Joel Lorenzi
@jxlorenzi
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Thunder beat writer @OklahomanSports . @mujschool & @SJI_Update alum. Once called the NBA’s Nardwaur. 📧: jlorenzi @oklahoman .com
Joined August 2012
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On both the day he was hired and when he won COY, Mark Daigneault said people hired him on projection. Seeing him for who he could be, not who he was.
But there was more to it than that.
Why the 39-year-old Thunder coach has always found believers:
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Jalen Williams just lit up when he realized he was on his way to talk to team reporter Nick Gallo. The team just absolutely mobbed him.
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Chet Holmgren to SGA at the end of his presser: "Aye No. 2 smile a lil bit gang, you just hit a game winner. We'll lock back in tomorrow."
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Chet Holmgren, asked if he got to interact a lot with any HOFers or All-Stars at ASW: "Yeah, I hung out with Shai a little bit."
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Thunder PR ends postgame availability, says "see you guys in Oklahoma, or next year (Miami media)."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, walking out of the room, says "NBA Finals."
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Mark Daigneault is asked what the biggest game is that he's coached.
Daigneault: “This one.”
Before this?
Daigneault: “The last one.”
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Mark Daigneault says he’s seen this clip from LeBron James and JJ Redick’s podcast. His reaction:
“At the end of the day, all the individual stuff that anybody gets is downstream of the team. If I'm getting any individual recognition, it's because of the way that the team is…
LeBron James and JJ Redick on OKC coach Mark Daigneault:
Redick: “Bro, he’s ridiculous.”
LeBron: “Yeah, he’s on his sh*t.”
(
@mindthegamepod
)
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Chet Holmgren, asked whether his competitive edge ever sees the Vic matchup slip into his mind, sounds off: "It's obviously like human nature. But to really be uncommon and not just do whatever else does, you have to kind of fight that. Obviously that's the headline that you guys…
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Chet Holmgren and his Thunder teammates posing with his No. 34 jersey
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Super random: A group of Raptors fans that apparently travels to opposing arenas for this purpose, rented out the Paycom Center floor and is hooping with damn near an hour to play. No scoreboard, just vibes.
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Asked about this comment, Mark Daigneault said “well, usually when he works out he’s being guarded by DeVon Walker, our video coordinator, who I can assure you is not the best defender in the world. Shai’s got a good imagination.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on being able to score against elite defenders like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White:
“I work out really hard. When I work out, I work out like the best defender in the world is guarding me. So in moments like these, I’m in my comfort zone.”
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Doc Rivers interrupts the first question of his pregame presser to mention his appreciation for the job Mike Woodson did with Indiana this year.
#iubb
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Charles Barkley just now on TNT: “We don’t show ‘em enough — we don’t show ‘em at all — (but) please watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play basketball. He is amazing.”
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Mark Daigneault on Nurkic and matchups like him: "A lot of nights we lose the rebounding battle. And as long as the benefit continues to outweigh the cost, we're going to continue to accept the trade offs. We're not going to be a perfect team.
"At the end of the day, there's…
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Josh Giddey on the way teams have defended him: "I used to hate it. I used to dred coming into a game knowing a big was gonna guard me. … I used to judge my game so much on whether I made 3s. Now I’ve changed my mindset going into games where it’s like, ‘If he’s gonna leave me…
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Mark Daigneault says OKC needs to win the emotional gaps in between playoff games.
"In the playoffs, you play Game 1, one team wins, one team loses. The team that wins, everybody's gonna start saying they're gonna win the championship. The team that loses, everybody says that…
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Mark Daigneault says Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren sang him happy birthday this morning. Notes Chet referred to him as "coach Mark" and Cason referred to him as just Mark.
"(Cason) had to see me in my office this morning."
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Josh Giddey says he has “no further comment right now” when asked about going viral over the past couple days.
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SGA, asked how this trend of group interviews started: “I don't know. I just felt the kids behind me, making noise. They can never behave.”
"Let's go home!"
Even though SGA was getting interviewed, J-Dub said it best.
