Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • C3

Reno Gazette-Journal 3C the 1600. Her dad had played baseball, in high school at McQueen and Reno, and in the minor leagues, and he taught Hayley how to play softball, which she did on travel teams. But for her, the joy was gone. taught me the game, but it feel the same she said. enjoyed running, so I thought, why not try running instead of She also wanted to try to help change the landscape of athletics at North Valleys, which has not seen much success since the school opened, 16 years ago.

Hayley said one of her goals since she arrived on campus as a freshman has been to help the school earn more respect. Her mother, Beth Collins, said Haley has been extremely driven since she was a small child. knew what she wanted and she worked hard for Beth said. always had goals in mind. I was worried she was pushing too In the eighth grade, Haley announced to her parents that she wanted to be the valedictorian in high school.

She asked the school counselor how to accomplish that goal. Then she took the honors classes required, and she studied constantly, even on the road at softball tournaments in other states. She got up early to take zero period in school. It all helped as she earned straight on her report card, never getting a or worse in any class. Hayley took it upon herself to help her family deal with their death.

said I want to fall apart. I said going to have to be an adult now, now that my dad is Hayley said. Her mother said sports helped Hayley cope. was hard on all of us. We all coped with it a little differently.

We had to go through counseling. I let them all do what they felt they needed to do to be able to Beth said. around other kids and doing sports and being able to go somewhere and having to be at practice did help her get through it. Sports were her way of knowing that she had something to do, a purpose. Not just sitting around the house and being upset.

still times when hard on Hayley has a twin brother, Hunter, who played football at North Valleys and an older sister going to school at UNLV. Hayley will study biology with a minor in political science at Nevada with the plan to possibly go to medical school. Collins and all the Top 10 student-athletes selected by the NIAA will be honored at a banquet at the Peppermill on April 26. Student-athletes The following (five boys five girls) were selected as NIAA-Lifetouch Photography Top 10 Student-Athletes of the Year in Northern Nevada: Hayley Collins, North Valleys Graciela De Leon, Fernley Matthew Garcia, Reed Kyra Hunsberger, Reno Samantha King-Shaw, Reed Mathew Longland, Sparks Cardayell Morgan, North Valleys Connor Pearson, Reno Peyton Sakelaris, Galena Whitney Skabelund, Churchill County Collins Continued from Page 1C LOS ANGELES Frank Mason III of Kansas and Kelsey Plum of Washington won the John R. Wooden Award as national players of the year Friday night.

They received their trophies during the third annual College Basketball Awards in a nationally televised show from The Novo in downtown Los Angeles. Mason also claimed the Bob Cousey point guard of the year award. The senior became the first player in Big 12 history to average 20 points and 5 assists in aseason. you step out on court you have to play with toughness. You be a punk out there, you have to play with Mason said.

been a good year. I say great because a great year to me is winning it The Jayhawks were eliminated by Oregon in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament Plum became the NCAA Div. I career scoring leader (3,527 points). She also set marks for single-season points (1,109) and career free throws made (912). Mason won the Wooden Award over Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Caleb Swanigan of Purdue and Nigel Williams-Goss of national runner-up Gonzaga.

Mason had already earned player of the year honors from The Associated Press and Atlanta Tipoff Club. want to thank John R. Mason said, referring to the late UCLA coaching great. want to thank my parents, coaches and teammates. Nothing would have meant more to me than the national championship, but I really appreciate Plum claimed the Wooden Award over Connecticut teammates Na- pheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson, Ohio Kelsey Mitchell, and Wilson of national champion South Carolina.

Hall of Famer Ann Myers Drysdale presented Plum with the trophy as daughter, Nan, looked on. Plum set the career scoring record with a 57-point effort in one game. grateful to the University of Washington, my coaches and my teammates. Something like that happen without great said Plum, adding that she ate a few packets of applesauce on the sideline that night. was what got me he said.

Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw received the Wooden Legends of Coaching award. Other winners were: Przemek Karnowski earned the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar center of the year for averaging 12.2 points on 59 percent shooting and 5.8 rebounds. Abdul-Jabbar was on hand to present to the 7-footer from Poland. Malik Monk won the Jerry West shooting guard of the year for his SEC-leading field goal percentage of 37.3 and SEC second-best 19.8 scoring average. West presented his namesake trophy.

Josh Hart took home the Julius Erving small forward of the year after leading the Big East with 18.7 points per game. Erving handed out the trophy. Johnathan Motley of Baylor accepted the Karl Malone power forward of the year award from the Hall of Famer. He led the Big 12 with 9.9 rebounds. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Mason, Plum win Wooden awards BETH HARRIS ASSOCIATED PRESS BUFFALO, N.Y.

Jon Jones vows done with the drama both legal and drug-related that has sidetracked the last three years of his UFC career. Three months from completing a yearlong doping ban, Jones said Friday he is focusing solely on reclaiming the light heavyweight title lost twice due to suspensions. used to do a lot of dumb (stuff). A lot. A just took so much for Jones said peppering his comments with profanities during a news conference.

afford to do (stuff). You know, people love to hear some Jon Jones drama. And just done giving it to Jones was at times reflective during a25-minute news conference held a day before UFC 210 is held in Buffalo. And yet there were also times Jones revealed he lost much of the familiar trash-talking bluster he previously expressed when he was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. He referred to himself as greatest mixed martial artist ever walked this in speaking to the media for the first time since being suspended in July.

And itching for the opportunity to return to the cage. One reason Jones will be in the audience on Saturday is scouting the light heavyweight title bout between defending champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. sure going to be pumped up afterward and majorly motivated and inspired to get back in the gym to get back Jones said. The only questions are when first fight will take place and face. Jones say whether immediately return for UFC 213, which is scheduled a week after his suspension is lifted.

As for his opponent, depend on who wins Saturday One thing is certain. Jones afraid to provide a return volley in a war of words that has escalated between him and Cormier this week. Cormier accused Jones of grand- standing by showing up to Buffalo when not fighting. And he warned Jones to stay away from the cage on Saturday or bad might Jones laughed it off. should see what he meant by that, maybe go in Jones said.

yeah, I have no intentions of going in there and harassing the guy. I want him to enjoy his last moments with the Jones and Cormier, of course, have a history. The only blemish on 18-1 record is a loss to Jones. The two have twice scheduled rematches only to have both canceled due to troubles. That included the most recent bout in UFC 200 last July.

And Cormier was awarded the light heavyweight belt only after Jones was stripped of it in early 2015, when he was suspended by the UFC following his involvement in a hit-and-run accident Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones had successfully defended his title eight times through 2013. But fought just three times over the past four years. The latest absence has provided Jones pause. more grateful now for the things been able to accomplish than I was back when I was accomplishing he said.

realize I had a lot and it hurts not to have it. And I know how much work going to take to get it most frustrating, Jones was already in the process of turning around his life before his latest suspension, which he blames on an estrogen blocker used in a sexual enhancement pill. Roethlisberger plans to return in 2017: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger quite ready to head off into retirement. Roethlisberger announced on Twitter Friday that told the Steelers he plans to be under center in 2017. the team I am looking forward to my 14th Roethlisberger posted.

Nation will get my absolute The two-time Super Bowl winner, who turned 35 last month, hinted after loss to New England in the AFC championship game that he needed to take stock before committing to returning. Though everyone from coach Mike Tomlin to general manager Kevin Colbert to team president Art Rooney II believed Roethlisberger would be back, Roethlisberger kept quiet publicly until Friday. Roethlisberger passed for 3,819 yards and 29 touchdowns for Pittsburgh as the Steelers went 11-5 and won the AFC North for the second time in three years. 49ers CB Brock arrested in domestic violence case: San Francisco 49ers starting cornerback Tramaine Brock has been arrested after being accused of hitting a woman he was dating. Police reported Friday that officers responding to a domestic violence call said they talked to a woman with visible injuries and arrested Brock at his Santa Clara home on Thursday night.

