Sports
Column: Ball brothers, Josh Shipp, Jeremy Lin and JuJu Watkins highlight Sacramento basketball moments
A trip to Sacramento to play for a state championship in an NBA arena is one of the coolest things that can happen to a high school basketball player living in California.
Yeah, sportswriters coming to the event every year might occasionally get bored or even annoyed (8 p.m. starts for TV test our patience), but the reality is that it’s for the players and fans, and having the Golden 1 Center as the site with just a $16 general admission fee can’t be beat.
There will be 12 championship games on Friday and Saturday, and unless you find me at the Yard House restaurant, it’s watching nonstop basketball from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. each day. Spectrum has the TV rights, so look for games on the Lakers channel or Spectrum 1 News.
For those who like history, let me offer my favorite moments from championships of the past in Sacramento:
Chino Hills goes 35-0
The Chino Hills circus bus arrived in Sacramento in 2016 unbeaten and left unbeaten. The Ball brothers provided the greatest entertainment next to Taylor Swift. It was a team for the ages.
Seared in my memory is the opening jump ball at Sleep Train Arena. Chino Hills is facing De La Salle, and 14-year-old freshman LaMelo Ball is yawning on the court. Chino Hills fell behind by 10 points, then won 70-50 with all kinds of vintage plays, dunks and fast breaks.
“For us it was unique,” former Chino Hills coach Steve Baik said this week. “The year before, we lost. We were in a different frame of mind. Every single game throughout that year, there was so much pressure to win. We knew one loss would have been considered a failing year. Our guys really weren’t celebrating after regional wins. We finally got to celebrate after beating De La Salle.”
Most of the players stayed in their hotel rooms the night before, but Baik remembers freshman Onyeka Okongwu hanging out in the pool, which might have explained him struggling in the first half when Chino Hills trailed for the first time at halftime 30-28. In the second half, he started blocking shots and helped ignite fast breaks. Then came the celebrating, and you all know how much the father of the Ball brothers, LaVar, likes to talk.
Jeremy Lin bank shot
Palo Alto played Santa Ana Mater Dei in the 2006 Division II champinship game at Arco Arena. Mater Dei had a front line at that stood 7 feet 1, 6-8 and 6-8. Taylor King was the star player. But Palo Alto had a Harvard-bound guard named Jeremy Lin.
Palo Alto won 51-47.
Those were the days when Mater Dei never lost in state finals. Lin banked in a 25-foot shot with 2:07 left to send Palo Alto fans into a frenzy.
“The bank shot broke our back,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said in 2006.
Palo Alto finished 33-1. Lin went on to Harvard and the NBA.
Josh Shipp sets record
One issue for high school athletes playing in an NBA arena is that sometimes it’s a lot harder to shoot from long range. That wasn’t a problem for Josh Shipp of Fairfax in 2004. He scored 33 points in the Division I regional overtime final at the Sports Arena against Etiwanda.
Then, playing in the state final at Arco Arena, where shooting threes often turns out badly, he tied a Division I state record with five threes in a 51-35 victory over De La Salle. He finished with 22 points.
All I remember is giving Harvey Kitani, the always superstitious Fairfax coach, a lemonade before the game because he demanded it after I gave him one before the regional final.
Shipp would go on to have a terrific career at UCLA. “Josh could always score. It didn’t matter where he was playing,” Kitani said.
JuJu Watkins power
JuJu Watkins of Sierra Canyon poses for a portrait.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
As a freshman in 2020, Juju Watkins was already the best player in Southern California. By 2022, she was leading Sierra Canyon to the Open Division state championship with an 85-61 dismantling of San Jose Archbishop Mitty.
Watkins had 23 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and three steals in the final game of her junior season. There was no need to make predictions of her future greatness.
As a freshman at USC this season, Watkins is averaging 27.8 points.
Trevor Ariza show
There was no stopping Trevor Ariza of Westchester in the 2003 Division I state championship game against Oakland Tech. He led the Comets to their second straight title with a 30-point performance against a team that featured McDonald’s All-American Leon Powe.
Coach Ed Azzam said, “He’s one of the best players we’ve ever had because he’s so versatile.”
Nothing could be truer. Ariza went on to UCLA and the NBA while becoming a dependable three-point shooter and defender.
“It was a fun group,” Azzam said this week.
Sports
Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports
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Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports.
Tomlin’s decision on Tuesday came after a blowout loss against the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs. It marked the Steelers’ seventh straight postseason defeat.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Sports
UCLA receives $17.3 million from a late donor to support football and men’s basketball
Bob Chesney and Mick Cronin have a new major ally in their bid to compete in the Big Ten.
