2C • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014 OMAHA WORLD-HERALDSPORTS

According to the Red Cross, 54percent of Americans can’tswim. We want to swim; it’s thatwaiting-an-hour-after-eating thing

that’s the holdup.

It’s the Heat vs. Spurs in theNBA Finals. It’s bad enough wewatch the NBA playoffs on TV forweeks, but now we’re left with arerun.

Phil Mickelson is beinginvestigated for alleged insidertrading. That’s too bad, becauseinsider trading is the only crime aprofessional athlete hasn’t beenaccused of committing in thepast 18 months.

BREAKINGBRAD

LAMPOONINGLAMPOONING

THE LATESTTHE LATEST

SPORTSNEWS.SPORTSNEWS.

BY BRADDICKSONBYBRADDICKSON

For Brad’s latest musings,go to Omaha.com/Dickson

FOOTBALL

Packers receiver Nelsonprefers deal before seasonGREEN BAY, Wis. — Packerswide receiver Jordy Nelson saidhe would prefer to sign anotherextension before the seasonrather than playing out the finalyear of his contract.The former Kansas StateAll-American caught a career-high 85 passes for a career-best 1,314 yards with eighttouchdowns last season. Hesaid Tuesday he’s not surethe team and his agent havehad substantive talks about acontract extension.Nelson signed a three-year,$13.9 million extension in 2011.In other news:» Lions defensive tackle NickFairley said the team informedhim this offseason that it wasnot picking up the 2015 optionin his contract.» Bills defensive tackle MarcellDareus will miss the next twoweeks of voluntary practices totake time off from football in abid to get his life and career ontrack following his latest off-fieldlegal issue.Coach Doug Marrone madethe announcement after practiceTuesday, four days after Dareuscrashed his Jaguar into a treewhile allegedly racing another carnot far from the Bills’ stadium.Expressing disappointment inDareus, Marrone said he istaking a more personal role inattempting to help a player whois dealing with what he called“personal issues.”» The Bears signed kickreturners/receivers ArmantiEdwards and Micheal Spurlockand reached an injury settlementwith receiver Domenik Hixon.» Saints General ManagerMickey Loomis says the club andJonathan Goodwin have agreedto a one-year contract bringingthe veteran center back to NewOrleans.Goodwin played for NewOrleans from 2006 to 2010,starting the last three seasons.He was named to a Pro Bowl andwon a Super Bowl in the 2009season.» Linebacker and specialteams standout Blake Costanzohas rejoined the 49ers,2½ years after leaving theorganization to play for theBears.» Dan Marino says he iswithdrawing as a plaintiff in aconcussion lawsuit against theNFL, and doesn’t suffer anyeffects from head injuries.The Hall of Fame quarterbacksaid that within the past year,he authorized a claim to be filedon his behalf in case he neededfuture medical coverage. Marinosaid he didn’t realize he wouldautomatically be listed as aplaintiff, and he has decided notto be part of the lawsuit.

Saban’s new deal worthnearly $7million a yearMONTGOMERY, Ala. —Alabama coach Nick Saban canmake more than $55 millionover the next eight years with theCrimson Tide.A unanimous vote by theAlabama system trustees’compensation committeeTuesday made Saban’s new dealofficial nearly seven months afterthe university announced theagreement.The 62-year-old Saban willmake $6.5 million in basepay and what the universitydescribes as a “talent fee” plusa $400,000 completion bonusfor each year.It’s a seven-figure raise over theeight-year contract worth about$5.6 million annually he receivedin March 2012. New offensivecoordinator Lane Kiffin will makea little more than $2 million overthree years.In other news:» Georgia coach MarkRicht said starting safety TrayMatthews won’t return to theteam in 2014.Matthews and three formerGeorgia teammates arescheduled to be arraigned inAthens-Clarke County courtThursday after being chargedthree months ago with illegallycashing scholarship checks.» Linebacker Darian Claiborneand defensive lineman IsaiahGolden have been dismissedfrom the Texas A&M footballteam.The dismissal comes after bothplayers were arrested on drugcharges in the last few months.

BASKETBALL

Bower returning to NBA asgeneral manager of PistonsDETROIT — Jeff Bower isreturning to the NBA, this time tojoin the front office of the DetroitPistons.Detroit announced Tuesday thatBower had been hired as theteam’s general manager, part ofan offseason overhaul in whichStan Van Gundy was hired lastmonth as the coach and teampresident. Bower was the coachat Marist College last season,but he resigned that positionMonday.Bower has been a generalmanager and coach in the NBA,holding both those positions withthe Hornets in 2009-10.In other news:» Coach Randy Wittman hasreceived a contract extensionfrom the Wizards after leadingthe team to its first playoff berthsince 2008.

