Howard University is bringing back its golf teams for the first time in decades -- with a big assist from NBA star Stephen Curry.

Curry announced Monday that he will financially support the Bison's golf teams for the next six years. Howard, a historically black university in Washington, D.C., plans to have men's and women's teams in place for the 2020-21 season.

"This is one of the most generous gifts in the history of Howard University," said athletic director Kery Davis.

Curry, a three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP with Golden State, attended a news conference at the school Monday.

Howard previously competed in golf at the Division II level; school officials believe its teams were disbanded sometime during the 1970s. The school will begin a search for coaches, potential players and a course for practice and competitive rounds in the next few months.

Curry, who attended Davidson College, became interested in helping bring back the Bison's golf teams after meeting Howard senior and golfer Otis Ferguson IV during a campus visit to watch a documentary film in January.

"The idea around re-creating Howard's golf team and turning it into a Division I program for men and women was born on that specific night," Curry said. "Now, seven and a half or eight months later, we're here."

Curry played golf on his high school team and has appeared as an amateur and celebrity golfer in tournaments during his NBA career. In 2017, he fired an opening-round 74 while playing on an exemption at the Web.com Tour's Ellie Mae Classic. He shot 71 in the same event the next year. He missed the cut in both tournaments.

Curry is also a co-host of the ABC mini-golf TV show "Holey Moley."

"Golf is a sport that has changed my life in ways that are less tangible, but just as impactful," Curry said previously in a release. "It's a discipline that challenges your mental wherewithal from patience to focus, and is impossible to truly master, so when you hear about these passionate student athletes who have the talent but don't have a fair shot at the game, it's tough. I feel really honored to play a small role in the rich history of Howard University."

Zion Williamson has been hailed as the next big thing in the NBA, but his colleagues in the incoming rookie class aren't sold on the idea that the No. 1 overall pick will have a great NBA career.

In the league's annual survey of rookies, players were asked which member of the 2019 class would have the best career. Williamson received only 5% of the votes.

Cam Reddish, Williamson's teammate at Duke, garnered 19% of the votes. Reddish went to the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick of the draft.

Reddish was followed by Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies with 16% of the votes and De'Andre Hunter of the Hawks with 11%.

Williamson was tied with RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks, Coby White of the Chicago Bulls and Williamson's teammate on the New Orleans Pelicans, Jaxson Hayes.

It was the sixth straight year that a Duke player finished first in the category, with Reddish following in a line that includes Jabari Parker (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015), Brandon Ingram (2016), Jayson Tatum (2017) and Wendell Carter Jr. last season.

The survey was posted Monday on NBA.com.

Williamson was picked to win Rookie of the Year by his colleagues, earning 35% of the votes to edge Morant, who received 27%. In the 10 years of the survey, the rookies have tabbed the eventual Rookie of the Year only once. That came in 2007, when they correctly named Kevin Durant.

Williamson also was chosen most athletic by a wide margin, getting 87% of the votes to 8% for the Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke.

Denver Nuggets center Bol Bol was tabbed as the steal of the draft, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was chosen as the best shooter, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Matisse Thybulle the best defender and Morant the best playmaker.

For the third straight year, the rookies chose LeBron James as their favorite player.

After training camps in Las Vegas and Southern California over the past two weeks, Team USA travels to Australia to continue preparation for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. And with roster shakeups and questions surrounding the strength of Gregg Popovich's crew, what should we expect when tournament play tips off on Aug. 31?

Brian Windhorst and Ohm Youngmisuk discuss the biggest talking points for Team USA:

BW: I was really surprised De'Aaron Fox pulled out over the weekend. I thought he looked great in the practices and was a lock to make the team. But he didn't play much in the games. After he played only six minutes in the exhibition against Spain, maybe he wasn't totally sure he would make it and didn't want to go all the way to Australia only to have to come back in a week.

