It’s never too early to talk about the future, especially when we’re talking specifically about the future of the NBA. 

This week a handful of top basketball prospects – all of whom will be playing professionally sooner rather than later – will showcase their skills at the Les Schwab Invitational, an annual holiday tournament held at Liberty High School just outside Portland, Oregon. (Nike is also heavily involved in this tournament, which is often a preview of the Nike Hoop Summit.) 

The biggest names making their Les Schwab Invite debut are Cameron and Cayden Boozer, twin sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer. Both are expected to be lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft, and their college recruitment has been closely followed by thousands of diehard hoops fans. Will they follow in their dad’s footsteps and head to Duke? Could Kentucky steal them? 

Along with the Boozer twins, other top players to watch include guards Jase Richardson (signed with Michigan State), the son of former NBA Dunk Contest champ Jason Richardson, and Trent Perry (signed with USC), and 2025 forward Koa Peat. 

Last year, current Oregon freshman Jackson Shelstad led West Linn, a local powerhouse, to an upset over the nation’s top-ranked high school team, Sierra Canyon (featuring none other than Bronny James). Afterward, West Linn found itself ranked No. 1 in the country by USA TODAY. 

The tournament tipped off Tuesday, though all of the best prospects, who are traveling from out of state with the teams, don’t start play until Wednesday. You can check out the bracket here. 

Cameron Boozer tallies another double-double

Columbus (Miami) next takes on Central Catholic High of Portland, Oregon, in the semifinals of the showcase event, considered one of the top holiday high school tournaments in the country.

With Duke watching, Cameron Boozer dominates at high school showcase

Cameron Boozer scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of play as Columbus of Miami dominated Lake Oswego High of Lake Oswego, Oregon, 99-36, in the first round of the Les Schwab Invite on Wednesday night.

Boozer scored 12 points in the first quarter, including a pair of dunks in the opening minutes that made the crowd go ‘Ooooh!’ Twin brother Cayden had 10 points, six assists and three steals.

Duke assistant Jai Lucas was in attendance to watch the twins, as was their father, former Duke Blue Devil and NBA player Carlos Boozer. Two-time NBA dunk champion Jason Richardson was also in the crowd cheering on his son, Jace, who scored 14 points and grabbed four steals.

Columbus, the No. 9 high school team in the country according to the latest rankings from Sports Illustrated/SBLive, is on a collision course with No. 15 Harvard-Westlake,

Who is Carlos Boozer’s son? 

We’re going to answer this question with another question – which one of his sons are you talking about? 

Carlos Boozer has twin boys, Cameron and Cayden, juniors who are slated to graduate from Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School in 2025. They are considered not only two of the top college prospects in the country but two of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA draft class. 

According to 247Sports.com, the Boozer twins are considering playing college basketball at Duke, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky and Miami, among others.  

Cam Boozer, lottery pick

Of the Boozer twins, Cameron – who goes by Cam – is the better (and bigger) one. A 6-foot-9, 235-pound power forward, Cam Boozer has been praised by scouts for his ability to score in a variety of ways, both with his back to the basket and facing the rim. The word that comes up most when talking about Cam Boozer is ‘polished.’ He’s also known for having good hands; he can catch just about everything. 

Cam Boozer is a surefire lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft, and might go No. 1 overall. He was favored to be the top selection until AJ Dybantsa, also a 6-foot-9 forward, reclassified to the 2025 class. Now it’s likely that either Dybantsa or Cam Boozer goes No. 1 

Cayden Boozer, also a lottery pick

But don’t count out Cayden Boozer, the smaller of the Boozer twins. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, Cayden has described himself as ‘a versatile point guard who likes to attack.’ He told On3.com that he’s definitely headed to college, and doesn’t need G League money, though that’s another route open to him. 

Carlos Boozer’s NBA career

A 2002 NBA draft pick, Carlos Boozer had an impressive professional career after playing at Duke from 1999-2002. Though he wasn’t selected until the second round (No. 35 overall), Boozer had a long NBA lifespan, playing mostly for the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, in 2007 and 2008, and averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 13 seasons. 

Boozer retired from professional basketball in late 2017. He last played professionally with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. 

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media: @Lindsay_Schnell

HOUSTON – Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said Thursday that he will start this weekend against the Tennessee Titans after missing two games recovering from a concussion.

“It was tough,” he said. “But my team, they held it down as best as they could and I appreciate that. Now I’m back and I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to just do my job again. It was tough but we’re through it now and I’m excited to play.”

Stroud was injured in a Dec. 10 loss to the New York Jets when his head bounced off the turf after taking a hit with about 6½ minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve had concussions before but this one was probably the worst one I’ve had just because I hit the back of my head and I hit the ground really hard,” he said. “So that was what made it so bad… I (basically) hit my head on cement.”

Stroud’s return will be a huge boost to the Texans, who beat the Titans in overtime before losing to the Browns in the past two weeks with Case Keenum filling in for the star rookie. Stroud, drafted second overall, has thrown for 3,631 yards and 20 touchdowns with just five interceptions this season.

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Sunday’s game is a big one for the Texans (8-7), who remain in contention for both the AFC South title and a wild-card playoff spot, but a loss Sunday would drop their chances to reach the postseason for the first time since 2019 to just 13%.

Stroud wasn’t with the team during the past two games and instead watched Houston play on television from home. He said he started to feel better around the time of Houston’s first matchup against Tennessee. He said it was the first game he watched after his injury because before that he was having vision issues that kept him from watching games.

He tried to stay positive and connected to the team while he was recovering, but admitted it was a difficult time. He said his mother and other family members helped take care of him and make things easier while he got well.

“It was another piece of adversity that I’m faced with and how am I going to react,” he said. “So I didn’t try to get too up, too down. I really was just trying to be supportive of my teammates. I was texting them throughout the week and I was keeping up with the game plan. It was tough to watch because of course I wanted to play, but at the end of the day there was nothing I could do … so I just tried to stay calm.”

The penultimate weekend of the NFL’s 2023 regular season also lands on the final weekend of calendar year 2023 – and there’s plenty at stake with openings in the postseason field quickly dwindling.

The Cleveland Browns can punch their ticket by beating the New York Jets in the season’s final Thursday night contest. QB Joe Flacco notched a win in this matchup by Lake Erie just a year ago … albeit while playing for the NYJ.

The Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks can all secure playoff berths by winning and getting some outside help. The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers only need to win in order to become division champions. And the San Francisco 49ers could be the NFC’s No. 1 seed by Sunday night by overcoming the Washington Commanders and hoping the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles both lose.

But there’s no bigger showdown than the one in Baltimore, the Ravens hosting the Miami Dolphins with much on the line. A victory gives the Ravens the AFC North crown plus home-field advantage and the AFC’s first-round bye. If the Dolphins prevail, they’ll lock up their division and can claim the AFC’s No. 1 seed by beating Buffalo in Week 18. However if the Fins lose at M&T Bank Stadium, they could be in jeopardy of squandering the AFC East lead, too.

How do our experts think it will play out? Read on …

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NFL Week 17 game picks

(Odds provided by BetMGM. Access more BetMGM odds here.)

Week 17 NFL game-by-game predictions, picks, odds

New York Jets at Cleveland BrownsDetroit Lions at Dallas CowboysMiami Dolphins at Baltimore RavensNew England Patriots at Buffalo BillsAtlanta Falcons at Chicago BearsTennessee Titans at Houston TexansLas Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis ColtsCarolina Panthers at Jacksonville JaguarsLos Angeles Rams at New York GiantsArizona Cardinals at Philadelphia EaglesNew Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay BuccaneersSan Francisco 49ers at Washington CommandersPittsburgh Steelers at Seattle SeahawksLos Angeles Chargers at Denver BroncosCincinnati Bengals at Kansas City ChiefsGreen Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

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The Minnesota Vikings are making another change at quarterback.

Coach Kevin O’Connell on Thursday named rookie Jaren Hall as the starter for Sunday night’s NFC North division clash against the Green Bay Packers.

Hall, a fifth-round pick from BYU, will take over for Nick Mullens as the Vikings look to snap a two-game losing streak that has put their playoff hopes in jeopardy.

