San Jose Sport News

It has been almost three years since Arizona State acknowledged an NCAA investigation into possible recruiting violations, 18 months since the school revealed a multimillion-dollar buyout of former coach Herm Edwards and one day since a published report indicated Edwards knowingly violated NCAA rules before reaching said separation agreement.

What a fiasco.

If you’re tracking at home, it sure looks like the university agreed to a separation deal with Edwards when it could have fired him with cause.

It certainly seems like ASU shelled out millions to a rule-breaking employee when it could have paid nothing.

Worst of all, it appears campus leadership abdicated all financial responsibility to students and staff, not to mention millions of state taxpayers.

The Sun Devils have danced to their own beat since hiring Edwards in the fall of 2017. But this, folks … this is next-level insanity.

Edwards delivered zero conference championships and no division titles during his five years on the job but managed to actively participate in a systematic eviscerating of NCAA recruiting rules during the COVID-era recruiting dead period.

We know this because he admitted to the violations and agreed to NCAA sanctions, according to a report Tuesday afternoon by SunDevilSource.

And yet, he was paid handsomely to step down as part of a “mutual separation agreement” in September 2022.

We know this because the State Press reported a few weeks after that separation agreement that Edwards would receive up to half the amount remaining on his contract — or $4.4 million, according to a school spokesperson.

The two men with oversight of this dumpster fire were president Michael Crow and athletic director Ray Anderson.

Crow remains in charge of the university, doing both immense good for the campus writ large and immeasurable damage to the athletic department.

Anderson stepped down as athletic director in November and was given a cushy job, purportedly with full pay, as a professor of practice in ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

Why did Crow and Anderson agree to compensate an employee who broke the rules, knowingly and repeatedly? Every coaching contract in captivity includes sections on for-cause terminations.

Either they allowed Edwards to pocket more than $4 million when they could have fired him for nothing, or they agreed to the separation deal without knowing the facts of the case.

No matter how you slice it, they are guilty of fiscal mismanagement.

Did Anderson’s longtime friendship with Edwards influence the decision to cut a separation deal with favorable terms?

Why did Crow tell 98.7-FM, the school’s flagship radio station, in February 2022 that Edwards was innocent? “These are things he did not ask them to do,” Crow said of the violations. “These are not things he was a part of.”

The Hotline reached out to ASU for comment early this morning, asking why the school didn’t fire Edwards for cause, what portion of the $4.4 million has been paid, how it was funded and why Crow stated publicly that Edwards wasn’t part of the violations. Was he covering for Edwards or clueless about the details?

(Crow shouldn’t have been clueless considering the initial report on the violations, by Yahoo in June 2021, said the dossier of evidence against ASU included a picture of someone looking like Edwards escorting a recruit through the weight room during the NCAA dead period.)

We did not receive a response prior to publication.

The Hotline also sought comment from Cecilia Mata, the chair of the Arizona Board of Regents, which has oversight of the state’s three major public universities (ASU, NAU and Arizona).

Specifically, we asked if the regents would pursue the matter and ask Crow and Anderson to explain their decision to settle with Edwards.

Mata did not respond, but the board should do something. The situation demands real oversight and accountability.

Because if we cast aside the calamity that was the Edwards era, the deplorable violations during a public health crisis and the incompetent management of the football program, this situation is ultimately about the fiduciary obligations of a public institution.

The separation deal with Edwards was finalized in the fall of 2022. According to financial documents obtained by the Hotline, ASU’s athletic department received $18.5 million in subsidies that year:

Related Articles

• College Sports | NFL Draft preview: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian assess the trio of Pac-12 quarterbacks
• College Sports | NFL Draft preview: Pac-12 poised for three stellar days before it fades to black
• College Sports | Pac-12 finances: Cal, Stanford carrying huge shortfalls into ACC
• College Sports | Big 12 move will lower, not eliminate deficits for 4 Corners schools
• College Sports | Pac-12 mailbag: Odds of reverse merger between WSU, OSU, Mountain West

— $1.9 million in direct state or other government support.