OY: I'm pretty stunned. I recently wrote about how he seemed poised to not only be on the team but be a potential breakout candidate. Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker raved about Fox being the fastest player in the NBA, and Fox told me how he was picking up leadership tips from Kyle Lowry. He said that even if he didn't make Team USA, he already has become a better player from the practices and learning from Pop. I thought he would make the team with Lowry's thumb injury, and this would propel him into the season and possibly ignite a breakout year. He played only six minutes against Spain, but I thought it was because Pop wanted to see what Derrick White could do with this team.

BW: I don't know, maybe that was an issue. Maybe he thought if it came down to him or White that Pop might lean toward the Spur. Trae Young left the Select Team because his eye was infected, but only after he found out White was getting promoted to the senior team ahead of him. We'll see whether Fox addresses it later, but I doubt Pop would choose anyone except the best player for each spot.

OY: Right.

BW: White has had a hell of a 12 months, no? He was in the G League mostly as a rookie. Then he got a chance in San Antonio when Dejounte Murray got hurt, and now here he is on the verge of making the national team.

OY: I was sitting there in the first half watching White and thinking how I've already witnessed some of his best and worst in just the past few months. I covered that first-round series between the Nuggets and Spurs when he absolutely dominated a couple of games and looked as if he were on the verge of stardom before the Nuggets made defensive adjustments. And then in the first half on Friday, he had a few plays where he struggled a little before making a nice assist off penetration and then a nice floater late in the game.

BW: Who has impressed you the most? Donovan Mitchell has impressed me -- Jayson Tatum's shooting, too. And Khris Middleton, after looking bad in the first week, was way better Friday night.

OY: Donovan has impressed me the most. From the first practice in Vegas to the most recent exhibition, I love the aggressiveness from him and, perhaps even more importantly, I love what I'm hearing from him every time he talks. He sounds like this is an opportunity to win gold for USA in the Olympics and not just a World Cup that many are taking for granted.

He's treating this not only as an honor to represent his country but to really take another step forward in his progression. He's not just starting, but I think we're going to see him run point at times to spell Kemba and create for teammates. I also think his athleticism and scoring will make him stand out in the World Cup.

BW: The way he moves reminds me so much of Dwyane Wade. He's got a strong lower body, so he moves side to side with such power. I know I'm not the first to say that.

OY: Mitchell sure is a bright spot, but what concerns you about this team? I wonder sometimes whether they're going to be consistent enough shooting from the perimeter in international play. I feel like they have some streaky shooters, and as a result, Joe Harris, the only true knockdown specialist, could play a role next month in games when they might get tight and shoot poorly.

BW: If you've ever watched much international basketball, and maybe I've seen too much, so often it comes down to the 3-pointer. The Europeans were ahead of us in spreading the floor with bigs who could shoot and pass.

It's like an NCAA tournament game. Team USA will always have a No. 1 seed and always the most talent. But if the Americans run into the wrong hot-shooting team on the wrong day, beware. That's why Harris will make it -- he's a zone-buster. He made one shot Friday: a 3 against a zone that helped salt away the win. That's why he's here.

OY: You're taking me back to some of Michigan State's NCAA games over the years. Too many scares.

BW: Sparty seems to do quite well -- I seem to remember seeing photos on your IG from the Final Four last year. The Euro game is how Pop wants to play. What'd you think of his mood this week?

OY: I was impressed with Pop's mood this entire last week. He has been patient with media members he doesn't know or see here around Team USA compared to during the regular season. He has fielded question after question and offered up some longer answers, some even with a little humor. I thought he'd be moodier.

BW: What about after that scrimmage when they got hammered by the Select Team this week?

OY: You could hear Smart imploring the team to play better by saying how embarrassing it was that they got beat so bad. It was 36-17 in just 10 minutes. P.J. Tucker and others thought the media was blowing it out of proportion, especially after the team had just gone through a two-hour practice. But some coaches watching in the stands were just as surprised as many of us were.