Mullens threw for 411 yards last week against the Detroit Lions, but his four interceptions kept the Vikings from coming all the way back in a 30-24 loss that dropped their record to 7-8 and put them one game out of a playoff spot.

Hall has seen limited action this season, completing 8-of-10 passes for 101 yards over a pair of games, including one start, which ended abruptly when he suffered a concussion in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons.

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He is the fourth different quarterback to start a game for the Vikings this year. Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first matchup of the season against the Packers.

Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase poured fuel on the budding rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bengals’ star wide receiver was asked by local Cincinnati media what stands out about the Chiefs’ secondary. And Chase’s response wasn’t complimentary.

“If I’m being honest nothing. They just know how to play us. They know their leverages, they know what splits we are in and they just know what we’re gonna do in certain moments,” Chase said to local reporters. “It’s not really like they got a Jalen Ramsey on their squad.”

The Bengals (8-7) and Chiefs (9-6) aren’t too fond of each other. Sunday marks a rematch of the last two AFC championship games, with both contests being decided by three points. The Bengals also won the past two regular-season games against Kansas City.

Chase has enjoyed a decided advantage against the Chiefs. He’s produced 18 catches, 363 yards and three touchdowns in two regular-season games, and he’s tallied 12 catches, 129 yards and a touchdown in the two postseason contests versus Kansas City’s defense.

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“We know what we’re capable of. Every team in the league does,” Chase said. “That’s why K.C. doubles us the way they do.”

Unfortunately for Chase and the Bengals, their success against the Chiefs came with Joe Burrow at quarterback. Cincinnati’s franchise QB is out for the season due to a wrist injury. Quarterback Jake Browning is slated to get his sixth start Sunday versus Kansas City.

Chase is also battling his own ailment. The wideout missed Week 16 due to a shoulder injury. He was a limited participant at Thursday’s practice.

Week 17’s battle is critical for Cincinnati’s playoff hopes. The Bengals are currently 10th in the AFC and outside of the conference’s three wild-card spots.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Illinois suspended basketball guard Terrence Shannon Jr. after he was charged with rape in Douglas County, Kansas, the school announced Thursday.

The suspension is from all team activities and is effective immediately.

Shannon was charged for an alleged rape on Sept. 8. At that time, the Illinois football team had traveled to play Kansas in Lawrence, where Douglas County is located. The athletics department said Shannon was not in Kansas on official school business and wasn’t a member of the university’s travel party.

An arrest warrant was issued for Shannon on Wednesday and he traveled to Kansas and posted bail before returning to Illinois. A call to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department by USA TODAY Sports was not immediately returned.

“We have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman said. “At the same time, [athletics department] policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”

The school said it had known of an investigation of Shannon since September, but did not have “actionable information” until Wednesday. That triggered the suspension as a violation of the school’s and division of intercollegiate athletics’ student-athlete misconduct policy.

Shannon, who spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech, is second in the Big Ten in scoring and is averaging 21.7 points per game for Illinois (9-2).

LOS ANGELES — If it were up to former Alabama football offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, Jalen Milroe wouldn’t be playing quarterback for the Crimson Tide, according to Milroe.

Milroe was asked Thursday at Rose Bowl press availability if anyone had wanted him to play a different position in his career and if he told anyone no.

‘All my life, even when I was in college,’ Milroe told reporters. ‘My own offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told me I shouldn’t play quarterback. There’s a lot of things I can have motivation on, and that’s something I have motivation from.’

O’Brien served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons before leaving to coach the offense of the New England Patriots in 2023. Milroe had been a reserve behind Bryce Young the past two seasons before becoming the starter this season.

Milroe was asked for his reaction to being told he shouldn’t play quarterback.

‘How would you feel if I told you you suck?’ Milroe said.

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Milroe has started every Alabama game this season except a win in September against South Florida and was named the starter the following game against Mississippi. This season, Milroe has completed 171 of 261 passes for 2,718 yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions and has rushed for 12 touchdowns as well.

His progression and growth as a quarterback has brought Alabama back to the College Football Playoff where the Crimson Tide will face Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Monday.

