It’s official… Arch Manning is Texas bound. The nephew of Peyton and Eli has committed to the University of Texas to play as their star quarterback. Arch was a five-star recruit who every school wanted. Georgia and Alabama were the other colleges he paid a visit to. It wasn’t a surprise the passer was the most sought-after prospect. He threw for over 63-hundred yards and 81 touchdowns in his high school career.
In a total shocker, the Orlando Magic selected Paolo Banchero as the number one pick in the NBA draft. He has hefty shoes to fill as the Duke alum becomes the fourth top overall pick in Magic franchise history, joining Dwight Howard, Chris Webber, and Shaquille O’Neal. Auburn’s Jabari Smith was the frontrunner until right before the draft.
With the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers selected Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin. The 6’7 wing averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists for a Wildcat team that earned a No. 1 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. He was a consensus all-american and the Pac 12 Player of the Year. Indiana hosted Mathurin on June 24 for an individual workout as part of the draft process. The guard fell to the Pacers after the five players expected to come off the board first heard their names called. During his post-draft conversation with the media, Mathurin said he is excited to play for the Pacers and to play alongside and leader and playmaker like Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt. He’ll join a young core that focuses on Haliburton and 2021 draft picks Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson.
While the Pacers did not select a player with connections to the Hoosier state, there were plenty of players from Indiana that heard their names called in the 2022 NBA Draft. Starting with the No. 5 overall selection, the Detroit Pistons drafted Indiana native and Purdue star Jaden Ivey. Ivey was widely project to go to the Sacramento Kings at No. 4 but the Kings elected to go with Keegan Murray from Iowa. Ivey will join last year’s No. 1 pick, Cade Cunningham, in Detroit. In one of the surprises of the first round, Lawrence Central star and Wake Forest product Jake LaRavia went 19th overall to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies traded the 22nd and 29th overall picks to the Timberwolves for No. 19 to draft LaRavia at that spot. South Bend native and Notre Dame one-and-done product Blake Wesley parlayed his All-ACC freshman season into being selected 25th overall by the San Antonio Spurs.
At the Ballparks, the Reds lost to the Dodgers 10 to 5. The Cubs fell to the Pirates 8 to 7 and the Cardinals lost to the Brewers 6 to 4.
