The Saints new tight end, Colby Fleener, says he’s excited about the opportunity to play with quarterback Drew Brees. Fleener calls the decision to sign with New Orleans a no brainer and believes the Black and Gold is only a few players away from making a championship run…
cut 30 (15) “…Super Bowl”
Fleener’s contract with the Saints is for five years at 36-million dollars. In other Saints news…cornerback Brandon Browner has been officially released, while former New Orleans running back Khiry Robinson has signed with the New York Jets.

LSU says an MRI on linebacker Kendell Beckwith’s knee came back negative. Beckwith apparently twisted his knee during practice yesterday. The senior was second on the team in tackles last season.

In the NBA…the Pelicans are at Memphis tonight. Former New Orleans Head Coach Monty Williams will not return to the bench for the Thunder this season. Williams an assistant at Oklahoma City recently lost his wife in a car accident.

In college basketball…LSU has advanced in the SEC Tournament. They defeated Tennessee 84-75. Antonio Blakeney had 22 points to lead the way. The Tigers will play Texas A-and-M tomorrow at noon.

In the Sun Belt Tournament…UL Lafayette takes on Georgia Southern in New Orleans. Tomorrow, ULM will play in the semifinals against the winner of UT Arlington and Texas State. Majok Deng leads the Warhawks as he averages almost 19 points a game. Coach Keith Richard says Deng’s work ethic is the reason why he’s so successful…
cut 18 (12) “….he is today”
ULM’s game in the Lakefront Arena will tip-off at 3:30.

It’s been reported that LSU starting middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith suffered a knee injury during spring practice. But a source told the Baton Rouge Advocate that they don’t think the injury is serious. He will apparently receive an MRI today.

The LSU men’s basketball team hopes to begin making a run through the SEC Tournament today. The fourth-seeded Tigers face 12th seed Tennessee this afternoon in Nashville. There’s little chance LSU will receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, so they’ll need to win the SEC Tourney to get an automatic bid to the Big Dance.

UL Lafayette will face South Alabama in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament at five o’ clock today. Southern takes on Texas Southern in the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament tonight and Tulane will battle Houston in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tonight.

NBA…the Pelicans are at Memphis for a seven PM tipoff against the Grizzlies.

The Saints have re-signed backup quarterback Luke McCown. It’s reportedly a two-year deal that will pay him three million dollars. McCown re-upped with the Black and Gold after visiting the Colts.

The Saints have also reportedly re-signed running back Travaris Cadet, and officially released cornerback Brandon Browner. And former Saints running back Khiry Robinson has signed with the New York Jets.

Three state champions will be crowned at the Boys Top 28 Tournament in Lake Charles today . The Five-A title game is at eight PM as defending champ Scotlandville takes on second-seeded Natchitoches Central.

LSU baseball begins a three-game series against Ball State tonight. No baseball for Louisiana Tech this weekend. Closed roads in north Louisiana will keep the Bulldogs from traveling to Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi.

Sun Belt play begins this weekend as UL Lafayette is at Troy, while ULM is a Texas State. That series will begin with a doubleheader tomorrow.

LSU announces quarterback Anthony Jennings is leaving the Tigers and transferring to another school after the spring semester, then he’ll be immediately eligible to play anywhere. Jennings tweeted yesterday thanks to LSU for giving him the opportunity to play the game he loves and to graduate. His departure likely means that Purdue transfer Danny Etling is Brandon Harris’ primary back-up.

Before a scheduled visit with the Colts, the Saints are bringing back backup QB Luke McCown on a 2 year deal. McCown was placed on injured reserve and had season ending back surgery. He filled in for Drew Brees in a loss to Carolina last season, but he played really well and proved his worth.

The Pelicans are the longest shot to reach the NBA playoffs, but the team says they are not giving up. New Orleans takes on the Memphis Grizzlies on the road tonight at 7pm.

The LHSAA Boys Top 28 tournament continues in Lake Charles today. It’s been exciting so far as both Class 4A semifinal games were decided at the buzzer Thursday.

UL Lafayette and LSU are in action in their respective conference tournaments today. The Sun Belt Tournament is once again taking place in New Orleans at the Lakefront Arena. Coach Bob Marlin hopes to see a packed house…:
Cut 16 (14) “beneficial“
The Cajuns are a four-seed, while ULM is a two-seed and they’ll play tomorrow afternoon in the semifinals. LSU faces Tennessee in the SEC Quarterfinals today. Coach Johnny Jones says there are a couple of areas where they need to play better this weekend…:
Cut 19 (12) “the floor”

Both Nicholls and Southeastern are out of their tournaments. The Lions fell to Houston Baptist 73-68 in the quarterfinals of the Southland. Sam Houston edged The Colonels 60-59.

LSU Coach Les Miles announced today that quarterback Anthony Jennings has been given his release and will transfer to another school to finish his collegiate career. Jennings was 9-4 as a starter and ended up throwing for nearly 18-hundred yards and 12 touchdowns. Jennings departure likely means that Purdue transfer Danny Etling is Brandon Harris’ primary back-up.

