Sports
Which college basketball coach is under the most pressure? John Calipari, Mike Woodson and more
When we asked our men’s college basketball writers to name the coach under the most pressure this season, no other guidelines were given and interpretations varied.
Yes, the coach on the hottest seat is the first thing that comes to mind, and as always, several are in that category as the season tips off Monday. But there’s also the pressure of getting close and never quite reaching the place you’ve spent decades chasing (Purdue’s Matt Painter a year ago, and he got there). There’s the pressure of coming off a historic failure and needing to respond with basically the same group (Painter a year ago, and he did; Virginia’s Tony Bennett entering the 2018-19 season, same).
Isn’t it about time Mark Few won the whole darn thing? Can Mark Pope be the rare coach who flourishes at his alma mater (like Painter has)? Speaking of coaches at alma maters, Jon Scheyer went 27-9 in each of his first two seasons at Duke, which is nice, but it’s Duke, and now he has freshman Cooper Flagg on his team so … time to win the whole thing? And what about the guy who won the last two? Surely, UConn’s Danny Hurley is feeling the pressure of everyone expecting the Huskies to do it again, or of no one believing they can — whichever works best.
And now for our actual answers:
John Calipari
Yes, this category probably translates closer to, “Who might get fired if he doesn’t win?” But I’m going existential here. The Calipari epitaph gets written in Fayetteville, one way or another. Either he adjusts and creates an elite roster that can win in modern college basketball and at least threatens to make a couple of Final Fours … or he turns into a kind of Harold Hill, taking the same act to a different town and flailing about, compromising his legacy. It’s fascinating. — Brian Hamilton
Kyle Neptune
Jay Wright is in the Basketball Hall of Fame because he established an extraordinarily high standard at Villanova, including winning two national championships and reaching two more Final Fours — including his final season in 2021-22. Neptune, his replacement, had an unenviable task and has struggled in two seasons at Villanova. Neptune is 35-33 overall and 20-20 in Big East play. Both of his teams finished tied for sixth in the league and lost in the first round of the NIT. Wright’s first three Villanova teams were NIT qualifiers, so there is the precedent that a slow start can yield results in the future. But Neptune could use some positive momentum in Year 3. — Jesse Temple
Kyle Neptune has yet to make the NCAA Tournament heading into his third season at Villanova. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
He’s two games over .500 in two seasons since taking over for Wright at Villanova, and the Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament in both years. Making the dance might not be make-or-break for Neptune in terms of keeping his job, but he desperately needs to show some progress, especially with a top-20 preseason projection from KenPom. — Justin Williams
I was trying to think of someone else, to add a little diversity to this exercise, but Neptune is the slam-dunk choice. After Wright’s tenure, Villanova is not a place where you can miss the NCAA Tournament multiple seasons in a row — and Neptune’s counter is already at two, to go along with a .500 record in Big East play and several high-profile nonconference losses. Following Wright was always an unenviable position, and Wright’s blessing probably earned Neptune a little patience, but it’s hard to imagine him surviving a third season without making the Big Dance. — Brendan Marks
Mike Woodson
The former NBA coach has won one NCAA Tournament game through three seasons, and Indiana’s donors opened their pocketbooks to give the Hoosiers a roster equipped to get back to the tournament (after missing last year). Getting there might not be enough, though; Indiana fans are ready to see IU look more like a blue blood again and start going on tourney runs. If Woodson doesn’t win with this group, he’ll probably lose the fan base. And if Indiana alum Dusty May is successful in Year 1 at Michigan, a lot of Hoosiers fans will be upset IU didn’t make a move for May this past offseason. — CJ Moore
With Painter taking Purdue to the NCAA championship game a year ago, all Hoosier eyes are on Woodson to try to match it. IU has the talent, and it snagged some good pieces in the portal. If the Hoosiers can’t get into the top third of the Big Ten and win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament, there are going to be some long conversations, especially if Painter continues to win up the road. — Scott Dochterman
Ron Sanchez
The answer is Neptune, but I’ll switch it up. If we’re talking pressure — real pressure — then you have to look at Sanchez. The 51-year-old will be coaching for his job every night. Sanchez previously spent five years as Charlotte’s head coach, going 72-78 overall, and leading the 49ers to a 22-win season in his final year. In 2023, he left the school and returned to an assistant coaching position under Bennett. Now he has the chance to be a high-major coach in a marquee post. Bennett’s departure is a clean handoff, but now it’s a question of whether Sanchez can hold on. If he doesn’t, he’ll be without the UVA head job and the head coach he spent most of the past 25 years alongside. — Brendan Quinn
Porter Moser
The easy answer would be Neptune, as he is 35-33 with no tournament appearances, two sixth-place Big East finishes and two NIT first-round exits, but I will go with Oklahoma’s Moser. In three seasons in Norman, he has yet to finish higher than seventh place in the conference and has made it to the NIT only once. Oklahoma is in the SEC now so it’s time for a reset, but the Sooners were picked to finish 15th in the SEC preseason poll. Changing leagues might not fix their roster issues. — Tobias Bass
Tom Izzo
Izzo is coaching to win another national championship, as has been the case since his first, in 2000. But he doesn’t have a team that looks quite up to it, as preseason rankings reflect. He doesn’t have the same program he used to have, either, as recent results reflect. Michigan State has double-digit losses in four straight seasons for the first time in his tenure. Since Izzo’s last Final Four in 2019, he’s 4-4 in the NCAA Tournament with no seed higher than No. 7 and one advance to the second weekend. He’s not a huge fan of the transfer portal, MSU has been finishing second lately with some of its top high school targets, and Izzo turns 70 in January. He shrugs off retirement questions, but he has also long vowed he wouldn’t go out with things in decline, as some of his legendary peers have. That puts a ton of pressure on this season to reassert the Spartans. — Joe Rexrode
(Photo of Mike Woodson: Rich Janzaruk / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Sports
PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Sports
Prep talk: Another book is out from running coach Martin Dugard
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Stephen A. Smith makes brutal gaffe while talking about the Golden State Warriors
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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