— $4.8 million in net direct institutional support.

(The gross amount was $11.2 million, but athletics transferred $6.4 million back to central campus.)

— $11.8 million in student fee allocation.

(The subsidies are an annual occurrence in Tempe and across the Pac-12.)

Yet even with all that help, the Sun Devils reported a $27.1 million shortfall on their 2022-23 statement of revenues and expenses submitted to the NCAA.

Remove the state and institutional subsidies, and the operating deficit soared to $45.6 million.

Seems like the $4.4 million handed over to Edwards could have been put to better use by the two professors of malpractice.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

LOS ANGELES  – For the last few years, Reggie Bush has been a phantom around the caverns of the Coliseum, one of his alma mater’s greatest alumni praised and revered verbally but always tangibly kept a Heisman’s arm-length away.

That was the reality, because there was no choice. In 2010, Bush was stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy after the NCAA deemed he’d received improper benefits while playing at USC, setting in motion a long and grueling back-and-forth that seemed destined to leave Bush’s hands empty. No banner of his former No. 5 jersey, once beloved by fans, has hung at the Coliseum. He’d been asked multiple times to lead USC’s team out of the tunnel, Bush said in August, but simply couldn’t.

“I can’t wait to do it,” Bush said then. “But I can’t do it without my Heisman Trophy, and without that banner in the end zone.”

He’ll get the chance now, and USC can fully open its arms to Bush, with a bombshell announcement on Wednesday by the Heisman Trust: Bush’s 2005 Heisman Trophy was being returned.

“I am grateful to once again be recognized as the recipient of the Heisman Trophy,” Bush said in a statement Wednesday. “This reinstatement is not only a personal victory but also a validation of the tireless efforts of my supporters and advocates who have stood by me throughout this arduous journey.”

And after originally welcoming Bush back in 2020, USC embraced the Heisman Trust’s decision with open arms, able to now re-claim a status no other collegiate football program has reached: eight Heisman winners. The Trust, USC announced, had returned Bush’s trophy to him and the replica to USC, set to be put on display in the lobby of Heritage Hall.

President Carol Folt, who helped bring about Bush’s original re-integration into USC shortly after she was hired in 2019, said they were “proud we were able to stand with him as an advocate.” Athletic director Jen Cohen, who has quickly integrated herself into USC life since her hire last year, called Bush’s impact on USC and college football “unmatched.” And head coach Lincoln Riley offered multiple forms of emphatic congratulations, calling it a “historic day.”

“We are thrilled that Reggie’s athletic accomplishments as one of the greatest to ever play the game can officially be recognized,” Riley said in a statement through USC. “For a long time, the Heisman and USC have been synonymous and being able to acknowledge all eight of our winners is extraordinary.”

Since Bush’s trophy was stripped, he and the NCAA have been in a bitter back-and-forth for nearly 15 years, a tug-of-war for a Heisman Trophy and recognition that’s never budged as both sides have dug their heels into the sand.

Bush, the former USC legend who dazzled his way to a 2005 season still standing as one of the greatest individual years by a running back in college football history, has made a continuous push for the renewal of his trophy and collegiate records  – in 2022 sitting for an hour-long interview on podcast “I AM ATHLETE” entitled “Give Me My Heisman Back NCAA!!”

“I want to make it abundantly clear that I have always acted with integrity and in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA,” Bush said in his statement Wednesday. “The allegations brought against me were unfounded and unsupported by evidence, and I am grateful that the truth is finally prevailing.”

The NCAA, meanwhile, has never budged in its stance on Bush, long years after their investigation and ruling that he had received payments from then-agent Lloyd Lake while playing at USC. But in July 2021, after changes to longstanding name, image and likeness rules, the NCAA cracked open a window when they asserted that “NCAA rules still do not permit pay-for-play type arrangements” in a statement issued to media on the possibility of Bush’s records being restored.

