EKU standout guard Jomaru Brown declares as early entrant in NBA Draft; eligible to return to school
Eastern Kentucky University sophomore guard Jomaru Brown has submitted his name as an early entrant in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Under NCAA rules, Brown can sign with a certified agent, receive feedback and still have the ability to return to school if he chooses.
The 2020 NBA Draft Combine is tentatively scheduled to be held May 21-24 in Chicago. All early entrants have until 5 p.m. on June 15 to choose...
UK’s Stoops keeping focus on people, safety of players’ families during COVID-19 pandemic
With how quickly things were changing, University of Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops could see the writing on the wall.
His team was in its final days in Lexington before spring break and news was breaking seemingly every 15 minutes. The remainder of spring practice had not yet been canceled, but Stoops had every reason to believe it would be.
“We had a pretty good indication by the...
For NKU hurdler Kayla Thompson, hard work and positivity key to success in athletics, academics
The moment Kayla Thompson realized she wanted to do track was after watching her older brother Stephen beat their high school’s 300-meter school record.
“I wish [track and field] had been a part of my life since I was [really young] because I wasn’t really introduced into the world of track and field until middle school,” she said, “and now I can’t get enough of...
All “A” Classic baseball, softball playoffs cancelled; all high school sports remain on hold across state
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Beechwood’s baseball team won’t get a chance to claim an unprecedented third consecutive Kentucky All “A” Classic small-school state championship this year.
The All “A” Classic baseball and fast-pitch softball playoffs that usually take place in April have been cancelled in response to the COVID-19 virus pandemic that has closed schools through...
NKU softball pitcher Faith Howard embraces lifelong learning, sets career sights on becoming a professor
Faith Howard has always been one to give back. The sophomore pitcher on the Northern Kentucky softball team has already twice made a trip to the Dominican Republic with NKU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and as the oldest of six, she is well-acclimated to stepping up and being a mentor to her siblings.
She already has her sights set on using her own opportunities and passion for education to...
After enduring hard times growing up, family now defines NKU basketball standout Trevon Faulkner
Family. In its simplest of definitions, a family is a group consisting of parents and children, sometimes also including grandparents or other close relatives.
What’s missing from that overly-simplified definition is the importance of the bonds and support that develop between members of a family. For Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball player Trevon Faulkner, the bonds that bind his...
NKU women’s basketball standout Kailey Coffey aims to use talents to give back to hometown community
It’s hardly news to hear that Northern Kentucky women’s basketball player Kailey Coffey is a top performer in the classroom, as the three-year starter is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
But what comes after her time at Northern Kentucky?
Coffey is still deciding, but she knows that she wants to pursue a career as either a Doctor of Medicine...
Don Owen: NKU basketball, writing novels symbolically intersect during this unfortunate March
Playing sports and writing novels have more in common than I ever imagined. You can approach the first completion point (tournaments or deadlines) in either and suddenly the unexpected (COVID-19) blocks the entire process.
That’s where Northern Kentucky University and I symbolically intersect during this very unfortunate time in the world.
As you probably know, NKU had won the Horizon League Tournament...
Thomas More standout Batte named NAIA honorable mention All-American; averaged 13.8 points
NKyTribune staff
Thomas More men’s basketball standout Ryan Batte has been named NAIA honorable mention All-American.
Batte, a sophomore center from Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati, ranked 31st nationally in field-goal percentage at 53.2 percent and 41st in free-throw percentage at 79.2 percent. He started all 32 games for the Saints and averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Ryan BatteBatte...
Maker wins Jeff Ruby Steaks and Bourbonette Oaks, but Ward takes Turfway Park winter/spring trainer title
The last race on what became the last day of the Turfway Park 2020 winter/spring meet and the last at the existing facility put Wesley Ward alone at the top of the standings for his fourth leading trainer title at the Northern Kentucky track.
Ward broke a tie with Mike Maker when Fitri Hay’s Zipaway went gate-to-wire in the eighth race Saturday, March 21, to give Ward his 19th win from 53 starters.
Zipaway...
Final three days of racing suspended at Turfway Park, decision follows governor’s ‘Healthy at Home’ order
NKyTribune staff
Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced the suspension of racing at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. effective immediately, in accordance with the “Healthy at Home” Executive Order 2020-257 issued by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear following public health concerns in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Turfway Park racing season was originally scheduled to run through...
Thomas More women (22-10 record) finish in top 15 nationally in 10 NAIA statistical categories
NKyTribune staff
The Thomas More women’s basketball team finished the 2019-20 season ranked in the top 15 of 10 different NAIA statistical categories.
The Saints finished in the top 10 in two team categories as they were eighth in 3-point shooting percentage (.363) and ninth in field-goal percentage (.446). Thomas More was 12th in total offense (2,459 points), 13th in scoring per game (76.8)...
Jamie Vaught: Nearly 35 years later, Cotton Nash still gets autograph requests for Sports Illustrated cover
(Editor’s Note: For the next few months during our national crisis, longtime sports columnist Jamie H. Vaught will be writing about the ex-Wildcats who were featured in one of his first four books on UK basketball, using excerpts that were published in his out-of-print volumes. His latest book – fifth one in a series – was released in late February 2020.)
Cotton Nash, a three-time All-American...
NKU standout guard Sharpe named to NABC All-District 12 second team; led Norse to 23-9 record
NKyTribune staff
Northern Kentucky standout guard Tyler Sharpe has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 12 second team, the organization announced on Monday.
Sharpe, who joined NKU’s 1,000-point club earlier this year, averaged a career-high 15.1 points per game as the Norse captured their second straight Horizon League Tournament championship. The Bullitt East...
Don Owen: Exactly 24 years ago, a walk with Ken Shields was a journey into NKU history
National television beckoned for the first time in school history. An NCAA championship would be at stake in less than 48 hours. It was March 21, 1996, and Northern Kentucky had just knocked off powerful Virginia Union in the NCAA Division II Final Four.
NKU head coach Ken Shields was wrapping up a surreal evening at the Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville with a final one-on-one interview...
