Thursday Sports in Brief

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Longtime Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man along an interstate late Wednesday night as he tried to avoid hitting the man’s disabled vehicle, police say.

Syracuse police say Jorge Jimenez, 51, was an occupant in a black Dodge Charger with three others when they apparently lost control on a patch of ice and hit a guardrail before midnight Wednesday on I-690 in Syracuse.

Boeheim struck Jimenez with his GMC Acadia while trying to avoid the disabled car, which was resting perpendicular on the darkened highway. The group had been heading toward the median for safety. Jimenez was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Another man in the group suffered minor injuries in the accident, police said.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — No. 1 Duke says freshman star Zion Williamson is day to day with a mild right knee sprain.

Team spokesman Mike DeGeorge said Thursday night that Williamson is progressing as expected after he injured his knee when his left shoe ripped apart as he slipped while dribbling during the first minute of Wednesday night’s loss to No. 8 North Carolina.

The 280-pound Williamson is one of the most powerful players in the game, and he tried to plant with his left foot as his right foot was slipping. The blue rubber sole ripped loose from the white shoe, and Williamson’s foot came all the way through the large gap.

NBA

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA and its players are continuing to move forward on plans to eliminate the “one-and-done” rule in college basketball, something that the sides have been working toward for months.

The league has sent a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association on lowering the minimum age for entering the NBA draft from 19 to 18, and the union discussed the contents at a meeting in the Bahamas earlier this week, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither side released the proposal publicly.

—By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds.

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks‘ new suburban G League affiliate will be named the Skyhawks.

The team name announced Thursday recalls the former Hawks mascot Skyhawk, who was retired during the 2013-14 season. The College Park Skyhawks will share their team name with Point University in West Point, Georgia.

The Skyhawks will debut in the 2019-20 season as the NBA’s minor league continues to expand.

BASEBALL

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Padres are getting closer to getting Manny Machado in uniform and on the field.

San Diego announced its $300 million, 10-year contract with the All-Star infielder on Thursday, more than two days after the deal was agreed to.

Machado will be introduced Friday morning at spring training in Peoria, Arizona. Manager Andy Green said he hopes to get the 26-year-old superstar on the field for an afternoon workout.

The agreement, the largest for a free agent in big league history, allows Machado to opt out after the 2023 season, a point at which he will have received $150 million and be 31 years old.

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard has joined ESPN as an analyst on “Baseball Tonight.”

The network said Thursday that Howard will start in early March. He also will appear on other television and radio formats at ESPN.

Howard was a three-time All-Star and the 2006 NL MVP. The first baseman spent his entire career with the Phillies, helped them win the 2008 World Series and played his last big league game in 2016.

The 39-year-old Howard was the NL Rookie of the Year and hit 382 home runs in 13 seasons.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers will honor pitching great Don Newcombe by adding a commemorative No. 36 patch to their uniforms this season.

Newcombe died Tuesday at 92.

The team said Thursday that Newcombe will be saluted in pregame ceremonies on April 27, when he is inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball. He will also have a commemorative bobblehead.

OBITUARY

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo, who covered the Red Sox and the rest of the sport for more than three decades, died Thursday after collapsing outside the team’s spring training clubhouse. He was 62.

The newspaper said Cafardo appeared to have an embolism. The team’s medical staff responded quickly but was unable to revive him.

The Red Sox said they were saddened by Cafardo’s death and would find the appropriate time to honor his legacy.