#ThunderUp
|
@okcthunder
|
@BallySports
📺 |
@NickAGallo
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Aaron Wiggins on the saved basketball memes: "It's a fun meme, I guess. Shoutout everybody who believes I saved basketball."
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Chet Holmgren will understandably get love for successfully insisting on playing 82 games a year removed from a horrible injury.
But rookie Cason Wallace has played all 82, too. Those two, plus Russell Westbrook, are the only three rookies to play all 82 in OKC history.
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Mark Daigneault, asked his thoughts on this: "I don't know ... Pressure is kinda an arbitrary term that has nothing to do with being first to the screen or spacing in transition or being physical on the glass — all the things we're going to try to do tonight."
Willie Green: “The pressure is definitely more on (the Thunder) to close this out. But in this line of work, there’s always pressure on both ends.”
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Chet Holmgren asked if the vibe of this team feels uncommon: “Everything about the Thunder is different from everything I’ve heard about other places in this league. From management to the rest of the staff, all the way down to the players. Everything just operates differently.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a solo spot as part of this year’s campaign for the NBA Playoffs.
A matter of days before we see what “Playoff Shai” looks like.
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Jalen Williams on 33-year-old Gordon Hayward: “I don’t know if we can call Kenrich unc anymore.”
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My rookie season covering Creighton MBB is effectively over. Humbling to be trusted to document such a storied season, especially straight out of college.
All I ever wanted was a shot.
To those who read, felt or connected with my words: Thank you. Love 👊🏼
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In Phoenix. Kenrich with a cut I have never seen with my own two eyes.
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Mark Daigneault after Frank Vogel called out Lu Dort for a flop, which was rescinded earlier today: “I'm not going to get into the comments … What I will say is, I've coached Lu for five years, and he's as high integrity of a players I've coached. Plain and simple. Plays the…
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Giddey on OKC clinching a playoff spot:
“To think where we've come from from, 12 months ago, 24 months ago when I first got here, it's unbelievable. … there's probably a lot of the basketball world (that) didn't think we'd be where we're at this quickly. … I've been a part of…
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Baylor Scheierman: “Getting to come back home, put on the Creighton uniform, represent my home state and do something that’s never been done in Creighton basketball history … It’s just a dream come true for a little kid who grew up in Aurora, Nebraska and dreamed of being here."
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Shai on makes Mark Daigneault a great coach: “He’s annoying. Always nagging. But the best thing about him is that no matter who you are, he has a standard. Doesn’t matter if you been here five years, if you’re the best player on the team, worst player on the team. If you got here…
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Shai, asked if he ever thinks about past great Thunder teams and how this team compares: “I don’t think about them at all. They’ve done amazing things for this game, this city. Pioneers clearly. But trying to compare or draw comparisons doesn’t help us. … none of them are on…
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Shai asked if he sees parallels in OKC's Big 3 and the original Big 3: "I think there's 3 of them and there's 3 of us. A talented group of guys but I don't really think our games compared to theirs. Those guys are three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with…
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Some news: I’ll be joining
@TheOklahoman_
later this month as the next OKC Thunder beat writer. Covering the NBA is all I’ve dreamed of since I got in this business. I’m eternally grateful to this staff for trusting me with the opportunity at this point in my career.
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Somehow, the Thunder, which has the harmless vibes of a Disney Channel show, continues to stumble across new rivals.
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If you’re curious about Chet Holmgren, please read. He was real and raw. About all-time greats, his drive, his mind.
My favorite quote from it, and maybe my favorite quote ever:
Chet Holmgren’s chase for greatness is eternal. He’ll seek legends, he’ll fail, he’ll will himself back. He’s just trying to see what it takes to play the long game.
“I’m really chasing the pinnacle of it.”
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Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason bout to be flying around on defense next season. Pretty good haul for Houston to this point.
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Zach Lowe on ‘NBA Today’ calling OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren a “bonafide big three.”
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Greg McDermott: "Nine years ago, we lost to Baylor with a really special group, and tonight we beat Baylor with a really special group."
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Mark Daigneault, asked about the increased prominence of sports betting and its impact on the game, says “it’s obviously growing the pie. That’s the purpose of it, which everybody benefits from. I do think it’s worth asking what the cost is of that.”
