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Elite high school junior Amari Bailey has committed to UCLA basketball for a second time, he announced Wednesday night.

Bailey originally committed to the Bruins and then-coach Steve Alford as a high school freshman, but he decommitted eight months later. Bailey also once committed to DePaul before starting eighth grade, but he decommitted before he entered high school.

Bailey, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Sierra Canyon High School (California), is ranked No. 3 in the ESPN 60 for the 2022 class.

"He's a pure combination guard who has effortless high-end scoring ability with or away from the ball," said Paul Biancardi, ESPN's national recruiting director. "His jump shot displays balance and accuracy from a variety of spots on the floor. I like his self-confidence to make contested shots when needed. His drive game and paint finishes end with explosive athleticism and body control. As a playmaker, he is equally adept at creating for himself or facilitating for others. In transition or in the halfcourt, he demonstrates outstanding passing vision."

The No. 1 shooting guard in the 2022 class, Bailey helped lead USA Basketball to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Brazil. He started all six games at that event, averaging 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

"He's a clever ball handler who changes his speeds and direction with purpose when navigating a defense," Biancardi said. "He's somewhat underrated as a versatile backcourt defender who will rebound and start the fast break. He owns an on-court presence and offensive instincts that remind me of D'Angelo Russell."

Bailey is coach Mick Cronin's first commitment in the 2022 class, but he's also a candidate to reclassify to the 2021 class. If he does move up and enroll at UCLA, Bailey would join a class that includes five-star small forward Peyton Watson and ESPN 100 shooting guard Will McClendon.

The Bruins' 2021 class is ranked No. 7 in the country; if Bailey reclassifies, it would vault into the top five nationally.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams walked out of her post-match news conference in tears Thursday after her loss to Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals.

Osaka defeated Williams 6-3, 6-4 to advance to her second final in three years at Melbourne Park, leaving the American still searching for her record-equaling 24th major title.

Williams, 39, put her hand on her heart as she left the court. At the news conference, she was asked what was going through her mind as she walked off.

"I don't know. The Aussie crowd is so amazing, so it was nice to see," Williams said, referencing the standing ovation she received when walking from Rod Laver Arena.

Asked if having her hand on her heart was her way of saying farewell, Williams responded, "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Shortly after, Williams was asked what caused her unforced error tally to rise against Osaka. Williams struck 24 errors across the two sets, easily the most from any match she had played this tournament.

"I don't know ... I'm done," she said, before putting her head in her hand and leaving the interview podium in tears.

Williams did not return to finish the news conference.

This year was the first time Williams had reached the semifinals in Melbourne since she won the title in 2017. She hasn't won a Grand Slam title since, but has reached the last four at a major on six occasions.

TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays will play their first two homestands of the regular season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports.

After starting the season with three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, Toronto's schedule has a homestand with four games against the Los Angeles Angels from April 8-11 and the Yankees from April 12-14.

The Blue Jays follow with a trip to Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay, then have home games against Washington on April 27-28 and Atlanta from April 30 to May 2. That is followed by a 10-game trip to Oakland, Houston and Atlanta.

It remains unlikely they would gain approval to play May games in Toronto. A return home in the second half might be more realistic, after players and large segments of the population in the U.S. and Canada are vaccinated.

The TD Ballpark in Dunedin has a capacity of about 8,500. It opened in 1990 as Dunedin Stadium, built on the site of old Grant Field. The ballpark, known as Knology Park from 2004-08 and Florida Auto Exchange Stadium from 2010-17, had a major renovation in 2019-20.

Toronto last played at 49,000-capacity Rogers Centre on Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win over Tampa Bay.

The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn't allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19 due to frequent travel required during a baseball season.

Last year's Major League Baseball regular season was played without fans.

The border remains closed to nonessential travelers who are not Canadian citizens; Canada requires those entering the country to isolate for 14 days. And starting Monday, air travelers who arrive in Canada will be forced to quarantine in a hotel for up to three nights as they await the result of a coronavirus test.

