Goldin reunites with parents

Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin, holding a bouquet of flowers, stood alongside his fiance at Detroit Metropolitan Airport as he waited a little longer for a moment he had been looking forward to for five years. Goldin reunited with his parents, whom he left in Russia to pursue his dreams, and hugged them in a breathtaking moment. “When the door opened and I saw them walking to me, it was like I lost all the oxygen in my lungs,” he said. Goldin’s mother and father could not believe what his life is like at Michigan. “Everything is like a dream to them,” he said. His parents watched Goldin wrap up the regular season with the Wolverines before returning home to Russia. The 7-foot-1 center hopes to give them another run to watch in the NCAA Tournament. Fifth-seeded and Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan will play 12th-seeded UC San Diego on Thursday night in Denver. Two years ago, Goldin was a key player on Florida Atlantic’s Final Four team. When Michigan fired coach Juwan Howard and hired Dusty May away from FAU last year, the new coach knew he wanted his old center to join him.

Flagg, Broome lead All-America team

One is a fifth-year senior who began his career at a mid-major, the other a first-year wunderkind recruited by everyone. The first is a now leading a program on the rise, while the other is the unmistakable star for a traditional power. Johni Broome of Auburn and Cooper Flagg, above, of Duke do have something in common, though: The forwards were unanimous first-team picks for The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America teams released Tuesday. They were joined on the first team by Alabama star Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida. Only Broome, a third-team pick a year ago, and Flagg were among the first five on the ballots of all 61 national media members who vote for the weekly AP Top 25. Sears was a second-team pick last season, when he helped to lead the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four. Smith was an honorable mention pick last year, when Purdue teammate Zach Edey was a unanimous first-team pick for the second straight season. Florida had never had a first-team All-American before Clayton.

Gray lifts Rose BC to Unrivaled title

Chelsea Gray came to Unrivaled with a mission. The veteran Aces guard suffered a foot injury in the 2023 WNBA Finals that sidelined her part of last season. When she came back, she felt overlooked by some. Underestimated by others. Unrivaled’s inaugural 3-on-3 women’s basketball season was Gray’s chance to finally put that injury behind her. “Last year was hard, man,” she said. “It was rough. Even when I came back (during the WNBA season), I still wasn’t 100%. I just put the work in. And then I talk after winning. I don’t talk before then. So I had a little chip on my shoulder.” Gray was named playoff MVP after helping her team Rose BC beat Vinyl in a thrilling Unrivaled final on Monday night in Medley, Florida. She averaged 28.5 points in two postseason games, including 39 in the semis. Each player on the title-winning club received $50,000 — part of Unrivaled’s goal of compensating its participants more than almost any other pro women’s sports league. Unrivaled has the highest average salary for players of any pro women’s sports league, with many earning six figures. —AP