LONDON – The SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team will become Aston Martin’s factory Formula One team beginning in the 2021 season.

The announcement comes after Racing Point majority owner Lawrence Stroll stepped in to help the ailing car manufacturer. Stroll led a group of investors who spent $239 million to acquire 16.7 percent of the company.

In addition, Aston Martin will race an addition $417 million by issuing new shares. Some of those shares will also be purchased by Stroll’s group of investors, further increasing his ownership stake.

As a result Stroll, the father of current Racing Point driver Lance Stroll, will become executive chairman of Aston Martin. As part of the agreement between Stroll’s group and the car manufacturer, the SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team will be rebranded as Aston Martin F1 in 2021.

Aston Martin has been a sponsor of Red Bull Racing since 2016, becoming the team’s title sponsor in 2018. In a statement released by Red Bull Racing, the team said Aston Martin will continue to be a sponsor of the organization through the end of the 2020 season.

OAKDALE, N.Y. – Johnny Pluchino, a second-generation Mountain Motor Pro Stock driver, has renewed his sponsorship agreement with Strutmasters.com.

The 29-year-old plans to compete in a combination of NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock races and PDRA Extreme Pro Stock events this season in the 2013 Ford Mustang owned by his father, 2016 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion John Pluchino.

“I couldn’t be happier to extend my partnership with Chip Lofton and Strutmasters.com,” said Pluchino. “I really want to get them a couple Wallys this year. We also have the continued support of Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Ram Clutches, Book Racing Carbs and Precision Racing Suspension. We have two new partners this year that we’re excited to work with, Hoosier Racing Tires and NGK Spark Plugs.”

Pluchino’s 2020 schedule is made up of five of the six races on the NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock schedule, plus a selection of events on the to-be-announced PDRA Extreme Pro Stock schedule. Pluchino will run the NHRA races in Charlotte (spring race), Richmond, Chicago, Brainerd and St. Louis.

The two-time PDRA Pro Outlaw 632 world champion made his MMPS debut in 2019, running a limited schedule of NHRA and PDRA races. He balanced his rookie season with his second Pro Outlaw 632 championship effort, running both cars at several races. That changes this season, as Pluchino will focus on the MMPS car.

“You always have a short-term goal and long-term goal or a dream. This is it now,” Pluchino said. “Everything else that I’ve done so far, those were goals and dreams of mine, to win championships [in Pro Outlaw 632]. But this was the ultimate dream, to come race Mountain Motor Pro Stock, run a full schedule, race for a championship hopefully and run at the NHRA national events. This is as exciting as it gets. Everything that we’ve worked for was for this point, for 2020. I’m more excited than I can really express.”

Pluchino grew up watching his father race in IHRA Pro Stock and shares his father’s passion for the class. With new cars being built and familiar faces returning to the class, he sees a lot of potential for MMPS, especially with two premier places to race. The excitement building around the class adds to Pluchino’s enthusiasm and eagerness to join the mix.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the class right now,” Pluchino said. “It’s at a spot where if we can demonstrate the potential of this class, I really feel like it can grow in a crazy way. I’ve watched this class since I was born. I am very excited to go head to head with a lot of these drivers. I have a lot of respect for these guys. But I’m a guy who does whatever he has to do to win on any given day. I plan on helping the class as much as I can in regard to building rivalries, playing starting line games if I have to, and seeing where the chips fall.”

Between the support from sponsors like Strutmasters.com and the faith placed in him by his father, Pluchino appreciates the opportunities in front of him and is eager to get to work proving his talents on the big stage.

“I want to thank my dad for giving me the opportunity to have the seat in 2020 in his car,” Pluchino said. “He’s worked very hard to put this program together. I also want to thank my crew guys for all the hard work they put in. I can’t wait to get back to the track with these guys so we can start chasing more trophies.”

Manchester United have announced the signing of goalkeeper Nathan Bishop from League One club Southend United.

