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During a recent telecast, Big Ten basketball analyst Andy Katz looked directly into the camera and declared, “This Purdue basketball team is better than last year’s.” Which, OK, Katz declared while the Boilermakers stood undefeated, with wins against both Gonzaga and Duke on their resume, so maybe that doesn’t sound too bold. Except, really, it shouldn’t be possible.

Heading into the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys figured they needed to start looking for a quarterback. By that point, Tony Romo had been wildly successful but was nearing the end of his career, and the front office thought perhaps it was time to land an heir apparent.

Dave Harper recently sat in a meeting between one of his coaches and a student-athlete. The conversation ostensibly centered around an eligibility question but clarifying that issue took only a few minutes. Rather than end the meeting early, the coach instead extended the conversation, pivoting to a more personal chat about the athlete’s future.

Worried about one of his freshmen acclimating to college life, Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski called her up and asked if the two could talk. She naturally worried that something was amiss, and to diffuse any concern, Gajewski suggested they meet for coffee. Midway through their klatch, the player’s face opened into a broad smile. “I can’t tell you how glad I am we did this,” she told her coach, “and how good this made me feel.”

Home in Louisville, Kentucky, for a visit with her parents, Shoshanna Engel decided it was time to tell them about her new relationship. She didn’t worry that her folks would like her boyfriend. They’d already met him, albeit in a completely different context. Shoshanna and Marvin Lewis had been working together in 2014 - Shoshanna, in fact, sat in on Marvin’s interview at Georgia Tech - and the former basketball player left a sizable impression on the Engel family.

Jerod Haase needed a win. A top 100 recruit had trimmed his list to three schools, including Haase’s Stanford men’s basketball program. Except the Cardinal coaching staff couldn’t quite get the recruit to commit. With a final home visit looming, Haase knew he had to swing for the fences on his final pitch.

As a college volleyball player at the University of Central Florida, DeLaina (Sarden) Jordan starred. She helped her team to its first American Athletic Conference championship and was named both the league’s player of the year and female scholar-athlete of the year. But when Jordan was invited onto a select U.S. team, stacked with players from Power 5 programs, she assumed she was no longer the star.