The Pelicans announce forward Quincy Pondexter has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The team says the procedure was succesful, but a timetable on when Pondexter can return to “basketball activities” was not given. New Orleans acquired Pondexter in a three-team trade and the 27-year-old averaged seven points a game.

WDSU-TV in New Orleans is reporting the Pelicans are interested in hiring former McNeese State star and Detroit Piston Bad Boy Joe Dumars. Current Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps’ contract expires this summer and the team holds an option for him to return next season.

Louisiana Tech would like to see the Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball tournament at the Century Tel Center in Shreveport-Bossier City. They plan to present a bid at next week’s league meetings in Florida.

LSU basketball is reportedly trying to secure a home-and-home series with Memphis. The first game between the two schools will be next season in Baton Rouge.

There’s just a couple of college baseball games on the schedule tonight. Nicholls State will host Alabama A-and-M. The Colonels have won four in a row, allowing just six runs in their last three games. Southeastern Louisiana is at Southern. The Lions have won 10 of their last 12.

A big series is coming up for the Ragin Cajuns. U-L Lafayette will host Sun Belt leader South Alabama. The Jaguars have a 2.5 game lead over the Cajuns for first place. U-L-L has been starting three freshmen in their weekend rotation and Coach Tony Robichaux says they’ll have to grow up a lot this week and pitch well…
cut 18 (18) “…three things”
Game one of this series is Friday at 6 PM.

TMZ is reporting that former LSU Tiger La’el Collins told police that he was in New Orleans attending a Pelicans playoff game the night his former girlfriend, who was eight months pregnant, was murdered. Sources say his GPS records on his cell phone will back up his story. Authorities spoke with Collins on Monday.

If you love college football bowl games, there’s more coming in 2015. According to ESPN, new bowl games have been approved for Tuscon, Arizona, Austin, Texas and Orlando, Florida. A team from the Sun Belt would play against a team from the American Conference in the bowl games in Austin and Orlando. And Conference USA would play a team from the Mountain West Conference in the bowl game in Tuscon on December 29th.

The Monroe News Star reports Louisiana Tech plans to put a bid for Shreveport-Bossier City to host the 2016 Conference USA men’s and woman’s basketball championships. The bid will be discussed at next week’s Conference USA meetings.

There’s just a couple of college baseball games on the schedule tonight. Nicholls State will host Alabama A-and-M. The Colonels have won four in a row, allowing just six runs in their last three games. Southeastern Louisisiana is at Southern. The Lions have won 10 of their last 12 and coming off a three-game sweep over Lamar.

Last night, Houston beat McNeese State nine to two and Alcorn State beat Grambling.

This weekend the Ragin Cajuns host Sun Belt leader South Alabama. UL Lafayette Coach Tony Robichaux says the Jaguars are the top hitting team in the Sun Belt, even though they’ve only hit nine home runs on the year…
cut 17 (12) “…in walks”
The Cajuns have been starting three freshmen in their weekend rotation and Robichaux says they’ll have to grow up a lot this week and pitch well.

It’s a busy week for the Ragin Cajuns baseball team. The players are taking finals and then on Friday, U-L Lafayette will welcome South Alabama to Tigue Moore Field for a three-game series. The Jaguars are in first place in the Sun Belt, while the Cajuns are 2.5 games back and in third place. Coach Tony Robichaux says his club needs to hit better after losing two of three to Appalachian State last weekend…

cut 16 (11) “gonna face”

Robichaux says South Alabama is the top hitting team in the Sun Belt.

Yesterday, McNeese saw their five game winning streak snapped as they fell to Houston 9-2. And Grambling dropped their home finale as they were rocked by Alcorn State 14-5. McNeese and Grambling will face each other in a three game series at Cowboy Diamond beginning Saturday.

Today Southeastern Louisiana travels to Baton Rouge to face Southern and Nicholls State hosts Alabama A&M.

The LSU Tigers remain ranked number one in the college baseball polls with about two weeks left in the regular season. The Bayou Bengals will host Missouri this weekend. Missouri is ranked 21st by Baseball America. Coach Paul Mainieri is optimistic Andrew Stevenson will be able to play in this series, after missing last Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.