Twenty-year-old Bishop, who also plays for England U20s, joins United on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

"The opportunity to join Manchester United is a dream come true," Bishop said in a statement.

"This club has a great record of developing goalkeepers and I cannot wait to work with the coaches here to improve every single day."

Bishop made his debut for Southend in December 2017 and went on to make 39 appearances for the club.

He is the second signing United have made this month, following Thursday's announcement that midfielder Bruno Fernandes had joined from Sporting CP.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team could see one more addition before transfer deadline day is complete, with Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe confirming United made a bid for striker Josh King.

Norway international King, 28, represented United at youth level and remained with the club in his senior career until 2013, despite making no appearances for the first team.

"I'm not going to deny anything you have read, but I don't want to talk about it too much," Howe said. "He is much valued and loved by us.

"He is a massive part of our team -- he brings that unique pace and strength, coupled with technical ability and an eye for goal.

"It's going to be [a decision] between the chief executive and owner. I love Josh as a player and person. I know what Manchester United means to him with his history with the club, so I understand his position."

Nearly two months after Wasim Khan stepped down as head of the PCB's cricket committee, the board recalled Iqbal Qasim back to the set-up to take over the key position. The panel is now entirely independent from figures that hold other roles in the PCB, with one exception - Urooj Mumtaz, the PCB women's chief selector, is still a part. The other three members on the panel are Ali Naqvi, Umar Gul and Wasim Akram. Wasim Khan and Zakir Khan will serve as co-opted members, the PCB announced.

The cricket committee has run into roadblocks right from the time it was formed in 2018. Akram's inclusion in the committee was followed by PCB chairman Ehsan Mani turning his back on the Qayyum Report on match-fixing, which led to Akram being fined and censured, as well as removed from the Pakistan captaincy. A few of Mohsin Khan's public statements also put the PCB in an awkward position, especially the scathing personal criticism he levelled at then head coach Mickey Arthur.

ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB had begun to re-evaluate its decision to appoint Mohsin to the committee, and reportedly forbade him from making public statements - it didn't stop him from calling for Sarfaraz Ahmed to be relieved of the Test captaincy. During this time, Mohsin headed three meetings but failed to develop any sort of consensus on any outstanding cricketing issue.

After eight months - during which he presided over just those three meetings - Mohsin resigned from the committee for reasons he never made public, leading to Wasim Khan taking on the additional role of heading the committee.

Qasim played 50 Tests and 15 ODIs for Pakistan, and as an administrator accumulated vast experience working as a director in the National Bank of Pakistan sports department before retiring in 2015. He has also been involved with the PCB in various roles, as team manager, chief selector and member of the domestic tournament monitoring committee.

"I am pleased the PCB has considered me for this important assignment and will try to utilise all my cricket and corporate experience and knowledge in the successful delivery of my responsibilities," he said after being given the new role. "The PCB Cricket Committee comprises members who are avid followers of the game, are on top of all matters related to the game in Pakistan and, therefore, with collective wisdom, will make recommendations that will help the PCB to improve its strategic direction.

"The game belongs to the people of Pakistan and we all are equal stakeholders in this. I think anyone who thinks can make a positive and meaningful contribution to Pakistan cricket, should come forward and play an active part."

PCB has also increased the number of members in the committee from four to five, not including co-opted members. Gul replaced Misbah-ul-Haq - who, soon after applying for the Pakistan head coach job, resigned from the role. Naqvi is the fifth member, with the former Pakistan batsman presently a member of the PCB elite panel for match referees.

"I welcome all the distinguished members in this PCB Cricket Committee and look forward to working with them," Wasim Khan said. "I am delighted we have been able to put together a wide-ranging, knowledgeable, experienced and respected group whose commitment and involvement in the game is second to none.

"These members are representatives of all key stakeholders within the game. More importantly, and in line with our policy, they are completely independent, which, in turn, will assist the PCB management to further improve the health of the game in Pakistan."