Jail records showed him still in custody Friday afternoon. The 49ers originally signed the 28- year-old as an undrafted free agent in 2010 out of tiny Belhaven University, an NAIA school. He cracked the starting lineup in 2013 and is in the last year of a four-year, $14 million contract. He started all 16 games last season, finishing with one interception and 48 tackles. stolen 2015 Super Bowl jersey to be displayed: One of Tom two Super Bowl jerseys that were recovered by Mexican authorities and retrieved by the FBI last month is going on display at the New England Hall of Fame.

The team announced Friday that the grass-stained jersey Brady wore in the New 2015 Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks will be available for viewing at The Hall at Patriot Place at Gillette Stadium beginning Saturday. That jersey, along with the one Brady was wearing in comeback Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons, were found after authorities obtained a warrant to search property of Martin Mauricio Ortega, a tabloid journalist who colleagues say went to the game with a media credential, but bragged he was there as a fan. In addition to 2015 Super Bowl jersey, nine other game-used artifacts from that game will also be displayed. MLB says no violation in Molina stuck ball: Major League Baseball has looked into that bizarre ball that stuck to the chest protector of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and determined there any rules violation.

Molina said he had no idea what happened when a pitch bounced into his protector and clung to it Thursday against the Cubs. He later was asked if he put something sticky there and the Gold Glove star dismissed it as a Catchers sometimes dab pine tar on their shin guards to help give them a better grip on throws. MLB Rule 3.01 prohibits players from intentionally discoloring or damaging balls with foreign substances, and the penalty is an ejection and 10- game suspension. But simply having sandpaper, an emery board or some sticky agent on a uniform or in his possession is only a violation for the pitcher. Flu bug bites Red Sox again: Ramirez, Betts out of lineup: Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts are out of the Boston lineup Friday because of a flu bug that has hit the Red Sox hard in this first week of the season.

Boston also put left-hander Robbie Ross on the 10-day disabled list Thursday because of the flu. That move was retroactive to Monday. Betts, Ross and Brock Holt all sat out win over Pittsburgh because of illness. Holt was in the starting lineup Friday at Detroit as the designated hitter. NBA says Charlotte is eligible to host 2019 All-Star Game: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says Charlotte will be eligible to host the 2019 All-Star Game after a recent change to a North Carolina law that limited anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.

Silver says Friday the Board of Governors discussed it during their meetings this week and made what was an easy He says a done that Charlotte will get the game, because the league would need assurances of anti- discriminatory policies for venues that would host its events and hotels they would use. But Silver says it is his that Charlotte would get the game if those assurances were met. He says those requirements would need to be met within about the next month. Charlotte was scheduled to host the game this year, but the NBA pulled it over its objection to the so-called The law has since been replaced with a compromise bill and the NCAA said this week it would again consider North Carolina to host championship events. Lonzo father blames white for UCLA loss: The father of UCLA star Lonzo Ball says the Bruins lost in the NCAA Tournament because white pick up the slack after his son injured his hamstring.

LaVar Ball tells Southern California News Group that you win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too The comment appears to be a reference to UCLA starters T.J. Leaf, Bryce Alford and Thomas Welsh. Ball says his son his during the loss to Kentucky in the round of 16. Lonzo Ball never mentioned the injury publicly, but his father says never going to make Lonzo Ball is projected to be a top pick in this NBA draft. Denver Butcher wins Hobey Baker Award: Denver senior Will Butcher has won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey.

services IN BRIEFMIXED-MARTIAL ARTS Jones as confident as ever while serving latest ban JOHN WAWROW ASSOCIATED PRESS JOHN Mixed-martial arts fighter Jon Jones says he wants his light heavyweight title back. AP Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for 3,819 yards and 29 touchdowns for Pittsburgh as the Steelers went 11-5 and won the AFC North last season..