BK INKS TWO; ANOTHER EXPECTED TODAY
Murray State Head Men’s Basketball Coach Billy Kennedy announced the signing of two student-athletes that will join the Racer program as freshmen in the fall of 2009. Isaiah Canaan, a 5-11 guard from Biloxi, Miss. and Edward Daniel, a 6-7 forward from Birmingham, Ala. signed a national letter of intent to play for the Racers. A third player, Collin Slotter, is expected to turn in his paperwork this morning.

Canaan (pronounced Cannon) is an outstanding talent from Biloxi High School where he ended his junior season with Mississippi 5A All-State honors. He was also named to the state all-tournament team after Biloxi advanced to the semifinals. Canaan was named to the Mississippi All-South State Tournament Team, the Sun Herald All-Region Team, and 5A-8 All District Team. He averaged 20 points and seven assists per game.

Canaan is ranked as the fourth-best player in Mississippi by MagnoliaPreps.com, and is a 4-star prospect (out of five) by Centercourtbasketball.com. The Clarion Ledger listed him among their Dandy Dozen. "Isaiah’s a true point guard who can do a little of everything," Kennedy said. "He’s the guy we targeted all summer and feel very blessed to get him. His leadership and toughness will give him a chance for immediate playing time." An accomplished outside shooter, Canaan hit 50 three-pointers last year as a junior for his team that went 25-7. In his first two games this season as a senior, he scored 27 and 34 points.  "Murray State is getting a well-rounded young man and a great point guard," Biloxi Head Coach Seber Windham said. "Isaiah is going to be a fantastic D-I player for MSU and he is going to make Coach Kennedy a very happy coach."

Edward Daniel is a 6-7 power forward with tremendous potential from Woodlawn High School. "Edward is a high-major athlete that plays big on both ends of the floor," Kennedy said. "I saw him take a charge on defense and get up and power dunk on the other end. He’s a special athlete that plays extremely hard and we feel fortunate to get him." Last weekend, Daniel and his Woodlawn teammates opened their season by winning the Holy Family Tournament in Birmingham. Daniel scored 21 points and hauled in 13 rebounds in the season opener against Jess Lanier High School. He has been named to the Birmingham News class of 2009 super seniors, ranked seventh on the list of the top-12 players in the metro area.

Daniel is a three-star Rivals.com recruit who averaged 14 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks per game as a junior where he was First Team All-City and Alabama 5A All-State Honorable Mention. His coach at Woodlawn is Demetrius Turner. "He has been a tremendous young man, very respectful of people around him and our coaching staff," Turner said. "He’s a dynamic athlete who can play all over the floor. He defends well and plays above the rim." Daniel played AAU ball with the Birmingham Ice last summer and was chosen as the most athletic player at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in North Carolina.

SEVEN INK WITH MSU WOMEN
MSU Women's head coach Rob Cross signed seven new players. The freshmen class has been recognized by Blue Star Basketball as the 54th best recruiting class in the nation. Murray State’s incoming class is one of a few non-BCS schools to garner Blue Star Basketball recognition this season.

Kayla Cunningham, F, 6-2, Calloway County High School (Blue Chip Elite)
Tessa Elkins, G, 5-6, Lakota West High School (Ohio Hardwood Heat)
Jessica Holder, F, 6-2, Marshall County High School (Tennessee Wings)
Aubrey Minix, G, 5-9, Oregon-Davis High School (Indiana’s Finest)
Candace Nevels, G, 5-9, Bolingbrook High School (Illinois Dream Team)
Mariah Robinson, G, 5-8, Ohio County High School
Jessica Winfrey, F, 6-0, Marion High School (Memphis Elite Flight)

Kayla Cunningham is one of two local high school standouts to sign with the Racers this season. The 6’2" forward has been a part of the Calloway County varsity team since her seventh grade season. As a junior she averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds per game while earning all-state, all-district and all-region first-team honors.

"Kayla was the first member of the class of '09 to commit to be a Racer," said Cross. "She has a good understanding of the game having played for Coach Scott Sivills at Calloway County and at 6'2" can handle the ball and step out and shoot from the perimeter. She is going to be a great role model for the younger girls in Murray and Calloway County as she represents her hometown university."

