WASHINGTON D.C. — Norway graduate and Gallaudet University basketball player Alex Ortman is coming into his own.

In 39 minutes of action, Ortman scored 22 points in the Bison’s most recent win, on Thursday, at home against Penn State – Abington in Washington D.C. Gallaudet beat the Nittany Lions, 95-74.

The Bison are currently 2-13 on the season and 2-5 in conference play.

Ortman also racked up six rebounds, three steals and two assists. He went 7 for 8 from the charity stripe.

The Bison welcome Bryn Athyn to town today at 3 p.m. EST.

OLYMPIC VENUES SPARED BY FIRES

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The deadly wildfires that have ravaged sections of Los Angeles left an indelible imprint on the region’s landscape and psyche.

The runup to the city hosting the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will coincide with massive rebuilding of housing and infrastructure at a time when the region’s resources figure to be stretched to the max.

LA28 president and chairman Casey Wasserman has met with President-elect Donald Trump to shore up support.

He says Trump has offered his “unwavering commitment.”

The region’s ability to recover will be sorely tested as it prepares to host World Cup soccer games in 2026, the Super Bowl in 2027 and then the Olympics for a third time.

BUTLER RETURNS FROM SUSPENSION

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler returned to the Miami Heat as planned on Friday, going through the team’s walkthrough in advance of their game against the Denver Nuggets.

Butler missed Miami’s last seven games while serving a suspension for conduct that the team deemed detrimental.

The team is trying to trade Butler, saying that the six-time All-Star has asked to be moved elsewhere.

But he remains in Miami, for now, and was in the lineup Friday.

TITLE IX LOOMS FOR THE NCAA

By The Associated Press

A court settlement that would require colleges to pay athletes billions for their play is not going to settle the debate over amateurism in NCAA sports.

“I don’t know how the landscape is going to look,” said UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma, whose program has won 11 NCAA titles. “But it is not going to look like it looks right now.”

Schools have said that most of the money in the $2.8 billion House settlement would go to football and men’s basketball players because they bring in the most revenue.

But guidance from the U.S. Department of Education this week noted that the payments could run afoul of Title IX requirements that the genders are treated equally.

It’s just the latest legal hurdle for the NCAA as it tries to preserve its crumbling model of amateurism.