In August 2023, Bush and a team of lawyers launched a full-scale attack on the NCAA, suing them for defamation on the “pay-for-play” statement associated with Bush and condemning the NCAA’s original investigation  – which was called into question in a subsequent trial involving former USC assistant Todd McNair. Still, the NCAA hadn’t budged for months since Bush and lawyers held a press conference at the Coliseum that August to publicly denounce the NCAA and push for his Heisman.

“If history is any indication, they’re going to fight it to the death, which has been their litigation strategy for a long time,” Mit Winter, a lawyer and expert in sports law, told the Southern California News Group back in the fall. “They never settle on anything, for the most part. They generally aren’t very reasonable in litigation.”

It was the Heisman Trust, however, that ended up bending the knee as a third-party, capable all along of reinstating Bush’s Heisman Trophy but never willing to cross the NCAA. In 2021, in response to the NCAA’s ruling on NIL and statements seemingly pointing at Bush, the Trust established that he wouldn’t receive his trophy under rules of Heisman eligibility, saying in a statement that he’d be welcomed back as a Heisman winner “should the NCAA reinstate Bush’s 2005 status.”

Ultimately, though, the Heisman Trust appeared to take matters into their own hands. In a statement Wednesday, they referenced the Supreme Court’s decision in the NCAA v. Alston case from 2021, which opened the door for collegiate athletes to receive NIL benefits and thereby  – seemingly  – vindicate any details of the NCAA’s original investigation into Bush.

“Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush,” the Trust’s statement Wednesday read.

And the football world erupted Wednesday with widespread fanfare for Bush, from Caleb Williams draping a No. 5 Bush jersey over his shoulder in a congratulatory video while in Detroit, and Johnny Manziel  – a former Heisman Trophy winner and frequent Bush advocate  – telling Bush “you deserve it” in a Twitter post.

Bush’s fight against the NCAA, however, isn’t finished. Bush will hold a press conference Thursday morning with lawyers Levi McCathern and Ben Crump at the Coliseum, a continuation of the defamation suit filed in 2023.

“While today we celebrate, tomorrow we continue our work in achieving full justice for Reggie in his ongoing defamation case against the NCAA,” Crump said in a statement. “This legend deserves that and so much more.”

Related Articles

• College Sports | 49ers suddenly face more inflation in Aiyuk negotiations. How will it affect the draft?
• College Sports | 49ers’ stars Warner, Purdy discuss life-changing events two days apart this offseason
• College Sports | 49ers’ Lynch ahead of NFL Draft: Trade calls to heat up, NIL damaging draft and more
• College Sports | 49ers GM Lynch addresses Brandon Aiyuk extension talks ahead of NFL Draft
• College Sports | 20 years after death, Pat Tillman still inspires those who knew him well — and many he never met

MORAGA – Saint Mary’s College’s difficult offseason got even worse on Tuesday night when highly-touted three-star recruit Zion Sensley decommitted from the men’s basketball program.

He joins a growing list of high-profile losses the Moraga school has endured since falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed. 

Aidan Mahaney, who went to high school down the road at nearby Campolindo, entered the transfer portal last week after two seasons in Moraga. Fellow sophomore Joshua Jefferson transferred to Iowa State. 

Sensley, a 6-foot-8 shot-making wing who will graduate from San Francisco high school Archbishop Riordan in May, made the announcement on social media platform X/Twitter. 

“After reflecting on the changes within the St. Mary’s Men’s Basketball program, I have decided to request release from my NLI and reopen my recruitment,” Sensley wrote. “I will take this time to decide which school I will attend next year. Thank you.”

Sensley spent his freshman year at Riordan before transferring and playing the next two seasons at Prolific Prep in Napa. He came back to the San Francisco private school for his senior year and excelled. 