‘He told me a bunch of positions I could have switched to, but look where I’m at right now, you know what I’m saying?’ Milroe said. ‘Who gets the last laugh?’

It was a familiar ending for the Detroit Pistons. But the path to get there was still one of their better efforts of the season.

They faced the NBA’s best team, the Boston Celtics, on the road and went toe-to-toe with them for most of the game at TD Garden. But it was another collapse for the Pistons, who led by 21 points in the second quarter and by 19 points at halftime before giving up a massive run that gave the Celtics a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter, and, eventually, a 128-122 victory in overtime. 

The loss extends the Pistons’ losing streak to 28 games, an NBA record for a single-season skid. It also ties them with the 2014-15/2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers for the longest overall skid. (Those 76ers lost 10 games to finish the ’14-15 season and 18 to start the ’15-16 campaign.) The Pistons can claim the record outright with a loss in their next game, Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

“As bad as they hurt right now, I hurt for them,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “But I told them: ‘If we bring that kind of toughness and execution — minus the turnovers — we’re not just going to win one game. We’re going to put something together.”

Cade Cunningham continued his hot streak with 31 points and nine assists — scoring 22 points in the first half — but also had six turnovers. Jaden Ivey (22 points) and Bojan Bogdanovic (17 points, 12 rebounds) hit big shots late, and Jalen Duren (15 points, 14 rebounds) helped the Pistons stay competitive late by controlling the offensive glass. 

With Isaiah Stewart in street clothes due to a sprained toe, Williams debuted a new starting lineup — Cunningham, Ivey, Bogdanovic, Duren and Kevin Knox. The group had immediate chemistry on both ends of the floor — at least, early on — enabling the Pistons to build an early double-digit lead before ending the first quarter with a 30-27 lead. A 36-20 second quarter sent the Pistons into halftime with a 66-47 lead.

But the Celtics, who have not lost on their home court in the regular season since March, would not be denied.

Detroit has been plagued by cold spells during their historic losing streak. They might’ve had their worst of the season on Thursday, following arguably their best first half. Boston outscored the Pistons 35-16 in the third, shooting 13-for-19 as the Pistons looked lethargic on both ends. 

The run tied the game at 82 entering the fourth, and a pair of Derrick White baskets gave Boston a four-point advantage early in the period.

“We’re on the same level as all these teams we’re playing against,” Cunningham said. “There’s no team that I’ve ever come across in the NBA where I felt like I was going into a slaughterhouse. I’ve never felt like that in my life, going into a basketball game.

“So every game we should be able to fight teams and impose our will on them. We did that early on. We kind of let go of the rope a little bit in the third quarter. But there’s a lot of growth, and something we can learn from and definitely take to the next game.”

A pair of 3-pointers from Cunningham and Alec Burks allowed Detroit to bounce back from Boston’s huge run. That was followed by a late 10-0 Celtics run that threatened to put the game away, as a deep 3-pointer by Kristaps Porzingis (who led all scorers with 35 points) extended Boston’s lead to six, 106-100. But Ivey answered with two of the biggest shots of the night, finishing a three-point play and connecting on a corner 3-pointer to tie the game. 

Cunningham was whistled for a goaltend on a layup attempt by Jayson Tatum (31 points) with 8.1 seconds to go, but Bogdanovic tipped in Cunningham’s missed 3 on the other end to tie the game with 4.1 seconds remaining. Tatum’s contested jumper missed, sending the game into overtime. 

The Celtics clinched the game with a 10-2 run that gave them a six-point advantage, 123-117, with 45 seconds remaining. A missed step-back 3 by Bogdanovic led to an easy fast-break dunk for Porzingis, and Isaiah Livers missed a pair of free throws on the following possession with just under 30 seconds left. 

“I’m not interested in just winning one more game this year — you know what I mean? To stop this. That would be soft, in my opinion,” Cunningham said. ‘Our goals are a lot higher than that. We have what it takes to win a game, that’s nothing. But to put games together, to find our system, find what’s clicking and allow us to sustain winning. That’s all we’re looking for.”

LOS ANGELES — The Connor Stalions effect is apparently still affecting Michigan’s opponents. 

