta Braves game, Nolan Ryan says guard rails at the Texas Rangers’ stadium had to be raised “to protect our fans from themselves.”

Ryan, the former Hall of Fame pitcher, was Rangers president when he led the effort to have rails raised at Arlington Stadium following the death of a fan, Shannon Stone, who fell in 2011.

Gregory Murrey, who was 60, fell from the upper deck at the Braves’ former stadium, Turner Field, on Aug. 29, 2015. The Braves and Major League Baseball are defendants in the lawsuit filed by Murrey’s family, including his wife, Laura.

The lawsuit contends fan deaths at other parks, including Arlington Stadium, should have led MLB to demand all teams have higher guard rails.

Kyle Larson might miss playoffs after penalty

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Kyle Larson has been docked 10 points by NASCAR for a rules violation that could bring an end to his championship chances.

Chip Ganassi Racing was penalized for breaking NASCAR’s policy on damaged vehicles during the race at Talladega Superspeedway. The points deduction announced Wednesday drops Larson to 36 points below the cutoff for the final transfer position to the third round of the playoffs. NASCAR will cut the playoff field from 12 to eight drivers following Sunday’s race at Kansas.

Larson crew chief Chad Johnston was fined $25,000 for the infraction and car chief David Bryant was suspended one race.

Louisville LB charged with assault

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Louisville football player Kemari Averett was charged Tuesday with putting a gun to his girlfriend’s head and threatening to kill her. The tight end was suspended from the team.

The 20-year-old sophomore remains in Louisville Metro jail on $10,000 bond after pleading not guilty and faces an Oct. 26 hearing. University police charged him with first-degree wanton endangerment and fourth-degree assault.

According to the arrest citation, Averett realized his laptop was missing from a backpack returned by his girlfriend after the two had been studying Sunday night. The woman was unaware the laptop was missing, the report added.

Averett approached her car and put a gun to her temple, threatening to kill her, the citation said. The report added that Averett threatened to shoot the car and told her he would “have my people looking for you.” Witnesses said Averett pulled her hair while pointing the gun, the report added.

Staff/wire report