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LAS VEGAS -- As Buddy Hields range ballooned past the 3-point arc over his college career -- with his big smile winning over teammates and administrators alike around Oklahomas Norman campus -- Lon Kruger made sure all that went into being Buddy wasnt lost along the way.Not the late-night workouts with reggae music booming off the gym walls. Not the unwavering self-confidence that fueled his transition to a knockdown shooter.Our message to Buddy all year was, Dont change, dont change, said Kruger, the Sooners head coach, in a phone interview. When you start getting those national accolades and recognition and player of the year conversations, dont change, dont change.Even when he received the awards, we said dont change anything. When you get drafted, dont change anything. Youve got something unique and special as a personality. When you get to the NBA, dont change anything.Such a player would seem like an easy fit in a league trying to cash in on an everyman capable of superhuman shot-making. Like?Stephen Curry, Buddy enters his pro career with a ready-made persona,?a backlog of big-game highlights -- including besting a Mini-LeBron in?Ben Simmons?with the almighty 3 -- and the ability to walk the line between charm and confidence. Hes a supremely gifted athlete who also pulled himself up by the boot straps.Hes your buddy, but hes also an on-court killer who idolizes -- and now shares an agent with -- Kobe Bryant.The qualities Buddy has are the ones youd want everyone to have, Kruger said. What I think balances it is sincerity and maybe the work ethic. His peers like him, the coaches like him, the administration likes him, the people in town like him. Its not like he flaunts anything. Its not like he gives off that hes entitled. Its not like hes expecting anything back. Buddys a giver. Which is pretty rare when you think of a player with those abilities.The Buddy brand also comes complete with three self-given alter egos: Buddy Fresh, which hes prone to belt out to spark self-motivation; Buddy Love, which is for the ladies, as he recently told The Starters; and Buddy Buckets, which on draft day lined his suit jacket in Bahaman colors.Ive got good branding skills, he said with a smirk. Attracts the crowd a lot too.Even Buddy is an alias. His mother, in what is now Hield lore, saw a likeness between her infant son and the character Bud Bundy from Married ... with Children, and so his given name Chavano became Buddy.Those who know him well agree it fits.Hes always had that swag, said Sacramento Kings rookie Isaiah Cousins, Hields former roommate at Oklahoma. Its just a part of his culture.His first taste of the NBA, though, hasnt exactly aligned with expectations. In five games at the Las Vegas Summer League, Hield shot worse from the field (32.7 percent) than he did from behind the 3-point arc (46 percent) in his meteoric senior season at Oklahoma.His healthy scoring average of 16.8 points per game places him near the top in Las Vegas, but even Hield admitted after his games here that he hasnt shot this poorly in years.Ill be fine, he said after his fourth game in Las Vegas, in which he went 5-for-17. Its just a learning curve for me. Im not worrying. Im just a little pissed off right now. I didnt get summer league how I wanted it to go. But I gotta keep grinding, man.Hield has shown a willingness to pass, as the sharpshooter has notched five assists in each of the final three games at summer league. And he always seems to be the one loudly encouraging a teammate -- or himself -- on the court.But Hield struggled to handle the ball in the face of pressure and to get separation off the ball. While Hield gives effort on defense, one NBA scout questioned Hields impact on that end of the court -- given his lack of length and instincts.Both Hield and assistant Robert Pack, New Orleans head coach at summer league, noted the extra attention defenses are posting against Hield, given his notoriety and the options around him. In the petri dish that is summer league, the Pelicans used Hield at times to operate the pick-and-roll, but hell more likely be asked to spot up and stretch the floor for the big league club.Everybody just guarding me tight, Hield said. Ive been getting attention as soon as I stepped onto summer league. Everyones just been guarding me tight. Im just trying to find my way. It is what it is, man. Keep grinding, keep getting better. Thats what summer league is for: to learn.When we get back to training camp, guys like Anthony Davis will open the floor more for me. So Im not worrying about it. Ill be fine.The early struggles present a familiar arc. Though Hield said he was always a shooter, Kruger explained that Hield arrived at Oklahoma as more of a slashing, attacking guard. In four years, he grew from a 24 percent 3-point shooter on less than one attempt per game to 46 percent on almost nine such shots a game.He knew from the start that he wanted to improve the shot, improve the