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Liberty take USC’s Adika 30th overall

New York selects versatile guard/forward in WNBA Draft

April 12, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Some might call the New York Liberty’s offseason haul an embarrassment of riches.

Adding the likes of 2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player Jonquel Jones by trade and championship-caliber superstars Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vanderpool via free agency to a roster that already features All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu has Liberty fans tasting a title in Downtown Brooklyn.

That’s the situation rookie Okako Adika is walking into after being selected 30th overall by New York in Monday night’s WNBA Draft at Spring Studios.

“Okako Adika is a promising talent who we’re really excited about,” said Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb.

“As a versatile 3-and-D wing with familiarity in a pro-style offense, she’s someone who we can really use down the line.”

Adika may not crack the lineup right away, especially with the team’s three major additions, along with training camp invitee and Brooklyn high school legend Epiphanny Prince, in the mix this year as New York pursues its first-ever WNBA title.

But the 6-foot native of Holstebro, Denmark should be a part of the franchise’s future going forward. She averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while nailing nearly 39 percent of her 3-point attempts for the Trojans last season.

Adika drilled 43 percent of her long-range shots during Pac-12 action.

The first USC draftee in Liberty history went to the Southern California school after stints at Texas Christian University and Butler. She started all 31 games for the Trojans and knocked down 43 shots from beyond the arc.

Her ability to defend shone through as she received Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention.

The Liberty will kick off their much-anticipated season May 19 at in Washington, D.C., before hosting their home opener vs. Indiana on May 21.

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The St. Francis Brooklyn men’s soccer club will take on the Terriers’ alumni on April 22 on “Legends Day” at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo courtesy of SFC Brooklyn Athletics
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With the end of athletics at St. Francis Brooklyn looming, the men’s soccer team will play one more match with legendary head coach Tom Giovatto overseeing a game between his current players and the alumni who helped make the Terriers nine-time NCAA College Cup participants.

“Legends Day” will be held at Brooklyn Bridge Park on April 22. A friendly match will begin at 11 a.m. to “celebrate the program’s rich history and championship success,” according to the school’s website.

The Terriers went 8-5-6 in 2022, including 4-1-3 in Northeast Conference action, during what turned out to be their final campaign in Brooklyn Heights.

SFC captured its fifth NEC crown under Giovatto in 2020, beating Milwaukee in the opening round of the NCAAs before a penalty-shootout loss to No. 3 Indiana in the second round.

Last year, the Terriers nearly returned to the College Cup, but suffered a 2-1 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in its third consecutive NEC Tournament Final.

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Shane Tucker’s scoreless relief effort earned him a win Sunday at Norfolk State after LIU rallied for 11 runs in the top of the ninth inning. Photo courtesy of LIU Athletics

After winning two out of three games in Norfolk, Virginia last weekend, the defending Northeast Conference champion Long Island University baseball team will be back in action Wednesday afternoon at Manhattan College in Pomona, N.Y.

The Sharks (8-20, 8-8 NEC) are coming off Sunday’s rubber-game victory at Norfolk State via a ninth-inning rally for the ages.

Trailing, 7-6, entering their final at-bat, LIU rallied for 11 runs in the frame, pulling out a 17-7 triumph in front of 119 fans at Marty Miller Field.

Catcher Connor Price finished the day 4-for-6 with a double and four RBIs for the Sharks, who sent 17 batters to the plate in the ninth en route to producing their biggest single-inning offensive outburst since April 30, 2010 at Mount St. Mary’s.

Shane Tucker (2-0) picked up the win in relief after tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings for LIU, which has won seven of its last 10 games.

After visiting Manhattan on Wednesday, the Sharks will host NEC rival NJIT in Brookville, N.Y., this weekend.

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