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Gregg Popovich done coaching Spurs; Mitch Johnson takes over​

Basketball Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich will no longer coach the San Antonio Spurs and is transitioning to a full-time role as the team's president of basketball operations, the team announced Friday.

Mitch Johnson, who was named acting head coach after Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November, takes over head coaching duties permanently.

Popovich has been involved with the team and present at San Antonio's facility in recent days, and will continue to be a vital member of the franchise's day-to-day operations, sources told ESPN. As much as he wanted to return to the sideline, he decided that he no longer could move forward with the taxing grind of being an NBA head coach. He has been making steady progress with his health in recovery from the November stroke, sources added.

"While my love and passion for the game remain, I've decided it's time to step away as head coach," Popovich said in a statement. "I'm forever grateful to the wonderful players, coaches, staff and fans who allowed me to serve them as the Spurs head coach and am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the organization, community and city that are so meaningful to me."
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Former Ball State Kicker Jackson Courville Commits to Ohio State​

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Courville comes to Columbus with two years of eligibility remaining, having spent two seasons as Ball State's primary kicker. He made 26-of-34 field goals in a two-year stretch and was 11-of-13 on field goals last season. Last year, Courville was 2-for-2 on field goals of 50 yards or more, with a career-long make of 52.

Courville was 54-of-56 on extra points in his Ball State career, missing one in each of his first two seasons.

It's possible Courville could redshirt this season and sit behind Fielding if he doesn't win the job in camp, then be the primary option for the Buckeyes in 2026 and beyond.

Jackson Courville​

• Position: Kicker
• Ht./Wt.: 5-10 / 180
• Class: Sophomore
• Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
• Prev School: Centerville HS

Awards and Honors:
2024 Academic All-MAC
2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
2024 Preseason All-MAC (fourth team by Phil Steele College Preview)

Assumed starting placekicking duties as a true freshman ... was Ball State's first true freshman placekicker since Morgan Hagee in 2015.

2024 (So.): Made nine appearances for the Cardinals, completing 11-of-13 field goal attempts and 30-of-31 PATs … totaled 421 yards off seven kickoff attempts … his game-winning 52-yard field goal as time expired against Northern Illinois (Oct. 26) marked the longest of his career, adding to the four total field goals he secured against the Huskies … Academic All-America nominee.

2023 (Fr.): Assumed starting placekicking duties on PATs and field goals from the opening game of his freshman season and never looked back ... made 24 of 25 PAT attempts and was true on 15 of 21 field goal attempts ... he was 8-of-8 inside 30 yards and 12-of-13 inside 40 yards ... but for four misses beyond 50 yards, his only misses came on a 37-yard attempt against Northern Illinois (Nov. 7) and a 42-yarder against Miami ... redeemed his miss at NIU with a game-winning 36-yarder as time expired in a 20-17 victory ... hit at least one FG in 10 out of 12 games, including a 27-yarder at Georgia (Sept. 9) that was the first of his career ... season-long FG was a 48-yarder against Kent State (Nov. 18) ... drilled 44- and 48-yard attempts vs. Kent State to cement his value inside of 50 yards ... led Ball State with 69 points overall.

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned three varsity letters as a kicker and punter under coach Brent Ullery at Centerville High School ... helped his team to a 4-4 record as a sophomore, 8-4 as a junior and 10-3 as a senior ... named third team all-state as a senior and first team as a junior ... finished 26-of-40 on field goal attempts in his career and was 99-of-103 on PAT attempts ... 9-of-17 on FGs and 32-of-35 on PATs as a senior, with a long FG of 55 yards ... 13-of-17 on FGs and 42-of-43 on PAT's as a junior with a long FG of 48 yards ... set school records for the longest field goal (55), and the most FGs in a season (13) and career (26).

PERSONAL: Son of Jeffrey and Robin Courville ... has a younger sister, Allyson ... hopes to major in marketing, and has worked as a seasonal intern in Ball State's athletics marketing unit ... favorite athletes include Curtis Martin, Larry Bird, Jayson Tatum and Kevin Garnett ... a favorite actor is Robert Downey Jr.

Captain Buckeye said:

Hey good luck to the kid. Let’s see if it sticks.

Sounds great when it’s 50 degrees at home and USC is undefeated right now.

Let’s tack on 6+ losses and see where things stand

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Using weather in Ohio in May is a new one