Having not played a Super Over until Wednesday, and then clawing their way back in to chase 17 and 14 in back-to-back Super Overs in the third and fourth T20Is against New Zealand, was an "unbelievable" experience, according to India captain Virat Kohli.

"There's something new I've learnt in the last couple of games, which is: when the opposition is playing that well, you've just got to stay calm in the game, observe what's happening and if an opportunity comes your way, you capitalise on it and try and make the most of it," Kohli told Star Sports after the match. "What happened in the last two games is unbelievable, being involved in the game and from the fans' point of view as well.

"You couldn't have asked for more two exciting T20s back-two-back. We had never played Super Overs before these two games and now we've played two back to back. It feels good when you're out of the game, and then you come back… it shows the character of the team."

ALSO READ: Report - NZ contrive to lose in Super Over again as India go 4-0 up

Kohli didn't have a great time with the bat in the regular game, making only 11, but sealed the Super Over by hitting the winning runs with a pull for four off Tim Southee. However, Kohli revealed he wasn't even planning to go out alongside KL Rahul.

"Initially we decided Sanju [Samson] and KL [would open in the Super Over] because both of them can strike the ball really well," Kohli said. "But then KL and I had a chat [and decided] that I should walk in with him because I have more experience and if there is a pressure situation, I will find more options to figure out what needs to be done.

"His two strikes [a six and a four in the first two balls] were crucial, and then the bit of experience did come into play where you knock the ball into the gaps and make the team go past the line and do the job. It's exciting for me, having not been part of Super Over for a long, long time, but yeah, two back-to-back exciting wins for us."

The two unlikely victories, according to Friday's star performer Shardul Thakur, was a lesson in perseverance, the first win in particular sending out a never-say-die message in the dressing room.

"That's all we play for - such nail-biting finishes and two games in a row… I think you couldn't ask for anything more," Thakur said of the last over of the main game, when he picked up two wickets and two New Zealand batsmen were run-out, resulting in the tie. "After the last game's win, we learnt that you should never lose hope, and I think the first-ball wicket was crucial. If I bowl a dot ball or take a wicket, then the pressure is on them. And, that's what happened, and that changed the game a bit."

ALSO READ: New Zealand's Super Over heartbreaks

Southee, who delivered both Super Overs and captained New Zealand in the absence of the injured Kane Williamson on the day, summed up the dejection among the home side. "It's very tough, especially in the positions we put ourselves into," he said. "We gave them a chance and they took them with both hands. I guess when you've got a young bowling attack, and you sort of trying to get a clear decision from a number of people, yeah it's tough we keep getting ourselves in these positions.

"It is [difficult] when you lose a couple of games like we have. When you're winning games, you just find ways to win them with balls to spare, but when you haven't won and you're playing against quality opposition against India, you give them a sniff in, then you do you make it tough for yourselves."

Having taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, Kohli's decision to bring in Samson, Washington Sundar and Navdeep Saini in the fourth T20I didn't quite return intended results. An impetuous hoick brought Samson's five-ball 8 to a close two balls after he whipped Scott Kuggeleijn for a wristy six, Washington gave away 24 in two overs, and Saini conceded 29 runs in four overs without putting himself on the wickets column. Kohli, though, took heart from the fact that the trio, especially Saini, were "in the right kind of headspaces" in the face of pressure.

"Sanju was fearless at the top of the order," Kohli said. "We didn't quite read the pitch that well; having got one six I think he thought this is his chance to get the momentum going and really take things away. That's the kind of player he is, so he should keeping backing himself.

"Washy has played a lot anyway. Saini was particularly impressive with his pace he really rushed the batsman. I think all in all, all of them looked in a good headspace. If the opposition plays that well against them, against them, there's no harm in saying, 'You guys were playing well in that situation'. But we were very proud with the way we went about it and pulled it back, and those three guys looked to be in the right kind of headspaces."

A document accessed by ESPNcricinfo states that the decision to sack Steven Taylor as USA vice-captain was made after the player and at least two of his team-mates turned up visibly drunk for a team meeting the night before an ODI in the UAE. Of the three, Taylor's condition was the most severe, and it allegedly led to a verbal confrontation between him and head coach James Pamment, according to multiple sources.

