BRETT MARTEL Sports Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after a basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Warriors’ Draymond Green has another fan confrontation

November 16, 2025

Golden State forward Draymond Green went nearly chest-to-chest with a fan during the Warriors’ road game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The fan identified himself as Sam Green and was wearing a black polo with a Pelicans logo. He says he was taunting Draymond Green with chants of “Angel Reese,” because his NBA namesake was rebounding but not scoring. Draymond Green strode over to the fan late in the second quarter and stood inches from him as they spoke to one another. Game officials quickly pulled Draymond Green away while ushers gathered around and spoke with the fan, who was permitted to remain in his seat. Draymond Green has been fined previously for fan interaction.

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green, left, confers with guard Jeremiah Fears, center, as assistant coach James Borrego looks on in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Pelicans fire coach Willie Green 12 games into his fifth season, name James Borrego interim coach

November 15, 2025

The New Orleans Pelicans have fired coach Willie Green on the heels of a 2-10 start to his fifth season in charge. Pelicans first-year basketball operations chief Joe Dumars named assistant James Borrego as interim coach for the Pelicans, who play at home on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. Green was hired to his first head coaching job in 2021 by previous Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin. Green has gone 150-190 in four-plus seasons. His teams made the playoffs twice, losing in the first round to Phoenix in 2022 and Oklahoma City in 2024. Borrego was formerly the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons from 2018 to 2022.

LSU interim AD Verge Ausberry says the school’s athletic department ‘is not broken’

October 31, 2025

Newly named LSU interim athletic director Verge Ausberry says the athletic department is ‘not broken’ in the wake of his predecessor Scott Woodward’s abrupt departure this week. Woodward stepped down on Thursday night, four days after football coach Brian Kelly had been fired and one day after Landry asserted that Woodward would not select Kelly’s successor. LSU Board of Supervisors chairman Scott Ballard says Woodward’s decision to step down was a “mutual agreement” between him and the board. Ballard says self-generated athletic department funds or private donations will be used to a financial settlement with Woodward that is still being negotiated. Board member John Carmouche says Ausberry has “full authority” to lead the search for the next football coach.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly talks on the sideline in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU fires coach Brian Kelly in the 4th season of his 10-year, $100 million deal, AP source says

October 26, 2025

LSU has fired coach Brian Kelly during the fourth season of a 10-year contract worth about $100 million. A person familiar with the situation confirmed Kelly’s departure to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Sunday night because the firing had not been announced. The move comes on the heels of Saturday night’s 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium — a second straight loss, and third in four games for LSU. Kelly was hired away from Notre Dame following the 2021 season. He has gone 34-14 with the Tigers but LSU has not qualified for the College Football Playoff during his first three seasons and is virtually eliminated from contention this season.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) carries for a touchdown against LSU defensive back A.J. Haulcy (13) in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Reed produces 4 TDs and No. 3 Texas A&M races away from No. 20 LSU, 49-25

October 25, 2025

Marcel Reed passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, and No. 3 Texas A&M’s second-half dominance turned a slim halftime deficit into a 49-25 victory over 20th-ranked LSU. KC Conception caught one of Reed’s TD tosses and returned a third-quarter punt 79 yards for another score for the unbeaten Aggies, who snapped a six-game skid in LSU’s Tiger Stadium, winning there for the first time since 1994. At 8-0, A&M is now off to its best start since the 1992 Aggies went 12-0 in the regular season before losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Reed passed for 202 yards and rushed for 108, highlighted by his 41-yard TD scramble. LSU has lost two straight.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) drops back in the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Saints’ Rattler aims to end personal and team skids against the Giants and debut-winning Dart

October 2, 2025

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler aims to achieve in his 11th career NFL start what Giants rookie Jaxson Dart did in his debut. Dart is 1-0 as a starter heading into the 1-3 Giants’ Week 5 visit to New Orleans. The Saints are winless through their first four games under rookie coach Kellen Moore and are on an eight-game skid dating to last season. Rattler started six games last season and is still looking for his first win in that role. He’ll try to make it happen against the last team to lose to the Saints when they met last Dec. 8. Meanwhile, Dart gets a chance to beat a team that passed on him in the NFL draft.

FILE - An aerial overall exterior general view of Caesars Superdome and the Smoothie King Center with the New Orleans skyline in the background is seen after an NFL preseason football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos in New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, file)

New Orleans to host the 2027-28 college football national championship, AP source says

September 29, 2025

A person familiar with the decision says New Orleans has been awarded the college football national championship game for the 2027 season. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because a formal announcement involving Gov. Jeff Landry is not scheduled until Wednesday. The game will be held in the Superdome on Jan. 24, 2028. The last title game held in the dome was in January 2020 when LSU defeated Clemson. Miami is the host city for this season’s national title game. The College Football Playoff for the 2026 season will end in Las Vegas.

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) evades a tackle attempt by LSU linebacker Whit Weeks (40) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Chambliss’ 385 scrimmage yards propels No. 13 Mississippi past No. 4 LSU, 24-19

September 27, 2025

Trinidad Chambliss passed for 314 yards and a touchdown and No. 13 Ole Miss defeated No. 4 LSU 24-19. Kewan Lacy ran for a 15-yard touchdown and former LSU running back Logan Diggs added a 6-yard scoring run for Ole Miss. which outgained the Tigers 480 yards to 254 while improving to 5-0. LSU played without top running back Caden Durham and gained just 57 yards on the ground. That placed added pressure on LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, but also was intercepted once as the Tigers fell to 4-1.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) carries against Florida Jaiden Braker in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

No. 3 LSU intercepts 5 of Florida QB DJ Lagway’s passes in the Tigers’ 20-10 victory

September 13, 2025

Garrett Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, Dashawn Spears returned one of his first two career interceptions 58 yards for a touchdown and No. 3 LSU beat Florida 20-10 on Saturday night. After the ejection of LSU preseason AP All-America linebacker Whit Weeks for a targeting penalty in the game’s opening minutes, the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) intercepted five of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway’s passes and sacked him three times. Lagway’s career high in interceptions came in what was widely seen as a pivotal bounce-back game for the Gators (1-2, 0-1) and fourth-year coach Billy Napier after a surprising home loss to South Florida a week earlier.

Why some football coaches are ditching college jobs for the NFL

September 9, 2025

Recent changes in college football are prompting some long-time college coaches to more eagerly pursue NFL opportunities. One of them is Saints first-year defensive backs coach Terry Joseph, who says he loved working in college football for most of the past 19 years. But he left the Texas Longhorns because of how recruiting had changed since recent rule changes liberalizing player movement and payments. Joseph and other long-time college coaches say those changes have largely ended the days when lifelong relationships could be built out of years of mentoring and developing players. They say college coaches now constantly must monitor whether players they’d successfully recruited previously are looking to leave for better financial or playing-time opportunities.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) throws a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second half of an NFL preseason football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Rattler rallies Saints to 17-all preseason tie with Jaguars as competition with Shough continues

August 17, 2025

Spencer Rattler connected with Dante Pettis for a 20-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left and scrambled for a 2-point conversion to help the New Orleans Saints salvage a 17-17 tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a preseason game. Rattler passed for 199 yards with an interception after relieving Tyler Shough, who played the first half and threw for 66 yards without a turnover. He led the Saints to one field goal as he continues to battle with Rattler for the starting job. Starting QB Trevor Lawrence played two series for the Jaguars and threw a TD pass.

New Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, a transfer from BYU, shows off the Star of David on his necklace after football practice at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brett Martel)

Jake Retzlaff still loves BYU but expresses faith in his fresh start at Tulane

August 1, 2025

Jake Retzlaff says he still loves BYU but expressed faith in his decision to start fresh at Tulane. Retzlaff is trying to move past recent reputational harm in Utah, learn a new offense and outperform three other transfer QBs at Tulane. Retzlaff led BYU to an 11-2 record last season but recently withdrew while reportedly facing a suspension for violating the university’s honor code. He’d been named in a now-dismissed civil sexual assault lawsuit. Retzlaff declined to discuss the lawsuit or discipline he faced at BYU.

FILE - Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) and Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) in action during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Washington, Nov. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Pelicans trade McCollum and Olynyk to the Wizards for Poole and Bey, AP source says

June 24, 2025

The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade veteran guard CJ McCollum, center Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, wing Saddiq Bey and the 40th overall pick in the second round of the NBA draft, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the trade hasn’t been announced. The Wizards will gain a ton of financial freedom in the deal, which they can use going forward to continue their rebuild. The Pelicans also are rebuilding under newly hired basketball operations chief Joe Dumars.

BRETT MARTEL Sports Writer.