Holtz gives his final public speech

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, a 1954 East Liverpool High School graduate, gave what he called his final public speech of his life on Thursday before the fifth annual Lou Holtz Classic golf tournament at Trump International Golf Club.

Holtz, 88, was speaking on behalf of the America First Policy Institute.

“I’ve always believed I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth simply because I was born in this great country,” Holtz posted on X. “That’s why my commitment to the American Dream has never wavered and never will. We must protect what makes America exceptional. We cannot let God down; we must always do what’s right.”

Browns, Wright agree to $33 million extension

BEREA (AP) — Defensive end Alex Wright has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday worth $33 million, including $21 million guaranteed.

“It’s life-changing. I feel like this is the best fit for me, not only this defense but playing alongside Myles (Garrett),” Wright told reporters on Thursday. “I couldn’t get that anywhere else. I feel like I grew up here.”

Wright, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, is in the final year of his rookie contract.

He is third on the Browns with three sacks and is tied for seventh with 23 tackles along with eight quarterback pressures. Wright missed most of last season after suffering a triceps injury in the fourth game.

“He is a physical presence in the run game. He’s got great size. You know, some of our best plays on the edge are Alex taking on pullers and knocking tight ends back. And, those are things we really value. And he’s rushed really well for us, too, and been a good complement (to Myles Garrett),” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said.

“You know, pass rushers aren’t cheap, finding those guys in the free agent market. So, I think it’s a good sign for us that we’re developing some players and getting production out of guys like Alex and Zay (Isaiah McGuire) and Cam (Thomas) and all across the board.”

Despite being 2-8, the Browns are ranked first in the league in pass defense and second in total defense.

Wright suffered a quadriceps injury against the New York Jets on Nov. 9 and could miss a second straight game when the Browns are at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Crosby may miss Browns game

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was added to the injury report Thursday with an injured knee going into Sunday’s home game against Cleveland.

Crosby was limited in practice, as were defensive tackles Jonah Laulu (ribs) and Leki Fotu (heel). Crosby has dealt with knee problems this season, so it’s unclear if this was a new injury.

He also has a history of playing through injuries. Other than last season when Crosby didn’t play five games because of an ankle injury, he hasn’t missed a game since entering the league in 2019.

He has four sacks in the past five games and six for the season. Crosby also has 14 tackles for loss.

Louisville bowlers down Salem in opener

LOUISVILLE — Louisville topped Salem 2,317-2255 in a boys bowling season opener Wednesday. Leading the Quakers were Vinnie Yannucci with games of 234-206 for a 440 series, Tanner James with games of 203-201 for a 404 series, Caden Arcuri with games of 184-181 for a 365 series and Luke Spielman with a 180 game.

Klusch leads Grove City

GROVE CITY, Pa. — Junior middle blocker Kendra Klusch from Alliance led the Grove City College women’s volleyball team into the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in 39 years.

Klusch repeated as a first-team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference selection after leading the conference with 109 total blocks and a 1.05 blocks per set average. Klusch also owns the conference’s top hitting percentage, as she has scored on one-third of her attacks, good for a .333 hitting percentage. She averaged 1.66 kills per set and served 18 aces in the regular season.

Grove City (20-9) lost to three-time defending national champion Juniata (28-5) in the NCAA Division III opening round, 25-15, 25-23, 28-26, Thursday at TowneBank Arena in Virginia Beach. Klusch collected four blocks, three kills and two digs.

NBA ratings highest in 15 years

(AP) ­– National NBA games being shown on NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video or ESPN have drawn more than 60 million viewers through the first month of the regular season, the league announced Thursday, noting that is the highest opening total in 15 years.

That doesn’t include the 2011-12 season, which opened on Christmas Day — traditionally one of the biggest viewership days on the NBA calendar. Still, it’s a very positive sign for the league through the season’s first four weeks and with this being the first of an 11-year, $76 billion deal with its broadcast partners.

NBA content has commanded more than 30 billion views across social media platforms operated by the league and third parties, which is a record for this point in a season. Sales of merchandise on NBAStore.com is up more than 20%, the league added, with those numbers driven in part by who the league calls “next generation stars” — like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic.

NBA League Pass has seen subscriptions go up 10%, with time spent viewing games on the platform up 8%, the league said.

And it’s not just screens seeing good numbers.

In-arena attendance so far is on pace with last season, which was the second-best for attendance in league history with about 97% capacity leaguewide to this point. There are 10 teams that entered Thursday having sold out every home game so far this season — the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. Other teams, like Atlanta and Charlotte, are up nearly 10% over last year’s attendance numbers.

Buckeyes move to 5-0

COLUMBUS (AP) — Christoph Tilly scored 17 points, John Mobley Jr. added 15 to lead Ohio State to a 91-58 win over Western Michigan on Thursday night to remain unbeaten.

Amare Bynum added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Devin Royals had 10 points and 10 boards. Bruce Thornton scored 11 points for the Buckeyes (5-0), who shot 49% and made 9 of 29 3-pointers.

The Buckeyes scored 32 points off 16 turnovers and outrebounded the Broncos 49-30.

Brady Swartz had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jayden Brewer added 12 points for Western Michigan (2-4), which shot 34% and made only 5 of 22 from the arc.

The Buckeyes had the lead for good within the first 10 seconds of the game and used a 17-0 run to go up by 23 with six minutes left in the first half. Mobley scored 10 points in the opening half as the Buckeyes took a 49-24 lead.

A 20-2 run early in the second half expanded the lead to a game-high 43.

Ohio State completes its season-opening six-game homestand against Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday.