The Seawanhaka Sports Rundown is a weekly roundup of five stories that examine developments in sports news at the local, state, national, and international levels.
By: ZACK JONES / SPORTS EDITOR
NFL Draft Storylines
The NFL Draft kicked off Thursday April 27 and extended into the weekend featuring many interesting storylines and picks. This year's NFL Draft was hosted by the Super Bowl winning city of Kansas City, who’s team, the Chiefs, had seven picks in this year's draft including some stellar athletes, one of which, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, is from Kansas City.
Another interesting storyline of this year's draft was the fall of Kentucky Quarterback, Will Levis. Levis was projected to be a top 10 pick by most experts, and was getting hype to go as high as 2nd overall from betting agencies. The influx in his stock seemed to be directly related to a reddit post that inferred that Levis had told others that he would be going to the Panthers with the number 1 overall pick. The post stated, “Will Levis is currently +4000 to be the first overall pick. Well ladies and gentleman, he's telling friends and family Carolina will in fact take him on Thursday. You're welcome." Levis however was not drafted in the first round at all, surprising many fans. Eventually, the fall was stopped early in the 2nd round when the Tennessee Titans traded up to select Levis 33rd overall.
This draft had many trades and moves, as each draft does, but the emotion of this draft may be unparalleled to that of former drafts. Emotions flared for many athletes and organizations alike. From Deuce Vaughn getting the call from his father, Chris Vaughn, the team scout of the Dallas Cowboys, that he would be drafted to the Dallas Cowboys to Keion White being seen with an outpour of emotion after getting the call.
The NFL Draft continues to showcase the individuality of each athlete and bring about their story in a meaningful manner each year, and football fans can only hope the trend continues.
NBA Round One
The first round of the NBA Playoffs has officially wrapped up and the results are shocking in some cases and less so in others.
In the East the one seed Milwaukee Bucks lost the series 4-1 to the eight seed Miami Heat. The series was headlined mainly by the performance of Jimmy Butler who in the final two games of the series combined for nearly 100 points by himself. The Bucks were without their star forward Giannis Antetokoumnpo for most of the series due to a lower back injury, and the Heat took advantage, winning 2 of the 3 games Antetokounmpo missed.
The New York Knicks took down the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games behind a terrific defensive outing from the Knicks who forced the Cavaliers to under 100 points in 4 of the 5 games. The Knicks matchup against the Miami Heat in Round 2 which should be an exciting defensive clash similar to that of the series they had in the late 90s.
In the Western Conference, LeBron James and the seven seed Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers won the series 4-2 after back to back impressive wins. One featured a LeBron James 20 point 20 rebound game while the other was a 40 point blowout to close the series.
Finally, the Golden State Warriors closed out their seven game series against the Sacramento Kings behind a Stephen Curry 50 point outburst. This game never seemed to be in question, and ended in a 20 point Warriors win. They matchup against the Lakers for Round 2 which many are excited about since it will be LeBron vs Curry.
Manchester City Take the Lead in the Premier League
The Premier League first place spot has been held by Arsenal for much of the season after a stellar opening to the season, with a record of 9-0-1 in their first 10 games. The Gunners were the clear favorite to win the league midway through the season under Mikel Arteta. However, this week they fell behind in the race and are the current second place team at 75 points. This comes following a loss to Manchester City who won 4-1 behind a stellar Kevin De Bruyne brace. City have been in great form as of recently posting a 9-1-0 record over their last 10 competitions including eight games of three or more goals. The race should be great for viewing experience with both the Premier League Title contention and Haaland potentially breaking the goal scoring record.
LIU Men’s Golf Leads Opening Round
LIU Men’s Golf tops the NEC Championship round one. The Sharks have a slight lead over Howard University, and quite far above Sacred Heart. LIU’s roster boasts half of the top eight including, Kyle Underwood, Marcelo Mexsen, Jan Rybczynski, and Ary Mohan.
Women’s Water Polo Win’s MAAC
The LIU Women’s Water Polo team won the MAAC, placing their bid for the NCAA Tournament. The Sharks defeated Wagner, who won the MAAC the past seven years. Wagner posted a 100-game conference win streak, but the streak was broken in the overtime loss to the Sharks. The Sharks won 13-12 and look to continue their success in the NCAA Tournament.