The all-Bay Area News Group selection averaged 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while leading the Crusaders to a Central Coast Section Open Division title and an appearance in the NorCal Open championship game. 

Sensley had been committed to Saint Mary’s since last November. 

Related Articles

• High School Sports | Football: Why McClymonds’ Michael Peters is coming out of retirement to coach again
• High School Sports | Return to softball form: Why confident James Logan says it is ready to compete with section’s elite
• High School Sports | Former Miramonte football coach Jack Schram finds new home at College Park
• High School Sports | Prep roundup: St. Francis, Benicia baseball take down top-ranked teams, Livermore softball survives challenge
• High School Sports | High school baseball rankings April 23, 2024: Bay Area News Group Top 20

“I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to St. Mary’s College of California, the coaching staff, and the athletic department for believing in me and for their support throughout the recruiting process,” Sensley wrote. “I am deeply thankful for the hospitality and support that Moraga and the entire Bay Area have shown me, and I will forever consider it my home.” 

The Gales were, ironically, held up as an example of a thriving old-school team that was not affected by the transfer portal or Name, Image and Likeness endorsements before the tournament. 

Longtime coach Randy Bennett will now need to replace at least three players who were expected to contribute next season. 

As of Tuesday night, three-star Prolific Prep guard Mikey Lewis and Australian prospect Joshua Dent are the only high school players committed to Saint Mary’s in the class of 2024. 

NEWARK – Danger was all around James Logan pitcher Anastasia Marquez in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday. Baserunners ready to spring into action crouched to the right, left and directly behind the senior with two outs.

But in front of her was a familiar face in catcher Makayla Villapando, who had a simple message for her childhood friend.

“Take your time and take control of the game,’” Villapando told the senior pitcher. “You control the tempo, so slow it down and go at your own pace.”

In a situation where one hit could turn a five-run lead into a close game, Marquez took her catcher’s advice and a deep breath before striking out the next batter to wipe away the threat. 

James Logan’s ace pitcher struck out 12 in a complete game as the Colts beat host Newark Memorial 5-0, improving the Union City school’s record to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in the Mission Valley Athletic League. 

James Logan starting pitcher Anastasia Marquez (17) talks with catcher Makayla Villapando (14) as they face Newark High with bases loaded in the sixth inning at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

It was a typically superb performance by James Logan, which has allowed six runs during its 14-game winning streak and is batting .458 as a team.

Malia Athey had two hits and EJ Delgadillo drove in a pair of runs for James Logan, which gained a game on second-place Newark Memorial (8-7, 6-3). 

But while a league title is nice, what the Colts truly aspire for is North Coast Section hardware. 

“Logan ball has always been about going far in and winning NCS,” coach Mandy Camuso said. “Winning league has always been secondary.”

That section-or-bust standard was set by legendary coach Teri Johnson. who won five NCS Division I titles, including three in a four year stretch between 2010 and 2013.

James Logan teammates look on from the dugout at the end of the sixth inning of their 5-0 win against Newark High at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

None of the current players played for Johnson, who ended a 33-year run with the program in 2018, but they all acknowledge and embrace the expectations she set for the team.

Logan has had a winning season every year since Johnson’s departure, including a 20-4-1 last year.

But the team’s leaders see this year’s version as capable of far more than last year’s first-round NCS exit.

“Logan softball has always been good,” Marquez said. “And to have this group of girls, who know how to work together and are good at doing that, it’s special to have.”

James Logan’s Ava Medellin (6) is congratulated by teammate EJ Delgadillo (10) after scoring against Newark High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Logan looked every bit like a special team ready to compete for a sixth section title early in Tuesday’s game. While Marquez tossed a no-hitter through four innings, her offense put up at least one run in each of those first four frames. 

Senior left fielder EJ Delgadillo got the scoring started when she poked a ball into center field, driving in Janessa Parras and Ava Medellin. 

Medellin got on base three times without putting the ball in play, twice hit by pitch and once by a walk, but she made her biggest impact with her glove at third base. She had four putouts and two assists on the hot corner.