Two seasons ago Cunningham led the Lakers to a double-overtime victory in the 2007 1st Region Championship. She is also a two-time All-Paducah Sun Purchase Team selection and is expected to be a front runner for the Purchase Player of the Year award in 2009. Cunningham will likely leave Calloway County as the all-time scoring leader and will have a chance to break the all-time scoring record in both the women’s and men’s program by the end of the season.

"It has been an honor to coach Kayla over these past six years," said Scott Sivills, Head Calloway County Girls Basketball Coach. "She has taken our program to new heights. It will be fun watching her build upon the foundation at Murray State to win championships for Coach Cross and the rest of the Racer program."

Tessa Elkins comes to Murray State after playing for Andy Fishman at Lakota West High School in Hamilton, Ohio. The 5’6" guard was injured for part of the 2007-08 campaign, but averaged 50 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Elkins traveled to Los Angeles, Calif., this summer to participate in an All-American camp and caught the eye of ESPN.

"Elkins showed she’s tough enough and skilled enough to play with the best guards that came to Southern California. She is strong for her size, jumps well and is quick enough to stay in front of whoever she is assigned to guard – and she can shoot outside and score inside. Add a high basketball IQ, and there’s a player with a good future at the collegiate level," said ESPN.com.

"Tessa is a gamer. She can take over games in all aspects of play as she creates off the bound, finishes in traffic, elevates over defenses with a pro style pull up jumper and crashes the offensive glass," Fishman commented. "Defensively Tessa can stay in front of the quickest guards, read passing lanes, block shots, rebound, and in doing this make game changing plays at both ends of the floor."

"Tessa is one of the toughest competitors that I have watched play over the years. She is an outstanding athlete who can flat out defend," said Cross. "On the offensive end of the floor she is extremely quick with an outstanding mid-range game and the ability to drain the three. She will remind a lot of Racer fans of Shaleea Petty and Alaina Lee with her intensity. She will come to us with a great concept of how the game should be played having played for one of the top coaches in the state of Ohio for Andy Fishman."

Jessica Holder is the second local standout to join the Racer program for the 2009-10 campaign. The 6’1" forwards averaged 24.7 points and 11 rebounds per game for Marshall County as a junior. Holder is a strong shooter, landing 60 percent of her shots from the field in 2007-08 and 40 percent from three-point range. She earned all-state honors as a junior and sophomore. She was also one of two Racer recruits and only two of 70 juniors to be named players to be watched by MaxPreps.com.

"Jessica is an extremely versatile athlete," said Cross. "She can excel at this level with her back to the basket and can step out to shoot the three or penetrate to the basket. She is also an outstanding rebounder with a very good feel for the game. Having played for one of the all-time great coaches, in Howard Beth, she will come in and with an understanding of what it takes to be successful."

Aubrey Minix has been a four-year member of the Oregon-Davis High School varsity team, while participating in four other sports as a prep. The 5’9" guard helped the Bobcats earn a 1A State Championship in 2007 and was named to the AP Basketball All-Indiana State team for her efforts. She averaged 19 points per game as a junior while earning Northland Athletic All-Conference honors for the third consecutive season and was an Indianapolis Star all-state honorable mention.

"Aubrey is first and foremost a fantastic shooter," Cross commented. "She has deep range which will help us stretch defenses. Aubrey also has a great mind for the game and is solid in all phases offensively. She plays for her dad and he does a tremendous job with the Oregon Davis program. She has experienced a lot of success at the high school level and will certainly help us continue to build this program."

Minix is an outstanding student as well, as she is currently ranked No. 1 in her senior class with a 4.0 GPA. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and a class officer.

"Not only is Aubrey one of the best pure shooters to come out of state of Indiana, but she is also one of the games most intelligent minds that I've had the pleasure to coach and watch and develop into the great young lady she is today," said Terry Minix, head girls basketball coach at Oregon-Davis.

Candace Nevels is part of the Bolingbrook High School team that is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation by ESPN.com. Nevels helped led her team to a 27-3 overall record in 2007-08 and an Illinois State 4A Runner-up title.

"Candace has the versatility to play 3 or 4 positions for during her career here at MSU," commented Cross. "She is an exceptional athlete with a very good mid-range game and the ability to get to the rim. She is a high energy play that could become a great defender for us. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and I am certainly excited about that."

"Playing for Coach Tony Smith at one of the nation's best programs at Bolingbrook High School she has certainly learned to be tough and how to win."  Carolina Scouting Report said that Nevels "could be one of the best" national prospects in the Class of 2009.

