Kopfgelt » nded dunk.No. 18 SYRACUSE 71, MONMOUTH 50SYRACUSE, N.Y. --

Ben Boulware had a rare Friday night to himself last week, the perfect opportunity to head back to his old high school and sit under the lights. He did not come for the football, though.He came for his younger brother, Cameron, playing drums in the band at halftime. Because of his own football responsibilities at Clemson, this was the first and only time Boulware would get to watch in person. So he made the short drive to his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina, and piled into the stands with his mother Krystal, dad Jamie, older brother Garrett, younger sister Bailee and extended family and friends.Cameron had set his mind to joining the band last year and began taking drum lessons to be able to make the cut. He played at every game this year, home and away. So when halftime came, Cameron rat-tat-tatted his heart away. The Boulwares cheered and clapped, seeing Cameron live out what he wanted most.It was awesome to just finally get to support him in what he loves to do, Ben Boulware said. Hes supported me and my siblings over the past 10 years, going to all of our events and has been the loudest one cheering us on, so for me to finally get an opportunity to be his loudest cheerleader was an awesome experience.These are moments that stay with the Boulwares. Cameron, 18, has autism but has never let his disability define him. He is just one of the boys at home. At school, he has raced cross country and won the Mr. T.L. Hanna pageant (where he led a powerful rendition of Lean on Me) in addition to participating in band.Still, Ben is keenly aware that there are times Cameron and other children with disabilities need just a little extra compassion and understanding. That is why Saturday in Tallahassee, Boulware wants to say a few words to Florida State receiver Travis Rudolph.Their teams are playing yet another big game with major conference and College Football Playoff implications, but there is something even bigger that has stayed with Boulware.Before the season began, Rudolph drew worldwide attention when a photo of him eating lunch with an autistic boy went viral. Sixth-grader Bo Paske described the moment like this: It was kinda like me sitting on a rainbow. Rudolph presented Paske with a jersey and tickets to the season opener, had him meet coach Jimbo Fisher and his teammates, and get a tour of the Florida State football facility.Ben Boulware followed the coverage with great interest and wanted to reach out to Rudolph to simply thank him. If that happened to my little brother, I would love for someone to do the same thing with him, Boulware said.We have such a big platform as student-athletes and especially playing at schools like we do at Clemson and Florida State. For him, it wasnt a big deal or a courageous act. He just saw a kid by himself that was lonely. The fact that he spent 20 minutes with a young kid, I thought it was awesome. I think it showed his true character.Cameron is in a program for kids with special needs at his high school, so Ben never worried about him eating lunch alone. But he is certainly aware how difficult it can be to fit in as a middle-schooler.In middle school, theyre all trying to be cool, Boulware said. I know how I felt as a middle-schooler. I was probably a little bit different because of my little brother, so I understood and felt for those special-needs kids more than others because Ive experienced it firsthand, but I know how the normal 13- or 14-year old kid is. Props to Travis.Cameron has shown the family what it means to have unconditional love and what it means to have patience. He also has shown them how important it is to laugh just a little sometimes.When Ben and Garrett were in high school, they had the responsibility of getting Cameron ready for school. That meant picking out his clothes, brushing his teeth, washing his face and getting him breakfast. Some mornings, this proved to be a more difficult challenge than others.One day, they had a huge fight in the morning. Ben and Garrett got home from school that day and saw a mess in the front yard. Ben got out and looked a little closer and saw his clothes thrown everywhere. Thats my shirt! he yelled. These are my shoes! The brothers looked up. Cameron and a friend were looking at them through the window in Bens bedroom upstairs, laughing.They had thrown all his clothes in the front yard, Garrett says. Ben immediately yells, and you see them dash off. It was hilarious. But it was also very clever of him. I was impressed with his prank on Ben.Ben still goes home for family dinners on Wednesdays and Sundays. But these are all moments he nearly missed. Ben put up big numbers in high school and desperately wanted to play at Clemson. Not only did he want to stay close to home, but his family had gone to Clemson for generations.But then-defensive coordinator Kevin Steele did not think the local player was a good fit for his scheme. So Clemson never offered and the Boulware family never got their hopes up. They knew how Steele felt about the Boulware boys. Rather than tough, gritty linebackers, he wanted safety-type athletes with speed to fill those positions.The snub gnawed at Boulware, who received scholarship offers from coast to coast. What he wanted most of all was to stay close to home, so he could stay near his family. Boulware was close to committing to Georgia when Brent Venables arrived at Clemson in 2012.A friend told the Boulwares they needed to get Bens tape in front of Venables immediately. Within a week, Boulware had an offer.At the time, I cried like a little baby, Ben said. I committed on the spot. Thats what I was waiting on. My mom went here, all my uncles, my grandpa. My brother played baseball here. My sister is here now. So I figured it was destiny.It may not have felt that way once he got on campus and had to deal with Venables. The two clashed right away, as Venables got on him constantly. His hard edge wore Ben down so much, the young linebacker wondered whether he had a future there.Things started to change his sophomore year, when he got an opportunity to start against Louisville. Ben had the best game of his career. He was successful beyond his wildest imagination, so he could finally see how that hard