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The latest Houston Heartbreak? An ‘incomprehensible’ finish in final possession vs. Florida

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The latest Houston Heartbreak? An ‘incomprehensible’ finish in final possession vs. Florida

SAN ANTONIO — How much can one program take? How can Houston stomach another one of these? Another portrait of coming so close, only to see it all recede from view, covered instead by the wrong colored confetti?

On this Monday night in April, it was Emanuel Sharp crouching deep, his hands atop his head, seeing the court around him turn orange and blue. Ja’Vier Francis knelt next to him, refusing to leave his teammate’s side. Kelvin Sampson, the coach, stared from across the floor, hands at his sides. Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. leaned down, offering Sharp a hug from behind.

Houston’s trip to the national championship game was going to end either as the best night in school history or as another chapter in this cruel epic. The antagonist in Jim Valvano’s hero’s quest. The shadow in Fred Brown’s redemption. Even before Monday, the school held a tormenting place in this sport’s history — the record for all-time Final Four appearances without a national championship win.

It was six. Now, after what somehow happened here — a gutting, what-just-happened 65-63 loss to a Florida team that trailed the Cougars by 12 early in the second half — the number is seven.

For a school that plays the part with unenviable periodicity, this one might be the hardest. This ending was supposed to be the one that erased all the others.

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“Incomprehensible,” Sampson said later, “in that situation, (that) we couldn’t get a shot, couldn’t get a shot.”

The sequence will live in the depths of the Coogs’ minds for a generation or two.

Down two, 19 seconds left. A timeout called.

How did Houston win 35 games this year? Because in these moments, Sampson talks and the Coogs listen. Then they execute. Then they win. Normal teams don’t go undefeated in road conference games. This one did.

Certain things were made clear in the huddle. The Coogs didn’t need a 3. But they did need to get a shot off with enough time left to have a chance at an offensive rebound. Sampson drew up a play for L.J. Cryer, Houston’s all-everything guard. If the initial action didn’t spring him, Sampson wanted the possession to pivot to an elevator screen for Sharp.

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It all developed a little too slowly. Cryer’s look wasn’t there. Now 7.3 seconds remained, and here came Sharp, running from the baseline to the top of the key, rubbing past screener J’Wan Roberts, trying to get free. That screen? Clayton cared not for it. The 6-foot-2 guard darted by and, seeing Sharp rise for what very well could’ve been a game-winning shot and carved a whole damn chapter in the annals of college basketball, leapt into the sky and blocked out the sun.

This, apparently, was when Sharp thought of  a potential wrinkle in the play call. If he saw a closeout, he was told to put the ball on the deck and dash to the basket. Go tie the game. Go win in overtime. As associate head coach Kellen Sampson, Kelvin’s son, said later, “Emanuel’s as good a decision maker in closeouts as there is. And he needs little space to get one off.”

Sharp thought the shot was there, but then it wasn’t, and it was all too late. The shooting window closed, and Sharp dropped the ball instead of having it stuffed. There it bounced and bounded. With it, all 75 years of program history. And there stood Sharp, utterly powerless. If he picked up the ball, he would be whistled for traveling.

Under the basket, Roberts turned his back when Sharp rose to shoot, waiting for that possible offensive rebound. It would’ve been the Coogs’ 16th of the night, double what Florida pulled down. But the shot never came.

“I turned back around and it was just bouncing on the floor,” Roberts said.

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Florida’s Alex Condon dove to the floor with two seconds on the clock, crashing shoulder-to-shoulder with Francis. The ball squirted away, the final horn sounded and the impossible pain ensued.

Roberts, originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands, went to high school in Killeen, Texas, in order to play college basketball. He committed to Houston as a three-star recruit in September 2018. That was six years, seven months, five days ago. Houston, at the time, was coming off that first NCAA Tournament appearance under Sampson. Since then, Roberts has seen every step of a journey that was seemingly all leading to a final destination at the Alamodome this week.

There was a loss to Kentucky in the 2019 Sweet 16. A canceled NCAA Tournament in 2020. A national semifinal loss to Baylor in the 2021 Final Four. A loss to Villanova in the 2022 Elite Eight. A Sweet 16 loss to Miami as a No. 1 seed in 2023. Another Sweet 16 loss as a 1-seed in 2024, this time to Duke.