“It feels good to have a defense behind me, to have people I can rely on so I don’t feel pressure,” Marquez said. 

James Logan’s Ava Medellin (6) throws to first for an out against Newark High in the seventh inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Newark Memorial was able to hang around though, with pitcher Grace Veloza getting many of Logan’s potent bats to pull her breaking pitches right into the waiting gloves of shortstop Andrea Tall and outfielder Nouvelle Bennett on the left side of the field.

Tall and Kayla Presley each had a hit, and Newark Memorial was able to get five runners in scoring position after its slow start. The Cougars just couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities, to the chagrin of coach Rachel Kahoalii.

Related Articles

• High School Sports | Football: Why McClymonds’ Michael Peters is coming out of retirement to coach again
• High School Sports | Saint Mary’s College exodus continues: Riordan star Zion Sensley decommits from Moraga powerhouse
• High School Sports | Former Miramonte football coach Jack Schram finds new home at College Park
• High School Sports | Prep roundup: St. Francis, Benicia baseball take down top-ranked teams, Livermore softball survives challenge
• High School Sports | High school baseball rankings April 23, 2024: Bay Area News Group Top 20

“We started slow, but we competed.” Kohoalii said. “When you get kids on, you have to execute offensively when you need to. We just weren’t able to execute today.”

James Logan hasn’t had any issue getting runs on the board this season, scoring an average of nine per game. The Colts are poised to continue their high-scoring ways against the rest of their league as the program prepares for a playoff run. 

But if the Colts are to make a section championship push, they’ll need their senior ace to be in top form.

They’re confident Marquez will be.

“She’s been a beast on the mound,” Villapando said. “She’s been starting every single game … and shutting down everybody we face.”

James Logan’s Selena Gonzales (2) is caught in rundown between first and second by Newark’s Andrea Tall (25) in the third inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan starting pitcher Anastasia Marquez (17) throws against Newark High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark starting pitcher Grace Veloza (9) throws against James Logan High during their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan’s (3) makes a catch for an out against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark’s Kayla Presley (3) fails to make a catch on a line drive against James Logan High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Newark’s Kayla Presley (3) reacts after failing to make a catch on a line drive against James Logan High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan third base coach checks on Janessa Parras (11) after she was hit by a foul ball from teammate Gabriella Garcia (13) while waiting on-deck against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan third base coach, left, Gabriella Garcia (13) and Janessa Parras (11) react after Parras was hit on her torso by a foul ball from Garcia (13) while waiting on-deck against Newark High in the fourth inning of their softball game at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Fortunately, Parras didn’t suffer major injury and continued in the game. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  James Logan catcher Makayla Villapando (14) and Gabriella Garcia (13 ) share a light moment at the end of the sixth inning of their 5-0 win against Newark High at Newark High School in Newark, Calif., on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

By Ed White | Associated Press

DETROIT — The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.

When combined with other settlements, $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.

Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He’s now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the “allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset.”

“While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.

The Justice Department has acknowledged that it failed to step in. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against him but apparently took no action, an internal investigation found.

FBI Director Christopher Wray was contrite — and very blunt — when he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. The assault survivors include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.

“I’m sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again,” Wray said. “And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed.”

After a search, investigators said in 2016 that they had found images of child sex abuse and followed up with federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan attorney general’s office handled the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to an extraordinary dayslong sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.

Related Articles

• National News | Alleged sex assault victim, 16, testifies at trial of former Bay Area attorney
• National News | Judge releases former San Jose youth pastor while child sex abuse case is pending
• National News | Ahead of bail hearing, attorneys assert former San Jose youth pastor’s innocence from sex abuse claims
• National News | Lawsuit: Arrested South Bay teacher forced student to have abortion
• National News | Federal officials challenge authority of court-ordered special master at FCI Dublin women’s prison

“I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.