A report submitted by Pamment to USA Cricket administrators at the conclusion of the tour says that Taylor and others, including Monank Patel, had been drinking prior to arriving to a team meeting on December 13, the night before USA's last ODI against Scotland on the December tour of the UAE. They lost that match by four wickets after having won the first three ODIs on tour against UAE and Scotland. In the report, Taylor is described by Pamment as turning up "more than half pissed" and that after the team meeting ended, the player headed straight back to the hotel bar.

"His behavior at the meeting was extremely disrespectful and in total contempt to everything that the group had been striving to achieve," Pamment wrote. The report is also critical of Taylor's overall work ethic and approach to training, stating that "his athletic conditioning is something he clearly doesn't value" and that Taylor is "the lowest recorded athlete in the group" when it comes to assessments conducted by the team's strength and conditioning coach.

Monank also came in for a scathing assessment in the report. According to Pamment, he "turned up half pissed for the Scouting and Team meetings, which is hard to understand given his role in the Leadership group and even harder to understand, he decided to return to the bar for an evening session after the meetings had been concluded." Monank was out second ball the following morning, his second duck of the tour. Taylor managed to top score with 56 from No. 3 in the loss, having entered the match with scores of 0, 17 and 16 in the three earlier wins.

Nisarg Patel was another player to come in for criticism, with Pamment writing in the report that "he had little regards for the team's culture by joining others on the piss the day before the game". However, the report does not make any explicit claim that Nisarg went back to the bar in the same manner as Taylor and Monank once team meetings had ended. Nisarg made 38 off 52 balls against Scotland after entering at No. 7.

USA Cricket did not publicly disclose any information about the incident until after the touring squad for the upcoming series in Nepal was named in the third week of January, more than five weeks after the incident occurred. When asked why the vice-captain designation was no longer listed next to Taylor's name in the squad press release, a USA Cricket spokesperson stated that Taylor was reprimanded for "failing to display the high standards of behavior and professionalism that are expected of all USA National Team cricketers on last month's tour of the UAE."

Separately, Monank and Nisarg were not named at all by USA Cricket in their statement. That statement said: Taylor "was not the only player to have acted in a manner which was inconsistent with the team's values and, after a review, was found to have broken team rules. All players involved have acknowledged their error of judgment and apologised to their team-mates and support staff and have committed to responding positively."

Like Taylor, Monank was a member of the team's senior leadership circle, intended to support captain Saurabh Netravalkar. Though Taylor was stripped of the vice-captaincy, it was unclear if Monank continued to hold a role in the leadership group in the wake of the incident in the UAE. Sources have indicated that at least one and possibly two other players were involved in the same incident, though none of them were explicitly implicated in the document obtained by ESPNcricinfo.

This is the second time in Taylor's career that he has fallen afoul of the USA management in an alcohol-related incident. He was stripped of the USA men's captaincy in 2013 before he had even led the team on to the field for that summer's Auty Cup series against Canada after USACA reprimanded him for breaking team rules after going out beyond curfew for a night of drinking with one of his team-mates while he served as USA Under-19 captain in Canada.

USA's squad is currently in the middle of a warm-up tour of India, playing three trial matches in Mumbai against a series of local sides before heading on to Kathmandu. Their first match in the ODI tri-series in Nepal is against Oman on February 6.

The BCCI has appointed former India cricketers Madan Lal, RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik as the new members of the Cricket Advisory Committee on Friday. The appointments are for one year.

Lal, 68, played 39 Tests and 67 ODIs from 1974 to 1987, and was a crucial part of the team that triumphed at the 1983 World Cup, his all-round skills proving valuable.. He was also the national coach in 1996-97, and later a member of the senior selection committee in 2000 and 2001.

