Dein erstes Forum » r, may make his first NFL start in pla

Two hours into the second practice of the season in early August, USC volleyball coach Mick Haley stopped a drill. He walked over to 5-foot-10 freshman libero Raegan LeGrand, the reigning Gatorade Nebraska volleyball player of the year.This isnt Nebraska Juniors, Haley said, flashing a wide smile, referring to LeGrands club team. LeGrand had been taught to pass to the right side of the court; Haley wanted her to pass to the middle. This is USC.LeGrand, hailing from Papillion, an Omaha suburb with a population of less than 25,000 that has produced volleyball royalty like Allison Weston, Gina Mancuso and Amber and Kadie Rolfzen, is used to the Nebraska jokes. Her classmates often ask her if she rode cows to school or grew corn in her backyard.LeGrand, a California girl at heart who loves palm trees and the ocean -- she went swimming with sharks at age 11 and dolphins at age 12 -- nodded her head four times to Haley. Youre right. Got it, coach, she said, perfecting the pass the next possession.Welcome-to-college-ball moments are rare for LeGrand, who brings skilled defense, passing and hustle to the defending co-Pac-12 champion Trojans, ranked No. 7 nationally.Shes solid as a rock, Haley said.Shell be a leader on this team way earlier than most people, Haley said. Shell fight like heck to be out there and help us win.For most of her life, LeGrand had to scratch and claw to earn roles on elite teams. Her mentality? Fate Loves the Fearless, which came from a white and blue LeBron James shirt she received when she was 12.Its almost like karma, you get what you put into it, LeGrand said of the meaning behind the quote. Fate rewards those who go through life taking risks and pursuing things.LeGrand was 5 when she began playing with 12-year-olds. She didnt blink twice; all she wanted to do was be near a net, no matter who was on the other side of it.At that point, I dont even think I understood intimidation, LeGrand said. It was just fun.When she was 12, a seventh-grader, LeGrand tried out for Nebraska Juniors 15s, a club team stacked with future Division I players.Her mother, Alyssa, kept her age a secret.Alyssa, flipping through magazines in the corner of the gym, was approached by a few of the coaches. They wanted to let me know up front: She may not make the team, she may not play, said Alyssa, a former high school coach, and a former Midland University player, who used to take 6-month-old Raegan to her practices in a carrier.I dont care, Alyssa told the club coaches. She wants to experience this. She wants to train.LeGrand became the youngest player to make the team. Though she rarely rose from the bench, she kept working. A few tournaments in, she morphed into the starting right side.She doesnt get shaken, Alyssa said. Whatever the challenge is, shes all in.The stakes rose even higher for LeGrand as a freshman on Papillion-LaVista South High Schools varsity team in 2012, then one of the top teams in the country. The loaded squad of mostly seniors, including the Rolfzen twins and Kelly Hunter, was riding a near 90-game win streak.They had high goals, said former Papillion-LaVista South coach Gwen Egbert, now coach at Doane University. Raegan had to be on point right off the bat.But the rookie found herself glued to the bench. She clapped, stomped and cheered for her teammates, but wanted more.My mom goes, Its so awesome you made varsity, LeGrand said. And Im sitting there like, No. I want to play. Because Im competitive.During the first tournament of the season, Papillion-LaVista South struggled to pass in the first set against Western Christian (Hull, Iowa). LeGrand remembers Egbert, also her long-time club coach, turning to her: Im tired of the libero not getting to the ball! Raegan, go in there! Dont mess up!LeGrand had never played libero before. She had never played in front of hundreds of people before.But she was calm.Her poised passing and defense ignited Papillion-LaVista South to victory. She earned the starting nod. The streak lived on. The team went on to win the Nebraska state championship.LeGrand morphed into an All-American at outside hitter, and she was named the Gatorade volleyball player of the year and the MaxPreps.com No. 1-ranked player from Nebraska as a senior in 2015.Though recruited by the reigning national-champion Cornhuskers, LeGrand had dreamed of playing in sunny California since she was a young girl, inspired by her cousin, Gabi Ailes, an all-conference libero for Stanford in 2010.Haley, who hadnt yet seen LeGrand play, received a phone call from Creighton volleyball coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. She said, Theres a kid in Nebraska here that I love, Haley recalled. She cant play for me. Shes too good. You need to see her.LeGrand visited USC during spring of her sophomore year. She said she liked that Haley said he couldnt make any promises and that expectations would be high.If Haley had told her she needed to dance in a tutu in front of the entire student body while juggling five tennis balls and run 10 miles afterward for a chance to suit up for the Trojans -- she probably probably would have done it.Plus, year-round sunshine without humidity? No snow? No coat required?I told my mom, If Im not going here, Im not going to play college volleyball, LeGrand said.Returning home, LeGrand took a Sharpie and wrote on her wall aspects of her game to improve on in order to play for USC. She devoured books on mental toughness, like Mind Gym, The Hard Hat and The Energy Bus. She meditated on the floor of her room.Most in Papillion were supportive of her choice, though a few were disappointed she didnt choose Nebraska. She wanted to spread her wings, Alyssa said. She said, I gotta go do this. I gotta go try it in California. Now as a freshman at USC among a squad of 10 upperclassmen, LeGrand once again must prove herself.This is her first time playing libero since her freshman season in high school. With senior Taylor Whittingham and sophomore Victoria Garrick at her position, her goal, she said, is to contribute any way she can and continue to get better every day.Fate Loves the Fearless ... Fate Loves the Fearless ... Fate Loves the Fearless ... she often whispers to herself during practice.Shes one of those kids I think you can trust. Theyll always play as hard as they can play, Haley said. Theyll always make the people next to them better. Those kinds of people are tough to find. Air Max 97 Wholesale China .