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Former ‘Mr. Basketball’ makes name for himself with Rady Children’s Invitational showing

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Former ‘Mr. Basketball’ makes name for himself with Rady Children’s Invitational showing


An unlikely supporters’ section voiced its approval for Rady Children’s Invitational Most Valuable Player Brock Harding on the way to a 74-63 TCU win over Wisconsin on Friday.

Trading the cold of Moline, Illinois — high temperature over the weekend: 33 degrees — for mid-70s outside and even hotter hoops inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion, Harding’s parents and his childhood school nurse cheered on a championship performance.

“That was such a surprise,” Harding said of being greeted by Elizabeth McLaughlin, a nurse at Jordan/Seton Catholic Schools in the TCU guard’s western Illinois hometown. “It was great getting that sense of home in San Diego.”

McLaughlin, who apologized for her voice going hoarse from rooting on the Horned Frogs, cared for Harding when he experienced migraines as an elementary school student.

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“He really suffered,” said McLaughlin, who Harding knew back in school as Nurse Buffy. “But clearly, he’s doing fine.”

Harding’s been more than fine on the basketball court for a while now. He transferred to the public Moline High School from Seton and developed into a prep sensation, winning Mr. Basketball for the state of Illinois in 2023.

He’s in an elite class with past winners of the award that include former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and current New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson. Adding the Rady Children’s Invitational hardware to his resume, Harding joined USC’s Javian McCollum and Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn as the first three MVPs in the tournament’s history.

And while San Diego is quite a trek from Moline, Harding performed here with the same fire that earned him Mr. Basketball in his home state. He shot 6 for 9 from the floor on the way to 16 points, dished five assists and grabbed four rebounds in TCU’s championship-game defeat of Wisconsin.

His effort on Friday followed a 19-point, 12-assist double-double in TCU’s 84-80 win Thursday over reigning national champions Florida.

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“With the work this team puts in, we can really accomplish anything we want,” Harding said. “We don’t have a ceiling.”

Brock Harding #2 of TCU drives to the basket against Wisconsin during the Rady Children’s Invitational championship game at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

TCU showing limitless potential in San Diego speaks to how abruptly things can turn around. The Horned Frogs opened the 2025-26 campaign with a stunning, 78-74 loss to a University of New Orleans program that finished 4-27 a season ago.

UNO dramatically overhauled its roster in the offseason under the direction of hip hop mogul and new President of Basketball Operations Percy “Master P.” Miller, but the opening-night upset was shocking nonetheless. And, according to Harding, “it was a wake-up call.”

“We thought we had a good team. We knew we’d brought in a lot of good pieces in the offseason,” he said. “But if you don’t bring your all every single night, there’s other people who want to win games, too.”

TCU lost again 11 nights later on Nov. 14, but the 67-63 setback to Michigan offered a much more positive measure of what the Horned Frogs could be. TCU has since won three straight, with its two impressive performances at the Rady Children’s Invitational. Friday’s title tilt also demonstrated the Horned Frogs’ growth in the limited time since seeing Michigan, as TCU avoided letting a halftime lead slip away to the Wolverines’ Big Ten Conference counterparts, Wisconsin.

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The Horned Frogs saw a double-digit-point lead whittled to just four by intermission, thanks to the 3-point shooting of John Blackwell — who scored 30 points on Friday — and savvy playmaking by former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd.

But while Boyd finished with 15 points, he was held seven points below his season average — and 21 fewer than his eruption in the Badgers’ win Thursday over Providence. Guarded primarily by Harding, the explosive Boyd was not able to get his first shot attempt off until more than five minutes into Friday’s championship.

Brock Harding #2 of TCU looks on during the Rady Children's Invitational championship game against Wisconsin at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Brock Harding #2 of TCU looks on during the Rady Children’s Invitational championship game against Wisconsin at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Harding held Boyd for just six second-half points, and TCU weathered the Wisconsin onslaught to push the lead to as many as 19 points.

In addition to his impressive statistical line, Harding was instrumental in the Horned Frogs establishing the game’s physical tone. Despite standing just 6 feet tall, the guard crashed to the glass and pursued loose balls with reckless abandon, culminating in a scuffle that earned Wisconsin’s Andrew Rohde a rally-killing technical foul.

McLaughlin, who was in town visiting family and decided to cheer on the youngster from Moline, said she couldn’t help but cringe seeing someone she knew as a youngster bumping around with opponents up to a foot taller and dozens of pounds heavier. But it’s also indicative of Harding’s game dating back to his elementary school days, and a main reason he’s “the hometown star” in the Quad Cities.

“He comes back and speaks to the kids,” she said. “He’s always been that way. He’s always been a leader.”

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Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com

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Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com


— SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.

Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.

RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.

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San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.

Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.

Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.

Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.

Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.

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Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.

Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.

Ferree finished with five saves.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations


When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”

It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says. 

The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.

Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.

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Gage Forster

Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Eric Wolfinger

“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments. 

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Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

Kimberly Motos

About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

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Gage Forster

Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.

“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”

Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.





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Little Debbie is launching a new flavor of one of its most popular treats

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Little Debbie is launching a new flavor of one of its most popular treats


Little Debbie is officially expanding its doughnut range.

On April 14, the brand announced a new sweet snack: Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. The company says there was “massive consumer demand” for the original Big Pack Old Fashioned Donuts, which quickly became a top seller. Now, they’re just giving the people what they want.

The new snack is a chocolate old-fashioned cake doughnut finished with a sweet glaze and is launching in two formats:

  • The Big Pack Carton: This box contains six doughnuts in a retro-inspired package that reflects the brand’s heritage.
  • Single-serve doughnuts: There are also 3-ounce, individually wrapped Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts, which the brand suggests pairing with a morning coffee or eating on a midday break.

The original, which includes six individually wrapped cake-style doughnuts with a vanilla glaze, first hit stores in June 2025 and, according to the brand, has been “consistently selling out.”

“We saw an incredible response to the Old Fashioned Donut we introduced last year,” said Scott Brownlow, Little Debbie’s brand manager, in a press release. We’re doubling down on what works and giving both loyalists and new fans an irresistible reason to head back to the store.”

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Little Debbie’s Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts are rolling out now to major retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. As with the original Old Fashioned Donut, they become a permanent addition to the brand’s snack lineup.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:



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