The 34-year-old left-arm pacer Singh played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20Is, and was a part of the team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. He made his debut for India in 2005, and his last international match was in 2011. Naik, 41, was a wicketkeeper-batter who played two Tests, 46 ODIs, and 31 T20Is from 2002 to 2012.

The CAC will pick India's new selection committee, for which several prominent former cricketers have applied, including Ajit Agarkar, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Nayan Mongia. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said earlier this week that the new selection panel will begin its stint by picking the squad for the home ODI series against South Africa in March.

As per the BCCI's constitution, the CAC has to only pick the senior men's selectors. It remains to be seen whether they will also conduct interviews to pick the senior women's selection committee and for the two positions on the junior men's selection committee.

Ashwell Prince has blamed Cricket South Africa for the departure of Cobras' batsman David Bedingham to Durham for the 2020 season. Bedingham has obtained the right to work in the UK through an ancestral visa, not a Kolpak deal, and is unavailable to play for Prince's Cobras in the domestic one-day competition, which started today.

Bedingham was in second season as a contracted Cobras player and has been playing in the Western Cape throughout his career, initially for Boland, the province that he captained and then to the Cobras franchise. He was also a regular presence in South Africa's Under-19 squads.

Prince believes CSA should have done more to keep Bedingham playing in the country. "It's about opportunity, it's about uncertainty for the players," Prince said. "We tried everything to keep David here.

"In my honest opinion he has a better chance to play international cricket for South Africa if he had to stay. It's high time that CSA sits down and look at things a little bit closer and get to the fact of the matter of why players are leaving, don't beat around the bush, that's where we're at. I have a good understanding why he left, if anyone at CSA has spoken to him, they will also understand the reason.

"If I have to criticise, people who can play at the highest level cannot just be seen around every corner, you just don't see it; it's one percent of players who can play at the highest level. Not everybody can play at that level and yes, there's no guarantee that David could go on to play at the highest level, but in my opinion I feel that he had a good chance to play international cricket.

"Some people might say he has not done enough yet, but you can argue that he should at least be around the SA 'A' squads at the very least and he hasn't had an opportunity at that level. The reality is that we can't keep pretending there is nothing wrong."

Bedingham will be joined at Durham by Farhaan Behardien, the allrounder who last played for South Africa in November 2018. Behardien played 97 white-ball internationals in all, but missed out on selection for last year's World Cup squad and his chances of making the T20 World Cup squad seemed to have disappeared. Behardien has signed a two-year contract, while Bedingham's deal is for the 2020 season alone.

"I have loved representing South Africa for many years, but now is the time to explore a new chapter," Behardien said. "This is a fantastic opportunity for me to support Durham's ambitions and play a key role moving forward in their success."

The pair join two other South African-born players - Gareth Harte and Brydon Carse - in the Durham squad.

JA MORANT WON'T admit it, but Jaren Jackson Jr. is certain that his fellow 20-year-old Memphis Grizzlies cornerstone circles one type of game on his calendar. Morant craves the moments against the league's elite point guards.

And he didn't have to wait long for his first.

It was Oct. 27, and the Grizzlies were trailing by eight points late in the fourth quarter against Kyrie Irving's Brooklyn Nets. It was just the third game of Morant's career -- the Grizzlies had started 0-2 -- but he was about to put the team on his slender back.

Morant checked back into the game with 3:23 remaining in the fourth quarter and scored eight points during the Grizzlies' 10-2 run -- driving for a layup and finishing through contact, getting a pair of free throws after picking off an Irving pass and attacking in transition, gliding into the paint for a pretty scoop, and finally tying the game by slicing through the Brooklyn defense and finishing over shot-blocker Jarrett Allen with seven seconds remaining.

Grizzlies fans, braced for a rough season in the early stages of a rebuilding process, feared what might come next. Irving, one of the NBA's premier closers, had plenty of time for the potential game-winning shot.

After years of film study on the perennial All-Star guard, Morant couldn't wait.