A $17.3-million gift from late alumnus and longtime donor Lawrence “Larry” Layne will benefit the UCLA football and men’s basketball programs, giving them essential financial resources as they try to keep up with their cash-infused conference counterparts.
The football team will receive $9.6 million and the men’s basketball program $7.7 million as part of Layne’s more than $40-million pledge to various university programs. The donation to the athletic department is believed to be the biggest in more than a decade.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for Larry’s longstanding history of generosity to both campus and the athletic department, including this transformational gift,” UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond said in a statement. “I am fortunate to have spent time with Larry and get to know his deep passion for UCLA Athletics, particularly his desire to help our football and men’s basketball programs thrive in this new era of collegiate sports. His investment in our programs positions us, and future generations of Bruin athletes, for long-term success.”
A former men’s rugby player and women’s rugby coach at UCLA, Layne received his master’s of business administration from the school in 1977 and went on to found Nova Storage. He was a fan of multiple Bruins sports and a donor for six decades, his generosity extending beyond his passing in December 2024 at 75.
Layne has supported UCLA athletics since giving to the women’s rugby club in 1979 and becoming the team’s first coach. He also supported the renovation of Pauley Pavilion and the construction of the Wasserman Football Center. Over the years, he’s also given to UCLA baseball, softball, women’s tennis and men’s water polo, his gifts totaling $18.8 million, including his latest donation.
“As a former UCLA student-athlete and coach, Larry fully understood the hard work and determination that was needed to be at his best both on and off the field,” Chesney said, “and this incredibly generous gift will make a big impact on helping us build a championship football team. I am very grateful to Larry and his wife Sheelagh for their support of UCLA and our football program. We will make sure that Larry’s legacy lives on by continuing to support our student-athletes and upholding our university’s True Bruin values.”
Layne’s gift also includes $11.4 million to UCLA Health, assisting research in cardiology and hepatology; $5.7 million to the UCLA Anderson School of Management to support entrepreneurial and real estate studies; $3.8 million to men’s rugby; and $1.9 million to UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.
Cronin, who has spoken about wanting to be the moneyed Dodgers of college basketball instead of the cash-strapped Cincinnati Reds, will now be closer to reaching that status thanks to this gift.
“I would like to thank Larry for his generosity and long-time support of our athletics department, specifically toward our men’s basketball program,” Cronin said. “This university has so many fantastic resources for its student-athletes, but we simply would not be able to thrive if not for the generosity of our many loyal donors such as Larry. His generous gift will help us in the future as we continue to build a basketball program with elite young men who all of our fans can be proud to support.”
A graduate of Sylmar High, where he was captain of the football team, Layne later raised money to install lights for the school’s football field and went on to attend Occidental College before going to UCLA for graduate school. His lifelong love of rugby took him to London to play for the Harlequins, and his Los Angeles team was known as the Flying Pumpkins.
Sports
Texans defense suffocates Aaron Rodgers, Steelers in playoff win
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Crunch.
That was the sound of Houston Texans players colliding with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers early in the fourth quarter of their Wild Card Round matchup, causing him to lose the ball. Texans defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins picked the ball up and ran it to the end zone for what felt like the knockout blow even though there was still a lot of time left to play.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) loses possession of the ball while being tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)
It was that type of game for both teams – a defensive struggle – as Houston put together a 30-6 victory. It was the franchise’s first road playoff victory.
There were big hits and little room for error. Houston had a 7-6 lead at halftime thanks to a touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud to Christian Kirk.
Even as the Texans turned the ball over three times between the first half and the third quarter, the Steelers could only muster up three points. Houston’s defensive prowess was on display on each snap as Rodgers was left with little to no time to make a decision.
When he did have time to throw, wide receivers like DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith and Calvin Austin III either dropped the ball or were just a hair off. Rodgers also had a few of his passes deflected.
Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) runs to the end zone for a touchdown while defended by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols (26) during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)
BEARS’ BEN JOHNSON POURS GASOLINE ON PACKERS RIVALRY: ‘I JUST DON’T LIKE THAT TEAM’
Steelers fans let the team hear it with plenty of boos. Pittsburgh extended its playoff losing streak to seven games.
Texans running back Woody Marks ran for 100 yards for the first time in his career and scored a touchdown to really seal the win. Texans defensive back Calen Bullock returned an interception for a touchdown late in the game.
Stroud finished 21-of-32 with 250 passing yards and the touchdown pass. The Texans’ defense sacked Rodgers four times. Rankins was good for 1.5 sacks.
The Steelers almost had no offense throughout the game. The team was held to 175 yards and outscored 23-0 in the fourth quarter.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud throws during the first half of NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Houston will take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.
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