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TORONTO – Two months after failing to win a game at the Paris Olympics, Canada Basketball said it has “mutually agreed” to part ways with senior women’s head coach Victor Lapena.

He led the team to a 17-10 record in FIBA competitions since being hired in January 2022 but was 0-3 at the Games.

“On behalf of the senior women’s national team and our women’s high-performance program, I’d like to thank Víctor for his efforts in leading our team,” general manager Denise Dignard said Monday in a release.

“The organization would also like to express our sincere appreciation to Victor and his family for their dedication and sacrifice over the last several years and wish them all the best in the future.”

Lapena guided Canada to a third-place finish at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup last year and a fourth-place showing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2022.

Earlier this year, in consultation with Canada Basketball, Lapena was hired by the Turkish club Cukurova Basketbol Kulubu.

Following the Olympics, it was decided it would be best for him to focus his efforts on his pro team as it competes in the EuroLeague Women and other national competitions, the federation said.

A replacement was not named for the seventh-ranked team.

Canada Basketball said a head coaching search will be part of the process as it assesses its training and competition calendar along with player and coach development strategies for the next quadrennial.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.

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CALGARY – The Calgary Flames placed Yegor Sharangovich on injured reserve Monday with a lower-body injury.

The 26-year-old winger tangled along the boards with Winnipeg Jets centre Vladislav Namestnikov and went down in Friday’s pre-season finale for both clubs.

Sharangovich led the Flames in goals last season with 31 and played all 82 regular-season games. The Flames said his status is week-to-week.

Calgary opens its regular season on the road Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Sharangovich’s 59 points in 2023-24 made him the all-time highest scoring Belarusian in a single NHL season.

He signed a five-year contract extension July 1 that’s worth US$28.75 million and starts in 2025-26.

Also, the Flames announced Monday that left-winger Jakob Pelletier and goaltender Devin Cooley cleared waivers and were assigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

That left two goalies, eight defencemen and 14 forwards on the Flames’ roster.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A judge granted preliminary approval Monday to the $2.78 billion legal settlement that would transform college sports by allowing schools to pay players.

U.S District Judge Claudia Wilken released an order setting a timeline for a deal that would put millions of dollars into the pockets of college athletes, who can begin applying for payment on Oct. 18.

A final hearing is set for April 7, 2025, the day of college basketball’s national title game. If finalized, the deal would allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million in the first year to distribute to athletes via a revenue-sharing plan. Athletes would still be able to cut name, image and likeness deals with outside groups.

“We are pleased that we are one step closer to a revolutionary change in college athletics that will allow billions in revenue sharing,” said plaintiff attorney Steve Berman.

The judge’s approval comes 11 days after attorneys tweaked wording in the original settlement agreement to address Wilken’s concerns. The main change involved getting rid of the word “boosters” and replacing it with a better-defined description of whose potential NIL deals would be subject to oversight by a neutral arbitrator once the deal goes through.

That did not, however, strike to the heart of the settlement, which sets up a revenue-sharing arrangement between schools and the athletes. The $21.5 million figure comes from the 22% of average revenue that power conference schools generate through media rights, tickets and other sources. It will be recalculated periodically through the 10-year window that the agreement covers.

“We are thrilled by Judge Wilken’s decision to give preliminary approval to the landmark settlement that will help bring stability and sustainability to college athletics while delivering increased benefits to student-athletes for years to come,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “Today’s progress is a significant step in writing the next chapter for the future of college sports.”

This settlement also allows former players to apply for payments to make up for lost revenue they would have received through NIL deals that weren’t allowed in college sports before 2021. It sets up a framework to regulate future NIL deals and replaces scholarship caps with “roster limits,” which will grow to 105 for football, the biggest sport at most major universities.

This settlement resolves three major antitrust lawsuits filed against the NCAA, including one spearheaded by Grant House, a former swimmer at Arizona State. Berman’s law firm says the value of new payments and benefits to college athletes is expected to exceed $20 billion over 10 years.

Still unknown, however, is how long the terms of this deal will last. Litigation regarding the rights of players to unionize and potentially be considered employees remains unsettled. Meanwhile, the NCAA is pushing for federal legislation to knit together a streamlined policy for NIL, which is currently regulated by a patchwork of state laws, legal settlements and NCAA rules.

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