BW: Well, they lost some scrimmages to the Select Team in Vegas. One was like 23-9 or something. Then they killed them in the real game. Maybe it's all part of Pop's plan: He probably wants the team to face some level of adversity. Maybe he even would secretly be OK if they got humbled in Australia this week. They play two games in the national rugby stadium in Melbourne in front of 50,000 people and then play the Canadians in Sydney.

OY: Oh, Windy, you missed one important development. Brook Lopez shaved his beard! I asked him why: He said it was driving him crazy and that he knows his mother will be watching him and he wanted to look more presentable. LOL!

BW: Yeah, but she lets Robin get away with that hair. Thanks for covering the team this week while I got ready to go overseas. See you in September after I'm back from the World Cup in China.

NEW YORK -- Al Jackson, a tough left-hander who provided a rare glint of hope in the early days of the woebegone New York Mets, has died at 83.

His death was announced by the Mets, for whom he worked for 50 years as a pitcher, major league coach, minor league pitching coordinator and front-office adviser. He died Monday at a nursing home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after a long illness.

The Mets said in a statement it would be "impossible to calculate the number of players and staff he touched and influenced during his career."

Jackson pitched in the majors for 10 seasons, and no season was more challenging than the one in 1962 when the expansion Mets entered the majors and lost 120 games. "Little" Al Jackson, although he was 5-foot-10, had a record of 8-20 and 4.40 ERA. The next two years he went 13-17 and 11-16.

Jackson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 for Ken Boyer. He joined the majors with Pittsburgh in 1959 and for his career went 67-99 with a 3.98 ERA. He later was pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.

Jackson was born in Waco, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Nadine, sons Reggie and Barry and two grandchildren.

Nationals ace Max Scherzer expects to return to Washington's rotation Thursday after missing nearly four weeks with a rhomboid strain, declaring himself "ready to pitch."

Scherzer discussed his schedule for this week on Sunday, one day after throwing a 65-pitch simulated game. The three-time Cy Young Award winner will throw a bullpen session Monday and, unless he suffers a setback, will be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Thursday against the Pirates.

"He'll be on his normal schedule now, and then if everything goes well, he's probable for Thursday," Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters.

Scherzer said he experienced "anticipated" soreness Sunday morning and that "everything feels right where it should be."

"There's no extra soreness other than what I anticipated," he said. "To me, that's right on par."

The Nationals (67-56) enter Monday 5½ games behind the first-place Braves (74-52) in the National League East but are 1½ games ahead of the Cubs (66-58) for the league's first wild card.

Scherzer originally hit the IL on July 13 before returning to pitch against the Rockies on July 25, allowing three runs in five innings and throwing a season-low 86 pitches.

Four days later, Scherzer again landed on the IL, where he's been since. The right-hander is 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 20 starts this season and is second in the NL with 189 strikeouts.

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery after a second opinion on his injured left elbow from Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

Sale, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, flew to meet with Andrews on Monday, sources said. The 30-year-old is in the midst of the worst season of his 10-year career after this spring signing a contract extension that begins in 2020 and pays him $145 million over five years.

Following his last start six days ago, Sale felt soreness in his elbow and underwent an MRI. Initial readings showed changes from the MRI he had in the spring but weren't clear enough to definitively judge whether there was damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.

Monday's news delivered a collective sigh of relief to Boston. The course of treatment for Sale is unclear, as is his timetable to return, though both are expected to be determined in the coming days, according to sources.

With a 6-11 record and 4.40 ERA, Sale has struggled despite an American League-best strikeout rate and an elite strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has struggled with home runs, allowing 24 in 147 ⅓ innings, more than 60% higher than what he's averaged in his illustrious career.

Sale is coming off arguably the best season of his career, even though a shoulder injury sent him to the injured list twice in the second half of 2018. He nevertheless pitched to a 2.11 ERA, and while his stuff in the playoffs was substandard, Sale finished the Red Sox's dominant World Series run by striking out the side to clinch the championship.

The diminished velocity on Sale's fastball didn't scare the Red Sox away from handing him a long-term deal the year before he reached free agency. Boston, which is paying Sale $15 million this year as part of his first contract extension, owes him $30 million in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and $27.5 million in 2023 and 2024.