“The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”

Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement.

Mick Grewal, an attorney who represented 44 people in claims against the government, said the $1 billion in overall settlements speaks to “the travesty that occurred.”

Associated Press reporters Mike Householder in Detroit; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.

Oakland native Zendaya crushes it down the line, and from the very opening moments, in “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s magnificently sexy and sweaty beyond all realistic belief “Challengers.”

The refreshingly adult drama peers in on the games that limber, calculating athletes play both on and off tennis courts — a metaphor, naturally, that applies to the power dynamics adventurous lovers often negotiate.

Zendaya is a thunderbolt that strikes time and again in “Challengers” and she gives this passionate drama all the reverberating rumble it requires.

RELATED: How does Zendaya tennis film ‘Challengers’ rank with other Hollywood love matches

Working off an screenplay from stage dramatist and novelist Justin Kuritzkes, she proves she’s perfect to play Tashi, one of the most indelible, assured female characters we’ve encountered onscreen in some time. She’s fierce and strong in body, mind and confidence. She’s also driven, and knows exactly what she wants — to be at the top of her game at all times, regardless of which game she’s dealing with.

“Challengers” fluidly jumps back and forth in time as it reveals how the past influences the present. We are shown how Tashi became a tennis sensation at an early age; at 18 she holds the world and numerous fawning guys in the palm of her hand.

That includes two bros and up-and-coming tennis players —  the play-it-loose Patrick (indie heartthrob Josh O’Connor) and the more reigned-in Art (“West Side Story’s” Mike Faist). After watching her obliterate her competition on the court and hearing her release a primordial scream of victory that sends shivers down the spine, the hormonal guys find themselves stupidly gobsmacked and transfixed by her.

Related Articles

• Movies | How does Zendaya tennis film ‘Challengers’ rank with other Hollywood love matches
• Movies | SFFILM Fest 2024: Here’s what to see in a lineup loaded with unique movies
• Movies | Opinion: ‘Civil War’ movie is worse than the real thing
• Movies | Heist flick, monster movie collide in entertaining ways in ‘Abigail’
• Movies | Guy Ritchie supercharges a true WWII story

Shortly thereafter, the threesome meet up at a motel — the selling point of the film’s trailer — for one hot make-out session reveals the robust, if subconscious, attraction all three have for each other. It’s a smoldering cinematic exchange and director Guadagnino — who so expertly navigated the insistent desire in “Call Me By Your Name,” with Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer — toys with how these two handsome straight guys are drawn to each other in ways they might not even realize. The ever-aware Tashi, notices right off.

The dynamics of the threesome radically change once Tashi and Patrick start a fiery relationship while a jealous Art — who loves to be the “good guy” — frets on the sidelines. A brutal injury Tashi sustains while playing for Stanford (the film was not shot there) shuts down her playing days, leading her to later become coach to Art, who eventually starts to loosen his passionate grip on the sport.

As you can tell, there’s a lot of volleying back and forth — in various ways — in “Challengers,” which sets it apart from traditional “sports-related” films. Then comes the nail-biting showdown between two erstwhile friends and now competitors – Patrick and Art. Both actors are game for it: O’Connor embodies the soul of a slacker here and is ever so sexy while Faist brings just the right amount of empathy and resignation to his part as a good person that lacks a certain spark.

RELATED: Zendaya reflects on being ‘breadwinner’ in family with Oakland teacher parents

The adrenaline-pumping “challengers” match takes place some 13 years after the threesome have met. It is here when Guadagnino calls out all the stops — and opens the faucets on geysers of sweat torrenting down from the brows of these two adversaries and former besties. If that doesn’t amp you up, the throbbing, caffeinated soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will. It hits you hard like a triple shot of espresso that’s been washed down with a Red Bull. And if that doesn’t do it, perhaps the tennis ball POV will do the trick.