During Thursday’s media session to kick off College Football Playoff semifinal week at the Rose Bowl, multiple Alabama players said that the coaching staff had been restricting them from bringing their iPads home to review practice film and were only watching collectively in position groups as a security precaution. 

It’s unclear exactly why Alabama is going to such lengths, as the sign-stealing allegations against Michigan this season centered on Stalions deploying a network of associates to film the sidelines of opponents and potential opponents during games in an attempt to decode signals. In-person scouting is prohibited by NCAA rules.

But Alabama’s departure from its normal preparation is notable, given the focus on Michigan’s alleged espionage capabilities during the season.

“It was just, you know, what Michigan’s known for, what they have out in there just with the playcall-stealing so we don’t want to play into that,” Alabama running back Jase McClellan said.

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Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees declined several opportunities to elaborate on why the Tide felt the need to protect its practice film, but teams typically distribute that type of footage direct to players’ iPads via an online cloud storage service. Though nobody said it explicitly, the implication would be that Alabama wanted to take extra precaution against hacking into the film system.

Since there had been no public accusations that Stalions or Michigan had used computer hacking to gain information, however, it’s a bit of a mystery why Alabama felt it needed more security specifically in that area. 

“I’m not gonna get into the whole film, sign-stealing. I’m not talking about it,” Rees said. “Our job is to give our players the best chance to have success on the field. We’re focused on what we’re trying to do and that’s really it.”

It is, however, a noticeable change for Alabama players. 

Offensive lineman JC Latham said he had been used to flipping on the iPad and reviewing film in 30- or 45-minute segments at home while getting treatment or eating breakfast. Now, he said, he is watching more intently during the group sessions because he doesn’t have the ability to do it on his own. 

“Just taking an extra precautions to make sure we’re all good,” he said.

Receiver Isaiah Bond, who also confirmed the change, said Alabama was logging the “same amount of hours” but just doing it together in a big room. 

Stalions was suspended shortly after the allegations became public and resigned on Nov. 3 after declining to cooperate with an NCAA investigation into the matter. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh served a three-game suspension imposed by the Big Ten, while linebackers coach Chris Partridge was fired.

Partridge later released a statement saying he was let go because for a failure to abide by a university directive not to discuss the investigation with anyone in the Michigan football program.

Michigan was not available on Wednesday to respond, since Alabama’s offensive players did their media session following the Wolverines’. 

Rees declined to say who made the decision to go an extra step this week to protect Alabama’s practice film. 

“I’m not getting into the whole thing,” he said. “That’s just not my area to talk on.”

Kansas State defeated North Carolina State on Thursday night in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, setting the stage for one of the more anticipated, hilarious and (somewhat) morbid celebrations in the history of this strange sport: the eating of the Pop-Tarts mascot.

Wildcats players chowed down on what Pop-Tarts hyped as the ‘first-ever Edible Mascot’ after their 28-19 victory in what was a fairly exciting game — each team successfully executed a fake punt, NC State running its fake in for a touchdown to cut its deficit to 21-19. But it couldn’t get the two-point conversion and Kansas State salted the game away with under three minutes to go after having two prior scores wiped out by penalties.

That gave the Wildcats the honor(?) of eating the Pop-Tarts mascot. Sort of.

In what was called ‘the moment we’ve all been waiting for’ by the PA announcer, the mascot — after chants of ‘toast that mascot!’ — was lowered into a giant ‘toaster’ while holding aloft a sign that read ‘dreams really do come true.’ Out came a giant edible Pop-Tart that K-State coach Chris Klieman and game MVP Avery Johnson dug into.

Presumably, the human version of the mascot disappeared somewhere inside the toaster as the giant Pop-Tart popped out. (At least we certainly hope.)

Before the incredible scene, the Wildcats also received the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy, which, of course, featured real Pop-Tarts placed into the carved toaster slots. Those Pop-Tarts were promptly eaten, too.

The bowl, played at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, spent the past three seasons as the Cheez-It Bowl and saw the winning coaches get a bucket-full of Cheez-Its dumped on them. There’s no denying that Pop-Tarts took things up a notch this year.