Early-season velocity worries this year eventually waned, and occasional flashes of brilliance reminded of classic Sale. Just 10 days ago, Sale shut out the Los Angeles Angels for eight innings, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out 13. In his last start, against Cleveland, he punched out 12 in 6 ⅔ innings. His elbow began hurting the day after that start, sources said, and after informing the team of the issues Friday, Sale underwent an MRI Saturday.

Even with his struggles, the loss of Sale for any period of time will hurt the Red Sox as they try to claw back into the playoff picture. A 13-7 victory Sunday finished a sweep of Baltimore and extended their winning streak to five games, but the Red Sox still find themselves 6 ½ games behind the Rays for the second wild-card spot and five games back of the Athletics as well.

Highlights from the past week of athletics action, including results from the Manchester International, Scottish Championships and Folksam Grand Prix

Find a report on men’s events action at the Müller Grand Prix in Birmingham here, while women’s events coverage can be found here.

Other recent highlights are below.

Manchester International, Sportcity, August 14

This team event, which took place at a wet Sportcity, saw the England team finish on top.

The best performances came in the hammer.

In the women’s event, Jessica Mayho strengthened her hold on second position in the UK rankings behind Sophie Hitchen as she improved her PB to 66.44m with a two-metre plus win over Scotland’s Rachel Hunter.

The men’s event saw a win for Osian Jones as the Welshman threw a quality 73.09m to gain victory over Craig Murch.

In the men’s discus, former NCAA champion Nick Percy won with a 61.09m throw which gave him a clear win over top UK-ranked Gregory Thompson.

Cameron Corbishley showed good speed for the upcoming 50km in Doha with a 11:44.98 win in the 3000m race walk.

Britain’s two European under-20 800m champions both won with superb kicks. Oliver Dustin won by over a second in 1:50.08, while Isabelle Boffey took the women’s race in 2:06.98.

Another junior who kicked to victory was European under-18 3000m champion Thomas Keen in the mile.

Kimbely Baptiste followed up her England Championships successes with another sprint double with wins in 11.61 and 23.55.

Adam Thomas won the men’s match 100m in 10.44 though Sam Gordon went quicker with 10.31 in another race.

There were impressive para-athletics wins for Sophie Hahn with a 12.72 200m and American Mikey Brannigan in the 1500m, which he won in 3:54.72.

Scottish FPSG Senior & U17 Championships, Grangemouth, August 17-18

Winners on day one included Michael Olsen (10.38, +2.5m/sec) and Katy Wyper (11.85, +3.2m/sec) in the 100m, Annabel Simpson (16:40.28) in the 5000m, Kirsty Law (53.28m) in the discus and Nikki Manson (1.87m) in the high jump.

Jax Thoirs set a championship best performance of 5.33m to retain his pole vault title.

JAX THOIRS SOARS #FPSGathletics
Top photos @Bobby_ThatOneMo from Grangemouthhttps://t.co/XgQEhTvVIX@SALMarkMunro @JaxThoirs @VP_Glasgow_AC @JomaSportUK @SALDevelopment @MaguireSal @JulieWy1 @FCTrust @VincoSport @SAL_Coaching pic.twitter.com/xkRFBy2IYh

— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) August 18, 2019

On day two, Nick Percy claimed a fourth men’s discus title with his throw of 59.92m, while Rachel Hunter claimed her second hammer title with a best throw of 64.01m.

Two GB internationals – senior Neil Gourley and European under-20 finalist Sarah Calvert – won the 800m titles in respective times of 1:48.79 and 2:08.37.

Sarah Inglis took the 1500m title after running 4:13.42 and Welsh athlete Kristian Jones won the 5000m in 14:15.66. Sarah Warnock retained her long jump title with a leap of 6.07m.

After her high jump win, Manson also won the javelin with a throw of 40.01m.

Kayleigh Haggo improved the world record in the women’s RR2 race running 400m with her time of 82.52.

