Karl Smesko took a bold leap from FGCU to the Atlanta Dream. It paid off with a WNBA Finals run

October 16, 2026

Karl Smesko built an absolute women's basketball juggernaut at Florida Gulf Coast. His teams led the country in 3-pointers made almost every year. He had eight 30-win seasons there, took the school to the NCAA tournament 10 times in a 13-year span and was basically an annual lock for his conference's coach of the year award. But there was a ceiling. And the Atlanta Dream called him at the right time. Smesko had come to grips with the fact that winning a national championship at FGCU was highly unlikely. Highly, highly unlikely. So, when the Dream called two years ago with an offer ...

Freddy Peralta, Liam Hicks lift the Rays to a 3-1 win over the Guardians that evens the ALCS at 1-1

October 15, 2026

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With the crowd chanting his name, a fired-up Freddy Peralta pumped one fastball after another past hitters all night long. Peralta threw six innings of four-hit ball, Liam Hicks lined a two-run single after José Ramírez's fielding error and the Tampa Bay Rays beat ...

Sabalenka and Pegula beaten in the round of 32 at the Wuhan Open

October 15, 2026

WUHAN, China (AP) — Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka saved nine match points before eventually losing in three sets to Ann Li at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday in a dramatic last-32 match that saw the four-time major winner requiring treatment on her taped-up right knee. Li came from 4-2 down in the second set to beat Sabalenka, a three-time champion, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), with the American clinching victory off her 10th match point — but the first on her own serve. It is now two straight losses for Sabalenka, who was beaten by Nikola Bartunkova in the round of 32 at the China Open last ...

College football Week 7: Ohio State-Indiana and Notre Dame-BYU among six Top 25 matchups

October 15, 2026

Week 7 of the college football season stacks up to be the best so far with six games pitting teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, including a top-five showdown and another in the top 10. No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 5 Indiana in a meeting of the last two national champions. The winner ...

Gabby Williams came to Golden State on a mission to win, and she’s now going to the WNBA Finals

October 15, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO — Moments after helping the Golden State Valkyries rally to beat the defending champion Aces and earn a trip to the WNBA Finals, Gabby Williams stopped on her way back to the locker room in Las Vegas and shared a little celebratory shake with coach Natalie Nakase. Face to ...

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat could be a perfect title-chasing pairing

October 15, 2026

MIAMI — Giannis Antetokounmpo ran off the floor about an hour into the first Miami Heat training camp session of the season. He had already sweated through his practice uniform and wanted to change into a fresh one. Someone let him into an adjacent room, and he found a place to ...