Got the privilege to get a behind-the-scenes look at what
@Ramos019
and
@jaimeNFLpantera
do every Sunday. Ended up with this story — about the
#Panthers
' Spanish-speaking broadcasters who sing a joy everyone can understand.
STory for the
@theobserver
:
The full response from Adam Thielen on that controversial Romeo Doubs catch that was ultimately upheld after official review. The play was made right in front of Thielen and a few others on the sideline.
“Kind of what you get when you play the Packers.”
Cool moment here: Jadyn Davis, a top QB prospect in the country who just wrapped up his senior season with a state title for Providence Day, is greeted by
#Panthers
QBs at practice.
He’s interning with a local TV station (part of a PD program) before he heads to Michigan.
Charlotte is in a rough sports place right now.
The Charlotte Hornets are lottery draft contenders every year.
The Panthers 0-4 for first time in over a decade.
Charlotte FC is 14th of 15 teams in the MLS Eastern conference table.
A bit of the post-race melee from my view. Kyle Busch to Ricky Stenhouse: “Look at what you started you f—— b—,” adding, “I sucked just as bad as you. Let it go!”
Jeremy Chinn, once integral to the
#Panthers
' long-term future, enters free agency ready to go "somewhere I'm wanted."
On his journey in Carolina, how he slipped through the cracks amid many regime changes, and why he told
@theobserver
"change is needed."
Some life news: Friday will be my last day at
@RHHerald
. Being a part of this newsroom, this community, this paper’s history — it’s all meant so much to me. I’ve been so blessed. In August, I’ll begin with
@theobserver
, covering NASCAR and Charlotte FC, living an absolute dream.
.
@MLS
commissioner Don Garber says Walkes taped a video ahead of Black History Month, where at one point he spoke directly to his daughter, Ayla.
“The world is improving, but you will still face challenges. … But I want you, Ayla, to know that I’ll always be there for you.”
“…a part of him and my father died the day this place closed.”
Spoke to
@DaleJr
fans, met Wilkes County natives and heard from the guy himself who’s leading the fight to preserve NASCAR history — it all turned into a star-aligning week in
@NWBSpeedway
:
Adam Thielen offered an honest, optimistic take on
#Panthers
facility plans Monday.
“We probably have the worst facilities in the NFL right now. … Everyone’s excited to see that follow through and to get those resources to be at our best.”
@theobserver
:
Some Friday news: I’m staying at
@theobserver
but will be shifting into a new role covering the Carolina Panthers. Honored, blessed, happy. Partnering up with my friend and one of the best in the game,
@mike_e_kaye
, too. Let’s work!!
Some personal news...
Come next week, I’ll start at The Rock Hill Herald (
@RHHerald
), reporting and editing sports. I’m beyond thankful to continue doing what I love — and I can’t wait to serve this paper’s community.
#ReadLocal
UNC's Mack Brown spoke for ~38 minutes today. In this time, he:
(1) Curated and narrated the highlights of 18 enrollees
(2) Answered questions about re-recruiting the players he's inherited & making UNC the best recruiting university in state
Talk about a rebirth in Chapel Hill.
David Tepper here at Panthers practice. Talking with assistant GM Dan Morgan, a few steps away from GM Scott Fitterer. A lot of important people for a Friday practice.
#Panthers
first-round pick Xavier Legette greeted by a very happy David and Nicole Tepper and a bunch of Pom-Pom waving fans. All smiles around Bank of America Stadium. I spot some South Carolina Gamecock jerseys as well.
The running backs are in a vocal mood today! Miles Sanders gets popped after a four-yard gain and stays on his feet and finishes out his run. The typically soft-spoken RB then points to where media members stand:
“All y’all been talking on me — I got something for you!!”
#Panthers
defensive lineman Derrick Brown broke a pretty significant NFL record today. Here’s part of his postgame interview. And, yes, those are his teammates in the background.
Some of those sound bites:
“OMG Derrick Brown!!!”
“Tell ‘em they snubbed you from the Pro Bowl!”
The Bryce Young-Johnathan Mingo connection has come alive. Big toss over the middle. About 20 yards. Young has been spreading the wealth all camp, but Mingo is emerging as a target against other competition.
