Set offense has been hard to come by for No. 3-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse this season. The Terps have struggled to break down some of the nation’s elite defenses, leading to five single-digit scoring performances.
South
Cambodia's new prime minister appoints youngest brother as his deputy
- Cambodia’s new prime minister, Hun Manet, has successfully secured approval from lawmakers to appoint his younger brother, Hun Many, as deputy premier.
- Hun Manet, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and previously Cambodia’s military chief, succeeded his father, Hun Sen.
- The National Assembly endorsed Hun Many, the third son of Hun Sen, as deputy prime minister, with unanimous support from ruling party members.
Six months after becoming Cambodia’s new prime minister, the eldest son of the country’s long-serving autocratic leader on Wednesday won approval from lawmakers to have his youngest brother take the post of deputy premier.
The development is the latest in a generational change in top positions in the Southeast Asian nation that tightens control of Cambodia’s government by a small circle of families associated with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
Last August, Hun Manet, 46, the son of longtime leader Hun Sen and Cambodia’s military chief, became the prime minister after having engaged in foreign diplomacy more and more over the past few years. His father stepped down after 38 years in power.
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Hun Manet had studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point before serving as deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and army chief.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is seen on Dec. 11, 2023, in Hanoi, Vietnam. Six months after becoming Cambodia’s new prime minister, Manet won approval from lawmakers on Wednesday to have his youngest brother take the post of deputy premier. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)
On Wednesday, the National Assembly overwhelmingly approved his 41-year-old brother Hun Many — Hun Sen’s third son — as deputy prime minister. All but five members of the 125-seat chamber are from the ruling party, and the 120 lawmakers who were present at Wednesday’s session voted unanimously in favor of Hun Many.
Speaking to lawmakers, Hun Manet, said his brother’s appointment was in line with his government’s policy of promoting efficiency to help Cambodia reach its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
While serving as deputy prime minister, Hun Many will also retain his post as civil service minister and lawmaker.
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Middle brother Hun Manith, 42, is a three-star army general and chief of the Defense Ministry’s intelligence department.
Hun Manet’s Cabinet includes about three quarters of replacements for his father’s ministers, mostly children or relatives of those whose places they took over. Experts have cautioned against expecting broad changes Cambodia, where under Hun Sen human rights were long under attack and dissent was suppressed.
“There is not a big difference between the generations in political outlook, including in terms of how open or how competitive politics should be,” Astrid Norén-Nilsson, a Cambodia expert at Sweden’s Lund University, said after Hun Manet took power last year.
The generational handover was designed to keep the power of the political-cum-business elite intact, she added.
Is it time for No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes to make his final decision? Goodness, we all hope so. The restlessness is very real for Big Blue Nation, but we could be just a couple of days away from clarity — if Jeff Goodman’s source is correct, at least.
With rumors and rumblings all over the place when it comes to the top-ranked prospect originally from Louisville, Goodman is hearing that a commitment could happen to begin the week on Monday. But, like the rest of us, he’s skeptical until it comes straight from the horse’s mouth.
Only Tyran Stokes knows what Tyran Stokes is gonna do, but, the latest word is Monday. Apparently.
“I was told by one source close to the situation that Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the country, could announce his decision on Monday,” Goodman wrote. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Agreed.
Maybe the biggest takeaway from his report, though? No mention of Oregon, despite the Ducks’ rumored push in recent weeks — especially since Jasper Johnson’s move to Eugene and individual fight to bring the fellow in-state talent with him.
Goodman believes it’s a head-to-head battle between the Jayhawks and Wildcats.
“Stokes choosing between Kansas and Kentucky,” he said.
Interesting.
KSR was the first to report that Mark Pope has recruited Jamal Crawford — Stokes’ assistant coach at Rainier Beach HS in Seattle and a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year — to join his staff in Lexington. That comes after Pope already signed Stokes’ former Prolific Prep teammate Zoom Diallo out of the transfer portal, coming in from Washington. The Wildcats’ pursuit has been relentless, regardless of speculation about the No. 1 recruit’s personal connection to Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
He talked about his recruiting process this week on a TikTok live, talking with a Kentucky fan.
“Yoooo, see, you guys are crazy,” Stokes said. “It’s been very, you know. Bro, the process is very up and down. Sometimes it can be fun, sometimes it can be annoying. It just depends on where you’re at with the process.”
“Let me put it in a way, like this,” Stokes continued. “How do I put it for a regular person to know what I’m going through? Someone offers you a job worth a lot of money, and you don’t know what there is to come with that job. You’re just like, here, there’s this paycheck. But you have to be committed to the job for ten months, and you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Do you take it? Do you feel me? So you have to play out the process and see how everything falls out.”
When asked about a timeline for his decision, Stokes was quick to shut down the conversation and move on. Hopefully this recent update indicates there is light at the end of this long tunnel — whether it’s Monday or shortly after.
The spot is yours, Tyran. Come take it.
Gov. Jeff Landry said he and first lady Sharon Landry were able to safely evacuate the White House Correspondents Association dinner after shots were fired outside the ballroom, forcing them, President Donald Trump and a host of other top leaders to evacuate.
“I’m back and safe and everything’s okay,” the governor said calmly in a phone interview shortly after evacuating.
Law enforcement officials said one officer was shot in the bulletproof vest and is expected to be okay. The FBI said a suspect was in custody.
Landry said he and his wife were sitting at ABC’s table, “pretty close up to the main stage.” They were close to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other members of Trump’s cabinet.
Then he heard the muted sound of gunfire from a floor up above the ballroom.
“It was almost like somebody dropping a pot or something,” the governor said.
Landry knows the hotel well; it’s where Washington Mardi Gras, the annual gathering of Louisiana political, business and nonprofit leaders, is held.
Landry praised how law enforcement handled the incident, saying he did not feel threatened.
“The Secret Service came in, they got everybody down,” Landry said. “I mean, they did a great job of taking everybody out.”
Landry said he was able to leave the scene and make it back to his hotel without incident.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from the Shreveport area, said in a statement on X that he and his wife, Kelly, were also there.
“We’re thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe,” Kelly said. “We’re grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control.”
Johnson added: “Praying for our country tonight.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, also said he was there.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the brave members of law enforcement who acted quickly to protect all of us attending tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” Scalise wrote on X. “This is an event meant to bring people together. Violence has NO place in our country.”
Maryland
No. 3-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse fends off No. 6-seed Rutgers with 13-10 win, advances to Big Ten semifinals
While that trend continued in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal clash against No. 6-seed Rutgers, Maryland found goals through other avenues.
Brian Ruppel and the Terps’ defensive unit searched for quick outlets after gaining possession, and it worked to perfection. Maryland thrived in transition as the quick strike fueled it to a three-goal first-half lead.
While Rutgers’ offense found its groove in the second quarter, Maryland never relinquished its advantage. The Terps kept their season alive with a 13-10 victory at SECU Stadium; they will now face No. 2-seed Penn State in the conference tournament semifinals on Thursday.
“We get a stop and we can get it out. That’s a way we can spark transition and maybe get one that kind of sucks the life out of the other team,” defender Michael Alexander said. “That’s a goal, where you make a play, it swings the momentum in our favor.”
After enduring Maryland’s second scoreless quarter of the season in its last game, the Terps wasted no time getting on the scoresheet. The shot was created by the unlikelest of sources.
Henry Dodge corralled the opening faceoff and immediately tested Rutgers’ defense. The All-Big Ten first-teamer found an unmarked Leo Johnson on the right wing, who fired it into the far post just seven seconds into the game, giving Dodge his second point of the season.
“The faceoff guys do a great job, defense does a great job letting us settle into the game,” attacker Leo Johnson said. “It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we’re going to keep getting the ball and keep getting opportunities.”
But the scoring quickly settled down after that.
Maryland’s offense sent waves of pressure at Scarlet Knights goalie Cardin Stoller, but the redshirt junior was up for the challenge. He managed five first-quarter stops and finished Saturday with 12 saves.
Even as the Terps secured the game’s first three faceoffs, they struggled to generate quality looks on frame. Maryland fired just 50% of its first-quarter looks on target, often sailing over the cage and never threatening Stoller.
Despite the Terps’ sluggish offensive performance, Brian Ruppel starred early on. He denied Rutgers’ first seven shots, aided by Maryland’s strong defensive performance — it only allowed long-range efforts.
“I thought [Brian] started super hot tonight. That was huge for us because he kind of bailed us out early,” head coach John Tillman said. “Offensively, we got 14 shots in the first. … We just didn’t can shots.”
Maryland’s near 15-minute scoring drought ended in the final moments of the first quarter. After a strong defensive stand, Trevor Owens heaved the ball across the field. Eric Spanos outmuscled his defender for the loose ball and buried a shot with three seconds remaining.
That goal propelled the Terps to a 2-0 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.
After being held scoreless for 22 minutes, Rutgers’ offense awoke. The Scarlet Knights’ leading goalscorer, Colin Kurdyla, notched his first goal in three games, and Rutgers added a trio of second-quarter goals.
But Maryland’s supporting cast helped it keep pace. Jack Schultz recorded just his second goal of the season before AJ Larkin and Spencer Ford scored to keep the Terps’ two-goal advantage intact. Still, the 6-4 halftime lead was far from comfortable.
While the Terps rattled off three unanswered goals in the third quarter to open up a commanding lead, Rutgers didn’t waver.
Kurdyla and Scarlet Knights attacker David Carroll sparked the comeback with a trio of goals in a nine-minute span early in the fourth quarter. With just over four minutes remaining, Maryland’s lead was suddenly trimmed to two.
When the Terps needed an answer, Johnson stepped up, logging his ninth multi-score game of the season to halt Rutgers’ momentum.
Just 69 seconds later, Johnny Gardiner swung the ball to Braden Erksa behind the cage. Erksa wrapped around the crease and fired the close-range effort into the near post.
Those two goals stamped Maryland’s victory. Despite the Terps conceding double-digit goals for the first time since March 21, nine different goalscorers helped them survive Rutgers’ five-goal fourth-quarter.
“The fourth quarter [was] a little spotty there at times. Definitely some things you want to clean up, giving up five there,” Tillman said. “For the second quarter, some self-inflicted wounds that we just got to clean up.”
1. Extra possessions fuel Maryland. While the Terps’ offense has been far from efficient this season, it generated more looks through a dominant faceoff unit and extra effort. Maryland secured 20 of the game’s 27 faceoffs and added 29 ground balls to keep Rutgers pinned in its defensive half.
2. Spanos runs the show. During his time on the field this season, Spanos has typically operated as the team’s premier attacker. But on Saturday, the Tewaaraton Award nominee facilitated Maryland’s offense, dishing out a season-high three assists alongside two goals to guide the Terps to victory.
3. Redemption opportunity. Maryland suffered just two losses during conference play, and its first came in convincing fashion. The Terps’ four-goal loss to Penn State was its worst defeat of the regular season, despite a late-game comeback effort. Maryland gets its shot to avenge that loss on Thursday in the semifinals.
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