Virginia coach Bennettsigns seven-year contractVirginia men’s basketball coachTony Bennett has a new seven-year contract.Athletic Director CraigLittlepage made theannouncement Tuesday. He saidthe contract carries through the2020-21 season. It replaces anextension to Bennett’s originalcontract that was scheduledto end following the 2018-19season.A release from the schoolstates that the new dealincreases Bennett’s salary andsupplemental compensation to$1.942 million.In other news:»Michigan forward MaxBielfeldt has had hip surgery andis expected to miss much of thesummer.

GOLF

Krumland shoots 68, winssenior title on home courseCOLUMBUS, Neb. — MikeKrumland of Columbus overcamea two-shot deficit to claim the16th Nebraska Senior Amateur bytwo shots Tuesday on his homecourse.Krumland’s final round of4-under-par 68 at Elks CountryClub on Tuesday put his winningscore at par 144. It is hissecond Senior Amateur title, thefirst coming in 2006.John Sajevic of Fremont wasrunner-up for a third consecutiveyear. Age division winners wereDavid Clouse of Friend (50 to 57),Krumland (58 to 64) and JohnHaney of Lincoln (65 and older).

Final championship-flight leaders: 1, Mike Krumland,Columbus, 76-68—144. 2, John Sajevic, Fremont,76-70—146. 3, David Clouse, Friend, 78-72—150.4, tie, John Haney, Lincoln, 79-72—151; Jay Muller,Bennington, 76-75—151; Dave Shillinglaw, Papillion,75-76—151. 7, tie, Steve Peterson, Lincoln, 74-78—152; Gregg Vonnahme, Omaha, 74-78—152.9, tie, Mike Wiester, Columbus, 77-77—154; DougRose, Wayne, 76-78—154; Steve Samuelson,Fremont, 74-80—154.

HIGHSCHOOLS

Weather causes alterationsto western Iowa schedulesSevere weather wiped out whatwas supposed to be a busysports evening Tuesday acrosswestern Iowa.Hail, heavy rain andthunderstorms forcedpostponements in all nine ofthe area’s regional girls soccercontests in Classes 1-A and 2-A.The only game that began wasRiverside at Council Bluffs St.Albert, with the Saintes up 2-0at the 13-minute mark. Play willresume at 4 p.m. Wednesday atthe YMCA fields.Other 1-A games were alsopushed back to Wednesdayafternoon. Among them are WestSioux at Sioux City Heelan (6p.m.), Missouri Valley at CarrollKuemper (6), A-H-S-T vs. Harlan(4, at Treynor), Underwood atTreynor (6), Atlantic at Tri-Center(6) and Creston vs. Centerville(6, at Indianola).New times for 2-A games:Sioux City West at ThomasJefferson (4:30) and Glenwoodat Council Bluffs Lewis Central(5).Class 3-A games will beplayed Wednesday as originallyscheduled.A full night of baseball andsoftball also fell by the wayside.Some games were postponed,while others were canceled.

Compiled from press servicesand local reports.

BRIEFLY

BY KATY HEALEY

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The owners of the OmahaMarathon said they’re address-ing the concerns that surfacedafter last year’s race.

HITS Endurance, a nationalevent-production company,faced pointed criticism after itsfirst time organizing the mara-thon in September. Organizersacknowledged those shortcom-ings after the race and recentlyannounced specific plans to fixthem.

They have also partneredwith Team Jack, a local charitythat benefits pediatric braincancer research. Runners candonate to Team Jack when theyregister. They can also chooseto raise $500 for the charity,and organizers will waive their

registration fee.Here’s a breakdown of the

changes that runners can expectat the Omaha Marathon on Sept.21.

NEW FINISH LINE

Last year:With the finish line insight, runners were directed insideTD Ameritrade Park, where theyran on the warning track, thenexited the stadium to finish.

This year: Runners will finishinside the stadium and exit toreceive food and drink. Organizerssaid this will eliminate confusionand congestion about locatingpost-race fuel.

NEW T-SHIRT

Last year: The men receivedmoisture-wicking shirts and thewomen received cotton shirts,

though everyone paid the sameregistration fee. The shirts werealso short-sleeved and not OmahaMarathon-specific but promotedHITS Endurance.

This year: Both men and womenwill receive moisture-wicking, long-sleeved shirts that will be OmahaMarathon-specific and designedfor each gender.

NEWMEDAL

Last year: The new eventorganizers carried over the samemedals from previous years, whichwere made of glass.

This year: The medals will not bemade of glass, because somerunners reported worries thatthey might shatter if dropped.The medals will highlight theOmaha skyline and will be OmahaMarathon-specific.

NEWSIGNAGE

Last year: Runners missedturnaround points.

This year: Race organizers areincorporating elevated signs todraw attention to turnaroundpoints.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Last year: The 1-mile and 5Kraces were on Saturday, while the10K, half-marathon and marathonwere on Sunday.

This year: All five running eventswill be on Sunday. The half-marathon and marathon will bothstart at 7 a.m. The 5K will start atnoon. The 10K will start at 1 p.m.The 1-mile race will start at 3 p.m.

Contact the writer:402-444-1071, katy.healey@owh.comtwitter.com/KatyHealey5

OMAHAMARATHON

Marathonmakingchangesaftercriticism

BellevueWeststandout Johnsonseeking Big Ten offersBellevue West wide receiverC.J. Johnson has already had abusy summer attending campsaround the Midwest trying toearn scholarships from Big Tenprograms. He caught his breath— for seven minutes to talk toreporters — Tuesday at the MGCamp before he dives headlonginto more camps.He’ll hit Nebraska’s footballcamp for one day during the June8 to 10 window. He then intendsto compete at Wisconsin’s campshortly after that. Though Johnsonhas offers from Wyoming andOhio, he’s pursuing the Huskers,Badgers and other schools.“I really want to show off myexplosiveness,” Johnson said.“That’s what they’ve all beenworried about: my explosivenessand my speed. I’ve been workingon that. I want to show somegood route running and be able tocreate some separation betweenmyself and the DBs.”Johnson said he expects to get

a Nebraska offer at the camp —because he expects to impresscoaches. Plus, he said, NUassistant coach Barney Cotton is“really pushing for an offer.”“I’ll give them everything I’vegot,” said Johnson, the son offormer Nebraska wide receiverClester Johnson.If Nebraska and Wisconsin offer,Johnson said, a few more schoolsmight, too. Sunday, Johnsonattended a Nike camp on OhioState’s campus; the 6-foot-2,190-pounder even took a few repsat tight end.“I thought I held my own prettywell, actually,” Johnson said. Thetrip to Columbus included a visitto Athens, Ohio, home of OhioUniversity.“They had some good things tosay,” Johnson said.

North running back Stronghas big goals for seasonAs a junior, Omaha North runningback Calvin Strong helped theVikings win a state title while heran for 3,000 yards. He set a highbar for himself, so how does heclear it in his senior year?

“I don’t know what goal I canset this year but to break my ownrecord,” Strong said. “No fumblesthis year. All positive yards — notackles in the backfield.”Strong said “family stuff” haskept him from attending mostsummer camps, but he said hewill be in Lincoln for Nebraska’sfootball camp. He also plans tovisit South Dakota State, the onlyschool that has extended an offer.“Any camp that’s coming up, I’dbe willing to go to,” Strong said. “Ireally do need to get out more likeI did last year.”Strong said Nebraska coacheshave told him to work on hisfootwork and speed. Strong saidhe’d recently run his fastest 40-yard dash, 4.62 seconds.“Everything’s just coming alongfine,” Strong said.

Transfer says Omaha Southis ‘a different program’After transferring from OmahaBurke to Omaha South in theoffseason, junior-to-be defensiveend Noah Fant was bound to seefamiliar faces at the MG Camp.Both the Bulldogs and Packers

competed in it.“We’re still friends and stuff,”Fant said of his former Burketeammates, “but when we’re onthat field, we’re enemies at thatpoint.”The 6-foot-4, 210-poundercould be the state’s top footballprospect for the 2016 class.Already, Nebraska, Wisconsin andOregon have stopped by South toexpress interest. Fant, who madeseveral strong plays Tuesday attight end, said he’d be fine playingeither offense or defense. He saidthere are also schools recruitinghim in basketball.While South’s basketball team islikely to be among the state’s bestnext year, the football programhas in recent years lagged behindMetro powers North, Central,Westside, Burke and OmahaCreighton Prep. Fant said thePackers are growing in the rightareas.“Intensity — the ‘want’ to win— we’re changing that,” Fantsaid. “We’re changing that rightnow. We’re coming out here toshow everybody we’re a differentprogram and we’re going to changeit.”— SamMcKewon

MGCAMPNOTES

Husker commit DaiShon Nealfrom Omaha Central — alongwith many other players — tookTuesday as a chance to sizeup competition and match upagainst old friends. Thoughplayers go to different schools,many have known each otherfor years. After Neal’s day wasdone, he walked by a group ofNorth players and said hello.