Young is 8-for-11 in 11s work so far today.
It's over. Wow. 52-50.
South Pointe, against all odds, wins its first state championship. Only led twice all game. Head coach Melvin Watson collapses to the floor. Story to come.
Sights & sounds … 2 pm… North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Moonshine & Dierks Bentley & people in their seats 3 hours early &
@bobpockrass
meeting the people … as the world ought to be 🏁
USC head coach Will Muschamp has been here in the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center for 8-plus hours. Been in pretty much the same seat, too.
Still one game to go (after this one, still in 4th quarter) to see Northwestern's Ger-Cari Caldwell.
#Panthers
offensive coordinator Thomas Brown walks into his presser today resolute, saying he was a grown man and that he’d handle this change like a grown man.
More on his response to giving up play-calling again:
Funny story how
#Panthers
’ Jaden Crumedy got into football: One day when Jaden was in 5th grade, his mother got pulled over by a police officer with Jaden in the car. The cop was a coach & he said “If he comes out to practice I won’t give y’all a ticket.” Now Jaden’s in the NFL.
Outside Turn 3, there stands a scoreboard at
@savethespeedway
. On Sunday, like the old days, it’ll be manually run by a family that has called Wilkes County home for generations.
A story about dune buggies, family and finding new in old, for
@theobserver
:
He only had one year to excel in the
@Winthrop_MBB
program. And he did. But then external circumstance ended it all.
My profile on Hunter Hale — the D2 prospect turned mid-major star, who didn't get the chance to end his special career on his own terms:
Dave Canales asked by
@mike_e_kaye
about WR room, particularly the guys behind Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, who’ve had a lot of fanfare.
First name: “Mingo.”
Xavier Thomas, 6-4, 245lbs DE for Clemson, met with the
#Panthers
during NFL combine. The six-year college athlete said his fastest 40 was 4.49 (a little over that today but still quite fast among his position). Said he’d bring effort, toughness to any team that believes in him.
Stories flowed freely and were heard by the several hundred who attended Tuesday’s service. And a truth was affirmed in those stories: Walkes was one of those people who seemed to be loved everywhere he went.
Story for
@theobserver
+ great 📸 gallery:
Practically all of the
#Panthers
’ starting offensive line was in attendance today for their new head coach’s introductory press conference. Asked guard Austin Corbett about it; he reminded me of something obvious.
That and more about his first impressions on Dave Canales.
Happy to announce that
@shelbymswanson
, sports editor of
@dailytarheel
, has been awarded the 2024 Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship by the Charlotte Hornets Foundation (
@HornetsGive
).
She'll be honored on-court during the Hornets game tonight.
The Rock Hill Schools Board of Trustees is holding a special meeting as I type. The board passed a back-to-school plan on Monday — but Gov. McMaster’s urging to have a 5-day-a-week in-person option conflicts with that plan.
Meanwhile, outside, a teacher-led protest begins.
First piece published by the
@newsobserver
! Excited for an exciting summer ahead. Here's a quick update on the NBA draft eligibility status of notable college basketball players from the Triangle:
Ron Rivera, the
#Panthers
' beloved and winningest head coach, will always be 'Coach' in Charlotte. It's how every fan greeted him at Quail Hollow today.
But he's pulling for Dave Canales to be the city's next "Coach." "I really believe Dave can do that."
Postgame interview with head coach Melvin Watson, who had to wipe tears away before conducting the interview.
He’s been at the South Pointe helm for a decade. Now, the former USC basketball great is a state champion.
A Tottenham fan.
A former Atlanta United employee.
The owner of a food truck which Anton Walkes & his family frequented.
Those who stood in Thursday's quiet crowd felt like they knew the
@CharlotteFC
defender. On the end of an emotional day:
A league source confirms Thomas Brown, the
#Panthers
' offensive coordinator in 2023, will not return to Carolina in 2024. This adds to the plethora of decisions made on the Canales coaching staff front last night, including the choice not to retain ST coordinator Chris Tabor.
Bryce Young and Brian Burns sharing some nice bro moments before (and during, see video!) Young’s press conference. Some wholesome
#Panthers
content for you all.
