AP-NW–Sports Right Now/772
TRAIL BLAZERS-STOTTS
Blazers coach Terry Stotts agrees to 3-year extension
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations says Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts has agreed to a three-year contract extension.
Stotts coached the young Trail Blazers to the second round of the playoffs this year.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the deal.
The Blazers hold a team option on Stotts’ current contract for the coming season. The extension, first reported by Yahoo Sports, goes into effect following the season and runs through 2020.
Stotts would not talk about contract negotiations when the team held exit interviews with players at the end of the season.
The Blazers have gone 182-146 in four seasons since Stotts took over. The Blazers have gone to the postseason for the past three seasons, advancing to the second round twice.
SEAHAWKS MOVES
Seahawks sign LB Khairi Fortt, waives LB Christian French
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have signed linebacker Khairi Fortt after waiving linebacker Christian French due to an injury.
Seattle made the roster moves on Monday. French, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon signed with Seattle following the NFL draft. He appeared to suffer an injury on the final day of rookie minicamp.
Fortt was a fourth-round pick of the Saints in the 2014 draft out of California, but was released midway through the season. He spent time with Cincinnati and Jacksonville later in the 2014 season, but was cut by the Jaguars during training camp before the start of the 2015 season.
STORM CHASERS-RAINIERS
Tacoma beats Omaha 7-5 on walk-off homer
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A walk-off three-run homer by Mike Baxter delivered a 7-5 win for the Tacoma Rainiers over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Tuesday.
Earlier in the inning, Chris Taylor singled, scoring Luis Sardinas to cut the Omaha lead to 5-4.
The Rainiers cut the deficit to 5-3 when Tyler Smith hit an RBI single, driving in Ed Lucas in the sixth.
Jonathan Aro (1-1) got the win with a scoreless inning in relief while John Lannan (3-3) took the loss for Omaha.
Hunter Dozier doubled and singled twice, scoring a run and also driving one home for the Storm Chasers. Whit Merrifield homered and singled, knocking in two runs.
OMAHA-SUGGS
Washington St.’s Suggs transfers to Omaha, where dad played
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Renard Suggs is transferring from Washington State to Omaha, where his father played in the early 1980s.
Mavericks coach Derrin Hansen on Monday announced the addition of Suggs, who must sit out the 2016-17 season under NCAA rules and will be eligible to play his senior season in 2017-18.
The native of St. Paul, Minnesota, appeared in 25 games for Washington State last season, averaging 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes a game. Suggs began his collegiate career at Gillette College in Gillette, Wyo.
Suggs’ father, Rickey Suggs, played basketball at UNO from 1980-85 and went on to play in the Canadian Football League. Rickey Suggs was part of three Maverick squads to play in the NCAA Division II tournament.
WINTHROP-AD
Winthrop hires Eastern Washington’s Halpin as new AD
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — Winthrop has hired Eastern Washington administrator Ken Halpin as its new athletic director.
University President Dan Mahony announced Halpin’s hiring Monday. Halpin succeeds longtime Winthrop athletic administrator Tom Hickman, who had said he was stepping down after the conclusion of the academic year.
Halpin was the deputy athletic director at Eastern Washington. Among his responsibilities were sport supervisor for the men’s and women’s tennis programs. Halpin also worked on development, marketing and sponsorships at Eastern Washington, among other things.
Halpin got his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Washington State in 2005 and a master’s degree in sport administration from Gonzaga in 2008.
Halpin officially starts July 11.
MLS-TIMBERS-OKUGO
Timbers sign Amobi Okugo
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Timbers have signed Amobi Okugo, who played last season for Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City SC.
Okugo has been in Major League Soccer since 2010, when he was drafted with the sixth overall pick out of UCLA by the Philadelphia Union. He joined Orlando City for the 2015 season and was acquired by Kansas City last July.
The 25-year-old defender and midfielder had five goals and seven assist in 135 league appearances, including 111 starts.
Terms of the deal were not released.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