When Irving caught the inbounds pass on the right wing, Morant's feet (clad in Kobe 4 Protros instead of the Kyrie Nike models he often wears) remained on the floor as the 2012 Rookie of the Year pump-faked after a hard dribble to his left.

As Irving elevated to shoot a fadeaway, Morant jumped and extended his left arm, stuffing the shot. The ball bounced off the floor and the buzzer sounded to force overtime. Morant flexed as he sprinted back to the bench.

"He came out and it wasn't about, 'Aw man, I look up to you. I'm wearing your shoes,'" Grizzlies forward Solomon Hill said. "It's about, 'I'm trying to get this W.'"

But the rookie's job wasn't done yet.

The Grizzlies would earn the W only after Morant, who had several highlight finishes while scoring 17 of his 30 points in that comeback fourth quarter, pushed the ball from one 3-point line to another in about two seconds, drew two defenders, dribbled behind the back and passed the ball back to Jae Crowder for a 3-pointer that barely beat the overtime buzzer.

A milestone occasion in Memphis, the first taste of success for Morant and a glimpse into the potential of the electrifying rookie point guard.

"It's just my edge. The chip I have on my shoulder from what I had to go through to get to the NBA," said Morant, an unheralded recruit out of high school who became the No. 2 overall pick after two seasons at mid-major Murray State and has emerged as the clear Rookie of the Year favorite.

"My dad always told me that I was trained to go, basically that I'm built for the moment. And my mom always told me I'm beneath no one."

The performance enhanced the belief of his Memphis teammates that Morant, who has "Beneath No One" tattooed on his left arm, would be special. They knew he had astonishing explosiveness that prompted comparisons to hyperathletic point guards such as Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose.

They sensed that Morant possessed a rare basketball intelligence and feel for the game, much like Chris Paul, whose wisdom Morant soaked up when he attended the CP3 Elite Guard Camp a couple of summers ago. (Tee Morant remembers his son excitedly reciting some of Paul's talks almost word for word during the three-hour drive home from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after the camp.)

His crunch-time domination of Irving, though, confirmed that the easygoing kid with the big smile underneath his wispy mustache possesses a killer instinct -- one groomed on the concrete court in the backyard of his family's home in tiny Dalzell, South Carolina, and now nurtured by his extended basketball family inside FedExForum.

"He doesn't shy away from those moments," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Morant. "He's here to be great."

Later that night, Morant celebrated after his first professional win the same way he did after hundreds of games while growing up in the South Carolina country.

He went home and watched film with his mom and dad.

AS SOON AS Morant knew he was going to be drafted by the Grizzlies, he made plans for his parents to move with him. Along with a few others.

Like his little sister, Teniya, a high school freshman who plays basketball at Briarcrest Christian. And his uncle Phil, Tee's brother. And his girlfriend, KK Dixon, who gave birth to their daughter, Kaari, in August.

Morant bought a house on the edge of the Memphis suburbs, about 35 minutes from the Grizzlies' arena and practice facility, with a comfortable country setting and familiar family vibe.

"We're out by ourselves, not too many people around," Morant said. "That's how our house was back home. It's just always us there. We all just sit around, laugh, joke, watch TV, movies. My dad and my mom still cook dinner every night, breakfast [every morning].

"It's the same thing. It's just that the house is bigger."

The dynamic during the family film sessions, which occur after every Grizzlies home game, hasn't changed much, either. Tee is as tough as ever on his son. ("He did have six turnovers," Tee noted about the win over the Nets, and they reviewed each one in great detail.)

Morant's mom, Jamie, is a counterweight, inclined to rewind the highlights and occasionally offer excuses for his mistakes.

"It's almost like good cop/bad cop with his mom and me," said Tee Morant, who played at Claflin University in South Carolina and had a brief pro career overseas before his son was born.

"With Mom, her baby can do no wrong. With me, it's like, 'Boy, you're stinkin' it up!'"

With a laugh, Tee added, "I had a whole lot of nights of cold beds because of that."