Also … for what it’s worth… SpiderMan is a journalist in the early movies 🤝
Bryce Young goes through first 11-on-11 series of the day. Goes 1-4. First toss? 30+ yard gain to DJ Chark on the sideline.
Then three drops: First Tommy Tremble in the flat (QB pressure), Chark on a slant, Theilen on a crossing route.
FINAL ‼️: 86-66, Great Falls over High Point. Red Devils punch ticket to state championship game on March 7.
Postgame interview with a smiley senior forward, Kelton Talford:
“
@JThreadgill12
is a phenomenal teammate — on the floor and off the floor. Jackson only cares about
@CharlotteMBB
being successful.”
A story about pink shoes and Threadgill Thanksgivings and hitting big shots, for
@theobserver
:
Bryce Young with another clean if not flashy 11s series. Took two sacks, yes, but also did his Aaron Rodgers impression when he danced in pocket and fired a dart to Shi Smith over the middle with his feet not set under pressure.
Spoke to Mike Krzyzewski, the indelible
@DukeMBB
coach, for
@theobserver
’s latest edition of “Sports Legends of the Carolinas.”
We discussed his attempt at resignation in the mid-1990s, the ACC’s “magical decade,” Dean Smith, the future of CBB and more:
Baker Mayfield as the *official* starter taking snaps with 1s in scrimmaging today. Showing scrambling ability.
Not throwing to a full, healthy WR corps. Panthers haven’t had Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall practice together in weeks.
The
@Winthrop_MBB
season can be defined by late-game deficits and unthinkable comebacks and "luck."
And the team's comeback protagonist?
@patgood00
— someone who hasn't seen anything he can't come back from (and he's seen a lot).
A story of perseverance:
Here’s
@ridge_catawba
senior and
@umichsoftball
Janelle Ilacqua after her team’s tough loss in today’s state championship finale.
Composed and thoughtful and gave credit to North Augusta. Story on the game to come soon.
First
@Winthrop_MBB
practice of the 2021-22 year is underway. Lot of energy and new faces.
Rock Hill native and junior big man DJ Burns has clearly been working on his perimeter game 💸
It's no secret that
@RHHSGirlsBBall
is stacked.
Region 4-5A champs✅
No. 1 team in SC 5A basketball ✅
They're also a "sisterhood" — figuratively and (for a few players on the team) literally.
Meet the 3 sisters who help make RH the team to beat in SC:
He grew up in Rock Hill, SC, making beats on the family computer and sending them to anyone who'd listen.
A few years later,
@yungiceybeats
helped produce on Future's latest album — which went gold within 30 minutes of dropping.
On Icey living his dream:
AYLESHA WADE. PULL UP JUMPER. 10 SECONDS LEFT.
Sumter jump shot falls short. Clover rebound. Dribbles out the clock.
The Blue Eagles win, 40-38. They are — at long last — state champions.
“At the end of the day," he said, "my identity is who I know I am, and who God knows I am."
@nicsciba
responded to a missed kick better than any kicker ever has in the history of college football. The Clover grad's story of family, faith and resilience:
Xavier Legette says he didn’t have a great day. Didn’t have any catches. Says he could’ve done a better job of getting open, using his hands to jar his defender in coverage off the line.
"It's bittersweet because you know, one day, it's going to end."
A story about a father and a son on the same football team — and their last run together:
Here in Raleigh’s Bicentennial Plaza, where in an hour
@RoyCooperNC
and
@DaleJr
, among other dignitaries, are expected to announce that
@NWBSpeedway
will be home to the 2023 Cup All-Star race — bringing the once-forgotten, once-abandoned racetrack back to the Cup Series.
.
@FootballSPHS
is his alma mater.
@BeaufortFB
is where he rediscovered who he was.
And when they play for a championship on Thursday, it'll be a milestone in an inspiring journey for
@HolloMan21
— one filled tragedy, triumph & love.
For
@rhheraldpreps
:
“I feel like I (reflect) from time to time. But really, I don’t have time to do that because there’s always something else I gotta go get.”
@NickMcCloud4_
, a
@FootballSPHS
star, is taking his chances in the NFL Draft. He's bet on himself before:
A lil snippet of a postgame interview with
@WaymondJeneret3
— the prolific South Pointe WR who made the play of Friday night when
@HolloMan21
put him on defense on the game’s last meaningful possession.
@FootballSPHS
moved to 1-0 in region play.
Story:
Reports of David Tepper at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille are not exaggerated one bit.
Talked to the owner of the Charlotte bar that caught the attention of the
#Panthers
' billionaire owner Thursday. He said Tepper was friendly ... but didn't buy a drink.
FINAL: South Pointe 24, Greenville 14
The Stallions are heading to the 4A state championship game. First appearance since 2017 — the last time they won it all.
Story to come soon!!
Here at
@TeamHendrick
this morning, where Alex Bowman and the 48 team are hosting
@The_USO
& other volunteers for an event packing meals.
Below is the 48’s paint scheme for the
#Coke600
at
@CLTMotorSpdwy
this weekend. No decision yet on who will be in the car on Sunday.
“I know the potential with this team.”
@NHSTrojans
basketball coach Caleb Gaither talks about some big performers from Friday’s 60-53 win over rival South Pointe and about why he thinks the Trojans can make a run come playoff time 🏀
Breaking News: The Charlotte City Council approves the sought-after $650M in public money to help renovate Bank of America Stadium, home of the
#Panthers
and
#CharlotteFC
. Vote goes 7-3.
Spent the afternoon talking to some
@CharlotteMBB
guys after the team’s pair of big wins last week. Had some time in between interview sessions … so you know I had to show Halton Arena what Charlotte may or may not have missed out on!!
#GoldStandard
⛏️🧱
Community members and
@CharlotteFC
fans beginning to gather here in front of the East Gate at Bank of America Stadium, where flowers are being dropped to honor the life of Anton Walkes. Cameras, silence, shock, grief. Walkes was only 25.
“Me, personally,” Lu’Cye Patterson said of his teammate
@bgotit_
, “I was waiting for a game like this from him.”
The story from
@charlottembb
’s win — about its silky smooth guard and his career night, for
@theobserver
:
Here’s Waymond Jenerette of
@SPHSstallions
, the man who scored the game’s first points and overcame a late-game cramp and helped lead the Stallions to do something they’ve never done before.
Did you ever think the comeback was impossible? “Never,” he said.
DJ Chark shakes loose Donte Jackson on a one-on-one deep route. Play ends with Jackson on the ground and Chark spinning the ball in celebration in the end zone.
Been telling
@mike_e_kaye
for weeks: Buy stock in Chark!
Canales supervised the resurgence of Geno Smith in Seattle and the breakout of Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. This will be his first head coaching job.
Canales, who is Mexican American, will become the second Panthers head coach with a Latino heritage; Ron Rivera was the first.
The
#Panthers
are closing in on a deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Dave Canales to be their next head coach, a league source confirms.
@RapSheet
had it first.
“I have no clue why I didn’t play.”
#Panthers
WR Terrace Marshall didn’t see the field vs the Lions — after recording a team-high 9 catches the previous week.
Marshall expressed surprise. Frank Reich accepted blame. More on this below, for
@theobserver
:
“This senior class gave everything to this program.”
Here’s
@C_Rasmussen13
— one of several
@FMHSbaseball
seniors and ECU signee — after Saturday’s loss. Dealt a heck of a game and had a great career.
Yesterday, I got the chance to talk to two-time NBA champion and UNC alumnus
@DGreen_14
about a variety of things — from his "roller coaster" of an NBA career, to his youth basketball camp in the Smith Center next weekend. Check it out:
"I hate that I had to go through what I had to go through," Holloman said. "But it prepared me to be there for them."
A story about an undefeated South Pointe football team, its coach — and their journey together after their own losses:
And that’s a wrap for
@SrRogelioAranda
🥲
This guy is saying goodbye from
@theobserver
after nearly 24 years. A great editor and human and source of light in the office. He will be dearly missed 🏁
Here’s a snippet from
#Panthers
great Mike Rucker, a pass rusher on one of the franchise’s most formidable defenses. On the importance of keeping this unit together:
Pretty cool thing. Bryce Young taking a photo with every camper. Reminds me of how younger Alex would stand in line for a photo during Roy Williams basketball camp back in the day (iykyk). That, plus a video of the madness from earlier; the camp took up the whole field.