Ohio State is interested in Mike Brown as their next head coach

After rumors of Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg being a candidate, and Creighton head coach Greg McDermott deciding to stay with the Blue Jays, Golden State assistant coach Mike Brown is the latest name attached Ohio State’s vacant head coaching position. Brown is currently in Cleveland as Golden State prepares for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, and Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch reported Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is planning on going to Cleveland today to speak with Brown.

Brown was born in Columbus, but has no previous college coaching experience. After serving as an assistant with San Antonio, Washington, and Indiana, Brown got his NBA head coaching job with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. In 2007, Brown reached the NBA Finals, and in 2009 was named NBA Coach of the Year. After being fired by the Cavaliers in 2010, Brown coached the Los Angeles Lakers for 71 games between 2011-12 before returning to Cleveland for the 2013-14 season. While Brown replaced Luke Walton as an assistant coach for Golden State this year, he has been acting head coach for periods of time for the Warriors during the regular season and playoffs due to chronic back pain that head coach Steve Kerr is dealing with.

“I feel good. Just learning plays, the formations, my role as a receiver here and as a teammate. It’s a big opportunity so you’ve just got to come out here and execute every time when you get the chance.”

Houston Texans wide receiver Braxton Miller via Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Braxton Miller is not only gearing up for his second season with the Houston Texans, but also is readying for his third season at wide receiver, after switching for quarterback to receiver before his senior season at Ohio State. Miller got his feet wet just a little bit in his rookie season for Houston, hauling in 15 catches and a touchdown before his season was cut short by injury. Expectations for Miller will be higher this year, especially since he is working with one of the best slot receivers in NFL history, Wes Welker.

Current Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was an offense assistant with the New England Patriots for five seasons, and in four of those five seasons Welker hauled in at least 100 passes. Now it looks like Miller is being groomed to replicate the Welker role in Houston’s offense. With Miller still trying to adjust to being a receiver at the professional level, the process could be accelerated because of how closely he can work with Welker this year. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Miller become a key part of the Houston offense this year with the work he is putting in during the offseason.

“We’re really happy with how much Nick has progressed since arriving on campus this year. Coach (Ashley) Muffet has done a brilliant job with getting him ready for this level of competition. Nick is a premium thrower, and we’re glad to have him for one more year.”

Karen Dennis, Ohio State director of track and field and cross country

Yesterday at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Nick Demaline was able to bring a bronze medal back to Columbus with his performance in the shot put. The junior used a 20.08m throw, his best of the day, to earn the third place finish. Demaline became the first Buckeye to earn All-American honors since J.C. Murasky did so in 2015. With his performance in both the indoor and outdoor shot put, Demaline moved into top five in program history. Demaline was the only Ohio State athlete to score points on Day 1 of the NCAA Championships, and the Buckeyes sit in a tie for 14th place with six points.

The Ohio State men’s 4x400m relay team was able to secure an automatic bid into Friday night’s finals with their time of 3:03:59 in the second of three qualifying heats on Wednesday. The 4x100m relay team set a school record with a time of 38.92 in their heat, but the time was just ninth-best in qualifying, which left them one spot away from a chance in the final. Rachel Weber in the 800m and Maggie Barrie in the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay will be the next Buckeyes to keep an eye on at the NCAA Championships later tonight.

STICK TO SPORTS

• The Ohio State University Police officer who stopped the November attack on campus was awarded the Steven Michael Smith Valor Award.
• The Columbus Arts Festival takes place this weekend.
• Golden State’s win last night in Cleveland netted everybody at free taco at Taco Bell on Tuesday.
• Spotify has announced the “Summer Rewind”, which is a collection of users favorite songs from summers of years past.