Mariah Robinson helped to lead Ohio County to a third region title and a Sweet Sixteen semi-final appearance a year ago while earning all-tournament honors. She was named to the Kentucky All-State, all-region, and Blue Chip All-Star teams after averaging 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assist per game.

"Mariah is an outstanding athlete who can score in a lot of ways," said Cross. "She has the ability to shoot the three or attack the rim. One of the things that excites me the most about Mariah is her ability to rebound the basketball from the guard spot. Coach Brad Johnson has helped her grow as a player and person over the past few years and we are certainly excited about what she will bring to the Racer Family." Robinson shot 52 percent from the floor, 32 percent from beyond the arc, and 84 percent from the charity strip in 2007-08. She was also one of two Racer recruits and only two of 70 juniors to be named players to be watched by MaxPreps.com.

Jessica Winfrey is the third member of the 2009-10 recruiting class to garner attention from EPSN.com. The 5’11" forward is ranked as the No. 36 wing player in the nation by the website after averaging 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks per game at Marion High School (Arkansas) a year ago. She was named to the Arkansas All-State, all-conference teams for her efforts. Winfrey was also one of 80 talented players from across the country selected to participate in the Jr Phenom All America Showcase.

"Jessica is a fantastic athlete who has the potential to be a dominant rebounder in our league," Cross said. "She is relentless on the court with the ability to play several positions because of her strength and leaping ability. Coach Long has one of the top programs in Arkansas at Marion High School and she will come in with a good background to help her make the transition to this level."

Winfrey has also participated in track and volleyball as a prep. She was named to the all-state volleyball team as a sophomore and junior, and earned state all-tournament team honors the last three seasons. "We are all very excited and proud of Jessica," said Darryle Long, head girls basketball coach at Marion. "Murray State basketball is not only getting a great basketball player, but an outstanding person as well."

"When we first started putting this class together we wanted to make certain that everyone we got involved with had the character and discipline to be successful academically at a great university like Murray State and help us win championships along the path toward their degree," added Cross. "I believe that we have done just that. This is a testament to the tireless effort and ability of our entire university community. Coach Duncan, Coach Jones, Coach Hayes and Shaleea Petty did a wonderful job and have helped bring in people that we can all be proud to call Racers!"

LITTLE BROTHER JOINS BIG BROTHER AT MSU
Murray State Men’s Golf Coach Eddie Hunt announced the signing of Patrick Newcomb from Marshall County High School. Newcomb will join the Racer program in the fall of 2009 and join his brother Nick Newcomb on the squad.

CATS SIGN STRONG EARLY CLASS
UK has inked three players who put them in the top 10 according to most recruiting experts Kentucky shooting guard Jon Hood, who ranked top 30 in the class; Oklahoma center Daniel Orton, who ranked top 20 in the class; and Texas point guard G.J. Vilarino.

FOUR NEW BAMBINOS FOR PITINO
U of L officially has four new prep players: Florida power forward Rakeem Buckles, who ranked top 40 nationally; Massachusetts shooting guard Mike Marra; Washington state point guard Peyton Siva, who ranked top 50 nationally; and Indiana power forward Stephan Van Treese. The signing class overall is ranked top 15 in the USA for Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.

DAWGS RALLY PAST UMASS
SIU defeatred UMass last night 80-to-73 to earn a date with Duke next Thursday in the 2K Classic. The . Chris Lowrey’s Salukis outscored the Minutemen 52-to-34 in the second half. Carlton Fay led the way with 17 points in just 19 minutes

PEAY WINS; SKYHAWKS OPEN OVC PLAY FRIDAY MORNING
Austin Peay tuned up for the regular season with a 90-71 win over Division III Fontbonne. Drake Reed led the Govs with 26 points. The game is the final exhibition in OVC play as every league team will open play with six teams in action Friday. UT Martin will be the first team to play, as they host Maryville College in a Character Counts game at 11:30 Friday morning. More than 2,000 area students from primary, elementary, middle and high schools, will attend Friday's season-opener. Also attending the game will be several middle school and high school basketball teams. UT Martin basketball players and the coaching staff have been visiting area schools this week talking about winning character traits - trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship - and how much character counts.

LAKERS AND TIGERS READY FOR PLAYOFFS
The KHSAA football playoffs begin in our area Friday night, and the Calloway County Lakers will be holding a Community Pep Rally and bonfire tonight at 7 at Jack Rose Stadium. All Laker Fans are invited to show support as the Lakers enter round 1 of the KHSAA play-offs against the Lakers of Russell County tomorrow night at 7:30. Murray High is also at home in the first round as the Tigers welcome Hancock County to Ty Holland Stadium for a 7:30 game. Airtime is at 7pm on 1340 WNBS.

NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT

Wednesday's Results
-------------------

National Basketball Association
-------------------------------
Paul Pierce hit a fade-away jumper with 0.5 seconds to play and scored 34
points, including 23 in the second half, leading the Boston Celtics to a
103-102 victory over the Hawks, handing Atlanta its first loss of the season.

Elsewhere in the NBA:
---------------------
Philadelphia 76ers 106, Toronto Raptors 96
Indiana Pacers 98, New Jersey Nets 87
New York Knicks 132, Memphis Grizzlies 103
Portland Trail Blazers 104, Miami Heat 96
Milwaukee Bucks 82, San Antonio Spurs 78
Los Angeles Lakers 93, New Orleans Hornets 86
Orlando Magic 109, Oklahoma City Thunder 92
Washington Wizards 95, Utah Jazz 87
Sacramento Kings 103, Los Angeles Clippers 98
Houston Rockets 94, Phoenix Suns 82


National Hockey League
----------------------
P.J. Axelsson netted the game-winner in the shootout as Boston clipped
Chicago, 2-1, at the United Center. Marco Sturm scored late in the second
period for the Bruins, who have won eight of nine. Tim Thomas made 31 stops
for the win. Jonathan Toews tallied in regulation for the Blackhawks, whose
four-game win streak ended.

Elsewhere in the NHL:
---------------------
Buffalo Sabres 4, St. Louis Blues 3
New York Rangers 5, New Jersey Devils 2
Washington Capitals 5, Carolina Hurricanes 1
Phoenix Coyotes 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Florida Panthers 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 0
Colorado Avalanche 2, Vancouver Canucks 1 (SO)


Top-25 College Basketball
-------------------------
Darren Collison began his senior season on a solid note, plugging in a team-
high 19 points to go with four assists in fourth-ranked UCLA's 82-58 drubbing
of the Prairie View Panthers in opening round action of the 2K Sports Classic
Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. UCLA takes on Miami-Ohio in the second round of
the tournament on Thursday. The RedHawks topped Weber State, 70-66, in the
prelude to the Bruins showcase. The winner of the regional advances to the
championship rounds to be held November 20-21 in New York's Madison Square
Garden.


=== NFL ===

Week 11 of the NFL season kicks off tonight with a battle for first place in
the AFC East, as the New York Jets visit the New England Patriots. Both teams
are 6-3, but the Jets will take the field at Gillette Stadium on a three-game
winning streak that includes a 47-3 dismantling of the St. Louis Rams four
days ago in the most decisive victory in franchise history. The Patriots
bounced back nicely from an 18-15 loss at Indianapolis with a 20-10 win last
Sunday against Buffalo. This is the second meeting of the season between the
two bitter rivals. In Week 2 at the Meadowlands, the Patriots captured a 19-10
triumph with quarterback Matt Cassel making his first NFL start following the
season-ending injury to Tom Brady in the season-opener.

===

Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas will not play tonight. Reports have
circulated this week that Thomas will miss the remainder of the season with a
broken forearm, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would neither confirm
nor deny the severity of the injury on Wednesday. Thomas, hurt last week
against Buffalo, has been listed as out for Thursday's game, however.


=== MLB ===

Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs have been selected
as the top managers by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Maddon
won the American League award after leading the Rays to their first division
title, a remarkable 97 wins and a World Series appearance just a year after
the team lost a league-high 96 games. Maddon finished first on 27 of 28
ballots cast by two writers in each league city for a total of 138 points,
beating Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire, who received the other first-place vote
and 58 points. Piniella, after leading the Cubs to their second straight
National League Central title, captured the NL award after twice previously
being named the AL's top skipper. He received 15 first-place votes, eight
seconds and placed third on four other ballots for 103 points, 36 more than
Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel, who picked up eight first-place votes.

