NBA star dedicating playoff run to Stephens
Upon hearing of Brody Stephens’ passing on Sunday, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry made a heartfelt statement to the media this week.
The NBA star is dedicating the Warriors’ playoff run to Stephens, a Sugar Creek Elementary second-grader, who died due to a viral complication after a long battle with leukemia.
“I’m glad I got to meet him, spend some time with him and hopefully bring a little bit of joy to him and his family the past few months,” Curry said, according to SFgate.com. “We’re going to try to find a way to dedicate these playoffs to Brody and his family. We know how much the Warriors meant to them.”
Brody, 8, was an avid hoops fan, and was befriended by Curry and the Warriors. Brody attended several NBA games and traveled to the West Coast early last month to serve as a ball boy. He also participated in many in-game and postgame events with his beloved Golden State Warriors.
Brody was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2010 and fought it off initially. In 2015, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Brody’s family recently went to Oakland, California — as guests of the Warriors — to watch Golden State play. In November, Curry visited Stephens at Riley Hospital for Childen at Indiana University Health and the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player formed a bond with the youngster.
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Cougars’ Jameson earns HHC weekly honor
Greenfield-Central senior ace Drey Jameson earned Hoosier Heritage Conference honors this week.
Jameson, a Ball State recruit, was named the HHC Pitcher of the Week on Wednesday. It marks the fourth time this season Jameson has garnered the HHC’s weekly recognition.
The power-pitcher tossed his fourth shutout of the season, striking out 14 batters in a 2-0 win against New Palestine on Tuesday. He is 5-0 on the year and has allowed a mere two runs in 35.0 innings pitched.
Currently, Jameson leads the HHC with 57 strikeouts and a 0.40 ERA.
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Gibson optioned to Triple-A Rochester
Greenfield-Central graduate Kyle Gibson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after the Minnesota Twins’ game against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
Gibson, 29, lost his spot in the Twins rotation after a tough start to the 2017 season. On Thursday, he was tagged for four runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. The Twins lost the game 8-5.
His ERA this season is 8.20, and he was winless at 0-4. Gibson racked up 16 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched, but he also issued 13 walks.
Gibson’s troubles began to mount last season due to a shoulder injury, which led to a 5.07 ERA and 6-11 record in 147.1 innings. In his two seasons prior, Gibson showed promise with a 13-12 record in 2014 and a 4.47 ERA. In 2015, he was 11-11 with a 3.84 ERA. He debuted with the big club in 2013.
“It’s not working,” Twins manager Paul Molitor told the (Minneapolis) StarTribune. “I still have faith in him, but we need to give him an opportunity to work things out.”