“It does have a bit of fox…
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Chet Holmgren, his parents, and his soon-to-be-retired No. 34 jersey at Minnehaha Academy.
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I imagine this isn’t a fun stretch for people who watched 71 games of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 67 games of Jalen Williams.
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NEWS: Creighton MBB intends to add former Bluejay Mitch Ballock to its staff as a graduate assistant, a source told
@OWHnews
.
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Source tells me that Creighton will host Alabama this upcoming season as part of a home-and-home series.
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Told by a reporter SGA was limping and asked if he’s considered playing him through injuries to keep the team afloat, Mark Daigneault says “I didn’t see him limping — He’s also really cool. That may just be the swag. We wouldn’t put him out there if there was any major concern.”
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Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren share a moment in this postgame interview.
“Shoutout Dub.”
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Mark Daigneault says the team sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back to Oklahoma City yesterday.
"We need to make sure he doesn't decondition during this time and gym access on the road is much more difficult to come by."
Says team decided he wouldn't play out the road trip.
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Jalen Williams hits a half court shot on his *actual* first attempt.
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Jalen Williams did his pregame gallop toward the baseline, he passed James Harden, who was standing under the basket. Harden stared at his feet in confusion — Williams is wearing a custom Harden 8 from ASW — then nodded in respect.
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SGA on this: "I watch a lot of basketball and I pay attention to history. And I really want to win. I've lost a lot in my career. I really want to win."
Mark Daigneault on SGA putting energy toward other things when he isn't scoring: "He’s into the team. He wants to win. He sees the big picture about as well as anybody who’s as ambitious as him this early in his career."
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SGA, asked about the fatigue that comes from a month like this: "The NBA doesn't care, your opponents don't care. Nobody cares."
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Jalen Williams on OKC’s traveling fanbase: “The barking is insane. That’s been really special.”
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Couldn’t talk Creighton basketball until Trey Alexander made a decision. Now that he’s returning, feels like this year’s team has higher — or at the very least similar — expectations.
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Jalen Williams on Wiggins' impact: "It's special. Everybody sees the 'saved basketball' memes but I think it's very hard to come into a game and not really know what's going on and just be able to plug in right away and kind of do everything the team needs."
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Jaylin Williams on Lu Dort: “He’s a pure person, for sure. You look at Lu, you think he’s this tough guy that doesn’t talk to anybody, doesn’t joke around. … I thought Lu was gonna be this dude that didn’t talk to nobody. … He’s sending memes to our group chat.”
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Chet Holmgren’s chase for greatness is eternal. He’ll seek legends, he’ll fail, he’ll will himself back. He’s just trying to see what it takes to play the long game.
“I’m really chasing the pinnacle of it.”
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Shai, asked about being labeled a vulnerable No. 1 seed because of youth: “It's not going to change. We're still young. We'll probably be young for another four or five years. We don't worry about it.”
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Indiana native Desmond Bane coming out to his huge local turnout here at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after tonight’s game.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: "We've lost two games in a row that maybe people say we shouldn't, or games that aren't to our character. But it happens. You have to lose to become a winner."
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Lu Dort on New Orleans' drawing the Cason Wallace switch twice late in Game 1: "He's a tough defender. I don't know why they was doing that. But if that's who they was trying to pick on it, it's good. He just stepped up with pride, and that’s what we want him to do.”
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Congrats to Thunder guard Tre Mann, who took to IG to announce the birth of his son.
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From Jalen Williams’ most recent post on his second IG acct:
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The Thunder clinched a playoff spot. Daigneault: “Great accomplishment for the organization. There's a lot of invisible people whose fingerprints are on that, that have put a lot of work in, in our support staff, up and down the organization. No one deserves it more than our…
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Asked about TMZ’s reports that Newport Beach PD (CA) is looking into Josh Giddey’s recent situation, Mark Daigneault says “I’m not gonna comment on anything as it relates to Josh off the court.”
Says he’ll play today.
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Thunder PR: After today’s 135-86 victory over the Mavericks, the Thunder becomes the youngest team in NBA history (23.9 years) to secure a
#1
seed.
