Sports
www.NorthernStar.info/Sports
Thursday, April 21, 2016
15
In Brief
Baseball falls in midweek match Northern Star staff
The Associated Press
Jimmy Butler (far right) congratulates teammates during an April 13 game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls won the game 115-105.
Changes looming for troubled Bulls The Associated Press
DeKalb | The Chicago Bulls made
one thing clear in the aftermath of a bitter season — no one is safe. The Bulls aren’t ruling out anything in the wake of a season that began with high expectations and ended with them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with a lackluster 4240 record. There were injuries, questions about leadership and a disjointed locker room that ultimately produced what might be the most disappointing season in the franchise’s 50 years. Executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson acknowledged the Bulls miscalculated by thinking the core group could make one more run at an Eastern Conference championship. He and general manager Gar Forman also acknowledged no player is untouchable. Here are some things to look for as the Bulls try to regroup:
Bulls playoff runs 2014-15: Second round 2013-14: First round 2012-13: Second round 2011-12: First round 2010-11: Third round
Angeles. “It’s not just those two guys [Rose and Butler]. Those two guys are the leaders, but we need everybody as a whole to come together.” The Good News
The league’s salary cap will increase tens of millions of dollars each of the next two offseasons. That means the Bulls will have the opportunity to add veterans in the coming years to a roster that includes young players in Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis. And they figure to Biggest Need get some relief if Pau Gasol opts Unity, a hallmark of previous out of his contract as expected. Bulls teams. Cracks started appearing last year and they got big- The Bad News ger this season. It wasn’t just Rose Expiring contracts such as and Butler, either. Rose’s — $21.3 million next sea“When I first came here three son — aren’t quite as coveted as years ago, we dealt with a lot of adver- they used to be with the cap insity, but we were tied in as a group,” creasing. That could make tradMike Dunleavy Jr. said. “That’s kind ing him a little more difficult. of fallen apart a little bit.” Getting it back will hinge Hitched to Hoiberg largely on the moves Paxson and After a successful five-year run Forman make, Hoiberg’s growth coaching his alma mater Iowa in his second season, the team’s State, Hoiberg’s transition to the health and some soul searching NBA was a rocky one. by the returning players. “Would I change? Would I be “I think it’s a whole team collective, more vocal, more direct? Maybe,” group thing,” said Taj Gibson, who Hoiberg said. “We’ll evaluate that plans to work out with Butler in Los as we go in the offseason.”
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DeKalb | Baseball (12-24, 7-5 MAC) lost its second straight game Tuesday, dropping a close 7-6 game to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Huskies fell behind early, trailing 3-0 after three innings. The Panthers got on the board early after a solo home run in the second inning from junior outfielder Cole Heili. Trailing 5-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, NIU bursted for a four-hit, five-run inning, taking a 6-5 lead. The Huskies’ big inning came after they went two consecutive innings without a hit. The Panthers shot right back in the top of the seventh, reclaiming the lead after a home run from junior infielder Eric Solberg and an unearned run from senior outfielder Luke Meeteer on an error. The tworun inning gave Milwaukee a 7-6 lead, which it held onto for the remainder of the game. “It was a disappointing game today but we did a nice job of battling back,” said NIU head coach Mike Kunigonis, according to an NIU Athletics news release. “We can’t spot teams five runs in the first five innings and expect to win games, and we’ve done that a little bit too much in midweek games. We saw some good things offensively and we hit a ton of balls hard but right at people. That’s baseball, and unfortunately we were at the wrong end even though we swung OK. We have to get back to work and be ready for our series with [University at Buffalo] this weekend.”
Football sets date for Homecoming Northern Star staff
DeKalb | Football officially announced the date for its 110th Homecoming game, which will take place Oct. 22 against the University at Buffalo at Huskie Stadium. All of NIU’s 2016-17 home games will include themes, and its Homecoming game will feature the team welcoming youth football teams to the game as part of Youth Football Day. The Huskies’ last Homecoming game came against Eastern Michigan University on Oct. 24, 2015. NIU edged the Swoops in a 49-21 rout for its 69th alltime Homecoming win.
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