Louisiana Tech’s Breshon Kimbell has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association baseball player of the week. He hit .571 at the plate last week. Tate Scioneaux of Southeastern Louisiana is the pitcher of the week as he struck out 11 in a shutout victory over Lamar.

The SEC, Sun Belt and Southland softball tournaments begin today. LSU is hosting the SEC Tournament. The Tigers are a four-seed and get a first round bye. UL-Lafayette is the top seed in the Sun Belt Tournament will see their first action tomorrow afternoon. ULM is the number six seed and will face UT-Arlington today at 12:30. In the Southland Tournament, Northwestern State is the number one seed, McNeese State comes in at number two, and Southeastern Louisiana is the four seed.

Last night it was dinner with Buffalo Bills head football coach Rex Ryan at a Baton Rouge restaurant and today former LSU teammates and current members of the Miami Dolphins flew into Baton Rouge to meet with La’el Collins. Linebacker Kelvin Shepard and wide receiver Jarvis Landry are among the group from Miami, who are apparently trying to convince Collins to sign with the Dolphins. Several teams are reportedly interested in Collins now that Baton Rouge police say he is still not a suspect in a double murder, where a pregnant woman and her one-week old child died as a result of a shooting on April 24th.

The Saints have announced they will have players report for training camp on July 29th at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. The same place they held training camp last year. New Orleans will stay at the Greenbrier until August 20th and training camp will resume at the team’s training facility in Metairie on August 24th.

The LSU Tigers remain ranked number one in the college baseball polls with about two weeks left in the regular season. In the Collegiate Baseball, the Tigers are ranked ahead Texas A-and-M. The Bayou Bengals will host Missouri this weekend. Missouri is ranked 21st by Baseball America. Coach Paul Mainieri is optimistic Andrew Stevenson will be able to play in this series, after missing last Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury.

In college baseball action tonight….McNeese State is at Houston. The Cowboys have won five in a row, two of those games by just one run, to raise their overall record to 28-and-20. Grambling State hosts Alcorn State as the Tigers look to snap a five game losing streak.

Louisiana Tech’s Breshon Kimbell has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association baseball player of the week. He hit .571 at the plate last week. Tate Scioneaux of Southeastern Louisiana is the pitcher of the week as he struck out 11 in a shutout victory over Lamar.

The SEC, Sun Belt and Southland softball tournaments begin tomorrow. LSU is hosting the SEC Tournament. The Tigers are a four-seed and get a first round bye.

After interviewing former LSU Tiger La’el Collins Monday, The Baton Rouge Police Department says he is still not a suspect in the April 24th murder of Brittney Mills. However, Corporal Don Coppola says they may need Collins to stay involved in the investigation…
cut 12 (07) “clarification”
Coppola says they are still trying to gather information from people who may have known the victim.

Now that Collins has spoken with police and is still not considered a suspect, NFL teams are looking to sign the first-round talent as an undrafted rookie. The All-SEC player met with Buffalo Bills Coach Rex Ryan last night at a Baton Rouge restaurant and Collins will reportedly meet with the Miami Dolphins today.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis finished fifth in the NBA MVP voting. Stephen Curry won the award as he received 100 of 130 first place votes.

Because its finals week at LSU, the Tigers baseball team does not have a midweek game this week. So Coach Paul Mainieri can look ahead to this weekend’s series against Missouri. And at this time, Mainieri is not sure who will start the series finale. Austin Bain has been the game number three starter, but he had a rough outing in Starkville last weekend.

In college baseball action tonight….McNeese State is at Houston. The Cowboys have won five in a row, two of those games by just one run, to raise their overall record to 28-and-20. Grambling State hosts Alcorn State as the Tigers look to snap a five game losing streak.

Louisiana Tech’s Breshon Kimbell has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association baseball player of the week. He hit .571 at the plate last week. Tate Scioneaux of Southeastern Louisiana is the pitcher of the week as he struck out 11 in a shutout victory over Lamar.

