San Diego, CA
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.
“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.
“With the work this team puts in, we can really accomplish anything we want,” Harding said. “We don’t have a ceiling.”
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.
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.
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.”
UNLV Rebels (16-14, 11-8 MWC) at San Diego State Aztecs (19-10, 13-6 MWC)
San Diego; Friday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UNLV faces San Diego State after Kimani Hamilton scored 24 points in UNLV’s 92-65 victory over the Utah State Aggies.
The Aztecs have gone 13-2 in home games. San Diego State is eighth in the MWC with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Miles Heide averaging 2.0.
The Rebels have gone 11-8 against MWC opponents. UNLV ranks eighth in the MWC shooting 34.4% from 3-point range.
San Diego State averages 79.1 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 78.5 UNLV gives up. UNLV averages 7.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.9 fewer made shots on average than the 9.1 per game San Diego State allows.
The teams play for the second time in conference play this season. San Diego State won the last meeting 82-71 on Jan. 24. Miles Byrd scored 23 points points to help lead the Aztecs to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Reese Dixon-Waters is shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc with 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aztecs, while averaging 13 points. Byrd is averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is shooting 50.9% and averaging 20.6 points for the Rebels. Hamilton is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Aztecs: 5-5, averaging 74.9 points, 28.9 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.
Rebels: 6-4, averaging 84.1 points, 32.3 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.8 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Military bases in San Diego County and nationwide have increased security measures due to last weekend’s U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting traffic delays near base entrances, enhanced ID checks and access restrictions.
The Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado ports three aircraft carriers, including the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, which led some of the first-wave attacks on Saturday.
Naval Base Coronado warned motorists of possible traffic delays at all base entry points due to the increased security measures.
Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
The U.S. operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” and Israeli operation, “Raging Lion,” began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday.
As of Tuesday, at least six U.S. service members had been killed in action.
The strikes also killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
Iran’s offensive forces claimed to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles, but according to an X post from U.S central Command, “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”
Those with concerns regarding the heightened security can contact San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services at 858-565-3490 or oes@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Less than 3 weeks after the San Diego Unified School District finalized a new contract with teachers, the school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with layoff notices for other district employees.
The layoffs affect classified employees — workers who are employed by the district but are not teachers and are not certified. That includes bus drivers, custodians, special education and teacher aides, and cafeteria workers.
The district says it is eliminating 221 positions — 133 that are currently filled and 88 that are vacant — to save $19 million and help address a projected $47 million deficit for the next fiscal year.
Preliminary layoff notices will go out on March 15, with final notices by May 15.
The district estimates about 200 classified employees will receive preliminary notices, but of them, about 70 are expected to lose their jobs based on union-negotiated bumping rules.
Bumping allows employees with more seniority to move into another position in the same classification, thereby “bumping” a less senior employee out of that role.
Lupe Murray, an early childhood special education parafacilitator with the district, said the news came as a shock after the teacher strike was called off.
“When the strike was called off, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ So then when I got the email from the Superintendent, I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ So, I think everyone was shocked,” Murray said.
The district says it sends out annual layoff notices, as all districts in the state do.
Before Tuesday’s board meeting, classified employees rallied outside, made up of CSEA (California School Employees Association) Chapters OTBS 788, Paraeducators 759, and OSS 724. They were joined by parents, students, and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Miguel Arellano, a paraeducator independence facilitator with San Diego Unified and a representative of San Diego Paraeducators Cahpter 759.
“What do we want? No layoffs! When do we want it? Now!” the crowd chanted.
Arellano said he felt compelled to act when he learned about the potential layoffs.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I need to speak up. I need to protect these people,” Arellano said.
Inside the meeting, the board heard emotional, at times tearful testimony from classified employees before voting unanimously to move forward with the layoff schedule.
Superintendent Fabi Bagula said the district has tried to protect classrooms from the cuts.
“We have tried our best to only, I mean, to not touch the school. Or the classroom. But now it’s at the point where it’s getting a little bit harder,” Bagula said. “What I’m still hoping, or what I’m still working toward, because we’re still in negotiations, is that we’re able to actually come to a win-win, where there’s positions and availability and maybe even promotions for folks that are impacted.”
Arellano warned the layoffs could have a direct impact on students.
“We are already spread thin, so, with more of a case load, it’s going to be impossible to be able to service all the students that we need to have,” Arellano said.
Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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