GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas point guard Frank Mason III has received the AP Player of the Year trophy. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds in helping his team finish 31-5. Mason is the first Jayhawk to win the award after garnering 37 votes, 21 more than runner-up Josh Hart of Villanova.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — TJ Leaf is the latest UCLA basketball player to leave school early, joining Lonzo Ball in the NBA draft. Leaf averaged a team-leading 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Bruins this season, shooting 62 percent from the field. The 6-foot-10 forward is projected to be a lottery pick in the June 22 draft.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert says the association’s board of governors will decide by next week whether the repeal of North Carolina’s so-called “bathroom bill” is enough to bring neutral-site championships back to the state. The new measure was signed by Gov. Roy Cooper and repeals a requirement that transgender people use the public restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificate. However, the ACLU and gay rights activists complained that the new law still denies gay and transgender people certain protections from discrimination.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (ROOG’-ned oh-DOHR’) has agreed to a new six-year contract that’s worth at least $49.5 million and includes a club option for 2023. The 23-year-old Odor is already entering his fourth season with the ballclub. He hit .271 with 33 home runs and 88 RBIs last year.
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Rickie Fowler is the leader through one round of the PGA’s Houston Open. Fowler opened with an 8-under 64 that puts him one stroke in front of Sung Kang. Stewart Cink (sihnk), Jhonattan Vegas and Kyle Stanley share third, one shot better than a seven-player logjam that includes Keegan Bradley and Justin Rose.
