Off the wire Compiled

BASKETBALL OKC names new coach

Much of the credit for Mark Daigneault’s quick ascent to NBA head coach goes to the man he is replacing. The Oklahoma City Thunder promoted Daigneault to head coach on Wednesday, handing the team to the 35-year-old former coach of its G League team. He replaces Billy Donovan, who now is coaching the Chicago Bulls. Daigneault coached the Thunder’s G League team for five years. He had a .572 winning percentage, won three division titles and made four playoff appearances. He spent last season as a Thunder assistant. Daigneault has big shoes to fill. Donovan took the Thunder to the playoffs all five years he spent in Oklahoma City. He was a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year this past season after his squad outperformed expectations and pushed the Houston Rockets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

BASEBALL Two accept $18.9M offers

Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers Wednesday, receiving one-year deals to stay with their teams rather than test what they could get in free agency. Four players declined qualifying offers: right-hander Trevor Bauer from Cincinnati, outfielder George Springer from Houston, second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the New York Yankees and catcher J.T. Realmuto from Philadelphia. If any of those players signs with a new team, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round of next year’s MLB Draft or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on whether the new contract is worth $50 million or more and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player. A team signing the player would give up either its third-highest draft pick, its second-highest pick and $500,000 of international signing bonus allotment, or its secondand fifth-highest selections and $1 million of international signing bonus allotment, depending on revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the signing club. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only seven of 96 offers have been accepted.

Tomlin remains with Braves

Right-hander Josh Tomlin is staying with the Atlanta Braves, agreeing to a one-year contract that guarantees $1.25 million. Tomlin has a $1 million salary next season, and the deal announced Wednesday includes a $1.25 million club option with a $250,000 buyout. He had a $1 million salary this year and earned $370,370 in prorated pay for the shortened season with the NL East champions. The 36-year-old was 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 17 games.

FOOTBALL Cowboy on covid-19 list

The Dallas Cowboys have placed defensive end Tyrone Crawford on the covid-19 reserve list. The move comes the same day of what was supposed to be the only live practice of the bye week for Dallas. The practice was canceled because Pittsburgh announced a positive covid-19 test for tight end Vance McDonald on Monday, a day after he played 24 snaps against the Cowboys. Crawford’s addition means Dallas has two players on the covid-19 list. Quarterback Andy Dalton has been on it almost two weeks.

Miami WR sent to IR

Miami Dolphins receiver Preston Williams went on injured reserve Wednesday with a foot injury, meaning he’ll be sidelined for three games and perhaps longer. Coach Brian Flores declined to say whether Williams is expected to return this season, but said the injury is more serious than first thought and additional tests were planned. Williams, who was hurt in Sunday’s game, has 18 catches for 288 yards and a team-high 4 TD receptions. His injury could mean more playing time for Jakeem

and Lynn

Grant, Malcolm Perry Bowden Jr.

Bengals claim DE off waivers

The Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday bolstered their defensive front by claiming defensive end Takk McKinley off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. McKinley, a fourth-year player out of UCLA, was a first-round draft pick of the Falcons in 2017. He has played in 49 games with 171/ sacks. The Falcons

2 waived him Monday after he took to social media in recent weeks to make it clear that he wanted out of Atlanta. He posted on his Twitter account Nov. 4 that he requested trades. He said the Falcons turned down an offer for a second-round pick in 2019.

Jets add CB Ballentine

The New York Jets claimed cornerback Corey Ballentine off waivers from the Giants on Wednesday. Ballentine was a sixthround pick out of Washburn University last year and had 16 tackles in nine games this season, but saw his playing time diminish. He started the first two games before being relegated to a backup role, and also lost his job as the Giants’ kickoff returner. He was waived Tuesday.

Penn State RB ends career

Penn State running back Journey Brown said he has a heart condition that is forcing him to give up football. Brown posted Wednesday night on Twitter that he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes the heart muscle to become abnormally thick and can make it more difficult to pump blood. Penn State Coach James Franklin told reporters Brown’s condition was not covid-19 related, but it was discovered in September during “a routine covid test.” Neither Penn State nor Brown have indicated whether he tested positive for covid-19, but the Big Ten requires cardiac screening and testing of those athletes who do before they can return to competition.

Florida State loses 4 players

Florida State’s struggles continue to mount as the Seminoles lost several players Wednesday for the rest of the season, with some sidelined by injuries and others saying it is time to move on. Preseason All-American defensive tackle Marvin Wilson and starting offensive lineman Devontay Love-Taylor will not play the rest of the year because of injuries. Coach Mike Norvell also announced that leading wide receiver Tamorrion Terry has left the team and James Blackman, now a backup quarterback, intends to transfer. Florida State (2-5, 1-5 ACC) is struggling in Norvell’s first season, suffering double-digit losses against Miami, Notre Dame, Louisville and Pittsburgh. The Seminoles play at North Carolina State (4-3, 4-3 ACC) on Saturday.

TENNIS Alexandrova advances

Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced to her first quarterfinal in nine months by beating fellow Russian Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 6-1 Wednesday at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. The 33rd-ranked Alexandrova had not been beyond the last 16 of a WTA event since winning the Shenzhen Open in January and reaching the semifinals in St. Petersburg the following month. Alexandrova dropped serve twice in an up-and-down opening set before dominating the second. Her opponent in the quarterfinals will be sixth-seeded Nadia Podoroska or 2018 champion Camila Giorgi. Podoroska defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-4 in her first match since reaching the French Open semifinals last month.