The NHL team moving from Arizona to Salt Lake City will be known as Utah, at least initially, until a long-term name is determined. “We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” new owner Ryan Smith told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We’re going to be Utah either way. We have the first part of the name. We don’t have the last.” Smith Entertainment Group, which bought the franchise formerly known as the Coyotes in a deal unanimously approved Thursday by the league’s Board of Governors, has already contracted ad agency Doubleday & Cartwright for rebranding efforts. Former owner Alex Meruelo keeps the Coyotes name and has the chance to reactivate the franchise if he’s able to build an arena. The short timeline of relocating the club could mean it has a placeholder name for the first season, like the Professional Women’s Hockey League did for year one or Washington’s NFL team had in 2020 and ’21 before becoming the Commanders. “It’ll be Utah something, obviously,” Smith said. “It’s really important that we’re not saying, ‘Hey, this has to be ready by the fall,’ especially

PHOENIX (AP) — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sat next to the former Arizona Coyotes owner in a downtown Phoenix hotel meeting room, trying to put a positive spin on the funeral for a franchise. Later Friday, Bettman sat next to the new Coyotes owner in Salt Lake City to bask in the excitement of the league’s newest city and a fan base that had been itching for another team to join the NBA’s Utah Jazz. One day, two drastically different news conferences for the same hockey team. Arizona Coyotes Chairman and Governor Alex Meruelo, left, speaks as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, listens as they hold a news conference regarding a provision for Arizona to get an expansion team if a new arena is built within the next five years with the announcement of the current team relocating to Salt Lake City, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Phoenix. The Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City after NHL Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Meruelo to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, with Meruelo retaining the Coyotes’ name, logo and trademark. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Ross D. Franklin “If you look back from the

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kevin Young wants to turn BYU into a breeding ground for NBA talent. Young, who was introduced as the Cougars’ new head basketball coach on Wednesday night, said he plans to use his NBA experience and player development skills to turn Provo into an NBA pipeline for the players while building a consistently successful program in the Big 12. It’s a major selling point Young used when he first met with his current roster that’s already seen three major contributors — Dallin Hall, Aly Khalifa and Richie Saunders — enter the transfer portal since Mark Pope left to coach Kentucky. “These guys are all hungry to get better,” Young said. “That’s been obvious since I talked to them. They’re just dying to get better and dying to have a little specificity on what that looks like for each one of them.” BYU has a coach who has the experience to back up the NBA development talk. He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Suns in 2020. After one season on the Phoenix coaching staff, Young was promoted to associate head coach in 2021. Joining BYU qualified as an

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City. The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the way for the franchise’s move to Utah next season. The deal includes a provision for Arizona to get an expansion team if a new arena is built within the next five years. The deal will be facilitated through the NHL, with $200 million going to league owners as a relocation fee. “We expressed our interest publicly with the NHL,” Ryan Smith told The Associated Press. “It’s probably been two years where we’ve said, ‘Hey, look, we really believe Utah can be an incredible hockey town.’ You look at all the demographics, we were just talking about the Olympics and you think about the Olympics coming back. It all kind of made sense.” Smith will take over the franchise’s hockey operations and Meruelo will maintain his business operations in Arizona in an effort to secure and develop a tract of land for a new arena in north Phoenix. Meruelo also retains ownership of the Tucson Roadrunners, the franchise’s AHL affiliate,

PROVO, Utah (AP) — BYU hired Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young to replace Mark Pope, who left to coach Kentucky, the school’s athletic director announced Tuesday. Young will continue to coach with the Suns during the NBA playoffs before joining BYU, but he will work on retaining current players, contacting recruits and assembling a coaching staff during the playoffs. “Kevin is someone we have had our eye on for a while,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a press release. “He has risen to the top of NBA assistant coaching ranks. He has been a lead candidate for NBA head coaching jobs and has been instrumental in developing top-level NBA talent. Kevin will bring a new perspective, with an extensive NBA background to our program. He is a phenomenal fit at BYU.” This is Young’s first head coaching job at the NCAA Division I level. The Salt Lake City native spent eight seasons coaching in the NBA G-League, with head coaching stints at the Utah Flash, Iowa Energy and Delaware 87ers. Young spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Suns in 2020. He was promoted to associate head coach in

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Steve Kerr firmly believes his team still has a shot to make a splash this postseason — facing a familiar foe to start the uphill quest. Klay Thompson scored 25 points with six 3-pointers, Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 123-116 in the regular-season finale Sunday and wound up with the 10th spot in the Western Conference. “We have a really good connection on this team, good chemistry, guys pulling for each other. So I’ve got a good feeling about what’s ahead,” Kerr said. “I think we still have a chance to do something special. Now, obviously, it’s NCAA Tournament, we’ve got to get out of the first weekend here, win the first two and get to the first round, but we have a shot, so we’re excited about that.” With the Lakers winning at New Orleans and the Kings beating Portland at home, Golden State will head to Sacramento on Tuesday as the No. 10 seed to face the ninth-seeded Kings in the Play-In Tournament. The Warriors won a thrilling first-round playoff series last year against their Northern California rival with Stephen Curry scoring 50 in the

TEMPE. Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes will likely be sold to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith shortly after the team’s final game and will include a provision guaranteeing current owner Alex Meruelo an expansion team if a new arena is built within five years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday. The $1 billion sale is expected to happen between the Coyotes’ final game of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday and the start of the playoffs on Saturday, barring unforeseen circumstances, the person said on condition of anonymity because the planned deal has not been announced. The deal will transfer the franchise’s hockey operations first to the NHL and then to Smith, who plans to move the team to Salt Lake City, and Meruelo will maintain business operations to move forward with a planned $3 billion project that will include a new arena in north Phoenix. Meruelo also will continue to own the Tucson Roadrunners, the franchise’s AHL affiliate, and plans to move the team to Mullett Arena in Tempe, the current temporary home of the Coyotes. Once an arena is built, Meruelo will pay back the $1 billion and move forward with

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored a season-high 27 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Clippers 110-109 on Friday night after playoff-bound Los Angeles clinched the fourth seed in the West. Bones Hyland led the Clippers with 20 points off the bench and Amir Coffey added 16. Dallas’ loss to Detroit ensured the Clippers’ seeding and put the Mavericks in fifth before the Clippers tipped off. The Mavs and Clippers will meet in the first round for the third time in five years. “Getting the fourth seed in a tough conference — you got four teams that won 50 games — it means a lot to have the homecourt advantage in the first round,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Winning our (Pacific) division for the first time in 10 years says a lot about just staying with it even through tough times.” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed his seventh straight game with right knee inflammation and is not expected back until the playoffs start next weekend. “Hopefully, he will be playing,” Lue said. “That is what we want to see.” The Clippers beat Denver, Utah, Cleveland and Phoenix shortly after Leonard went down. “To win four

Arizona Coyotes players have been informed the NHL club is expected to relocate to Salt Lake City, a person with knowledge of the meeting said Friday night. General manager Bill Armstrong flew to Edmonton, Alberta, to tell players about the team’s potential move to Utah before its game against the Oilers, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced. Players and officials could visit Salt Lake City next week, possibly as soon as after the season finale Wednesday, which could be the final game at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe. Coyotes players were not available following Friday night’s 3-2 overtime win over Edmonton and coach Andre Tourigny said he would only take questions about the game. “This team has been through a lot of adversity,” Tourigny said. “The first time the rumor came around, we didn’t manage it well and we shoot ourselves in the foot, went on a 14-game losing streak. Our guys are showing how proud they are, how much they care for each other and how much they want to have success with each other. It’s cool to feel that, cool to see them cheering each other and

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Luka Samanic scored a season-high 22 points to help the Utah Jazz snap a 13-game losing streak with a 124-121 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. Keyonte George chipped in 20 points for the Jazz, who finished 21-20 at home this season. Brice Sensabaugh added 17 points and Talen Horton-Tucker had 16. Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored a season-high 14 points and added nine rebounds. Houston made 21 3-pointers and outscored Utah in second-chance points and fast-break points. The Jazz persevered and found a way to get in the win column for the first time since mid-March and end the third-longest losing streak in franchise history. “That desperation that we played with throughout most of the game, but in particular in the second half, is who we’re aiming to be always,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. Fred VanVleet knocked down nine 3-pointers and scored a season-high 42 points for the Rockets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. VanVleet was 9 for 13 from 3-point range while also tallying seven assists and seven rebounds. But he also went just 3 of 17 from inside the arc. Cam Whitmore added 18 points while