Ongoing challenges with the pandemic and how that affects the process of crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada will also keep the Toronto Raptors in their adopted Tampa, Florida, home for the remainder of the regular season, the NBA team said last week.

The Blue Jays went went 32-28 last season, finishing third in the AL East behind Tampa Bay and the Yankees and qualifying for the expanded 16-team postseason. The Blue Jays were swept in two games by the AL champion Rays in a first-round series.

Toronto has been among the busiest teams on the free-agent market, agreeing to a $150 million, six-year contract with outfielder George Springer; an $18 million, one-year contract with shortstop Marcus Semien; a $5.5 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kirby Yates; a $3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a $1.75 million, one-year contract with right-hander David Phelps.

The Blue Jays also re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray to an $8 million, one-year contract.

Sportsnet first reported the Blue Jays would play their home games in Dunedin to start the regular season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From the outset of his move into pro baseball in 2016, Tim Tebow followed a unique trail. The Heisman Trophy winner, NFL veteran quarterback and SEC football analyst for ESPN started out as a 29-year-old rookie in the minors, one who had not played competitively since his junior year of high school. On Wednesday, he announced he had reached the end of that road with his decision to retire.

A travesty to some, a player no less serious for others, Tebow carved out a five-year minor league career that had its moments subsequent to his signing a deal with the Mets on Sept. 8, 2016, even as it immediately created questions about how seriously to take him.

Later that month, Tebow hit his first home run in his first game in Instructional League:

. BOOM! @TimTebow hits a homer during instructional league game! pic.twitter.com/8h9JCzr7Br

— Katie Johnson (@Katie_Johnson_) September 28, 2016

Tebow then went on to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit an inauspicious .194 without a home run while striking out 20 times in 71 plate appearances. But in his first full season in the minors after an invitation to spring training, Tebow debuted with the low-A Columbia Fireflies on April 6, 2017, where he homered in his first at-bat:

And upon his promotion to the high-A St. Lucie Mets, he made a great first impression again, homering on his first day with the team. Splitting his 2017 season between the Fireflies and St. Lucie, Tebow hit a combined .226/.309/.347.

Perhaps equally significant by bottom-line standards in an entertainment industry, he was a box-office smash with fans:

The Tim Tebow effect across the minors was significant.

In 2017, he brought in an extra 2,500 fans on average for Sally League teams on the road.

That's an estimated additional $1.6 million in revenue ?

Tebow year 1: https://t.co/GVnXjpjaLq

Year 2: https://t.co/3ClcqT7cPa pic.twitter.com/6yv1y6R0Rd

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 18, 2021

His second season saw him change the conversation, however, as people started taking him seriously as a player in the Double-A Eastern League as he earned an all-star appearance. But as ESPN noted in evaluating his career up to that point, comparing him to other two-sport stars didn't help his case for a career in baseball:

Among notable two-sport players, Tebow has yet to catch up to these five -- again, only in terms of their minor league career numbers:

• Deion Sanders (1988-2001): 19 in 253 games, hitting .286/.351/.433.
• Brian Jordan (1988-2006): 22 in 226 games, hitting .292/.355/.449.
• D.J. Dozier (1990-1993): 39 in 391 games, hitting .272/.365/.452.
• Drew Henson (1998-2003): 67 in 501 games, hitting .248/.304/.424.
• Chris Weinke (1991-1996): 69 in 716 games, hitting .248/.337/.381.

Four of those five players ultimately made it to the majors. Sanders and Brian Jordan had solid careers in both sports at the highest level, but each was better at one than the other -- Sanders earned induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Jordan was an All-Star and key player for the MLB Cardinals and Braves. Dozier and Henson barely surfaced in baseball, but they did at least make it to the Show.

A 2018 line of .273/.336/.399 in that all-star season in Double-A ended up being Tebow's high-water mark in baseball. His 2019 performance at Triple-A against pitchers just a step away from the majors was poor (.163/.240/.255) in just 77 games in an injury-shortened season, and 2020's minor league season was scrapped by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic -- which also sank Tebow's bid to participate in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers as a member of the national team from the Philippines in March 2020.

The controversy of his career on the diamond aside, enthusiasm for all things Tebow from some segments of the fan base knew few boundaries. He had demonstrated his readiness to comfort a fan who had a seizure after an AFL game:

And fans reached out to him when he shared his beloved dog Bronco's death on Instagram.

Tebow acknowledged his many supporters in a statement released Wednesday by the Mets: "Thank you again for everyone's support of this awesome journey in baseball, I'll always cherish my time."

The Lawn Tennis Association is planning to stage all the major grass-court tournaments this summer, but says the cost will double due to Covid-19.

None of the grass-court tournaments were staged in 2020 because of the pandemic, with Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War Two.

"Our hope right now is that we will have some level of spectator attendance at all our events," said the LTA's chief executive Scott Lloyd.

"We know how much fans want to come back, and the sport isn't the same without them, so we are planning for their return and hoping that circumstances will make that possible."

Creating Covid-secure venues, and booking suitable hotel rooms, will drive up the cost.

As a result, the lower tier tournaments in Ilkley have been moved to Nottingham, and the events in Surbiton and Manchester have been cancelled altogether.

This will heighten the difficulties of lower ranked professionals, who are already finding playing opportunities hard to come by. The LTA says it is committed to staging more in the way of domestic events in the years ahead.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Officials from Sam Hunt Racing announced Wednesday that John Hunter Nemechek will run select NASCAR Xfinity Series events in the team’s No. 26 Toyota this season.

The news was confirmed via social media before Nemechek took questions regarding the new deal during a conference call with reporters.

“Being able to go and run a few Xfinity Series races this year with Sam Hunt is definitely going to be something that I’m looking forward to,” said Nemechek. “Sam is probably one of the youngest owners in the garage and someone that has had a lot of passion and a lot of dedication to the sport. I feel like he is kind of running his team the same way that I was brought up — a limited number of people, grinding it out with a very small team. It’s been amazing to see what he’s been able to do with his team in such a short period of time.

“I look forward to running a few races with him and just going and turning laps and trying to get more experience under my belt and, hopefully, we can put forth a full-fledged effort to be able to try to win a race or two — more or less just going and trying to perform the best that we can.”

Nemechek noted he’s known Hunt for some time, but that this was the first time the two of them had the opportunity to put a driving deal together.

“I feel like Sam (Hunt) and I have known about each other for a long time, through mutual friends or whatever it may be. I know he was running back in the K&N (Pro Series) East there for a while as I was coming up (through the ranks) and we had talked about running races before and just nothing ever happened,” Nemechek recalled. “This whole deal really came about earlier this year when I made the swap back to Toyota with Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s something that I feel like has been on our radar and been on Sam’s radar. We want to help each other the best that we can.

“He wants to provide a great car that can win races and I want to give him the best feedback that I know how, to helphim grow his team to where he wants it to be,” he continued. “I feel like it’s going to be a mutual effort and a mutual sense where we can both help each other a lot.”

Nemechek will debut in the No. 26 Toyota for Hunt at Dover (Del.) Int’l Speedway on May 15. It will mark his first Xfinity Series start since the 2019 season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

“I think two of our races right off the bat are Dover and Richmond,” Nemechek said. “I’m not sure what other races we’re possibly looking at running, but I know that those two are the first ones on the list for us. I like short tracks. I like Dover. I like Richmond. They’re tracks I feel like I’ll be strong at.

“I feel like that’s where Sam (Hunt) and his team can definitely excel and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in the No. 26 Supra.”

Hunt is looking forward to having a driver of Nemechek’s caliber join his organization.

