Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia, his father announced on X, formerly known as Twitter on Wednesday. Hurst’s father, Jerry, said he was diagnosed by an independent neurologist after the 30-year-old sustained a concussion during the team’s Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears. Please click here for more.
Brind’Amour ‘lost for words’ after Hurricanes trounced in Edmonton
Zach Hyman scored three goals for his second hat trick of the season, Connor McDavid had three assists, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-1 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight win. Please click here for more.
Athens Drive senior, state champ, leads cross country all-state team
The fourth-annual HighSchoolOT boys cross country all-state team features 10 runners making a second, third, or fourth appearance on the team, including two runners who were repeat first-team selections, including Athens Drive’s Noah Valyo. Please click here for more.
Former Tar Heel Federowicz named minor league manager
Tim Federowicz, a former MLB catcher and Olympic silver medalist who played with the UNC Tar Heels, was named the next manager of the Toledo Mud Hens. Please click here for more.
Sophomore M.J. Rice makes NC State debut in blowout win
NC State had six different players score in double figures in a 93-61 win over struggling Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday at Reynolds Coliseum. Two proved to be surprises — former Team Loaded NC traveling teammates Marquise “M.J.” Rice and L.J. Thomas — with them combining for 21 points in the non-conference win. Please click here for more.
Poor shooting Tar Heels can’t stop No. 5 Huskies
In an emotional, hard-fought top 10 matchup, No. 9 North Carolina couldn’t keep up with No. 5 Connecticut offensively or defensively in an 87-76 loss at Madison Square Garden in New York as part of the Jimmy V Classic. (12/5)
It was a close game throughout the first half, with the Tar Heels down by five at half, and Carolina scored the first bucket of the second half to close within three.
But the Huskies reeled off four threes without a miss over the next three minutes to get up by 13 at 58-45 and Carolina switched to catch-up mode.
Pressure defense combined with several buckets by UNC’s RJ Davis cut the deficit to five and later six points.
“We sped them up and took them out of rhythm and it was a five-point game,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Then we had three wide-open shots and they didn’t go down.”
The Heels could get no closer as they missed nine of 10 shots while UConn increased the lead to as many as 17 points.
Coach Davis pointed to the Huskies’ 11-rebound edge as a big difference. “Before the game I told our guys that the No. 1 determining factor is rebounding,” he said. “It took away possessions for us and kept us out of transition.”
Another difference came at the free throw line where Carolina was a mere 13 of 22, easily the Tar Heels worst performance from the line this season.
RJ Davis had another good outing leading all scorers with 26 points, hitting all six of his free throws and canning four of eight threes. Harrison Ingram scored 20 and dished out five assists while Armando Bacot was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Cormac Ryan, brought in to be a three-point artist, was zero of six from beyond the three-point line as the Heels were outshot from the field 51.5 percent to 44.4 percent.
Cam Spencer led four Huskies in double figures with 23 points, 16 of them coming in the first half. UConn moves to 8-1 with its only loss against Kansas.
The Tar Heels, now 7-2, don’t play for 11 days when they meet Kentucky in a CBS tournament in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
For a box score and more commentary on the game, please click here.
All-State girls golf team features players from Durham Academy, Jordan, Cary Christian
The fourth-annual HighSchoolOT girls golf all-state team features 16 players making their second or third appearance on the team, including four players who were repeat first-team selections. First teamers include two local golfers who are freshmen and one who is a junior. Please click here for more.
Wakefield searching for a head football coach for the second year in a row
Wakefield High School head football coach Justin Allred confirmed with HighSchoolOT that he will not return to lead the Wolverines’ program. Allred is looking to take his career into a different industry. The Wolverines brought Allred aboard last offseason after he led Jordan High School in Durham on a run to the third round of the 2022 N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs. Allred replaced James Ward after serving as the head coach at Jordan since 2020. Please click here for more.
Brossoit makes 42 saves as Jets defeat Canes
Laurent Brossoit made a season-high 42 saves for the Winnipeg Jets in a 2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Canada Life Centre on Monday night. Please click here for more.
Panthers’ Tepper’s NFL Approach called ‘Lunacy’
David Tepper’s tenure has included firing Ron Rivera after 28 games; hiring Matt Rhule and firing him after just three seasons; bringing aboard Frank Reich as his replacement to groom a young quarterback; green-lighting the trades of players like Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore and the massive trade to move up in the draft and select Bryce Young; and firing Reich just 11 games into his first season in Carolina. Please click here for more.