Sports Today: Marvin Lewis doesn’t see extension before season; Kennard; Reds and more

Remember how Marvin Lewis said he wanted to have his contract with the Bengals extended before the season?

Apparently he’s over that.

The veteran coach told ESPN he doesn't see it happening (as it did last spring).

"It's not really a subject that's on my mind," Lewis said. "I don't think it's on (owner Mike Brown's) mind, either. I've gone into many seasons without a new contract. It's not a focus for me."

ESPN also reported the Bengals had Florida State running back Dalvin Cook in for a visit.

While Leonard Fournette is a power back with big-play potential, Cook is more of a pure home run hitter.

The team needs an infusion of young talent on defense first and foremost, but it will be interesting to see what  weapons they can put around Andy Dalton.

Maybe they can overwhelm teams with offense and hope for the best on D?

That would bring us back to the age-old question of whether or not Dalton is a true franchise quarterback who can carry a team or not — especially if he’s surrounded by talent that is very young….

Reds bring the bats against Phillies

The Cincinnati Reds had no trouble at the plate in the rubber match against the Phillies yesterday and won their season-opening series.

The 7-4 final was thanks in large part to a tie-breaking home run by pinch-hitting pitcher Michael Lorenzen and a two-run blast by Adam Duvall.

Lorenzen said he really wants to be a two-way player.

Can he pull it off? I doubt it, but it’s a good story.

HAL MCCOY: Turner goes from pumping gas to playing in the majors

Perhaps more noteworthy in the long run is the strong early start for Lorenzen and the rest of the bullpen:

Wandy Peralta, Tony Cingrani and Blake Wood each held the Phillies without a baserunner, and Drew Storen finished things off in the ninth for his first save as a Red.

In the first three games this season, the Reds bullpen has thrown 12.1 innings while allowing one run on seven hits with 14 strikeouts and seven walks.

Meanwhile, the first start for Rookie Davis was pretty much a bust. Tonight another debut is on tap as Amir Garrett will toe the rubber for the Reds in St. Louis against the Cardinals…

Duke sophomore Luke Kennard declared for the NBA draft, and the Franklin High graduate will hire an agent. 

That means he can’t go back to school if he doesn’t get good feedback during the pre-draft process.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a team release Kennard’s skill set is perfect for today’s NBA, and he might be right.

At 6-foot-6, Kennard can get his own shot, but he probably needs to bulk up to withstand the rigors of a long NBA season.

I’m a little surprised Kennard didn’t stay in Durham another year, but there is a strong case to be made his value to NBA teams will never be higher.

The question then becomes where he can develop better.

Here are the early odds for the 2018 NCAA basketball national championship.

Charlie Hoffman is leading the Masters after one dayWhoever that is…

Tim Tebow hit a home run in his first minor-league baseball at-bat, but that's not the weirdest part.

Here’s how the homer looked.

The hammer dropped on the Dayton Public Schools athletics department, but punishments were not as severe as feared

The department — including all schools — was put on probation and given a hefty fine but not banned from postseason competition.

DPS director of athletics Mark Baker survived, but the Dunbar football coaching staff did not according to our Marc Pendleton.

What that means for the multiple major Division I prospects on the Wolverines football team remains to be seen…

Lastly we have a dispatch from Dave Jablonski, who spoke with new Dayton Flyers basketball coach Anthony Grant.

After a week on the job, it sounds like Grant has not made it back to Marion’s or checked out any of the new breweries downtown yet, but he has reached out to the team’s 2017 recruiting class to see who wants to remain in the fold.

If they all come back, Grant will have a full roster for next season.

If not, it will be interesting to see if he wades into the ever-expanding pool of transfer players.

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