In college basketball…LSU has announced that senior guard Keith Hornsby will miss the rest of the season ashe’ll undergo surgery this week. Hornsby has missed several games this year as a result of a sports hernia surgery.

Louisiana Tech is one and done in the Conference USA Tournament. Old Dominion defeated the Bulldogs 68-52. Tech shot just 33-percent fromf the field. The Bulldogs are 23-9 and will likely get to play in a postseason tournament.

A very exciting day at the Top 28 Tournament in Lake Charles..both Class 4A semifinal games were decided at the buzzer as fourth seeded Bossier upset top-seeded St. Thomas More 49-48, while second-seeded Washington-Marion knocked off third-seeded Edna Karr 58-56. Bossier and Washington-Marion will play each other on Saturday night in the Class 4A title game.

In the Southland Tournament….Nicholls and Southeastern have advanced to the second round. The Lions play Houston Baptist, while the colonels face Sam Houston State tonight.

No additional free agent signings for the Saints today. They made their big splash yesterday when they inked 27-year-old tight end Coby Fleener to a five-year contract worth a reported 36-million dollars. New Orleans needed an experienced pass catching threat, since Ben Watson and Marques Colston are no longer on the team.

The Saints have added a weapon to their passing attack by inking tight end Coby Fleener to a five-year contract worth a reported 36-million dollars. In his last three seasons in Indianapolis, Fleener caught at least 50 passes.

New Orleans has also tendered offers to tight Josh Hill and guard Tim Lelito and they’ve brought back kicker Kai Forbath. He’ll battle with Josh Scobee for the place kicking duties.

In college baseball last night…Southeastern doubled up Southern Miss 4 to 2, Nicholls edged Sacred Heart 9-8, UNO knocked off Tulane 10-9.

At the Boys Top 28 Tournament…Wossman hit a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to knocked of top-seeded Peabody in the Class 3-A semifinals, 60-57. The Wildcats will play defending champ U HIgh in the 3A finals on Saturday.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs face the Old Dominion Monarchs in their first game of the Conference USA Tournament this afternoon. Tech is led by leading scorer and Conference-USA player of the year Alex Hamilton. The voice of the Bulldogs, Dave Nitz says the special play of Hamilton gives the Bulldogs a good chance at winning the tournament…
cut 18 (18) “….is really the key”
Old Dominion is led by Trey Freeman, who scored 25 points in a win over Florida Atlantic yesterday.

In the Southland Tournament….Nicholls and Southeastern have advanced to the second round. The Lions play Houston Baptist, while the colonels face Sam Houston State tonight.

In the NBA…Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but the Pelicans still lost to the Charlotte Hornets 122-113.

The New Orleans Saints opened the free agency period by giving quarterback Drew Brees a new target. New Orleans signed former Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener to a $36 million dollar, 5 year deal. They lost tight end Ben Watson who signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. New Orleans also tendered offers to tight end Josh hill and guard Tim Lelito.

In other free agency news, quarterback Brock Osweiler is leaving Denver as he signed with the Houston Texans on Wednesday. Osweiler was supposed to succeed New Orleans native Peyton Manning who retired this week.

It was another stellar effort by star forward Anthony Davis, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Pelicans to a victory last night. New Orleans lost to Charlotte 122-113. Davis had 40 points and 13 rebounds for the Pels, while Jrue Holiday scored a season high 38, as New Orleans falls to 7-24 on the road this season. The Pelicans visit Memphis on Friday night.

In college basketball, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs face the Old Dominion Monarchs in their first game of the Conference USA Tournament. LA Tech Radio Announcer Dave Nitz says the Bulldogs will have extra motivation when they face Monarchs as they look to avenge their only home loss of the season….:
Cut 17 (17) a little payback”

No. 5 seeded Southeastern beat eight seeded UNO 87-74 on Wednesday in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament. The Lions will play No. 4 Houston Baptist today. Also in the Southland, it took double overtime for seventh seeded Nicholls State to outlast No. 6 McNeese 94-90. The Colonels face No. 3 Sam Houston today.

In college baseball, Southeastern picked up the win over Southern Miss 4-2 to get both wins in the mid-week series. NIcholls State edged Sacred Heart 8-7. UNO just got by Tulane 10-9. Today Nicholls State hosts Sacred Heart.

The NFL Free Agency period got underway at three o’ clock today. It didn’t take long for the Saints to lose their starting tight end. Ben Watson signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says a good replacement for Watson would be former Ragin Cajuns standout Ladarius Green…
cut 18 (10) “…for the Saints”
But there are reports the Steelers are very interested in Green and he’s expected to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow.

In other NFL news…former Saints linebacker Ramon Humber has reprotedly signed with the Patriots. Former New Orleans running back Chris Ivory has signed with Jacksonville. The Jets signed Slidell native and running back Matt Forte. And the Atlanta Falcons signed all-pro center Alex Mack to a five-year contract.

Louisiana Tech’s Alex Hamilton was named as the Player of the Year in Conference USA. Hamilton says he was motivated to win the award after his former teammate Speedy Smith won the award last season…
cut 20 (12) “….for the ward”
The Bulldogs will play tomorrow in Birmingham in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. Tech will play Old Dominion, who beat the Dunkin Dogs at home this season.