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Paul George Shoes Replica Paypal .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-vapormax-shoes/fake-vapormax-plus.html . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Kobe Shoes China Wholesale . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Kd All Star Shoes 2019 . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. PITTSBURGH -- Revis Island isnt quite as lonely as it once was. Something its longtime owner knows all too well.Now New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is girding for another population influx on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Asked what scares him about facing the team he watched while growing up in western Pennsylvania, the four-time All-Pro cant help but laugh. The answer is hard to miss. Just check out the highlight shows.Deep balls man, Revis said.Lots and lots and lots of deep balls. And its no longer just wide receiver Antonio Brown and his quicksilver moves and boundary pushing end zone dances doing the damage.Six of Ben Roethlisbergers touchdown passes are from 20 yards or more, the targets a list that includes speedsters Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton and first-year tight end Xavier Grimble.Somehow, it does not include rapidly developing Sammie Coates, who has at least one reception of 40 yards in each of Pittsburghs first four games.They have a lot of talent, a lot of matchup problems, Revis said.Not exactly good news for the leagues 26th ranked pass defense or its leader, who is dealing with hamstring issues and was dominated by Cincinnatis A.J. Green in a Week 1 loss to the Bengals.New York regaining its defensive swagger may be difficult against Pittsburgh as Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley experiments with his lineup now that star running back LeVeon Bell is back from a three-game suspension.All Bell did in his 2016 debut last week against Kansas City was put up 178 yards of total offense while lining up all over the field in a 43-14 clinic .Such are the options at his disposal that Roethlisberger is a little worried about Haley getting a bit too experimental, the NFL equivalent of first-world problems.We can be as creative as we want to be, Roethlisberger said. We just have to be careful not to get so out of the box, out of this world that it can get confusing to ourselves.You want to confuse the defense, but you also want to be able to play fast. And sometimes, just being black or white is better than being gray.Other things to look for as the Jets (1-3) try to slow down Roethlisberger and company in hopes of winning in Pittsburgh for just the second time in franchise history.FLUMMOXED FITZ: Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has struggled mightily in the past two games after a terrific performaance at Buffalo, throwing nine interceptions combined in losses to Seattle and Kansas City.dddddddddddd The previous time a Jets quarterback threw nine in a two-game span was Joe Namath in 1970. Of Fitzpatricks 10 interceptions on the season, eight of them have come in the fourth quarter.That has lots of fans and media wondering if the Jets should consider a quarterback change soon.For me, thats been my whole career, Fitzpatrick said of having doubters. Its not anything new for me. I just have to continue to prepare and try to be the best guy I can be every Sunday, whether thats coming off a good game or a bad game. Thats just something Ill continue to try and do.LINEMAN SHUFFLE: While Pittsburghs skill position players are nearly back at full strength, the offensive line is hurting. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert is out with an ankle injury and guard Ramon Foster is a game-time decision as he recovers from a bruised sternum. Chris Hubbard, a former practice squad player, may make his first NFL start in place of Gilbert but the Steelers have also experimented with other options in case of emergency, including having center Maurkice Pouncey moonlight at right tackle in practice just in case.We will have faith and trust, Roethlisberger said. At the same time we will not be ridiculous. If there are times we need to send help someones way, we will do it.MARSHALLS PLAN: Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall remains optimistic that the Jets will turn things around -- and maybe as soon as this weekend.Marshall was impressed by the teams mood during the week and isnt nearly ready to bail on the season.We will have better results, Marshall said. Thats a fact.DANCING WITH THE FLAGS: Twice this season Brown has drawn unsportsmanlike penalties for having his touchdown dances go a little too far for a referees liking. While Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isnt going to discourage the Dancing With The Stars alum from doing things his way, Tomlin would appreciate a little clarity from the NFL on what is -- and what is not -- taboo.Some guys are followed more closely than others, Tomlin said. ABs probably one of those guys and needs to respond accordingly.---AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak in Florham Park, N.Y., contributed to this report. ' ' '