"I tell him he be fallin' like Allen Iverson. He has that kind of swag to his game just like A.I. But I don't think A.I. was jumping like that."

Jaren Jackson Jr., on Ja Morant

Morant said he doesn't mind the constructive criticism. In fact, he's hungry for it. He frequently comes out of the family film sessions with a list of discussion items for his meeting with Jenkins the next morning.

"The first time we sat in a film session and I went after him about something probably defensively," Jenkins said, "he was like, 'I want this, Coach. I need this, Coach. More, more.'

"He texted me after games early in the season: 'I gotta be better.' He wants that interaction, wants that dialogue. He has this curiosity about how he can be better and how we can be better."

His parents and uncle try to do everything they can to allow Morant to dedicate as much focus and energy as possible to his new job, from helping care for his baby girl to driving him to and from practices and home games.

"I'm 20 years old; I mean, I can handle my own, but help is never wrong," Morant said. "They help me each and every day."

It's not all tough love from Tee with basketball, either, who at times serves as his son's hype man.

"His dad is in his corner and gassing him up every day," Crowder said.

Case in point: Morant's game-winning shot against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 13, the moment that both father and son call their favorite of the season.

It was as close to an NBA hometown game as it gets for Morant. With Dalzell about two hours away, dozens of friends and family members packed the stands. Tee had courtside seats in the corner.

And when the Hornets hit a 3 to tie the score with 23.4 seconds remaining, Tee said he was actually happy. He was ready to see his son go to work in another clutch-time opportunity.

"Y'all gonna see iso 12 now!" he told anyone within earshot.

Sure enough, after getting a switch, Morant blew by his defender and drove down the middle of the lane, finishing with a lefty scoop in traffic with 0.7 seconds remaining. Tee reacted by high-step strutting up the sideline, pumping his fist as he made his way toward half court.

"I tell everybody it was an out-of-body experience," Tee Morant said. "When he hit that shot, I just lost it. That's one of the times I can actually say I turned into a fan."

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THE FATHER HAD always been a driving force in his son's development, putting Morant through daily drills in their backyard, working on his skills on the concrete court and his hops by jumping on tractor tires. But Tee couldn't give his son the wisdom that comes with NBA experience, which he knew would be critical to Morant's leap to the league.

So Tee Morant personally asked Crowder to look after his son like a little brother, making the request over breakfast in the team's dining room one morning before training camp began.

"He'll listen to you," Tee told Crowder, pointing at his son, who nodded. Crowder's chest puffed out, knowing that the Morants had conversations at home about Memphis' old head -- the 29-year-old Crowder is the oldest on the Grizzlies' active roster -- being a good mentor for the rookie.

"He's very confident in himself, respectfully. But to his teammates, he's open," Crowder said. "He's not one of those I-know-it-all guys. Some guys tend to have that in their head, but he's just open to learn. He's someone you want on your team."

Crowder does wish Morant would heed his advice about spending more time in the trainer's room postgame. Plus he already has witnessed his rookie pupil taking one too many spills during some of his most electrifying -- if not a bit reckless -- plays of the season, such as December's poster slam against Aron Baynes and non-dunk of the year over Kevin Love.

"You definitely hold your breath a few times with him taking flight and not knowing how to fall yet," Crowder said.

"When I go up, no telling what happens," Morant said, matter-of-factly.

"I tell him he be fallin' like Allen Iverson," Jackson added.

"He has that kind of swag to his game just like A.I. But I don't think A.I. was jumping like that."

You probably have to go back to Iverson to find a player so slight -- Morant weighs 175 officially but is actually "160-something soaking wet," as Grizzlies backup point guard Tyus Jones put it -- with such an exhilarating blend of explosiveness and fearlessness.

But Iverson was a scorer first and foremost; Morant is a pure point guard, seeing plays a few steps before they develop, changing speeds, flashing flair and sometimes even hanging in the air to set up defenders before delivering dimes.

