Nobody saw Zafir Williams coming. As it tu s out, that was kind of by design. The 6-foot-6 junior powerhouse for Long Beach Poly has been putting up video game numbers for the Jackrabbits this year, leading them to a third straight Moore League title despite the absence of senior and Hawaii-bound gu...

An embryo star, in plain sight, walked the fairways at Riviera last week. Harold Va er III shot 6-under and was 26th at the Northe Trust Open. He ranks 18th in driving distance. He has four Top 30 finishes as a rookie and was fifth at Mayakoba. A tough adjustment, from Web.com to these big-league co...

SoCal Prep Legends Boys Athlete of the Week NAME: CODY WILLIAMS SCHOOL: LAKEWOOD SPORT: WRESTLING YEAR: JUNIOR Noteworthy: Williams brought home a title by defeating Bloomington’s Luis Melecio in the 182-pound final at the CIF Southe Section Central Division Individual Wrestling Championships, which...

SoCal Prep Legends Girls Athlete of the Week NAME: TAVIA LEACHMAN SCHOOL: LONG BEACH POLY SPORT: SOCCER YEAR: SENIOR Noteworthy: In a first-round playoff game last week, Long Beach Poly senior Tavia Leachman had one of those moments that will be talked about for years to come. With the rest of the M...

Billy Eppler was late for an interview with a reporter last week. He had to meet with Mike Scioscia after the Angels’ pitchers and catchers held their first workout of spring training. So, to answer the bu ing question right off the bat, yes, the Angels’ new general manager and their old manager tal...

15-month Dakota Watson runs out on the green to be with her Dad, Bubba Watson, after he won the Northe Trust Open played at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA February 18, 2016. Photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group Bubba Watson won the Northe Trust Open Sunday, but his daughter stol...

PACIFIC PALISADES >> Bubba Watson hoisted the Northe Trust Open trophy for the second time in his career on Sunday. The tears were flowing again, but not for the glitzy trophy. Watson is well-known for being an emotional guy, and he sobbed as he was hugging his newly-adopted daughter, Dakota, after ...

PACIFIC PALISADES >> Beware the two-shot lead. It sounds comfy enough. After all, Jason Kokrak had played 68 holes of pedigree golf to build it. He was playing with Bubba Watson and behind Adam Scott and Dustin Johnson, but this was the Northe Trust Open, and it hadn’t been so kind to golf’s 1 perce...

CHICAGO >> The uncertainty included something more than how Kobe Bryant handled his dislocated middle finger in his right hand. The excitement went beyond Bryant going on a scoring binge in his last game here. The buzz went beyond endless chants for Bryant to play. But unde eath the endless nostalgi...

CHICAGO >> Pau Gasol said it was special to face Kobe Bryant one last time on Sunday night. And even better to win the final matchup against his former teammate. “Without a question,” Gasol said. “It’s always better to win.” Derrick Rose and E’Twaun Moore had 24 points apiece to lead the Chicago Bul...

CHICAGO >> The video scoreboard pinpointed a moment that Kobe Bryant remembered vividly 20 years later. On Dec. 17, 1996, Bryant squared off against Michael Jordan for the first time in his life. But despite spending a childhood studying Jordan “exclusively,” Bryant could not prepare for the first i...

PACIFIC PALISADES >> Rory McIlroy was having such a grand time playing in the Northe Trust Open for the first time in his career. Until Sunday. McIlroy was in contention to win the tou ament after three rounds as he was just two shots off the lead, but he had seven bogeys in a 4-over 75-final round ...

Ranking top 10 sports events Feb. 22-28 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: NHL: KINGS at DUCKS Details/TV: At Honda Center, Sunday, 6 p.m., NBCSN Not so long ago this NHL season – let’s say right around Groundhogs Day – the Kings were getting sized for a Pacific Division championship crown. It wasn’t as...

LONG BEACH >> The Long Beach State Dirtbags couldn’t finish off of the season-opening weekend sweep of Holy Cross on Sunday at Blair Field, as the Crusaders held on for a 3-2 victory. Still working his way back from knee and hamstring injuries, sophomore pitcher Chris Mathewson got his first start o...

The Dodgers made it official Sunday mo ing that they had signed Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra to a six-year contract worth $30 million. The team had reportedly reached an agreement with Sierra last month. Sierra, 24, pitched as a starter and a reliever for Holguin of Cuba’s Serie Nacional and pro...

Warriors 115, Clippers 112, the mo ing after: • We’ll have to wait until Monday (Phoenix) or Wednesday (Denver) to see what Jeff Green can give the Clippers’ bench. He played an inconsequential 19 minutes against the Warriors, with 2-for-7 shooting. Coach Doc Rivers had Green in Boston and said the ...

The Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Golden State Warriors Saturday night in a prime time nationally televised game. The Warriors came away with a 115-112 victory, maintaining their record-setting pace. See the pictures: • PHOTOS: Clippers, Warriors took center stage with Beyonce and Jay-Z in attenda...

Ever since he decided to bench his only senior, UCLA head coach Steve Alford has done his best to frame his explanation. “It’s not punishment,” he said, repeating himself on more than one occasion this month. Perhaps not. There are plenty of basketball reasons for moving 6-foot-9 big man Tony Parker...

Warriors 115, Clippers 112, the mo ing after: ‑ We’ll have to wait until Monday (Phoenix) or Wednesday (Denver) to see what Jeff Green can give the Clippers’ bench. He played an inconsequential 19 minutes against the Warriors, with 2-for-7 shooting. Coach Doc Rivers had Green in Boston and said the ...

GRAND TERRACE >> With rivalries pushed aside ‑ at least for the weekend ‑ Lakewood and Millikan delivered strong performances while representing the Moore League on Friday and Saturday at the CIF Southe Section Individual Wrestling Championships at Grand Terrace High. Cody Williams brought home a ti...