From career landmarks in the professional ranks, to high school signing classes and big fundraising goals, these are the top headlines involving Utah State sports from late last week and over the 4th of July weekend. Source link
On July 4, the United States of America will celebrate 250 years since the start of what George Washington called “the great American experiment.” A longstanding era of freedom and democracy in North America that is being celebrated for its continuance. But on July 1, in a farming community inside this 250-year-old country, it was the end of an era that was being celebrated. The end of Utah State University’s tenure as a member of the Mountain West Conference officially ended as the clocks struck midnight on June 30, 2026. Enter the Pac-12 era of Utah State Aggies Athletics. This journey began in late 2024 when Utah State, led by a different president and athletics director, announced it would depart the Mountain West and join Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State in rebuilding a shattered Pac-12. But even for those like the current athletics director, Cam Walker, who has only experienced a few months of this hype, the anticipation has been real. In an interview with KVNU and 106.9 The FAN, Walker said the feeling of finally being past the July 1 deadline was “incredible.” “The excitement and the opportunity we have to build here is
Summer League games might end a few minutes earlier than usual this year. The NBA announced Thursday that the “one free throw rule” will be used at the summer leagues happening this month in Salt Lake City, Northern California and Las Vegas. The rule — designed to speed up play — means any foul that would typically result in the awarding of one, two or three free throws will instead result in a single free-throw attempt. That attempt will be worth the same total number of points as the free throws it replaces. The G League has used this rule since 2019-20. The rule doesn’t apply to the entire game. Standard free-throw rules — two shots for a two-shot foul, etc. — will be utilized for the last two minutes of fourth quarters and in all of overtime. It’s unclear if the one-free-throw rule will make it into NBA games, but Summer League has been a proving ground for eventual rule changes. The G League and Summer League have been used many times in recent years as testing labs for the league before bringing rule changes or amended policies into NBA games. Among those that started at those levels and
Walker Kessler is being traded by the Utah Jazz to the Los Angeles Lakers, who will have the center under contract for the next four seasons and for a total of about $130 million, according to a person with knowledge… Source link
The Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are returning to Las Vegas. The Pac-12 announced the return to MGM Grand Garden Arena on Wednesday, the official relaunch of the conference with seven new members. “Bringing the next era of the Pac-12 and our basketball tournaments back to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena is a testament to the strength of our teams and brands,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement. “With combined dates and new formats for both our men’s and women’s events, our rich basketball legacy meets transformation with exciting new energy.” The Pac-12 previously played in Las Vegas from 2013-24 before an exodus of teams threatened the future of the conference. The conference played at MGM Grand from 2013-16. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State officially joined the conference on Wednesday. Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining teams from the previous incarnation of the conference, which now has nine full-time members with 12 new affiliate members. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NBA Summer League rosters are being finalized and announced this week. These squads feature a mix of top-flight draft prospects like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, along with scrappy underdogs fighting and clawing for the limited remaining NBA roster spots. Multiple former Utah State basketball stars are in the former camp. The Aggies saw five players exhaust their eligibility at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, but none were selected in the NBA Draft. The options for professional basketball, if these players choose to pursue that career, lie in taking the long way around — through summer league, G League and maybe a two-way contract — or going international. We’ve already seen a mix of both options. At least four former Aggie standouts have signed professional contracts. Three will be participating in the NBA Summer League, with another signing a contract to play in Europe. There’s also an ongoing lawsuit involving two former USU players seeking an additional season of eligibility. Utah State 2026 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Transfer and Roster Tracker Drake Allen Exhibit 10 Contract with the Detroit Pistons Drake Allen is the most recent Aggie to join the pro ranks. He signed an Exhibit 10
Photos by Lorene Hale / For additional information about Lorene’s work (or inquiries about purchasing her photos) email her at 307lorene@gmail.com. Source link
The era of the Mountain West Conference is officially over for Utah State. July 1 marks the day on which all of the old MW logos are unceremoniously dropped in the trash and sandblasted off the fields, to be replaced by the newly redesigned Pac-12 shield. Still, the 13 years the Aggies spent as a member of the Mountain West were productive. Utah State went from a school questionably capable of competing in the league to winning nine conference championships in the 2025-26 academic year alone. That success made the baker’s dozen seasons largely enjoyable for the Utah State faithful. In honor of the 13 years the Aggies were in the Mountain West, here are the top 13 of those moments, ranked by a vague combination of significance to the prestige of Utah State and their perceived popularity among fans. Naturally, this is going to end up with bias toward football and men’s basketball, but there’s plenty of room for the great accomplishments of USU’s other often-successful programs. As a note, the definition of “moment” for our purposes is a bit broad. These can be something that happened within mere seconds or span multiple seasons. Some moments are also bundled
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Like the Winter Olympics, Masters Tournament and Formula 1 races before it, the World Cup is inspiring some young people to try a new sport and others to imagine themselves on an international stage someday. Researchers even have a name for the motivating influence of major sporting events: the “demonstration effect.” For many parents, though, such excitement can present daily challenges and weighty decisions. How much time and money should families put into a sport a child could outgrow after one season? How can parents tell whether an interest will last? And how can they distinguish between encouragement and too much pressure? Here’s what parents and academic experts say about supporting children in healthy ways and giving them some agency over their participation. Give children the lead in their sports experience When children discover a new sport, adults are tempted to invest in equipment, lessons and competition early on. But experts say a slower approach gives families time to determine if a newfound interest is likely to stick, especially since children often cycle through hobbies as they grow. Instead of committing to full seasons or ongoing lessons right away, consider more affordable, less time-intensive ways for
The NCAA recently passed a new age-based eligibility model for college athletes, doing away with the old system that had become a magnet for lawsuits and piles of waivers from athletes trying to game the system and play additional seasons. This new model provides athletes with five years from the time they enroll in college or from the time of their 19th birthday. No more 24-year-old professional players entering college for the first time, nor will there be a string of endless injury or mental health waivers. You get five years. No more, no less. The implementation of these rules opened the door to some confusion, primarily in how current athletes will be impacted by these rules. In its press release about the new rule, the NCAA clarified exactly how current and future athletes’ eligibility will be affected. Impact of new NCAA Eligibility Rules Athlete Situation Impact From New Rules Used final year of eligibility in 2025-26 No additional eligibility granted Current athlete with eligibility remaining beyond 2025-26 Either the previous rules OR the new age-based model, whichever is most beneficial to the athlete. Athletes who sign at any point during 2026-27 Either the previous rules OR the new age-based