Lee Valley Sprint Double 100m Open Series, August 14

Romell Glave, racing with a 2.5m/sec tailwind, had a sensational 100m breakthrough with 10.06.

The 19 year-old’s previous fastest was a legal 10.21 in winning at the British Under-20 Championships in 2017.

Cork City Sports International, Cork, Ireland, August 14

World champion Luvo Manyonga won the long jump with a meeting record of 8.20m (+0.6m/sec).

USA’s Candace Hill ran 11.37 (+3.2m/sec) and 23.07 (+1.6m/sec) in the sprints.

Britain’s Asha Philip ran 11.47 for third in the 100m, while Ashleigh Nelson clocked 23.16 in the 200m ahead of Finette Agyapong with 23.18.

USA’s Isaiah Harris won the 800m in 1:47.41 ahead of GB’s Spencer Thomas (1:47.83) and Jake Wightman (1:47.95).

BMC Regional Races, Tipton, August 13

Sarah McDonald achieved her first sub-two-minute 800m, paced by Lynsey Sharp.

1.59.91!! I finally broke 2 mins for the 800 ?? HUGE thanks to Lynsey Sharp for pacing ?

— Sarah McDonald (@SarahAMcDonald) August 13, 2019

Her 1:59.91 puts her fifth in the 2019 UK rankings as she won the race by over five seconds.

Folksam Grand Prix, Gothenburg, Sweden, August 16

European champion Armand Duplantis won the pole vault with 5.90m before three attempts at 6.00m, while Kalle Berglund improved his Swedish record to 3:34.89 to win the 1500m.

There was a British one-two in the women’s long jump for Shara Proctor (6.56m, +1.0m/sec) and Jazmin Sawyers (6.44m, +1.2m/sec).

Algeria’s Abdelmalik Lahoulou won the 400m hurdles in 49.66 from GB’s Dai Greene in 50.05.

British Athletics Parallel Success, Newham, August 18

European silver medallist Rafi Solaiman broke the RR3 race running 100m world record by 0.02 with his time of 17.24.

Racing for the first time this year, Richard Whitehead clocked 24.35 (-0.8m/sec) for 200m.

New Balance Falmouth Road Race, USA, August 18

Leonard Korir became the first American man to win the seven-mile race in 31 years, breaking the tape in 32:11.

Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi won the women’s race in 36:29.

Britain’s Tish Jones and Lily Partridge finished fourth and 15th with respective times of 37:43 and 39:48.

Athlete Night Games, Fukui, Japan, August 17

In the men’s long jump, Shotaro Shiroyama broke the 27-year-old Japanese record with a leap of 8.40m (+1.5m/sec). Behind him there were also PBs for Yuki Hashioka with 8.32m (+1.6m/sec) and Hibiki Tsuha with 8.23m (+0.6m/sec).

【Athlete Night Games in Fukui?】
城山正太郎‼日本新??????
8.40(+1.5)
9.98スタジアム pic.twitter.com/Vm4MVl0WZ2

— JAAF（日本陸上競技連盟） (@jaaf_official) August 17, 2019

There were also national records by Shun-ya Takayama with 13.25 (+1.1m/sec) in the 110m hurdles and Asuka Terada with 13.00 (+1.4m/sec) in the 100m hurdles.

World Orienteering Championships, Østfold, Norway, August 12-17

The women’s distance race was won by Skyrunning world champion Tove Alexandersson of Sweden by more than six minutes ahead of her team-mate Lina Strand. Britain’s Jo Shepherd was 21st and Charlotte Watson 36th.

Olav Lundanes won the men’s title on home soil, a minute and a half ahead of his team-mate Kasper Fosser. Great Britain’s Hector Haines and Graham Gristwood finished in 20th and 21st.

The next day, Alexandersson and Lundanes both also won the middle distance events. GB’s Megan Carter Davies, Jo Shepherd and Catherine Taylor finished in 21st, 24th and 27th respectively in the women’s race, while Ralph Street was 19th and Peter Hodkinson 31st in the men’s event.