Consider a play during a Jan. 14 win over the Houston Rockets, when Morant stole a pass, pushed the ball up the floor in transition and dribbled behind his back at the free throw line to draw the defender and buy time for his teammates to run the floor. He hopped into the air and dished the ball to the trailing Jackson, who threw down a nasty dunk over Houston's Danuel House Jr.

Morant made a point to give props to an unheralded piece of the play: the 28-year-old journeyman, Hill.

When asked about the play after his 26-point, eight-assist, nationally televised performance that had the basketball world buzzing, Morant noted that Hill filling a lane on the fast break forced House to hesitate, clearing the runway for Jackson.

"He's one of those guys that you love playing with," Hill said of Morant. "It's always 'we,' not me. That's how he plays the game. He's not a guy that you have to worry about, 'Aw man, he's selfish. He's going for his.' Coach actually has to do a job of letting him know that we want him to score, that in order for him to be able to find guys and get them going, he has to continue to be that threat down in the paint.

"And it's a joy watching."

But Morant doesn't pretend to have all the answers, something the Grizzlies' veterans appreciate. It has become a source of pride for them to play roles in his development.

Jones is only 23, having signed with the Grizzlies over the summer after spending his first four NBA seasons in Minnesota, but Morant respects his knowledge of the game.

Morant constantly peppers Jones with questions, such as asking what he's seeing in the opponent's pick-and-roll coverages during timeouts. "He's helped me more than people know," Morant said.

Morant's numbers are impressive -- he's on pace to join Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Trae Young as the only 20-year-old rookies to average at least 17 points and seven assists per game.

Those are proving not to be just empty stats, either. Memphis is 18-8 since Morant's return from his four-game injury absence, putting the Grizzlies in pole position in the race for eighth place in the Western Conference a couple of years before anyone expected them to compete for a playoff spot.

And the chemistry between Morant and his teammates has clicked, particularly with his co-star Jackson, who fought through a bit of an early sophomore slump as Morant established himself as the clear Rookie of the Year front-runner.

Jackson, an athletic and skilled big man, has embraced being a floor spacer, taking more 3s than 2s, averaging a team-high 18.8 points while shooting 41.9% from long range during that span. Brandon Clarke, the No. 21 pick, complements the pair with a knack for scoring without needing plays called for him. Shooting guard Dillon Brooks, at the ripe old age of 24, provides another versatile scorer, a threat off the dribble and from deep range.

Still, Morant, the face of #GrzNxtGen, is the one who makes it all go, the point guard who has become a League Pass darling just a few months into his career.

Make no mistake, these are not the Grizzlies from the Grit 'n' Grind era of recent lore, a group that famously thrived on dragging opponents into the mud. With Morant running the show, this Memphis squad, currently sitting fourth in the league in pace, plays a fast and pretty brand of basketball.

It's a style that his dad doesn't mind breaking down from his spot on the couch.

"I love the nucleus," Tee Morant said. "They're going to have to change the [nickname] of the arena from the Grindhouse to the Fun Factory."

Curtis Granderson has announced his retirement after a 16-year career.

"As I close out this wonderful chapter in my life and step away from my days on the field, I know that my role in this game is only just getting started," Granderson said in a statement.

Granderson spent the prime of his career split between the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and New York Mets.

A three-time All-Star, Granderson slashed .249/.337/.465 for his career with 344 home runs and 937 RBIs.

His best season came in 2011, when he had career highs of 119 RBIs and 136 runs scored for the Yankees. Granderson was an All-Star that season, won a Silver Slugger award and finished fourth in the MVP voting.

He also made two World Series appearances -- in 2006 with the Tigers and 2015 with the Mets -- but never won a title.

Granderson's final playing years saw him bounce around to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins.

"I'm eternally grateful to every team and every city I've had the opportunity to call 'home': Detroit, New York (both the Bronx and Queens), Los Angeles, Toronto, Milwaukee, Miami, and of course, my hometown of Chicago," Granderson said. "It is these communities that allowed me to take my Grand Kids Foundation to new heights and use my platform for positive change."