The camp was a hit withStrong, an All-Nebraska runningback who ran for more than3,000 yards last year.

“I love it, I love it,” he said.“It’s good to see all my friendsthat I grew up playing footballwith, even if they play for dif-ferent teams.”

Most teams had enough play-ers to put two or three units onthe field, mixing and matchingguys as needed. The camp isopen to players about to enterthe 10th through 12th grades,so not all athletes on the largestsquads present Tuesday willstart or even play much varsitythis fall. The camp thus servesas a foretaste of the biggeststage this fall.

“It lets the young guys getsome playing time — it’s a littlesneak preview of what Fridaynights will look like,” BellevueWest wide receiver CJ Johnsonsaid. Johnson fit the camp intoa demanding summer scheduleof camps all over the Midwestas he tries to earn scholarshipoffers from Big Ten programs.

Neal said he got a sneakpreview of the kind of attention

he’ll face this fall. A surprisecommit for the Huskers in thespring, Neal no longer looks likea surprise: The defensive endhas bulked his 6-foot-6 frame upto 245 pounds. He received plen-ty of attention from opponentsTuesday.

“I’m going to be facing awhole lot of double teams thisyear,” Neal said. “Now I can goback and discuss with my dadhow I can work on my techniqueand get off them.”

Neal said he was kicked out ofthe first game Tuesday because“supposedly I roughed thepasser.”

“That’s kind of ironic,” Nealsaid with a smile. “We’re outhere playing football. But I canunderstand.”

It’s not quite Friday night yet.

But the MG Camp isn’t a badappetizer.

“Sometimes offseasons canbe quite long — especially ifyou don’t have spring football,”Burke’s Limongi said. “This issomething you work toward inthe winter and then, once it’sconcluded, you feel refreshed.You give the kids a couple daysoff, and come Monday, it’s allabout attacking the summer.”

Contact the writer:402-202-9766, sam.mckewon@owh.comtwitter.com/swmckewonOWH

Camp: Teams welcome the diversion from conditioningContinued from Page 1

MORE ONLINE

See more photos from Tuesday’shigh school football action at theMG Camp, including scrimmagesfeaturing some of the state’s topprospects. NEPrepZone.com

RYAN SODERL I N / THE WORLD -HERA LD

Omaha North back Tavion Seals tries to break a Bellevue West tackle. The Thunderbirds joined the seven OPSschools and Papio South at the camp.

‘THE BOTTOM LINE’ WITHMIKE’L SEVERE

Receiver Damore’ea Stringfellowannounced his plans to transferfrom Washington to Nebraska overthe weekend, and he discussedhis decision Tuesday on “TheBottom Line.”The 6-foot-3, 229-poundreceiver played at Rancho VerdeHigh School in Moreno Valley,California, and nearly chose theHuskers a couple of years ago.Highlights of the Tuesday interviewwith Stringfellow, who caught 20passes with the Huskies as afreshman in 2013:

On his first impression ofNebraska, during his recruitmentout of high school:

“I only went on three visits. Oneof which was Nebraska, which I

would say was probably the bestexperience I had, with the gameatmosphere and the coaches andthe connection with the players.”

Former Huskers Eric Martinand Quincy Enunwa played atStringfellow’s high school:

“I know Eric, from just what he’sdone at Rancho. I went to a couplegames his senior year and sawhim destroy people. And thenQuincy ... his senior year, whichwas my freshman year, I playedright behind him. He taught me alot of what I know now.”

On Enunwa’s physical style ofplay:

“That’s something that our head

coach stressed a lot becausewe both played the inside slotreceiver. We had to block a lot ofthe linebackers and the defensiveends. One of his main focuses wasmaking sure that we were physical,that we weren’t scared to stick ourhead in there and block him.”

On the reaction of Nebraska’scoaching staff when he choseNU:

“(Receivers) coach (Rich) Fisherwas pretty excited over the phone,when I actually got the release totalk to coaches. He explained tome that he was going to do hisbest to get me the opp to comeand play there. That was initiallythe only school that I contacted. Ifeel like they were pretty excited,

probably just as excited as I was.”

Stringfellow would like to petitionfor a waiver to play immediately:

“That’s a conversation that meand the coach have to have whenI come up on a visit. HopefullyI can get the opportunity to beable to show what I can do thisyear. But if not, I can sit out andjust get better the whole year andcome back even more strong nextseason.”

On his role in offensivecoordinator Tim Beck’s offense:

“Wherever he puts me, inside oroutside, I’m going to do my best toshine, and just to be the best. I’mcoming to shatter records. And doeverything I can to be the best.”