DSUSD High School Sports are Back, O.B.J. is Banned from LSU, Pelicans New Head Coach

Local high school sports are slowly making a comeback! Sports programs within the Desert Sands Unified School District have made plans to get their athletes back to training in school facilities, safely of course. All fall sports are allowed to have small groups of players doing strength and conditioning training only. A few athletic programs we know of are hitting the ground running with this clearance by the school district, as early as next week.

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Here we go Aztecs! Varsity will begin small group conditioning on Monday the 26th and will meet each week Monday-Thursday from 6pm to 7pm. Players will be notified during Friday's meeting if they are included in the first group. Freshman will begin November 2nd, followed by JV November 9th and will alternate weeks. Players MUST be cleared through the Athletic Office and bring a signed copy of the Covid waiver to the first day of practice in order to participate. Please check your email on Wednesday for additional instructions and important safety information.

A post shared by PDHSFootball (@pdhsfootball) on Oct 20, 2020 at 10:57pm PDT

Palm Desert high school is getting ready to have baseball and football players begin their limited practice this coming Monday, and Shadow Hills high school also has a similar plan for their football program, they will begin conditioning training this Monday as well.

Earlier this year after the LSU Tigers won the national championship over Clemson, Odell Beckham Jr. had reportedly given away $2000 in cash to players on the field after the game. After hearing about that, the NCAA decided to investigate that situation. The NCAA prohibits athletes from profiting off of their school or likeness because only the pros can get paid. That investigation has not concluded yet, however, LSU has decided to self impose measures, in hopes of helping their case. To start, LSU has banned O.B.J. from their facilities for two years, and LSU is also voluntarily removing eight scholarships from their football program over a two-year period and reducing their recruiting visits. LSU’s basketball program is also up against similar allegations, minus the O.B.J. factor.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a new head coach, Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy has reportedly agreed to a multi-year deal with the Pelicans and will take over a team on the rise. Van Gundy has also confirmed this via Twitter:

I’m excited to join a talented New Orleans Pelicans team. It will be an honor to work with our players and to work for Mrs. Benson and David Griffin, Trajan Langdon, their staff and the great people of New Orleans. I can’t wait to talk to our players and get the process started

— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) October 21, 2020

He led the Miami Heat for three years, the Orlando Magic for five, and most recently called the shots for the Detroit Pistons from 2014-2018. Now he will get to work with young stars, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram. Stan Van Gundy has a career coaching record of 523-384 in the NBA.