Sports Roundup: Pistons intro New GM-Coach

Pistons Hire New Coach

The Detroit Pistons introduced Stan Van Gundy as their new head coach and president of basketball operations during a press conference yesterday.  Van Gundy said the organization will work to build a team that reflects the franchise's tradition but also embodies the worth ethic of their fans.  He replaces interim coach John Loyer, who took over for Maurice Cheeks midseason and team president Joe Dumars, who recently stepped down.  Detroit finished last season with a 29-and-53 record and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

NBA Playoffs

The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are moving on in the NBA playoffs. David West had 29 points as the Pacers knocked off the Washington Wizards 93-80.  Indiana will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals starting Sunday.  Out west, Kevin Durant racked up 39 points and 16 rebounds as OKC topped the Clippers 104-98. The Thunder will take on the San Antonio Spurs in the West Finals starting Monday.

NHL Playoffs

The LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks are knotted at 3-3 with Game Seven tonight.  The Kings were up 2-0 in the best-of-seven set, but the Ducks won the next three games. The winner will play the Blackhawks.  Montreal will play the New York Rangers starting on Saturday

World Hockey

The Latvia beat the USA 6-5 at the IIHFF Men’s World Championship in Belarus.  They play Kazakhstan this morning.

Griffins Down Two Games to None

The Grand Rapids Griffins and the Texas Stars are tied at 2.  Game 5 is tonight in Grand Rapids.

Tigers

Detroit had an off day yesterday.  The Tigers are in Boston for a 3-game series. Max Scherzer goes for his sixth win tonight.  Broadcast time is 6:45pm on WBCK-FM.

KCC Baseball

Bad weather washed out tournament play for the KCC Bruins.   KCC will now play the winner of the Vincennes/Muskegon CC contest in a 3:30 p.m. game today at C.O. Brown Stadium.  Winner will go to the semi-finals.

Boys Baseball

Pennfield swept Constantine, 10-1 and 7-4. Evan Thomas was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in game 1.

Softball

Constantine swept Pennfield, 8-3 and 10-7.

Concord and Athens split a pair.  Jenny Smittendorf had four singles and a grand slam for Athens.

Amateur Baseball Leagues are forming…

Stan Musial adult-league teams and Connie Mack 18-under teams have until today to register with the Battle Creek Parks and Recreation Department.  The Musial season will kick of its 79th year of existence on June 2 and will run until the end of July.

Lions to Start Mini-Camp

The Detroit Lions start rookie minicamp today.  They expect to have all of this year's eight-man rookie class signed by then. Detroit has less than 1.4-million-dollars in available salary cap space, but will likely restructure some contracts to get the rookies signed.   The Lions also have 11 undrafted rookie free agents.

Battle Creek Coyotes Play Saturday

The Battle Creek Coyotes, formerly the Blaze, hit the road next Saturday to play the Michigan Lions at Kalamazoo College.

Golf

Peter Hanson carded a 5-under 65 on Thursday to claim the early lead of the Byron Nelson Championship.

Nascar

This Saturday, NASCAR drivers get ready for the annual All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Marshall Race

This Saturday, over 1,000 runners will gather near the circle in Marshall for the 32nd annual Oaklawn Hospitality Classic 5K and 10K event.