Tonight the Soutland men’s tournament gets underway in Katy, Texas. Fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana hosts eighth seeded UNO at 5 PM. AT 7:30 PM, it’s seventh seeded Nicholls taking on sixth seeded McNeese State. Both the Colonels and Cowboys are entering the tournament on three-game winning streaks.

The Boys Top 28 Tournament continues in Lake Charles….the defending champs in Three-A, U-High faces St. Louis Catholic in a semifinal matchup.

Teams can begin signing NFL free agents this afternoon. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the Saints will look to the draft to fix most of their problems on defense, but they could use a veteran linebacker that’s on the defensive side of the ball that’s been productive in a three-four scheme…
cut 17 (12) “….in this defense”
The Saints will also be in the market for a tight end that’s because last year’s starter, Ben Watson, has signed a two-year deal worth a reported seven million dollars with the Baltimore Ravens.

In college baseball last night….LSU defeated Louisiana Tech six to three. Tulane defeated UL Lafayette five to three. Lex Kaplan’s two run homer was the difference. Second-ranked Texas A-and-M edged Northwestern State seven to six. Southern Miss knocked off Southeastern nine to seven.

In college basketball news…Louisiana Tech’s Alex Hamilton was named Conference USA Player of the Year. It’s the second straight year a Bulldog has won the award, Speedy Smith took home the honor last year. Hamilton says it was his goal to win this award….
cut 30 (22) “….for the award”
Hamilton is averaging 20 points, six rebounds and six assists a game. The Bulldogs play tomorrow in the Conference USA Tournament.

Tonight the Soutland men’s tournament gets underway in Katy, Texas. Fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana hosts eighth seeded UNO at 5 PM. AT 7:30 PM, it’s seventh seeded Nicholls taking on sixth seeded McNeese State. Both the Colonels and Cowboys are entering the tournament on three-game winning streaks.

A new NFL league year begins today, which means the start of the free agency period. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says with the increase in the salary cap, the Saints will have more than enough to bolster their roster and add veteran players at key spots…:
Cut 16 (09) “veteran tight end“
Detillier says the Saints will look to the draft to fix most of their problems on defense. According to sources, the Black and Gold have agreed to a three year contract with tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.

In the NBA, the Pelicans say guard Eric Gordon had surgery on a fractured finger and will miss the remainder of the season. New Orleans travels to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight at 6pm.

At the opening of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday night, 10th seeded Grambling fell to No.7 seed Mississippi Valley State 87-73. Today in the first round of the Southland Tourney, No. 8 UNO plays 5th seeded Southeastern. No. 7 Nicholls plays 6th seeded McNeese.

In SEC post-season honors, LSU’s Ben Simmons was named Freshman of the Year and First Team All-SEC, and he joined fellow freshman Antonio Blakeney on the All-Freshman team. Simmons was chosen as USA Today’s national freshamn of the year Tuesday. And UL Lafayette’s Shawn Long has been named Sun Belt Player of the Year.

In college baseball, LSU topped Louisiana Tech at the Box last night 6-3. The Tigers vs McNeese baseball game which was scheduled for today was post poned to April 12th because of the threat of severe weather.

The wind ended up being most of the downfall for UL-Lafayette as they drop last night’s game to Tulane 5-3 in New Orleans.

Also in a gusty Tuesday game in The Big Easy, UNO had an easy time over Southern yesterday picking up a 12-4 victory.

Northwestern State fell to Texas A&M 7-6 last night. Southeastern lost to Southern Miss 9-7. Both of those mid week series’ continue today. Tulane is at UNO.

The NFL free agency signing period begins tomorrow and there are reports the Saints have lost tight end Ben Watson to the Baltimore Ravens. That’s a big blow for the Black and Gold, as Watson is coming off a season where he caught 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns.

Spring football is underway for LSU as they work to improve a passing game that’s ranked outside of the Top 100 the last two seasons. Coach Les Miles says it’s also an important time for the defense as they learn a new system taught by 1st year defensive coordinator Dave Aranda….
cut 30 (20) “…opponents formations”
To help improve the depth at linebacker, freshman Devin White has been moved from running back to linebacker.

The LSU baseball team is set to take on Louisiana Tech tonight at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are 9-2, while the Bulldogs are 8-3 and will send senior left-hander Tyler Clancy to the hill, who is 3-0 on the season.

In other action tonight…Northwestern State is at Texas A-and-M, UL Lafayette visits Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana hosts Southern Miss.

LSU’s Ben Simmons was named SEC Freshman of the Year based on voting by the league’s coaches. Simmons and the Tigers will play Friday in the SEC Quarterfinals and the native of Australia is ready to make a run through the tourney…
cut 29 (11) “…the team”
LSU has to win the SEC Tournament in order to play in the NCAA Tournament.

And UL Lafayette’s Shawn Long has been named Sun Belt Player of the Year. Long is averaging nearly 19 points and 13 rebounds a game this year.