“I’m excited to have John Hunter come back to his roots and drive for our young team in 2021,” Hunt said. “He’s always been a mutual friend of mine, always been extremely friendly, and has always shown that he can maximize his equipment and represent his sponsors. Working with so many rookies this year, his experience and feedback will be invaluable to our program’s growth.

“I know he can help us just as much as we can help him and I think it’s cool to see a guy like him so excited about joining our small team with intentions to improve it as a whole. The entire shop is extremely excited about it and I know he’ll be able to help us improve our cars throughout the year.”

Though he’s chasing a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with Kyle Busch Motorsports, Nemechek is eager to step behind the wheel of Hunt’s equipment and expand his schedule.

“As a driver, I want to race everything that I possibly can. whether it’s sports cars, NASCAR, whatever it may be. I’m all for driving whatever I can and racing whatever I can,” he explained. “The more laps and the more that you’re in contention to win races, the better. I’m always learning. Every time I’m turning laps, I’m always learning and putting knowledge and information into your notebook. It’s things that as a driver you can hold onto and put into your bank for a long time.”

ROSEVILLE, Calif. – NASCAR has partnered with the BMR Drivers Academy as it develops drivers at five NASCAR national and Weekly Series tracks in California.

The BMR Drivers Academy – a NASCAR development program – will feature 14 full-time drivers competing in 16 two-day race events on the West Coast, culminating with opportunities in the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The 40-race campaign opens on March 26-27 at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif.

Drivers will compete in full-sized stock cars utilizing a 625-horsepower NASCAR Yates Spec Engine and the same chassis components as ARCA and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Races will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via SPEED SPORT TV.

“NASCAR and the ARCA Menards Series are fully committed to strengthening stock car racing on the West Coast,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President & Chief Racing Development Officer. “We believe the BMR Drivers Academy will amplify our West Coast efforts and develop future NASCAR and ARCA Menards Series drivers through a competitive environment that will sharpen their skills with real-world racing experience.”

Drivers that win race events in the Drivers Academy during the season will receive one entry per win, towards a drawing for an opportunity with BMR/MHR in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway in November.

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing fields the No. 19 Toyota Tundra for Derek Kraus, with a career-best finish of second at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last year.

After races 14, 24, and 32, the points leader will be awarded an opportunity in a Bill McAnally Racing Toyota for an ARCA event this season.

Bill McAnally Racing is based in Roseville, Calif., and has won a record 10 NASCAR and ARCA regional championships and more than 100 victories.

Last year, BMR won the ARCA Menards Series West championship with 15-year-old Jesse Love, the youngest champion in series history.

Drivers who have raced at BMR include Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, Brendan Gaughan, Todd Gilliland, Hailie Deegan, Derek Kraus and Peyton Sellers.

Oval tracks in the BMR Drivers Academy include All American Speedway, Irwindale Speedway and Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield. Road courses will feature Sonoma Raceway and Thunderhill Raceway near Willows.

In addition to driver support on track, the BMR Drivers Academy program will also provide training in media relations, sponsorship relations, social media, fitness, leadership development, and diet.

Primary car inventory including hood, quarter panels, color scheme, number, and font can be utilized by academy participants for their supporters and sponsors, after approval by the Academy.

The program is being made available to 14 drivers, along with two additional cars being made available for one-off or part-time entries.

Program costs and additional details are available at www.BMRDriversAcademy.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After a strong Speedweeks performance at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, Ryan Preece is pushing forward with JTG Daugherty Racing in hopes of procuring additional sponsorship.

With only 24 races guaranteed this season, the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion – who is embarking on his third year in NASCAR’s top series – knows that every lap is critical to keeping his team on the race track.

A top-10 finish in the biggest race of the season, as well as Preece’s career-best Daytona 500 result, may go a long way toward generating sponsor interest and fulfilling the goals Preece and the team have set.

“When it comes to those things, (co-owners) Tad and Jodi Geschickter do a phenomenal job when it comes to our partners. Obviously, I think (performing well) helps, but that’s something that Tad really excels at,” Preece told SPEED SPORT in regard to adding more partners to his sponsorship lineup. “My job is to go out and execute on Sundays andthat’s what we did this weekend. A lot of it comes with working with (crew chief) Trent (Owens) for a second year; we all know last year was a very odd year. Most people, when they start with a crew chief, they have the opportunity to work through practices and qualifying and the whole thing. We didn’t have that chance every week when practice was dropped.

“I really felt we started to excel the final 10 races … and I think that’s carried over into Daytona,” he added. “I’m looking forward to going to the (Daytona) road course and continuing to execute and have solid days.”

Preece began the season on uncertain ground. His No. 37 Chevrolet team lost its NASCAR charter during the offseason and, as such, Preece needed to make the Daytona 500 to guarantee himself a place in the field on points for several NASCAR Cup Series races early in the season due to the absence of qualifying.

Fortunately, the Berlin, Conn., native did that. Preece locked into the Daytona 500 on qualifying speed and backed up that performance by racing his way into The Great American Race through his 150-mile Duel qualifying race.

Preece capped off the week by avoiding a major crash early in the Daytona 500 and finishing the event with a shot at the victory, placing sixth at the checkered flag following a multi-car incident on the final lap.

The cumulative sum of his efforts means Preece is tied with Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell for fifth in Cup Series points entering this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at the 3.61-mile Daytona Int’l Speedway road course layout.

It’s a scenario that is somewhat relieving for Preece, as well as a bit fortuitous, he admitted.

Preece was among a handful of drivers who narrowly avoided a 16-car pileup in turn three on lap 14 of Sunday’s Daytona 500, putting him in better position when the race reached its final stages.

“I saw the No. 48 (Alex Bowman) right in front of my face; (making it through) a lot of those situations are just circumstantial and lucky, and I was lucky enough,” Preece recalled. “The No. 99 (Daniel Suarez) was pushing from behind and I was lucky enough to get clear of the No. 1 (Kurt Busch), which gave me the opportunity to get down, and the No. 48 just didn’t come in and clip me in the right rear. We were lucky to be able to skirt through that wreck.

“It’s fate. Everything was meant to be that day to have a good run,” Preece continued. “It was the total opposite last year. If there was something happening, I just happened to be in it. In this case, I’ll take the good days and just keep moving forward.”

While Preece isn’t necessarily actively involved in his team’s sponsorship search, he added that if he was asked by the Geschickters to lend a hand, he would so.

“My focus is on whatever they need done. If they ask me to do something, I’m going to do it,” Preece noted. “It’s the same thing I’ve told everybody. Whatever needs to be done, that’s my job.

“A lot of it comes down to relationships. Tad is really good at building relationships and making people feel like family. I think that’s what they (plus wife, Jodi) are really good at, because they’re genuine people,” Preece continued. “At the end of the day, I’ve learned quite a bit from him, but it takes a special person to be able to do what he does. It’s just like it takes a breed of racer to be able to get to this level and capitalize on everything. Not many people can do what Tad does. I definitely applaud him for what he does and, hopefully, we can keep on working toward our goals, Trent and I.

“As long as we keep doing our job; we’ll hopefully be able to sell some sponsors and finish out the year.”

The next step in that endeavor comes Sunday at the Daytona Road Course.

While Preece has never been particularly known as a road racer, he’s coming off his best road course result at the Cup Series level, after leading eight laps and finishing 14th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL last fall.

“I haven’t done a whole lot of (road racing) in my career, but I’ve tended to be OK at it, which I’m pretty proud of,” said Preece. “JTG was lucky enough to have A.J. Allmendinger, who is a road course racer just as much as I was a short-track racer, involved with their team. Those are high expectations to live up to, but every time I get in that race car when I go to a road course, I study.

“I was just watching the (Busch) Clash … and I try to excel at it. The one thing I do have going for me is that short tracks are pretty similar when it comes to road-course racing, with a lot of heavy braking and a lot of on-throttle (time), and then it just comes to communication and making the car better.”