When this year’s national semifinal ended with Houston roaring back from 14 points down with eight minutes left to beat those same Blue Devils, it sure seemed like this was it. Monday was to be the last of Roberts’ program-record 173 career games. It was going to be Sampson’s 300th win at the school and 800th win of his career.

Instead, Florida, with its 39-year-old coach, won its third national championship. The others came in 2006 and ’07, when Kelvin Sampson, now 69, was in the midst of moving from Oklahoma to Indiana. What all feels like a millennium ago.

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Monday night’s final horn sounded just before 10:15 p.m. local time.

“One Shining Moment” played at 10:38.

At 10:54, the Houston locker room opened its doors, revealing the aftermath. Roberts said it had taken awhile for Sampson to collect himself and address the team. The old coach told this team it would never have gone so far without each player. He pointed specifically to Sharp, a junior with 106 games played at Houston. Then Sampson invited each assistant coach to address the room. Then each senior spoke.

Sharp, according to Roberts, got up and apologized to the team. In reality, the night wasn’t lost on any singular possession. This was a 40-minute rock fight, one filled with moments Houston will want back.

“We ain’t finna blame (Sharp) for that,” Roberts said. “He did a lot of great things. We know how special Emanuel is. I’m going to comfort him as much as possible, and I’m gonna defend his name if anybody tries to make it worse than what it is.”

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Sharp never emerged in the postgame locker room. A phone was discarded in his locker.

Outside, the Alamodome emptied and midnight approached.

“What’s today’s date?” Roberts asked, slumped in his locker.

It was April 7.

“June to April, man. A long journey,” Roberts said, thinking back to the 2024-25 Coogs’ first practice. “It’s just crushing. You get to this point and you lose by two points. We had a chance to tie it or win the game. I just …”

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Robert paused, conjuring all the voices of Houston’s past.

“I just wish we could run that play again.”

(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

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TNA Wrestling hit with wave of departures

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TNA Wrestling hit with wave of departures

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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) had a few more shakeups to its talent and personnel roster on Wednesday.

Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of TNA, announced that it had parted ways with pro wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer and former TNA world champion Tessa Blanchard in a press release. Fox News Digital confirmed Blanchard’s departure on Tuesday.

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Tommy Dreamer speaks during the SiriusXM Busted Open Wrestlemania party at Intrigue at Wynn Las Vegas on April 19, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

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“TNA Wrestling today announced a workforce reduction, designed to streamline operations and sharpen strategic focus and profitability,” the organization said.

“TNA’s creative leadership team will see an immediate shift. Tommy Dreamer, who has worked in TNA’s Creative and Talent Relations Departments, is leaving the company as TNA and Dreamer mutually agreed to part ways.

“TNA Wrestling also has come to terms on the release of Tessa Blanchard.

“We wish Tessa, Tommy and others the best in their future endeavors.”

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Tessa Blanchard participates in the U.S. vs. Canada Border Brawl in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on May 25, 2025. (Robert Okine/Getty Images for Zone-ify)

Dreamer announced his departure in an emotional interview on Busted Open Radio earlier Wednesday.

Additionally, pro wrestler Sami Callihan announced he had parted ways with the company.

“Thought I was getting called today to be offered a position in creative… nope. I’ve parted ways with TNA.  Oh well… onward to the next adventure,” he wrote on X while encouraging fans to watch Pro Wrestling Revolver.

Dreamer, Blanchard and Callihan’s departures are the latest to hit the company.

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KC Navarro and Tommy Dreamer pose for a photo before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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TNA announced Steve Maclin and Myla Grace departed the promotion earlier this month.

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Justin Herbert is starting fresh with new-look Chargers offense

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Justin Herbert is starting fresh with new-look Chargers offense

Justin Herbert is starting from the ground up in Mike McDaniel’s new-look Chargers offense.

The 28-year-old quarterback has dedicated much of the offseason to tweaking his footwork — putting his left foot in front of his right from the shotgun, against traditional NFL form — to fit Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator’s scheme.

McDaniel prioritizes getting the ball to playmakers in space as efficiently as possible, as he did for four seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach with speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbert’s flip in footing accelerating and syncing the timing of passes with receivers’ route breaks.

