McCarthy won’t coach next season

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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy walks on the field following an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. The Commanders won 23-19. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

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Phoenix Mercury WNBA basketball All-Star center Brittney Griner smiles as she answers a question while discussing recent team events during a news conference Monday, June 26, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino yells on the court during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Xavier, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

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McCarthy won’t coach next season

Mike McCarthy has decided against coaching in 2025. On Tuesday, he removed himself as a candidate to fill the NFL’s last remaining head coaching vacancy with the Saints. McCarthy is the third high-profile candidate to pull out of the Saints’ search, joining Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The 61-year-old McCarthy, who also interviewed with the Bears before they hired Ben Johnson, spent the last five seasons with the Cowboys. He won a Super Bowl during his 12 seasons with the Packers and was the most established candidate under consideration by the Saints. McCarthy had thrived as an offensive coordinator with the Saints from 2000 to 2004 before spending one season in the same post with the 49ers. The Packers hired him in 2006, and he oversaw the club’s quarterback transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, winning a championship with the latter under center in the 2010 season. McCarthy parted ways with the Cowboys after going 7-10 in 2024, just his second losing season with the team.

Griner joining Dream on 1-year deal

Brittney Griner plans to sign with the Dream, marking the end of her 11-year career with the Mercury. Griner announced the move in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday night. “Free agency has been everything I wanted it to be,” Griner said in the video. The 6-foot-9 Griner had spent her entire career with the Mercury since getting drafted No. 1 in 2013. Griner, 34, is signing for only one year because a new CBA featuring potentially massive salary increases is expected to take effect in 2026. Griner missed the 2022 season when she was detained for nearly 10 months in Russia after authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis. She was freed in a prisoner swap. Griner averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season. She said going through free agency posed some challenges. “It was a hard decision since you’re leaving what you know. What I’ve known for my whole career,” Griner said. “There’s an exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now. I get to show them something different.”

St. John’s goes unbeaten in January

Rick Pitino joked that senior guard Kadary Richmond was like a fine wine. “He keeps getting better with age,” Pitino quipped. “And he’s 35.” Even if he was 35 and not 23, Richmond still wouldn’t have been born the last time St. John’s got through January without a loss. That was 40 years ago in 1985 — the last time the program reached the Final Four. The 15th-ranked Red Storm are 7-0 since the New Year and 9-1 in Big East play for the first time since the ’80s heyday under late Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca, which doesn’t come up much around the gym. “I really don’t talk about the ’80s,” Pitino, above, said after a 66-41 victory at Georgetown on Tuesday. “I always toast Lou after every game and say the same thing: ‘Lou would be proud of this team.’ But I don’t bring it up too much. I don’t bring it up they’re the most wins in January. I never bring any of that up. That’s your job. We really just do focus on getting better. This team is getting better and better.” Tied with No. 9 Marquette atop the Big East standings, St. John’s has outscored opponents 519-423 during this run. —AP