ll is just about the most unpredictable thing in sports. Picking up the ball as it bounces around like an excited toddler is one

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Nick Young took a long look around the Los Angeles Lakers bustling practice gym Monday, surveying the large gathering of cameras, reporters and teammates with a sardonic smile.Its kind of boring in here, the veteran guard said.For all the hubbub and optimism around the Lakers as they returned for a new season, the LA native realized something was missing.For the first time since 1995, the Lakers are heading into training camp without Kobe Bryant.The third-leading scorer in NBA history is ensconced in retirement in Orange County, his 60-point farewell game fading into legend with each passing week. Bryant left behind a franchise that must return from a team-worst 17-65 season with a new coach, several new players and a young core seeking an identity.It was all about Kobe, point guard DAngelo Russell said of his rookie season. Now its a different headline. Its about the young guys, the coaching staff. Theres so many more headlines.The Lakers have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons for the first time in franchise history, and coach Luke Walton isnt primarily concerned about ending that skid as he installs his system and attempts to mold a cohesive team for the first time in his own career.The former Golden State assistant and Lakers forward doesnt share Bryants binary belief that every season is either a championship campaign or an utter failure.Patience will definitely be important, said the 36-year-old Walton, who is four months younger than Lakers forward Metta World Peace. As we set our foundation, its important that we dont let whether or not were winning games take us from that path. We need to stay the course and see the big picture.Bryants final season was a traveling carnival devoted to showcasing the largely beloved star, with teammates reflexively deferring to him as the losses mounted. Nobody will defer to anybody else in the game plan envisioned by Walton, whose flowing offensive plan is welcomed by the Lakers top draft picks over the previous three years: Julius Randle, Russell and Brandon Ingram.Last year, we played a little bit too much for ourselves, thinking about our stats or whatever it may be, Randle said. That just doesnt work. Were playing for each other now. The energy, the vibe is different. You win 17 games, and everything is a press, a struggle. Its not fun. But its starting to become fun again.Some changes are bigger than others: After years of quiet in the Lakers practice gym, this team practices with musical accompaniment. Walton liked it when he played, and the Warriors do it.The Lakers have been working out together constantly for more than two weeks, but they still have plenty of team-building work to do this week at training camp in Santa Barbara.Los Angeles paid exorbitantly to sign free agents Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, and they added a grab-bag of veteran talent including Spanish point guard Jose Calderon, Chinese big man Yi Jianlian and forward Thomas Robinson. The Lakers also have 10 returning players from last seasons 17-win team, although Young is widely expected to be jettisoned at some point in the preseason.No newcomer is more important than Ingram, the rangy teenage forward and No. 2 pick from Duke. Russell is determined to take control of the Lakers offense after averaging 13.2 points and 3.3 assists as a rookie, while Randle said his recent workouts with Bryant have given his career the proper direction.I think its going to be fun, said guard Jordan Clarkson, who got a four-year, $50 million contract extension in July. Weve got a young, talented group of guys coming together. These are exciting times for us. Weve got a lot of work to do, but weve got a lot of room to grow.---Follow Greg Beacham at www.twitter.com/gregbeachamWholesale Nike Shoes Ireland . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Discount Air Jordan Ireland Online . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.cheapirelandairjordan.com/ .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Air Jordan Ireland Sale . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Cheap Air Jordan Ireland From China . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12.The double thump of foot hitting ball and then ball hitting hand. A perfect bounce. A race for the end zone barely won.A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter against Ohio State changed Penn States season. The Nittany Lions have not lost since and Happy Valley is happier than its been with its football team in the five years since a scandal shook the program and the school.Winning might not cure everything, but it certainly makes it easier to shift the focus away from lawsuits , statues and how best to commemorate anniversaries . For the first time in the post-Paterno, post-scandal era, the Nittany Lions are championship contenders. No. 8 Penn State (10-2, No. 7 CFP) makes its first appearance in the Big Ten championship game Saturday.The communitys been through a lot. This is a place where the football program really has always been stable, junior linebacker Jason Cabinda said this week. It was tough for the community to see us kind of fall off a bit. To finally see us kind of arrive again, I think its been huge.At the very least the game against No. 6 Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) in Indianapolis will determine which team goes to the Rose Bowl. Penn State has not won the Big Ten or played in the Rose Bowl since 2008. It could also send a team to the College Football Playoff.Paterno was fired in 2011 after Jerry Sandusky, his former longtime assistant was arrested for sexually abusing children. Penn State football was sanctioned by the NCAA in 2012 and has been digging out since. The Nittany Lions had three straight 7-6 seasons before this years resurgence under third-year coach James Franklin, who got a vote of confidence from athletic director Sandy Barbour earlier this season amid speculation about his job security.Franklin has deflected most questions this week about where he and Penn State have been.I do think its significant that were at a time in our history where people are talking about what we are, what we currently are, what Penn State is, he said.And it all started with that blocked field-goal attempt against Ohio State on a chilly late October night in State College, Pennsylvania.Penn State had chipped a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit down to four, but the Buckeyes were looking to add another three with a 45-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions at that point had only managed a couple sustained drives against the Buckeyes defense.The game drew a massive white-out crowd to Beaver Stadium, but the energy was relatively subdued throughout. Penn State fans were hopeful of an upset but not optimistic. Penn State came into the game 4-2, a three-touchdown underddog to the Buckeyes.dddddddddddd The Nittany Lions had not won a game like this in years.Ohio State had dawdled before sending kicker Tyler Durbin and the field-goal team on the field to try to extend the fourth-quarter lead. By the time Durbin had stepped back into position, there were 4 seconds left on the play clock. Penn State defensive back Marcus Allen was 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. At the snap he broke toward the line, slipped through a crease on the left side, and leapt high with both arms raised.Cabinda, who was lined up slightly to the right of the center, heard what happened before he saw it.Really, all I remember was just the double thump and seeing Grant (Haley) scoop the ball and take off, Cabinda said.The bounce of a football is just about the most unpredictable thing in sports. Picking up the ball as it bounces around like an excited toddler is one part hand-eye coordination and two parts good fortune.Allen blocked the ball down and to the left. It bounced once, twice and a third time, and then Haley, who had lined up on the far left, cradled it on the run. The defensive back had about a 5-yard head lead on Ohio State holder Cameron Johnston when they both broke into a sprint.Grants one of the fastest players on our team, quarterback Trace McSorley said. Once I saw him get the ball I knew he was going to be able to take it all the way.Well, it wasnt quite so easy. Johnston, the Australian rules football player turned punter, has got wheels.I mean their kicker is probably one of the fastest kickers Ive seen, star running back Saquon Barkley said.Johnston closed and dove for Haley at the 15, grabbing at his waist but sliding off. Haley stumbled into the end zone and Beaver Stadium erupted in a way it has not in forever.Penn State has been one of the best teams in college football since that moment. The Nittany Lions dont look back on that block as the turning point of the season, but there is no denying that beating Ohio State was worth a lot more than beating Maryland or Minnesota.To kind of see how much that win impacted not only our team, but the entire community here at State College and Penn State, I think it really opened our eyes to how impactful Penn State football is just among the Penn State community. How much people do care about it, McSorley said. It made us appreciate everything we have here that much more and made us work harder.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP----More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '