Michael Ou declares for Chinese Basketball Association Draft
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
August 9, 2020
Michael Ou spent his Matador career as a low-key figure. The 6-foot-9, 230 pounds big man from Guangdong, China didn’t dominate, but he was effective on the boards and at the free throw line. He played sparingly. His name on the roster, organized by jersey number, was toward the bottom. Ou wasn’t...
Lamine Diane listed as potential NBA Combine participant
Andres Soto, Assistant Sports Editor
August 4, 2020
Former CSUN forward Lamine Diane could be the first men’s basketball player in CSUN history to be invited to the NBA Combine. The 6-foot-7 wing was recently mentioned on a list of 105 potential participants sent to NBA teams on July 27. The list may be cut down to 60-70 players, according to Jonath...
CSUN track athlete Ezekial Bishop dead after car accident, alongside Frank Ocean’s brother Ryan Breaux
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
August 3, 2020
CSUN freshman Ezekial Bishop died in a car accident early Sunday morning. He was 20 years old. According to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, Bishop and friend Ryan Breaux, younger brother of R&B singer Frank Ocean, were involved in a one-vehicle crash when the Tesla they were in veered off Westlake Bouleva...
Seven women’s tennis student-athletes receive 2020 ITA All-Academic Award
Alex Behunin, Reporter
August 1, 2020
On Monday, the Big West Conference awarded seven CSUN women’s tennis players the 2020 Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Award — the most for the CSUN tennis program since 2015. The seven athletes that were awarded were freshman Lisa-Marie Wurst, freshman Victoria Santibañez Luna, so...
Big West postpones fall sports
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
July 30, 2020
The Big West Conference announced on Wednesday the postponement of fall sports through the end of the calendar year due to health risks as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. The postponement means that men’s and women’s soccer, cross country and women’s volleyball will have their seasons delayed un...
Op-Ed: We can’t and we won’t stick to sports
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
July 9, 2020
In early June, right-wing political commentator Ben Shapiro went off on a rant against professional athletes who have used their platforms to speak out against racial injustice. Shapiro lamented that sports were no longer an escape from reality for him. “It’s getting to the point where I don...
College recruits face new challenges thanks to COVID-19
Andres Soto, Assistant Sports Editor
June 29, 2020
Elias Jauregui thought the game against College of the Desert was just like any other regular-season baseball game. The right-handed pitcher struggled with his command in the first inning, but his focus was unshakeable. After slowing himself down, Jauregui began dominating on the mound. He left the game...
Column: Is it the right time for sports to return?
Mano Baghjajian, Reporter
June 26, 2020
It has been over three months since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. As lockdowns began to set in all over the world, normal parts of everyday life started to disappear. Schools, restaurants and local businesses all began to close their doors as fear regarding...
Big West announces phase-in plan for return of fall sports
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
June 17, 2020
The Big West Conference Board of Directors announced Monday they would not make a final decision on the fate of fall sports at this time, as they worried it would be premature. Instead, the athletic conference released a plan for the phasing-in of fall sports that are within Centres for Disease Co...
CSUN Athletic Director Mike Izzi denounces racial injustice
Mano Baghjajian, Reporter
June 11, 2020
CSUN Athletic Director Mike Izzi has released a statement regarding the death of George Floyd. In his statement released on the CSUN Matadors Twitter page, Izzi opposed the country’s current state of racial inequality and injustice toward the Black community. “The recent events in this countr...
The silence of college coaches is deafening
Andres Soto, Sports Editor
June 3, 2020
It has been over a week since the brutal and inhumane murder of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers sparked outrage and protests nationwide. Athletes from all levels have taken to Twitter to voice their frustrations and some, such as former Golden State Warrior Stephen Jackson,...
NCAA extends recruiting dead period through July 31
Danny Escobar, Reporter
May 29, 2020
The NCAA Division I committee has extended the recruiting dead period through July 31, according to a statement released on Wednesday. “The extension maintains consistent recruiting rules for all sports and allows coaches to focus on the student-athletes who may be returning to campus,” said Dr. M. Grac...