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Looks like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got married today, per his IG story:
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I don’t think OKC’s No. 1 in the last ranking was warranted but going from first to fifth feels drastic
The Boston Celtics return to the number one spot in
@johnschuhmann
's latest NBA App Power Rankings!
See where all 30 teams rank:
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And Mizzou fans, PLS hold onto Trevon Brazile for as long as you can. Even his wrongs feel right.
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Jalen Williams, asked about Shai's poise, says “if he ain’t panicking, I’m not.”
Someone says "(Shai) does get hyped, though."
JDub agrees, but says he never panics.
"We don't do that here."
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FINAL: Creighton 86, Princeton 75
Jays reach their first ever Elite Eight in the 64-team era.
Only San Diego State stands between them and Houston now.
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Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman is returning to CU, he announced on Instagram.
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Jalen Williams says "we had to keep Mark from challenging, like, six plays in the first quarter."
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Prob should’ve posted the award lol my fault
Big day for me and too many people to thank. But s/o my family. My mom made a Twitter to follow me when I started. Not sure she thought me watching basketball instead of doing homework would work out. My pops makes me bring the paper home to save my clips. This was his dream.
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Chet Holmgren admits that he has no idea who Bruce Springsteen is.
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Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are told that the Thunder is the least fined team in the league.
Chet: “Nobody on this team has three max contracts, where it’s just like, ‘money is paper.’”
Jalen: “That could be subject to change.”
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SGA: “It’s very hard to beat an NBA team, no matter what NBA team, four times in a row. … For a group of guys — I guess you can say we’re young, we don’t have the most experience winning basketball games — to figure it out and stick with it, it’s very impressive.”
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Greg McDermott on today's result: “I won’t allow it to take away from what these guys have accomplished.”
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McDermott: "As I told Arthur (Kaluma), I want him to go to the Final Four, but I want him to go on our team plane. Not to fly there on his own to watch his brother. So we've got some work to do the next 40 hours."
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Creighton’s top task should be trying to keep Trey Alexander. Could make or break the returning group and how CU has to build.
Hard for me to envision the preseason rankings I’m seeing if he isn’t in the uniform.
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SGA on this play: “Typically in the NBA, with that inbound, you come and you get a downscreen, someone pops up. It’s like script, like they just run it. … You can tell if they’re lackadaisical with it. And if they were, I was gonna try to get a steal.”
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Kaluma on Nembhard: "We look up to him even though he's shorter than us"
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TNT broadcast says SGA was no. 1 in backcourt voting among the player vote.
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Bally is fuming that TNT got the first five-player OKC postgame interview
“They say this team is too young, not enough experience to go deep into the western conference. What do you have to say to those people?”
“I guess we’ll have to see huh.”
what. an. answer.
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i’m happy to announce that i’ve accepted a position as a writer with
@FanSided
covering the lakers for
@TheLakeShowLife
. thank you to everyone who has seen the vision thus far.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going through his pregame routine.
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Big day for me and too many people to thank. But s/o my family. My mom made a Twitter to follow me when I started. Not sure she thought me watching basketball instead of doing homework would work out. My pops makes me bring the paper home to save my clips. This was his dream.
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For any Creighton followers I might still have, here’s the end of a little Grant Gibbs-Doug McDermott reunion.
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It has to be maddening for other teams that one of the youngest squads in the league just wins and goes on social media to troll
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“I can promise you this: There were times where I watched Creighton play basketball and I was like, man, Ryan Nembhard has the perfect situation as a point guard.”
Full story here featuring quotes from my conversation with Ashworth:
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Lu Dort trailed behind the entire Thunder team as they headed to the locker room, having some sort of discussion with all three officials. Clearly trying to get some sort of understanding of the way he’s been officiated.
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Sean Miller on Creighton: “I think they’re one of college basketball’s best teams … they be may the best team in our conference overall, which is saying a lot.”
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“Personal matter, and I have no comment on it”
Mark Daigneault on Josh Giddey viral matter
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Fans standing during the U-8 TO here at CHI in support of breast cancer awareness.
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