Chapman High School athletes were recently honored with all NCKL recognition in boys and girls basketball,and wrestling.

Chapman boys basketball:

Chapman girls basketball:

Chapman wrestling:

 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Udoka Azubuike had practiced once in the last 11 days because of a lingering knee injury, and the mammoth Kansas forward’s three-minute stretch in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was about as underwhelming as his herky-jerky free-throw stroke.

He managed to go 22 minutes against Seton Hall on Saturday night.

The Jayhawks needed all of them.

Azubuike stood toe-to-toe with the Pirates’ bruising Angel Delgado, and he drew enough attention on offense to spring his high-scoring guards for open looks. The result was a 28-point performance from teammate Malik Newman, 16 more from Svi Mykhailiuk, and a gritty 83-79 victory that pushed the top-seeded Jayhawks to their third consecutive Sweet 16.

“If ‘Doke wasn’t able to come back from his injury, we don’t win,” coach Bill Self said. “I was hoping for 20 minutes. That was what I was hoping. And he could have played more.”

Lagerald Vick added 13 points for Kansas (29-7), which converted every crucial play down the stretch to advance to the semifinals of the Midwest Region. The Jayhawks will face the winner of Sunday night’s game between Auburn and Clemson next week in Omaha, Nebraska.

Delgado finished with 24 points and 23 rebounds in a virtuoso effort for the No. 8 seed Pirates (22-11), who snapped a four-game NCAA Tournament skid in the opening round. But he was less effective when Azubuike was in the game, a matchup that often sounded like battleships colliding.

“It stinks, basically, to leave like this,” Delgado said, “because we had so much expectation. We wanted to win every game, be the best team in the tournament.”

Khadeen Carrington finished with 28 points, many of them on 3-pointers in the closing minutes, and Myles Powell added 14 as the pair of guards tried in vain to keep Seton Hall alive.

It was 71-66 with 53 seconds left when Devonte Graham made two free throws for Kansas. Carrington kept answering for the Pirates, but the Jayhawks were unflappable at the foul line.

“I think it was the four-minute timeout, Coach told us in the huddle we were in the bonus. Just get down there, keep getting fouls,” said Newman, the MVP of last week’s Big 12 Tournament. “I was able to hit them quick and I was able to get to the line and make my free throws.”

Kansas led just 31-26 at halftime, when Delgado had already piled up 12 points and 12 rebounds, and was forced to make some significant adjustments in the locker room.

On defense, Self called for double-teams on Delgado whenever he got the ball down low, especially when Azubuike was sitting on the bench. On offense, he had his guys throw it to Azubuike on the block or rely on Mykhailiuk — by nature a 3-point specialist — to slash to the basket.

Together, they helped the Jayhawks stretch their lead to double digits.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — As soon as Jordy Nelson was released by the Green Bay Packers, the Oakland Raiders put on a full-court press to acquire the former Pro Bowler.

His former position coach and coordinator in Green Bay, Edgar Bennett, and new Raiders coach Jon Gruden immediately called to bring him out for a free-agent visit. Quarterback Derek Carr picked him up at the airport and gave him a tour of the Bay Area.

Then the Raiders offered a two-year deal worth a reported $15 million that persuaded him to cancel his other scheduled visits and sign with Oakland.

“The plan was to make some other trips, but you never know what’s going to happen,” Nelson said Thursday. “You get to place and you enjoy it and they enjoy it. Obviously, there’s a financial part of that. One thing I didn’t want to do is fly around the country just because. I didn’t want to waste my time or anyone else’s time.”

The Raiders wasted little time Thursday attempting to rebuild under their first-year coach, releasing receiver Michael Crabtree to make room for Nelson; signing safety Marcus Gilchrist, linebacker Tahir Whitehead, running back Doug Martin and fullback Keith Smith; and finalizing deals with blocking tight ends Derek Carrier and Lee Smith that had been agreed to earlier in the week.

But the most high-profile move came at receiver, where Nelson hopes to bounce back from a down season and help Carr and the Raiders get back to the high level they produced at in 2016.

The 32-year-old Nelson struggled last season with 53 catches for 482 yards and six TDs, recording a career-low 9.1 yards per reception as Aaron Rodgers missed more than half the year with injuries.

“I can make plays,” Nelson said. “I look forward to just getting out, getting in rhythm with Derek and start forming that chemistry with him that I’ve had with Aaron for the last 10 years. Continue to build off that. Just see what happens. Go out there and play my role in this offense. Make the plays that are available.”

Nelson had made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and won AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 when he led the league with 14 touchdown catches a year after missing the entire season with a right knee injury.

Nelson had four 1,000-yard seasons in Green Bay, including 1,519 yards on 98 catches in 2014. In 136 career games, he has 550 catches for 7,848 yards and 69 TDs.

Crabtree had a $7.7 million cap hit for this season but there is no dead money with his release. The 30-year-old Crabtree had 232 catches for 2,543 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons with the Raiders.

The other big moves came on defense where Oakland added two potential starters to fill holes at safety and linebacker.

Whitehead joins the Raiders after spending his first six seasons with Lions. He has 378 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, four interceptions and 18 passes defensed in 93 career games.

Gilchrist has played seven seasons with the Chargers, Jets and Houston. He has 11 interceptions, 33 passes defensed, four sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He will likely step in as a starter alongside Karl Joseph.

Martin, who grew up in nearby Stockton, is a two-time Pro Bowler but averaged just 2.9 yards per carry the past two seasons, the lowest for any back in the league. That was part of what led to his release by the Buccaneers last month.

He joins a running back room that is currently led by Marshawn Lynch, along with youngsters DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.

“I have been the lead back for most of my career, but what enticed me in coming here is the potential for this team,” Martin said. “We have Gruden coming. The front line and just being home. I was born here. This is my homecoming. Those are the things that enticed me on signing here.”

The 29-year-old Martin rushed for 1,454 yards as a rookie in 2012, including 251 in a win at Oakland. He also ran for 1,402 yards in 2015 but has failed to reach 500 yards in any of his other four seasons as he was hampered by injuries and a suspension for performance-enhancing substances.

Keith Smith gives the Raiders another fullback along with Jamize Olawale. Smith, a converted linebacker, played only sparingly on offense with the Cowboys but was an important part of the special teams under coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who now holds the same job with the Raiders.

Carrier has 36 catches for 327 yards and one TD in 50 games in his career. He caught eight passes for 71 yards last season with the Rams.

Lee Smith joined Oakland originally as a free agent in 2015 and has been a strong run blocker in his three years with the team. He played 35 games, missing most of the 2016 season with a leg injury. He has 26 catches for 175 and one touchdown with the Raiders.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Barry Brown scored 18 points and ninth-seeded Kansas State posted a 69-59 wire-to-wire victory over No. 8 Creighton on Friday night despite playing without leading scorer Dean Wade.

Mike McGuirl added 17 points and Kamau Stokes had 11 as the Wildcats won a first-round NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2012.

Wade had been expected to play after suffering a stress fracture in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, but never got on the floor. His teammates picked him up, particularly on defense.

Creighton came into the game ranked 10th in scoring in Division I at 84.3 points per game, but the Wildcats (23-11) limited the Bluejays to 59 points, tying their season low. Creighton (21-12) shot just 33.8 percent from the field, including 26 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Leading scoring Marcus Foster was held scoreless in the first 28 1/2 minutes and finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting against his former team.

Foster was booted off the Kansas State team after the 2015 season for multiple violations of team rules, but said earlier this week this game was more about advancing than any type of revenge. He took responsibility for his mistakes, saying it was something that he needed to go through to grow up.

But Foster was never found his rhythm. He didn’t score until making a driving baseline layup with 10:30 left in the game.

The Wildcats jumped out to 10-2 lead behind Kamau Stokes, who scored the game’s first seven points. They never trailed.

Creighton cut the lead to two after Mitch Ballock scored seven straight points for the Bluejays to open the second half. But Kansas State stayed ahead and McGuirl completed a four-point play after being fouled on a baseline jumper to give the Wildcats an 11-point lead with 7:13 remaining in the game.

The Kansas State women’s basketball team will host Utah Sunday in the second round of the WNIT at Bramlage Coliseum.

The game will tip off at 4:30 p.m.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have released veteran receiver Jordy Nelson, the third-leading receiver in franchise history and one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ top targets in the passing game.

The Packers announced the move Tuesday, a day before teams can begin to sign free agents.

Nelson had 550 receptions and 69 touchdown catches in 10 seasons in Green Bay. But his production declined last season with Rodgers sidelined much of the year by a collarbone injury.

Nelson’s release figures to foreshadow more moves for the Packers, who could use an upgrade at tight end. Jimmy Graham is one of the top free agents available on the market.