Based on his pedigree coming in to college, it was presumed by many that Brayden Burries would step on the court and just dominate. Kind of like how Koa Peat did in his first collegiate game and most since.
Arizona
Arizona firefighter battling rare cancer, neurological issues
PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ (AZFamily) — An Arizona firefighter dedicated to helping others is now fighting for his life. The father and husband is battling job-related cancer while also dealing with neurological issues that doctors believe could be linked to the cancer diagnosis.
Matt McFadden, 35, has worked for the Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority in Prescott Valley for 14 years. Those who work alongside him call him “Smiley,” someone who always has a good attitude and a smile. But this past year has been challenging for him and his family.
Last May, the husband and father of two young girls started noticing he was slurring his words and had issues with his balance. McFadden went about his normal routine and months later got hurt during a fire training exercise. At the time, he was going to physical therapy, but doctors didn’t have any answers for the neurological symptoms.
He had a cancer screening done through his department, and that’s when doctors discovered he had testicular cancer. They believe it was caused from his career as a firefighter. The news only got worse.
“His last scan showed that it metastasized to his lungs,” his wife Kahley said.
McFadden is spending five days a week going through chemotherapy. Kahley says she never imagined this would happen so young.
“Every fire wife I know goes through the fact of we’re never really worried about fires, it honestly is cancer,” Kahley said. “I thought it could be decades from now, not this second.”
As McFadden fights that battle, doctors are still trying to find out exactly what the neurological issues are. They believe it could be a rare condition linked to the cancer.
“They say it’s attacking the brain,” Kahley said. “If it keeps getting worse and they can’t figure it out, it’s getting to the point where he won’t be able to walk on his own.”
Kahley has had to step up in many ways while operating as a single parent. Their youngest daughter has special needs and relies on a feeding tube, which means she needs constant care.
CAFMA Battalion Chief Rob Zazueta has spent many shifts at the fire station with McFadden.
“His absence is very obvious,” Zazueta said. “Everyone is concerned about him. Everyone is feeling he is not with us.”
He said the crew misses him immensely and wants McFadden to know their fire family is with him and his family every step of the way.
“It’s a surreal feeling because we know the statistics and we know the stories across the country of this kind of thing happening to somebody in the fire service. I don’t think we ever expect it to happen this close to home so when it does, there’s a lot of shock factor with it. A lot of moments of questioning why,” Zazueta said. “Matt we are keeping your seat warm my friend, we miss you. Stay strong, keep smiling and we are all here for you.”
Members of the fire department have created a GoFundMe to help Matt and his family.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The firm hired by Michigan to search for a football coach to replace Sherrone Moore has contacted representatives for Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because they were not authorized to share details of the search.
Moore was fired on Wednesday, when the school said an investigation uncovered his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Two days later, Moore was charged with three crimes after prosecutors said he “barged his way” into the apartment of a woman he’d been having an affair with and threatened to kill himself.
College football’s winning program suddenly needs a coach.
After the 35-year-old Dillingham was linked to numerous open jobs last month, he said he was not leaving his alma mater.
Two weeks ago, Drinkwitz agreed to a six-year contract that increases his average compensation to $10.75 million annually.
Michigan is hoping to hire a coach this month, helping its chances of retaining recruits and keeping key players out of the transfer portal in January.
Dillingham, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, graduated from Arizona State in 2013 and started his coaching career as an assistant for the Sun Devils. After coaching at Memphis, he was the offensive coordinator for Auburn, Florida State and Oregon before returning to Arizona State.
Dillingham orchestrated a quick turnaround, leading the Sun Devils to the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff for the first time last year.
Arizona State was 8-4 this season, improving Dillingham’s record to 22-16 over three seasons.
The 42-year-old Drinkwitz is 46-28 in six seasons at Missouri after going 12-1 in a year at Appalachian State. He has built the Tigers into a steady Southeastern Conference program, earning five straight bowl bids.
Not everything happens instantaneously. And some things, like Burries’ breakthrough performance on Saturday night, are worth waiting for.
The freshman guard scored a career-high 28 points, fueling top-ranked Arizona to a 96-75 win over No. 12 Alabama in Birmingham. The Wildcats (9-0) earned their fifth win this season over a ranked opponent, matching the 1987-88 team that also went 5-0 in nonconference games against ranked foes.
Burries, who started heating up a few weeks ago and had averaged 17 points over the previous three games, was 11 of 19 from the field and drained five of Arizona’s 10 3-pointers. His performance was especially big because fellow freshman Koa Peat struggled with foul trouble, finishing with a career-low five points in 20 minutes, while Jaden Bradley also had to sit for an extended period in the second half becauise of fouls.
Bradley and Motiejus Krivas scored 14 apiece, with Krivas pulling down 14 rebounds, while Tobe Awaka had 15 boards as Arizona dominated Alabama 52-32 on the glass. The Wildcats had a 22-3 edge in offensive rebounds, leading to a 15-2 advantage in second chance points.
Alabama (7-3) got 24 points from Labaron Philon and 21 from Latrell Wrightstell Jr., with that duo going 15 of 28 including 6 of 12 from 3. But the Crimson Tide, who began 7 of 13 from 3, made only five more the rest of the way while the UA’s 38.5 percent shooting from outside was actually better.
Arizona was down 41-39 at the half, the first time it has trailed after 20 minutes this season. The Wildcats were back in front within two minutes and built a 49-43 lead thanks to a 10-0 run, but during that stretch Peat and Bradley each picked up their third foul.
Yet somehow, Arizona nearly tripled its lead with that duo on the bench.
The UA led 55-48 with 14:01 to go whenAwaka was called for a flagrant foul after Alabama coach Nate Oats appealed on a play that saw the Crimson Tide called for a foul. Both teams made 1 of 2 free throws from that, but then the Wildcats scored the next 11 with their defense fueling the charge.
Back-to-back steals by Ivan Kharchenkov and Burries led to transition baskets, with Burries lobbing to Awaka for a dunk and then scoring seven straight to put the UA up 67-49 with 11:22 remaining.
Kharchenkov had 10 points and five steals, most by an Arizona freshman since KJ Lewis had five two seasons ago.
Burries fourth 3 put the Wildcats up 20 and his fifth made it 75-54 with nine minutes left. Alabama hit back-to-back 3s for the first time since seven minutes left in the first half to get within 82-65 but got no closer.
Arizona built a 19-12 lead on a 3-point play by Burries but Alabama’s outside shooting got it right back into it. A 7-0 run put the Tide up 26-22 midway through the first half.
Alabama’s 7th made 3 put it up 37-30 but then went cold, allowing the UA to retake the lead. A 9-0 run with seven straight from Bradley and then capped by a Peat jumper put the Wildcats up 39-37 with 1:51 left in the half.
Two late baskets by the Crimson Tide put it back in front at the break.
Arizona returns home to take on Abilene Christian on Tuesday night before facing San Diego State in Phoenix next Saturday.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A nice and cool start to our morning with lows in the upper 40s to the lower 50s with mostly clear skies.
We have a very strong ridge of high pressure that will heat things up once again.
Our average high this time of year is 66 degrees; we will be about 13 degrees above that with a high of 79 this afternoon.
The warm weather will stick around again on Sunday with a few passing clouds.
The Maricopa County Air Quality Department has declared a No-Burn Day for Saturday and Sunday due to high smoke levels.
A few areas will hit 80 degrees, which would be a new record high for tomorrow.
Up in the high country and all around the state, we will see above-average temperatures that will last into the middle of next week.
As we get closer to the big holiday next week, we are starting to see signs of a chance of rain and mountain snowfall.
We will keep you updated as we get closer.
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Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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