mechanics, raise it up a little bit -- and then just spent time, Kruger said. Theres no shortcut with anything. Buddy invested the time and put up the shots.One Pelicans staffer said he is bound to learn reggae by the amount that has been bumping at the practice facility court leading into the New Orleans rookies first minicamp. Hield also told Sports Illustrated that hes not looking to take any time off before the start of training camp, in order to rectify his disappointing debut.Amid his summer league slump, Hield was asked if he ever reverts back to the downhill player he was when he arrived at Oklahoma. He proceeded to talk up a 39-point effort against Iowa State in last seasons Big 12 tournament, during which he made just two 3-pointers.Then the usually fast-talking Hield paused.I just find the way in life, he said. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Cheap MLB Jerseys From China .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Fake Nike MLB Jerseys . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguezs Yankees career ended the way it began a dozen years ago, with a game against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he went 1-for-4 with a double.The evening began with a violent thunderstorm that descended on the Bronx just as a ceremony commemorating A-Rods years in pinstripes was about to begin. The storm forced the participants, who included Reggie Jackson, Mariano Rivera and Hal Steinbrenner, to scramble for cover from the lightning and torrential rains barely five minutes after the festivities had begun.Friday nights 6-3 Yankees victory ended with the most unlikely sight: Rodriguez heading out for the ninth inning with a fielders glove on his left hand, sent out to play one final inning at third base, a position he had not started at in a game since April 27, 2015.Ive given these fans a lot of headaches over the years and Ive disappointed a lot of people, Rodriguez said, his voice sounding hoarse over the public-address system in one of baseballs most unusual farewells. But like Ive always said, you dont have to be defined by your mistakes. How you come back matters, too, and thats what New Yorks all about.The sellout crowd of 46,459 was predictably wild for A-Rod all night, and they were never louder than when chanting his name for its traditional roll call in the first inning, an honor usually reserved for position players, not designated hitters.But the crowd also rose to its feet for all four of his at-bats, erupting wildly when he stroked a 2-2 fastball from Rays starter Chris Archer into the right-center gap in his first at-bat for an RBI double that tied the game at 1. He clapped his hands and shouted into the muggy Bronx air in celebration as he reached second base. It was Rodriguezs first extra-base hit since a home run against the Baltimore Orioles on July 18 at Yankee Stadium.Rodriguezs ensuing at-bats were increasingly anticlimactic -- a groundout in the fourth, a swinging strikeout in the fifth and a final groundout to shortstop on the first pitch he saw from reliever Ryan Garton in the eighth.As A-Rod headed back to the dugout, the crowd began a chant of We want A-Rod! The chant grew in intensity as the Yankees batted in the bottom of the eighth.dddddddddddd YES Network television cameras caught Rodriguez having a dugout conversation with manager Joe Girardi before dashing into the clubhouse, presumably to grab a glove.Rodriguez had criticized Girardi for benching him for most of the past month.If this is the last time he plays, Girardi said softly, pausing for 10 seconds and sniffling as his voice cracked and his eyes teared, I wanted it to be something he never forgot.When Rodriguez sprinted out to third base at the start of the ninth inning, the crowd erupted once again. On a night of drama, this might have been the most dramatic moment of all. On the big video screen in center field, Rodriguez could be seen breathing heavily as if even he were exhilarated, and perhaps unnerved, by the moment.The moment, however, lasted just one batter. After?Dellin Betances?struck out Mikie Mahtook, Girardi sent Ronald Torreyes out to replace Rodriguez, allowing the 41-year-old superstar to bask in one more ovation as the crowd chanted Thank you, A-Rod!Rodriguez accepted hugs from all his teammates, waved his cap to the crowd and entered the dugout, where Girardi was waiting for him on the top step. And then he was gone -- 12 seasons, 351 home runs and 1,096 RBIs after it all began -- as the crowd chanted his name. Many of them then headed for the exits before Betances could nail down the final out of the game. They had seen what they came to see. The rest was just bookkeeping.With all that Ive been through, and for them to show up on a night like tonight and show me that type of love is something that Ill never forget. It was overwhelming, Rodriguez said during a news conference, looking perfectly put together in a gray suit and silver necktie.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '