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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what's going on around the area:
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Bret Bielema, talking with Illini Quarterback Club president Ray Zinnen during the booster club’s annual golf outing at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana in mid-June, is entering his fifth season as the Illinois football coach, is under contract until at least 2031 and has a non-compete clause with every other Big Ten program in his contract. Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Smart move by Bret Bielema. Fans can purchase specifically designated $20 tickets for the Illinois-Maryland football game on Nov. 15 at Memorial Stadium that will be distributed to veterans, active-duty military members and their families.
➜ 2. Bielema, entering his fifth season as the Illini football coach, will match those tickets purchased in an effort to increase the number of honored guests for the Illini’s annual military appreciation game.
➜ 3. We’ll kick off our Illini Year in Review package in this coming Tuesday’s News-Gazette. It’s part of a week-long series we’ll unveil, starting with a look back at the top 10 most meaningful transfers Illinois had this past school year and the top 10 freshmen as well.
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The Miami Heat’s newest draft pick, Kasparas Jakucionis, answers questions from the media on June 27. Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Numbers game: $17.3
million is the expected value of new Miami Heat guard and former Illini Kasparas Jakucionis. The Heat announced it had signed the first-round pick draft on Tuesday, with a four-year contract expected for the 19-year-old rookie. Jakucionis is in San Francisco, where the Heat play the Spurs at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the first NBA Summer League game on the schedule.
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Former Illini Brian Campbell is playing this weekend at the John Deere Classic in Silvis. Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Prospect League All-Star Game. The Danville Dans will have infielder Jorge Santana II and pitcher Jack Gleason representing the team when the first Prospect League All-Star game since 2019 is held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield.
➜ 2. St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs. The weekend series between the two NL Central rivals at Wrigley Field features a 1:20 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and concludes at 5:10 p.m. Sunday.
➜ 3. John Deere Classic. Former Illini Brian Campbell had a solid opening round at the PGA Tour event in Silvis. The third round takes place Saturday before the final round tees off on Sunday.
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Gavin Bailey shined in baseball and basketball at Mahomet-Seymour during the 2024-25 school year. Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
Ask an athlete
Three questions with 2025 Mahomet-Seymour graduate Gavin Bailey, who played basketball and baseball with the Bulldogs and will play baseball at Southwestern Illinois College:
➜ 1. Three athletes I’d like to have dinner with are ... Matt Carpenter, LeBron James and John Cena.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is ... “Lost.”
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is ... when a player watches a fastball down the middle, then they turn their head to their coach and nod their head.