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Niele Ivey and Felisha Legette-Jack lead their alma maters in the NCAA Tournament

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Kellie Harper all the time knew she wanted to educate college basketball, but she never thought it could be possible at her alma mater in Tennessee.

That’s because she thought Pat Summitt could be there ceaselessly.

“For us, she is that (human) being that will always be there,” Harper said. “You never thought anyone else would coach at Tennessee. You just didn’t feel prefer it was a possible option. So it wasn’t really a practical goal that occurred to me after I was a player.

Harper is one in all the few coaches in this 12 months’s NCAA Tournament who coaches at the school where they played. On Saturday, two of them fought in the first round. Adia Barnes and Arizona faced Felisha Legette-Jack and Syracuse.

“I’m just excited to return to my alma mater after the season,” Legette-Jack said. “That’s something that when we first got to Syracuse, Jake Crouthamel, the AD at the time who helped create the Big East, said that’s what we’re all about. We wanted the postseason. Everyone, from the janitor to the secretary to the president and chancellor of the university, understood this task.”

Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack of the Syracuse Orange directs her team during the first half of a game against the NC State Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum on February 29, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo: Lance King/Getty Images)

Legette-Jack needed to rebuild a program that lost most of its players to the transfer portal just before her 2022 arrival.

Niele Ivey led her own rebuilding project at Notre Dame, where she took over from her mentor and friend Muffet McGraw in 2020. Ivey helped the team win its first NCAA championship as a player in 2001 and then was an assistant on the 2018 team that also won the title. Now she’s the one in charge.

“It’s a dream,” she said. “I didn’t realize that coaching would be my next step after my professional career, so when I started coaching, I never imagined that my first head coaching job would be here at my alma mater, so I’m blessed.”

There were also expectations related to the program being so successful. She has been successful to this point, winning the ACC regular season and tournament crowns in her first 4 years as head coach.

She took over while the coronavirus was still raging in 2020.

“It’s certainly been really difficult to take on the responsibilities with Covid-19 and the pandemic, so it’s been an adjustment for me,” she said. “My press conference was over Zoom, so it wasn’t a standard first-year head coach, and then the next 12 months it was NIL and the transfer portal, so I got here in with an athletics vibe that modified the 12 months I got that chance, so I adjusted to that “

Head coach Niele Ivey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts from the sideline during the first half of a game against the Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 25, 2023 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ivey wasn’t the just one getting her first shot at the head coaching job at her alma mater. Megan Griffith took over a struggling Columbia program that had never made the NCAAs and had only three winning seasons before arriving as coach.

Over the past few years, she led the team to a few straight 20-win seasons, won the school’s first Ivy League regular-season championship, a runner-up finish in the WNIT and an inaugural trip to the NCAA Tournament.

This is an enormous change from when she played, with the team only winning a complete of 38 games in her 4 years.

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While most coaches who returned to their old schools made appearances during the game, Amy Williams had a special experience with Nebraska. She said she actually never imagined being a coach when she was a player.

“I was on the basketball team at Nebraska and ended up winning a scholarship after a few years. I felt honored to be a part of it and now I can host the show again,” she said. “I think sometimes when you’re in that role where, I don’t know, I joke all the time that I’m in the 30-30 club, where if we were up 30 or 30 downs, I’d get 30 seconds of game time.”

Williams stated that it can have helped her grow to be a greater coach.

“Sometimes when that’s your role, you learn a lot by being on the sideline, so you look at the game and think about it in a different way,” she said. “My dad was a high school coach my whole life growing up. I think I’ve always had a desire to watch movies, to destroy a movie. I think coaching has been in my blood for a long time.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Hugh Jackman’s attempt to silence the doubters in the face of criticism over his scandalous affair with the Broadway actress during their 27-year marriage backfired

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Australian actor Hugh Jackman (56) is in the crosshairs of Internet users due to accusations that a member of the forged of “The Music Man” on Broadway cheated on his then-wife with her friend.

Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness, 68, in April 1996, after meeting the Australian while filming the TV show “Correlli” in 1995.

Recent reports suggest that Jackman began dating “The Music Man” actress Sutton Foster, 49, while still married to Furness. At the same time, Foster was married to screenwriter Ted Griffin before the couple split in 2024.

“Deadpool and Wolverine” star Hugh Jackman was accused of cheating on his then-wife Deborra-Lee Furness (left) with his “The Music Man” co-star Sutton Foster (right). (Photos: thehughjackman/Instagram; musicmanbway/Instagram)

People flooded into Jackman Instagram page condemn the ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ star for alleged infidelity. Many critics are harshly criticizing him on his recent posts.

For example, an upset Instagram user commented: “I’m upset. I believed you were a very good guy. I used to be flawed.

In addition, someone wrote: “An affair with an actor is very unprofessional.” A 3rd person replied: “I know right! And he hid it for his image! I feel very sorry for his children and wife.”

On one other one Instagram post On Jackman’s behalf, a disgruntled fan declared, “A man who cheats on his wife doesn’t deserve my respect, much less my following.”

In response to this backlash, Jackson attempted to silence the noise and naysayers by limiting comments on his posts.

However, a supporter of the Tony Award winner responded: “So many persons are concerned about his personal life. Worry about your individual people, rattling it.

Foster also faced backlash over her cheating scandal Instagram page.

“Stealing someone else’s man is crazy,” one person said. Another faultfinder commented: “I just came upon that you just and Hugh are literally destroying the house. “Wow.”

The foster family defender asked: “Why is this person’s private life our business? Why is it that when they hear something that is essentially a “gossip,” complete strangers feel entitled to KNOW what’s true, after which feel entitled to judge and condemn?”

Despite negative reactions on the Internet, “Nas” weekly. reported that its alleged source said Jackman and Foster are having fun with a “great next chapter” as romantic partners.

“They are happier than ever,” the source said. Apparently their romance began while they were starring in “The Music Man” on Broadway.

Additionally, an individual reportedly close to Foster claimed that her relationship with Jackman led to his divorce from Furness. The case allegedly overlapped with Foster and Jackman’s separate marriages.

“Our journey is now changing and we have decided to separate to continue our individual growth,” Jackman and Furness said in a press release. People following their separation in September 2023.

Their statement added: “We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this change in each of our lives.”

Furness sparked speculation about her views on her ex-husband’s recent girlfriend by liking a post on the gossip blogger’s Instagram in which she claimed Jackman “blindsided” her by “eloping with his lover.”

However, Daily Mail. reports that her alleged insiders say Furness won’t go further than clicking a heart on Tasha Lustig’s Instagram post.

But Furness was apparently aware that Jackman and Foster had began dating before she split from the father of her two adopted children, Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19.

“Deborra-Lee had her suspicions when Hugh started working with Sutton,” an anonymous source said, according to the Daily Mail. “Their relationship is no secret to her.”

While his personal life has turn into gossip fodder this 12 months, Jackman also enjoyed box office success with the superhero film “Deadpool and Wolverine.”

The thirty fourth Marvel Cinematic Universe film grossed $637 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide. “Deadpool and Wolverine” is currently one of the most watched movies on the Disney+ streaming platform.

Jackman reprized his role as Wolverine from the “X-Men” film series in the film directed by Shawn Levy. Ryan Reynolds returned as Deadpool in the third installment of the Deadpool trilogy.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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LaMelo Ball Charlotte turns heads as she arrives at the game in Scooby-Doo’s “The Mystery Machine.”

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LaMelo Ball, LaMelo Ball Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo Ball Mystery Machine, Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, Scooby Doo, theGrio.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Say what you’ll about Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, but there isn’t any denying the 2022 NBA All-Star has a mode all his own.

The Hornets point guard turned heads on Thursday night when he I drove as much as the Spectrum Center for the team’s game against the Detroit Pistons in a colourful Hummer a reproduction of Scooby-Doo’s “Mystery Machine” – only rather more expensive than the one Shaggy and Velma rode in the kid’s cartoon.

Ball, a lover of enormous dogs, promoted the release of his Scooby-Doo x Puma MB.04, which might be released on November 27.

Ball wore vivid, multi-colored Puma shoes during warm-ups after which become vivid orange shoes for the match.

After the Hornets won 123-121 in extra time, Ball said he liked how his rental equipment was dressed up.

Ball, nonetheless, stopped in need of saying he might try to purchase one, joking, “I already have a Hummer, so I wouldn’t even bother.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Angelina Jolie’s disturbing performance in new interview sparks criticism Years after health problems caused her face to sag

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Angelina Jolie promotes her next film, “Maria”, in which she plays the role of the famous opera singer Maria Callas.

However, for some fans, the press was more about Jolie’s health and appearance than her work in film.

On November 21, Jolie sat down with Michael Strahan for an interview on “Good Morning America” ​​to discuss her fear of using her real voice to sing opera for the role and the enjoyment of motherhood. However, in the course of the chat, some fans claimed they noticed Jolie’s face looked different than usual.

In the newest interview, Angelina Jolie expresses concerns about her health. (Photo: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

One person was cited by Express US for this story he said“It looks rough.”

Another commentator on Page Six he wrote“Ok, I just read that her face looks different because she stated that she developed hypertension and Bell’s palsy, a condition that she said caused her face to droop to one side. I assumed she looked like she had a stroke, in order that explains it.

Debates about Jolie’s sickly appearance erupted when fans noticed visibly large veins on her arms during separate red carpet appearances. Even those that knew her health were still shocked and anxious by her photos.

Jolie first revealed that she had the disease in 2017. In an interview with Vanity Fair she said he said she discovered she had hypertension and Bell’s palsy in 2016, the identical yr she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt.

So when she was diagnosed with the disease, she said she wasn’t sure what could have caused it. “I can’t tell if it’s menopause or if it’s just the year,” said Jolie, then 42. “Sometimes women in families put themselves last until it manifests itself in their own health.”

However, she also said that she is trying to pay more attention to her health. “I actually feel more like a woman because I make wise choices, I put my family first and I am responsible for my life and health. I think that’s what makes a woman complete.”

Last yr, the “Maleficent” star opened up again about her condition, revealing that it was caused by the stress of ending her relationship with Pitt.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, she said he said“My body reacts very strongly to stress. My blood sugar levels go up and down. Six months before the divorce, I suddenly developed Bell’s palsy.

According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke“Bell’s palsy is a neurological disorder that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face. It occurs when one in every of the nerves that control the facial muscles becomes damaged or stops working properly, which may cause the facial muscles to droop or sag.

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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