coaching paid off, Krystal Boulware said.His career took off last season, after he permanently moved to middle linebacker. Boulware earned All-ACC first-team honors and racked up 138 tackles, and led the team with 29 quarterback pressures. As a team captain and defensive leader this season, Boulware ranks No. 3 in the ACC in tackles per game (9.5) and brings his trademark intensity to every single play.It all worked out the way it was supposed to. It usually does, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.For a player who nearly got passed up, Boulware has come to embody the Venables defensive style all on his own: physical, aggressive and relentless. But those characteristics have also led to accusations that he plays dirty.The latest came after he put his hands around Louisville quarterback Lamar Jacksons neck at the bottom of a pile in Clemsons 42-36 win. Cards coach Bobby Petrino instructed reporters to watch the video to see what was happening out there. Louisville fans howled that he had Jackson in a chokehold. Boulware offered an apology, but he makes no apologies for the way he approaches the game.I respect how fragile the game can be and how fragile a career can be, Boulware said recently. Thats why I play pretty wild. Everyone says, Youre like a throwback linebacker, an old-school linebacker, but I think thats how you should play the game as a linebacker, as a competitor. Youve got to be a little crazy to play this game and I want to maximize my potential in the limited time I have to play the game, so thats why I play a little crazy.The mentality that has earned him the nickname Junkyard Dog is steeped in his early-childhood years, when he and Garrett would race dirt bikes all over the south through pain and injury -- and just a little duct tape to cover their wounds. But there is no discounting the influence Cameron has had.Ben knows every play on the field is one Cameron will never get to make. So he goes all out with maximum effort, fearlessness and intensity. That has drawn criticism from some, but adoration from many others.None more than Cameron.I tell my older boys, You can wash out as an athlete, but Cameron is going to be your biggest fan for life. No matter what, Krystal said. Its good to have that person in your life who loves you like that. Toronto Blue Jays Gear . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. Toronto Blue Jays Pro Shop . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. Toronto Blue Jays Store . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Josh Hart scored a career-high 30 points with six 3-pointers and No. 3 Villanova powered past Wake Forest 96-77 on Friday to reach the finals of the Charleston Classic.Hart, a preseason All-American, made five of his teams first six baskets to open a 16-8 lead and the Wildcats (4-0) kept going. Theyll face UCF or College of Charleston for the tournament title on Sunday night.Villanova used a combination of accurate shooting and solid defense to slow down Wake Forest (3-1), which had scored 103 points Thursday in defeating UTEP. While the Demon Deacons shot 50 percent, they rarely got their transition game in motion against the Wildcats.It was not all good for Hart, who was whistled for a technical foul late in the second half with his team ahead double digits when he got tied up and jawed with Wake Forests Bryant Crawford down low.Hart surpassed his previous top total of 27 points against Akron last season.No. 11 XAVIER 83, CLEMSON 77LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- J.P. Macura scored a career-high 28 points and Trevon Bluiett contributed 21 as Xavier defeated Clemson in the second round of the Tire Pros Invitational.Macura hit six 3-pointers and Bluiett sealed the win with two free throws in the final moments.The Musketeers (3-0) held a comfortable lead for most of the second half before Clemson (3-1) surged within 63-62. Xavier, led by Malcolm Bernard, answered with six straight points to regain control.Donte Grantham led five Clemson players in double figures with 21 points.No. 13 MICHIGAN STATE 100, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Miles Bridges scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half, grabbed 11 rebounds and had six assists in his home debut for Michigan State in a win over Mississippi Valley State.The Spartans (1-2) got a confidence-boosting win after getting routed by No. 2 Kentucky and losing to No. 10 Arizona by two points.ddddddddddddRonald Strother had 12 points and Amos Given scored 10 for the Delta Devils (0-4).Bridges, a 6-foot-7 freshman, put on quite a show that the fans loved at the Breslin Center, including former Michigan State great and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Johnson came out of his seat and spread his arms wide and had an ear-to-ear smile when the left-handed Bridges followed up a miss free throw by driving through the lane and leaping to make a backboard-shaking, right-handed dunk.No. 18 SYRACUSE 71, MONMOUTH 50SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Andrew White scored 18 points, Taurean Thompson added 12 and Syracuse routed overmatched Monmouth.The Orange (3-0) led 37-29 at the half. The Hawks (1-2) shot 21 percent from the field were 1 of 18 from 3-point range in the second half. For the game, the Hawks shot 31 percent and were 4 of 29 from on 3-pointers.Syracuse outscored Monmouth 34-21 in the second half.Tyus Battle added nine points, and Frank Howard had eight points and six assists for Syracuse. Tyler Lydon had four blocks.Justin Robinson led the Hawks with 11 points, and Collin Stewart had eight.No. 15 PURDUE 64, GEORGIA STATE 56WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Caleb Swanigan scored 18 points and Purdue scored the final 20 points of the game to rally and beat Georgia State in the Cancun Challenge opener.Trailing 56-44 with 7:08 to play, the Boilermakers (2-1) took over. Dakota Mathias hit two 3-pointers and P.J. Thompson one during the game-closing run.Center Isaas Haas added 11 points for Purdue, and Jeremy Hollowell had 15 to lead Georgia State (1-2), which also got 13 points from DMarcus Simonds.Georgia State led 56-44 on a Malik Benlevi basket with 7:08 remaining, but Purdue pulled even at 56 on two Haas free throws with 3:57 remaining. ' ' '