===

The Baseball Writers' Association of America will continue to dole out their
postseason awards on Thursday, as the American League's Cy Young Award winner
will be announced. Cleveland lefty Cliff Lee appears to be a lock for the
award after going an MLB-best 22-3 with an AL-leading 2.54 ERA, second in the
majors only to Johan Santana of the New York Mets (2.53 ERA). His 22 wins were
tied for the major league lead with Arizona's Brandon Webb, who was the
National League's runner-up for the Cy Young Award to San Francisco's Tim
Lincecum on Tuesday. Lee, who had to fight for a rotation spot in spring
training after a miserable 2007 campaign that saw him spend some time in the
minor leagues, threw four complete games, including two shutouts, and struck
out 170 batters in his 223 1/3 innings, allowing just 214 hits and 34 walks.
Lee's main competition will come from Toronto Blue Jays righty Roy Halladay,
who was 20-11 with a 2.78 earned run average and a major league-best nine
complete games, including two shutouts.

===

The Colorado Rockies made it official Wednesday and shipped outfielder Matt
Holliday to the Oakland Athletics for reliever Huston Street, starting pitcher
Greg Smith and outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez. Eligible to become a free
agent at the end of the 2009 season, Colorado reportedly had offered Holliday
$68 million guaranteed over four years (plus a fifth year option that could
have taken it to $85 million), but he turned the deal down, instead wanting to
hit the open market. Holliday, a two-time All-Star and the runner-up for the
2007 NL MVP, batted .321 last season -- his fourth straight .300 campaign --
but saw his power numbers dip, as he hit 25 home runs with 88 runs batted in.
It was the first time since 2005 that he failed to top 30 homers and drive in
100 runs. Street, the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year, compiled 18 saves in 25
chances last year before losing his closer role late in the season, but has 94
saves and a 2.88 earned run average in 247 appearances. Smith was 7-16 with a
4.16 ERA as a rookie last year, while Gonzalez hit just .242 in 85 games as
a rookie in 2008.

===

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton underwent a procedure Tuesday to
repair a labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery to his non-throwing shoulder
was done by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. In 2008, Upton batted .273
with nine homers, 67 RBI and 44 stolen bases. In the playoffs the 24-year old
was sensational, batting .288 with seven homers and 16 RBI in 16 games, as the
upstart Rays lost the World Series in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Team vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in a story on
MLB.com that he expects Upton to be ready for Spring Training.


=== NBA ===

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden returned to action on Wednesday
against the Miami Heat. The center was not in the starting lineup and played
16 underwhelming minutes, finishing with three points, two rebounds and two
blocks while sitting on the bench during crunch time in Portland's 104-96
victory. Oden was expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks with a right foot sprain
sustained in a season-opening 96-76 loss to the Lakers. The seven-footer
missed six games, but Portland managed a 4-2 record in his absence. The
amiable big man, who missed his entire rookie season after a right knee
injury, sprained the foot early in the first quarter in his long-awaited
debut. The ensuing MRI exam and CAT scan confirmed no surgery was required.


=== NHL ===

The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday that executive vice president and
general manager Brian Burke has stepped down, and that former senior vice
president of hockey operations Bob Murray will replace him. The Ducks had been
in the midst of talks with Burke on an extension to his current four-year
contract, which expires after this season. But the 53-year-old Burke
respectfully declined, and instead will assume the role of special consultant
to the CEO to fill out his contract. Burke has served as Ducks GM since June
20, 2005, and under his watch the Ducks reached the Western Conference finals
in 2006, and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history the
following season. Murray, who joined Anaheim's front office in July 2005,
served as a professional scout for Vancouver from 1999-2005 under then-GM
Burke, who led Vancouver's front office from 1998-2004. Murray, also 53,
served as GM for the Blackhawks from 1997-99.


=== COLLEGE BASKETBALL ===

North Carolina senior forward Tyler Hansbrough will likely miss the Tar Heels'
season-opener Saturday against Penn because of a stress reaction condition in
his right shin. UNC announced Wednesday that Hansbrough, the reigning national
player of the year, will probably not be recovered from the injury in time for
Saturday's game. Hansbrough, sidelined since the last week of October with the
injury, has not missed a game during his three years at North Carolina. The
Poplar Bluff, Missouri native averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds last
year, leading the Tar Heels to a school-record 36 victories and a Final Four
appearance.