“Challengers” gets unruly, passionate, tempestuous and downright impossible as its three lovers get tangled up in their desire and ambitions. That’s why it makes such grand-slam entertainment, especially in its delicious excessiveness.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

‘CHALLENGERS’

3½ stars out of 4

Rating: R (language, some sexual content, nudity)

Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Running time: 2 hours, 11 minutes

When & where: Opens April 26 at theaters nationwide

 

Bill Polian calls it the “draft industrial complex” — the tendency for the NFL media machinery to generate unrealistic expectations for quarterbacks projected as first-round selections.

“They can’t live up to it,” said Polian, a six-time NFL Executive of the Year and one of the greatest talent evaluators in league history. “The adjustment from college is huge.

“And usually, the better the arm, the harder the lessons.”

Pac-12 quarterbacks included.

No conference has a better collection available in the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday in Detroit.

USC’s Caleb Williams is the presumptive first overall pick, seemingly destined for Chicago, with Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix as potential Day One selections, as well.

All three face a steep learning curve, Polian told the Hotline earlier this week.

Their chief hurdle: Adjusting from the spread offense to the NFL system, which features a higher percentage of throws from the pocket and often requires quarterbacks to make three or four reads before delivering the ball into tighter windows than exist in college.

“You can’t put the ball in harm’s way in the NFL and get away with it,” said Polian, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame after his run as general manager of the Bills, Panthers and Colts.

“Additionally, college quarterbacks haven’t faced the ferocity of the pass rush they will see in the NFL. And they haven’t faced the post-snap sophistication of the defenses that they will see in the NFL.”

Polian likes what he has seen from Williams, Penix and Nix but believes all three will have a tougher adjustment than Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who played a Pro Style offense under coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Williams is an arresting talent,” Polian said. “His arm talent is undeniable, and he can make off-schedule throws. He’ll be drafted No. 1 no matter what. But he’s going to have a breaking-in period … McCarthy is further along in his development.”

Polian believes Penix will be selected in the first round but is wary of the shoulder and knee injuries sustained at Indiana.

“His size, his arm, his maturity, his competitiveness — everything’s fine. And he’s a quick processor. He sees the field very well,” Polian said.

“The injuries issues are the only thing that troubles me with him. He’s going to have to be careful running the ball and recognize the need to protect himself.

“But if I was a betting man, I’d bet he goes in the first round.”

Polian was slightly more skeptical about Nix, largely because of Oregon’s spread offense.

“It’s a big jump in the style of play,” he said. “He’s mature and has enough escapability to make you worry about him as a defender.

“He certainly has a chance to be pretty good, but I don’t know if he’s necessarily a first-rounder. He might be a second-rounder.”

One thing is certain: Nix won’t be the first quarterback selected; neither will Penix.

But recent history suggests there’s a path to stardom nonetheless.

It has been eight years since the quarterback voted first-team All-Pro was the top quarterback selected in his draft class. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, the first-teamer in 2016, was the first quarterback off the board in 2008.

Since 2016, none of the first- or second-team All-Pro selections — the list includes Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson — was the top quarterback selected in his draft.

Related Articles

• College Sports | NFL Draft preview: Pac-12 poised for three stellar days before it fades to black
• College Sports | Pac-12 finances: Cal, Stanford carrying huge shortfalls into ACC
• College Sports | Big 12 move will lower, not eliminate deficits for 4 Corners schools
• College Sports | Pac-12 mailbag: Odds of reverse merger between WSU, OSU, Mountain West
• College Sports | Oregon preps for Big Ten with stout balance sheet, no campus support

So many of the essential traits, from mental processing power and toughness to work ethic and the ability to handle pressure, cannot be quantified.

“That stuff is 55 percent of the grade,” Polian said of his method for evaluating quarterbacks.

“Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie. That’s the real world. But in the world of the draft industrial complex, all these guys are going to make the playoffs in Year 1.

“The transition is hard, and if you don’t have good players around you, especially at receiver and offensive line, it’s really hard.”

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.