Nice, France (SportsNetwork. New Orleans Saints Jerseys .com) - Top seeds John Isner of the United States and Latvias Ernests Gulbis were among Wednesdays second-round winners at the Nice Open, a final clay court French Open tune-up. Isner popped eight aces in easing past qualifier, fellow American and good friend Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-3, in 77 minutes, while the Gulbis fought back to best Slovak and recent Munich titlist Martin Klizan, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-1. Next up for Isner will be Argentine Federico Delbonis, while Gulbis quarterfinal opponent will be fifth-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov. The seventh-seeded Delbonis handled French wild card Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2, 6-4, and Tursunov dismissed Dutchman Robin Haase, 6-3, 6-4. Also Wednesday, fourth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon gutted out a three-set win over Austrias Dominic Thiem, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Simon will next meet Argentine Carlos Berlocq, who upset sixth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, 6-2, 6-3. Argentine qualifier Leonardo Mayer drove out eighth-seeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, and will next face reigning Nice champion Albert Montanes. The Spaniard rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over American lucky loser Sam Querrey, who replaced an injured Frenchman Gael Monfils in the draw. Monfils was the third seed and had a bye into the second round. His scheduled meeting with Montanes would have been a rematch of last years Nice final, which was won by the Spaniard. Thomas Morstead Saints Jersey . -- Brandon Hope stopped 46 shots and Kurtis MacDermid scored with 27 seconds remaining in overtime as the Owen Sound Attack edged the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Morten Andersen Saints Jersey . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky forward Julius Randle took a lot of time and talked to a lot of people before deciding to leave after one season for the NBA draft, where he is expected to be among the top five selections. With five days left before the deadline for underclassmen to declare, the 6-foot-9 Dallas native announced the decision many expected even before he arrived as part of Kentuckys best recruiting class ever. Projected as a lottery pick from the outset, Randle solidified his draft stock by leading Kentucky (29-11) to the NCAA final behind a string of double-doubles despite being double- and triple-teamed. Randle averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds and was voted to The Associated Press All-American third team. With Tuesdays announcement, he joins guard James Young, who said last week that he would enter the June 26 draft. "Kentucky will always have a special place in my heart, but growing up as a kid, theres always been my dream to play in the NBA, and theres no better opportunity for me to achieve that goal than now," Randle said at a news conference attended by his mother, Carolyn Kyles, and teammates Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein, who rode in on a scooter. Decisions remain for three more freshmen -- twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison and centre Dakari Johnson -- along with sophomore forward Poythress, who didnt talk about his future Tuesday. But Randles announcement was the most anticipated, even though Kentuckys fan base was resigned to him becoming the latest of the programs "one and done" players. Randles steady low-post play led to positive feedback from league executives about his NBA potential. After spending the past couple of weeks talking with his family, Kentucky coach John Calipari -- who didnt attend the news conference -- teammates and others, Randle made the decision many expected. His next step is hiring an agent. "It wasnt something that we said we were going to do overnight," Kyles said of the decision-making process. "We prayed about it and talked about it for a while and decided this is the best decision for him. ... "IIt was important to know their feedback, if they thought he was ready to go out there and contribute to a team. Erik McCoy Womens Jersey. The positive feedback, there was enough of it coming from coach Cal that we felt this was the right thing to do." Added Randles mentor, Jeff Webster, "I just wanted to hear him say it, that this is what he wanted to do." Considered the best player of Kentuckys much-heralded eight-man recruiting class featuring six high school All-Americans, the 250-pound Randle was initially described by Calipari as the "alpha beast" of this talented group. The Wildcats overcame a stretch-run slump to reach the NCAA championship game before they lost 60-54 to Connecticut. Randle had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in the final, but the Huskies defence kept him from being a threat in the paint. The left-handed freshman led the Wildcats in rebounding and scoring and posted a nation-leading 24 double-doubles in spite of opponents work in limiting his options near the basket. Calipari said in a statement that Randle "was Shaqd all year -- in every way," referring to defences applied to former NBA great Shaquille ONeal. "I cannot wait to watch him shine at the next level." Randle scored nearly half of his 599 points from the foul line, as he often had to muscle his way through double teams. He also provided one of Kentuckys season highlights in late February with a game-winning putback in the final seconds of a 77-76 overtime victory over LSU, one of many hard-fought games for a gifted yet inexperienced Wildcats squad that needed all season to come together. Through it all Randle remained a steady force with physical play that reinforced speculation that he would be among the top players chosen in June. "I came here to win a national championship. I came here to mature on and off the court, and I did that," Randle said. "I came (up) one game short of winning a national championship, we did as a team. But everything we went through this year was just an experience Ill never forget. That alone kept me at peace." ' ' '