“If guys train it so that they don’t have to think about it and they can be comfortable, you can do a couple things that put the defense in a bind with how you do your footwork,” McDaniel said at Chargers minicamp in El Segundo. “I don’t mandate it. With Justin, I really just showed him where I thought it would be advantageous, and he didn’t blink for a second and was excited to attack it.”

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“The patternization in Mike McDaniel’s system has required some footwork changes,” added head coach Jim Harbaugh. “[Herbert’s] been working very hard, very hard at those. And as you would expect, Justin has picked it up.”

McDaniel said he got the idea as an up-and-comer on staffs in Houston and Washington alongside current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa as recent quarterbacks with whom he has implemented the stance change and reaped positive results.

Herbert, who has been one of those traditional right-handed quarterbacks to have their right foot forward from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinator’s methodology.

“It’s about playing the way that [McDaniel] sees the quarterback position being played,” Herbert said, “and talking about how we can get the ball to the receivers in a position where they can run with it and allow them to do the things that they’re so good at: making plays.”

To accelerate his adaptation, Herbert has thrown less in practice sessions and done plenty of drills without a football — two markers that are simply unlike the seven-season veteran, who is known to sling the rock plenty at practice and in games.

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McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, besides helping Herbert adjust his feet, keeping the ball out of their quarterback’s hands during the offseason will help him stay fresh later in the regular season.

Herbert is on board, but made it clear he does not require any maintenance.

“I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now,” Herbert said. “And do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down. The throws, they’ll be there. We’ve got plenty of time in camp and throughout [organized team activities] to get timing. I think it’s been smart by everyone, taking it easy.”

Herbert added that it’s better to focus on where his feet are now rather than in a live, meaningful game. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing in practice with training camp looming.

The Chargers expect big things out of McDaniel’s offense after they averaged a subpar 21.6 points per game in 2025.

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Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for career years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris — exactly what the wideouts want to hear.

“As you all know … the timing, that’s a different aspect for us than we’re used to, but I think it’s great,” McConkey said. “It just gets the ball in the playmakers’ hands and lets us go to work.”

Before any dreams of the Chargers winning a Super Bowl on their home SoFi Stadium turf can come true next season, Herbert must simply get his footing, with his feet and new playbook.

“I’m sure you guys are eager to see him execute in a high regard in the stuff that we’re doing,” McDaniel said. “You got to be patient … that’s been part of the very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we take into the offseason.”

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Knicks star OG Anunoby zones out during live TV interview, teammates burst out laughing in hilarious moment

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Knicks star OG Anunoby zones out during live TV interview, teammates burst out laughing in hilarious moment

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New York Knicks star OG Anunoby certainly played hard, and it looks like he partied hard, too.

The Knicks’ Game 4 hero appeared with some of his teammates on “Good Morning America” on Monday morning, and while he was physically present, mentally he might have been somewhere else.

Anunoby was asked about the difference first-year head coach Mike Brown made and how he brought the team together. The 28-year-old remained mute and stared off into the void, as if he didn’t hear the question.

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Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos appear on Good Morning America on June 15, 2026. (Paula Lobo/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

After a couple of seconds of silence, the “Good Morning America” crew and Anunoby’s Knicks teammates burst out laughing. Jalen Brunson, being the good captain that he is, offered to step up and answer the question through laughter.

Karl-Anthony Towns then took the reins and answered the question, while Anunoby sat there oblivious. For Anunoby, the Knicks’ title celebration was the first time he had consumed alcohol, according to The Athletic’s report.

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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby makes a game-winning tip shot vs. the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)

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His first sip — or rather, chug — of alcohol was a strong pull of tequila in the Knicks’ locker room. By the looks of how things went on Monday morning, Anunoby didn’t stop drinking after the locker room.

The team threw a party Sunday night in Manhattan at a private club after immediately flying back from Texas, according to the New York Post.

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OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks celebrates after winning the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Five at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)

At one point during the interview, Michael Strahan asked Anunoby to smile, which he did, much to the delight of his teammates. Anunoby looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open after Strahan’s request, sending his teammates into further hysteria.

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Anunoby, who was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, was integral in the team’s playoff run. He played shutdown defense while also serving as a meaningful offensive contributor. He averaged just more than 20 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks across 17 playoff games.

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