YSU’s Machin gets HL weekly honor

Youngstown State junior right-side hitter Gabriela Machin has been named a Horizon League Volleyball Player of the Week, presented by Under Armour, for the opening week of the 2025 season. The conference office announced its awards on Tuesday.

It is the first weekly award of Machin’s career and follows when the junior from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, was one of the league’s best attackers the opening week of the season.

Machin averaged 4.11 kills per set while hitting a team-best .443 as the Penguins went 2-1 at the YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health, at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center. She ranked second in the league in points per set and attack percentage for the week while ranking third in kills per set. Additionally, Machin tied for the league lead with 0.56 aces per set.

Machin had 28 kills in 48 attempts and hit .521 in YSU’s two matches on Friday, posting 13 kills against Mercyhurst and 15 versus Duquesne. She added nine kills against Canisius on Saturday.

Youngstown State will be on the road for the first time this season when it competes this weekend at the Altoona Grand Red Flash Classic. The Penguins will play Lafayette on Friday, and they’ll take on Saint Francis (Pa.), the tournament’s host, and Siena on Saturday.

Basketball Hall of Famer Raveling dies

George Raveling, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who played a role in Michael Jordan signing a landmark endorsement deal with Nike, has died. He was 88.

Raveling’s family said Tuesday in a statement that he had “faced cancer with courage and grace.”

“There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, former players, and assistants — and to the world,” the family statement read. “He will be profoundly missed, yet his aura, energy, divine presence, and timeless wisdom live on in all those he touched and transformed.”

Raveling, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, had a career record of 335-293 from 1972-94 at Washington State, Iowa and Southern California. He had a losing record in his first season at each school before making multiple trips to the NCAA Tournament.

His success at those programs landed Raveling on the U.S. Olympic basketball staffs in 1984 and 1988.

Jordan was on the 1984 team that won gold at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and Raveling helped convince him to sign with Nike. He introduced Jordan to Sonny Vaccaro at Nike, which helped lead to a contract that gave Jordan his own brand, made him millions of dollars and changed the athletic apparel industry.

Marlon Wayans portrayed Raveling in the 2023 movie “Air” that focused on Nike’s courtship of Jordan.

“For more than 40 years, he blessed my life with wisdom, encouragement, and friendship,” Jordan said in a statement. “He was a mentor in every sense and I’ll always carry deep gratitude for his guidance. I signed with Nike because of George, and without him, there would be no Air Jordan.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Raveling “a pioneering force” who helped make basketball an international game.

“During his long and impactful tenure at Nike, George traveled the world — mentoring multiple generations of players and coaches and promoting the sport that defined his identity,” Silver said in a statement. “He broke barriers as a college basketball coach and was a towering voice in our industry. I valued my friendship with George and admired how he led with poise, dignity and respect.”

Raveling also owned the original copy of the “I Have a Dream” speed by Martin Luther King Jr. He was working security at the 1963 March on Washington in which King delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history.

As King was exiting, Raveling saw him and asked if he could have the speech, and the reverend handed it to him. Raveling held on to the copy until 2021, when he donated it to his alma mater, Villanova.

He played at Villanova from 1957-60, averaged 12.3 points and 14.6 rebounds over his last two seasons. The Philadelphia Warriors drafted Raveling in the eighth round in 1960, but he didn’t play in the NBA.

“The finest human being, inspiring mentor, most loyal alum and a thoughtful loving friend,” Jay Wright, who coached Villanova to national championships in 2016 and 2018, posted on X. “Coach Raveling lived his life for others, His heart was restless and kind and now rests In the lord!”

Current Villanova coach Kevin Willard said in a statement that he has “long appreciated the enormous impact Coach has made not just on our game, but on so many of us in it. I know Villanova held a special place in his heart and we are forever grateful for his contributions to this program.”

Raveling was involved in a serious car crash while coaching USC in 1994, breaking nine ribs, his collarbone and pelvis.

Clark improving but not cleared

PHOENIX — Caitlin Clark is improving but still hasn’t been cleared for contact drills during practice.

With only a week left in the regular season, the Indiana star participated in full-court drills without defense during a shootaround before the Fever faced the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

Coach Stephanie White told reporters that the second-year guard had been limited to shooting drills and individual work. She said she hopes Clark will return before the end of the season. Indiana entered Tuesday seventh in the standings, battling for a postseason spot.

“She’s working as hard as she can to make sure that she is coming back or is capable of coming back,” White said. “I think that the long-term viewpoint of her health and wellness is the most important thing.”

Clark has been sidelined with a right groin injury since July 15 and Tuesday night’s game was the 19th in a row she has missed. The 2024 Rookie of the Year has only played in 13 games this season while dealing with injuries to her left quad, left groin and right groin.

White said last week that Clark needs to take part in multiple practices before she can be cleared to play. After Tuesday, Indiana has games against Chicago, Washington and Minnesota.