In softball news…McNeese freshman catcher Erika Piancastelli is the Southland Conference player of the year and Northwestern Coach Donald Pickett is the coach of the year.

The Baton Rouge Police Department says after their interview Monday with former LSU Tiger La’el Collins, he is still not a suspect in the April 24th murder of Brittney Mills. Corporal Don Coppola says Collins is fully cooperating…

cut 11 (09) “have spoke with”

Cops say Mills was 8 months pregnant when she was gunned down in her home and the baby, Brenton, died a week later.

Collins continues to be without a team after last week’s NFL draft. However, it is reported that Collins had a visit from Buffalo Bills head Coach Rex Ryan last night. Over the past few days, Collins is reported to have received interest from almost every NFL team.

Meanwhile, the Saints have signed 13 undrafted free agents. After not drafting a wide receiver, they signed two yesterday, Malcolme Kennedy of Texas A-and-M and R-J Harris of New Hampshire.

In other NFL news, former Louisiana Tech standout Houston Bates has accepted minicamp invites from the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins. Former Grambling quarterback DJ Williams will get a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Southeastern Louisiana linebacker Drew Misita will participate in the Steelers’ minicamp, while wide receiver Chris Malott will get a chance with the Green Bay Packers.

A light schedule today in college baseball: McNeese hits the road to take on the University of Houston and Grambling State hosts Alcorn State.

Seven state softball champions were crowned at the Fast Pitch 56 tournament in Sulphur. Hackberry is the Class C champion, while Florien claimed the Class B title. Central Catholic is the 1-A champ and Menard won the 2-A championship. In Class 3-A, John Curtis claimed their fourth consecutive title. North Desoto claimed the 4-A championship and Sam Houston took home the trophy in Class 5-A.

Baton Rouge Police say after meeting with former LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins, he is still not a suspect in the murder of Brittney Mills and her infant child, Brenton Mills. Brittney was fatally shot on April 24th, while eight months pregnant, and then her baby died a week later after she was able to give birth.

Collins attorney, Jim Boren, says the Baton Rouge native is cooperating with the investigation and ready to get his NFL career started…
cut 8 (08) “…next step”
Boren would not say whether or not Collins submitted to a paternity test, as it’s been reported that Collins and Mills were romantically involved.

Collins continues to be without a team after last week’s NFL draft. Meanwhile, the Saints have signed 13 undrafted free agents. After not drafting a wide receiver, they signed two of them today, Malcolme Kennedy of Texas A-and-M and R-J Harris of New Hampshire.

In the 2015 draft, the Saints used six of their nine draft picks to select players on the defensive side of the ball. Head Coach Sean Payton hopes all of them can contribute in some way…
cut 18 (17) “….the draft”

In other NFL news, former Louisiana Tech standout Houston Bates has accepted a minicamp invite from the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins. Former Grambling quarterback DJ Williams will get a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At the softball Fast Pitch 56 tournament this past weekend, Sam Houston was the winner in Class 5A, North DeSoto won the 4A title, John Curtis was the Three-A champ and it’s the Patriots fourth consecutive championship. Menard won Two-A by beating Winnfield and Central Catholic is the one-A champion.

Former LSU Tiger La’el Collins meets with the Baton Rouge police department today about the shooting death of a pregnant woman that also claimed the life of her one-week old child. Collins was not drafted, because of a concern he may have something to do with this fatal shooting. If cleared, Collins will likely be sought after by every team.

The Saints first pick in the 5th round is a player most football fans never heard of. Linebacker Davis Tull from Tennessee-Chattanooga, who is a three-time Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Payton says they had a high grade on Tull and they were forunate to get him in the 5th round…
cut 17 (16) “…the nickel”
The Saints used six of their nine draft picks on defensive players.

LSU baseball team took two of three from Mississippi State this past weekend and they trail Vanderbilt by a half game for first place in the league’s overall standings. The Tigers are tied with Texas A-and-m at 16-and-7 for first place in the SEC West, but LSU owns the tie breaker. The Tigers do not play again until Friday against Missouri.