Nice, France (SportsNetwork. New Orleans Saints Jerseys .com) - Top seeds John Isner of the United States and Latvias Ernests Gulbis were among Wednesdays second-round winners at the Nice Open, a final clay court French Open tune-up. Isner popped eight aces in easing past qualifier, fellow American and good friend Jack Sock, 6-4, 6-3, in 77 minutes, while the Gulbis fought back to best Slovak and recent Munich titlist Martin Klizan, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-1. Next up for Isner will be Argentine Federico Delbonis, while Gulbis quarterfinal opponent will be fifth-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov. The seventh-seeded Delbonis handled French wild card Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2, 6-4, and Tursunov dismissed Dutchman Robin Haase, 6-3, 6-4. Also Wednesday, fourth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon gutted out a three-set win over Austrias Dominic Thiem, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Simon will next meet Argentine Carlos Berlocq, who upset sixth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, 6-2, 6-3. Argentine qualifier Leonardo Mayer drove out eighth-seeded Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, and will next face reigning Nice champion Albert Montanes. The Spaniard rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over American lucky loser Sam Querrey, who replaced an injured Frenchman Gael Monfils in the draw. Monfils was the third seed and had a bye into the second round. His scheduled meeting with Montanes would have been a rematch of last years Nice final, which was won by the Spaniard. Thomas Morstead Saints Jersey . -- Brandon Hope stopped 46 shots and Kurtis MacDermid scored with 27 seconds remaining in overtime as the Owen Sound Attack edged the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Morten Andersen Saints Jersey . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin.LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky forward Julius Randle took a lot of time and talked to a lot of people before deciding to leave after one season for the NBA draft, where he is expected to be among the top five selections. With five days left before the deadline for underclassmen to declare, the 6-foot-9 Dallas native announced the decision many expected even before he arrived as part of Kentuckys best recruiting class ever. Projected as a lottery pick from the outset, Randle solidified his draft stock by leading Kentucky (29-11) to the NCAA final behind a string of double-doubles despite being double- and triple-teamed. Randle averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds and was voted to The Associated Press All-American third team. With Tuesdays announcement, he joins guard James Young, who said last week that he would enter the June 26 draft. "Kentucky will always have a special place in my heart, but growing up as a kid, theres always been my dream to play in the NBA, and theres no better opportunity for me to achieve that goal than now," Randle said at a news conference attended by his mother, Carolyn Kyles, and teammates Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein, who rode in on a scooter. Decisions remain for three more freshmen -- twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison and centre Dakari Johnson -- along with sophomore forward Poythress, who didnt talk about his future Tuesday. But Randles announcement was the most anticipated, even though Kentuckys fan base was resigned to him becoming the latest of the programs "one and done" players. Randles steady low-post play led to positive feedback from league executives about his NBA potential. After spending the past couple of weeks talking with his family, Kentucky coach John Calipari -- who didnt attend the news conference -- teammates and others, Randle made the decision many expected. His next step is hiring an agent. "It wasnt something that we said we were going to do overnight," Kyles said of the decision-making process. "We prayed about it and talked about it for a while and decided this is the best decision for him. ... "IIt was important to know their feedback, if they thought he was ready to go out there and contribute to a team. Erik McCoy Womens Jersey. The positive feedback, there was enough of it coming from coach Cal that we felt this was the right thing to do." Added Randles mentor, Jeff Webster, "I just wanted to hear him say it, that this is what he wanted to do." Considered the best player of Kentuckys much-heralded eight-man recruiting class featuring six high school All-Americans, the 250-pound Randle was initially described by Calipari as the "alpha beast" of this talented group. The Wildcats overcame a stretch-run slump to reach the NCAA championship game before they lost 60-54 to Connecticut. Randle had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in the final, but the Huskies defence kept him from being a threat in the paint. The left-handed freshman led the Wildcats in rebounding and scoring and posted a nation-leading 24 double-doubles in spite of opponents work in limiting his options near the basket. Calipari said in a statement that Randle "was Shaqd all year -- in every way," referring to defences applied to former NBA great Shaquille ONeal. "I cannot wait to watch him shine at the next level." Randle scored nearly half of his 599 points from the foul line, as he often had to muscle his way through double teams. He also provided one of Kentuckys season highlights in late February with a game-winning putback in the final seconds of a 77-76 overtime victory over LSU, one of many hard-fought games for a gifted yet inexperienced Wildcats squad that needed all season to come together. Through it all Randle remained a steady force with physical play that reinforced speculation that he would be among the top players chosen in June. "I came here to win a national championship. I came here to mature on and off the court, and I did that," Randle said. "I came (up) one game short of winning a national championship, we did as a team. But everything we went through this year was just an experience Ill never forget. That alone kept me at peace." ' ' '