The Ragin Cajuns dropped two out of three to Appalachian State and find themselves two and a half games back of South Alabama for first place in the league. U-L Lafayette will host the Jaguars this weekend.

ULM took two of three from Troy, Louisiana Tech won its first Conference USA series by taking two of three from Texas San Antonio. Tyler Clancy threw five shutout innings in a three to one win yesterday.

Southeastern Louisiana completed a sweep of Lamar by beating the Cardinals six to nothing. S-L-U has now won 11 straight Southland games and they have a 3-and-half game lead over Northwestern State. The Cowboys are also playing well as they’ve won five in a row, and Nicholls State has won four straight as they defeated Houston Baptist seven to two yesterday.

The Saints used two of their nine draft picks in this year’s NFL Draft on cornerbacks. In the third round, they selected Florida State All-ACC player P.J. Williams and in the fifth round they picked Damian Swann, who was a three-year starter at Georgia. Coach Sean Payton likes the versatility of both players…

cut 16 (12) “with em”

The Saints selected defensive players with six of their nine picks. Payton hopes all of them can contribute in some way.

Four former LSU Tigers were selected in the NFL Draft. Cornerback Jalen Collins was a second round pick by the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings grabbed defensive end Danielle Hunter in round three. Tampa selected outside linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth. And in the seventh round, the Texans took running back Kenny Hilliard.

In college baseball over the weekend, the number one ranked LSU Tigers won two out of three games against Mississippi State in Southeastern Conference play. LSU improves 40-8 with a league record of 16-7. No games for the Tigers until Friday when they host Missouri in their last regular season series at Alex Box Stadium.

Tulane dropped two of three against 20th ranked Houston, Louisiana Tech won two of three against Texas – San Antonio.

In the Southland, Nicholls State swept Houston Baptist, Northwestern State grabbed a series win at Notre Dame, McNeese State got a sweep against Stephen F. Austin, and Southeastern Louisiana has now won 11 conference games in a row after their three game sweep of Lamar. The Lions remain atop the league standings with Northwestern a close second.

And in the Sun Belt Conference, Appalachian State won two out of three games over UL-Lafayette and ULM won their three game series against Troy. The Ragin Cajuns will regroup to host South Alabama In a three game series beginning Friday. The Warhawks will play on the road this weekend at Arkansas – Little Rock.

Rounds two and three of the NFL Draft were held last night and the New Orleans Saints came away with three new players. In the second round, the Saints selected outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha from the University of Washington. Kikaha had 19 sacks last season while earning first team All-Pac-12 and first team All-American honors. The Black & Gold got two selections in the third round. They first selected quarterback Garrett Grayson from Colorado State. Grayson was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2014. The Saints wrapped up the night by taking cornerback P.J. Williams of Florida State. The draft wraps up with rounds four through seven today.

A couple of former LSU Tigers got their name called last night at the NFL Draft. Cornerback Jalen Collins was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round. The third round saw defensive end Danielle Hunter go to the Minnesota Vikings.

The number one ranked LSU Tigers rolled past Mississippi State last night 11-4. Shortstop Alex Bregman and third baseman Conner Hale combined for six RBIs to guide LSU to their 40th win of the season. The series wraps up this afternoon at 3 and you can watch on ESPN2.

Tulane upset number 20 Houston 3-1. The win puts the Green Wave, along with the Cougars, in a five way tie for first place in the American Athletic Conference. Game two of the three game series is today at 2 at Turchin Stadium.

In the Sun Belt Conference, Appalachian State broke U-L Lafayette’s seven game winning streak with a 2-1 victory over the Ragin Cajuns. ULM took game one of their three game series against Troy 4-2.

In the Southland, Abilene Christian upended UNO 8-6; Nicholls State squeezed past Houston Baptist 2-1; McNeese State edged Stephen F. Austin 9-8; league leader Southeastern Louisiana blanked Lamar 6-0; and Northwestern State fell to Notre Dame 4-1.