Jeff Van Gundy headlined a six-session morning at the second annual USD Basketball Coaches Clinic, joined by reigning national champion Cori Close and hosts JR Blount and Blanche Alverson, as nearly 500 coaches from youth, club, high school and college programs packed the Basketball Performance Center this past weekend for one of the top offseason gatherings in West Coast basketball.

Registration was free but limited to verified coaches, and more than 500 signed up by clinic week, building on last year's inaugural event headlined by Mike Brown, David Fizdale and James Borrego.

USD head coaches JR Blount and Blanche Alverson opened the day with live, on-court defensive and offensive demonstrations alongside their Torero players, giving the community a first look at how the new staffs teach the game. Blount, who took over the men's program in March after five seasons at Iowa State, and Alverson, coming off the winningest first season by a head coach in program history, used the morning to showcase USD's facility and coaching approach.

National voices followed, including ESPN's Anthony Slater on media and branding, and Seth Davis, a March Madness fixture on CBS and TNT, leading a session on leadership and culture built around his Tree of Why exercise, just days before receiving the 2026 Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

UCLA's Cori Close, fresh off the Bruins' first NCAA-era national title, shared her 15-year path to a championship, a stretch that included 358 wins, 23 WNBA draftees and a record six players taken in this spring's WNBA Draft. Jeff Van Gundy, a longtime mentor to Blount who won a ring as a Boston Celtics senior consultant in 2024 and now serves as a lead assistant with the LA Clippers, closed the morning with a breakdown of modern five-out offenses.

Local broadcaster Braden Surprenant emceed the event, which wrapped with closing remarks, photos and informal networking. Blount's Toreros open their season at home Nov. 2 against Biola, and Alverson's team tips off Nov. 10 against Portland State.

San Diego volleyball is coming home with gold. Competing as Team USA, the Toreros swept Chile 25-19, 25-12, 28-26 in Saturday's final at the 2026 FISU America Games, capping a perfect 5-0 run through the tournament.

Setter Kylie Munday earned tournament MVP honors, closing the final with 35 assists, 11 digs and no setting errors while San Diego's offense hit .295. For the week, she piled up 180 assists against only two errors as the Toreros hit .311 as a team.

San Diego opened the final by hitting .455 to take the first set 25-19, rode strong serving to a 25-12 second-set win, then held off Chile 28-26 in a tight third to seal the gold. Kierstyn Barton led the way with 13 kills and 13 digs for her third double-double of the Games, while Nemo Beach, Meghan Scholz and BayLea Sparks each made an impact on both sides of the net. Across the full tournament, San Diego went 5-0, won 15 of 17 sets and held five different opponents to a combined .079 hitting percentage.

The Los Angeles Chargers returned to Torero Stadium for open training camp practices on Tuesday, Aug. 4 and Wednesday, Aug. 5, the second straight summer the team brought camp to USD.

The visit carried extra meaning for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who began his head coaching career at USD from 2004 to 2006, going 29-6 with back-to-back Pioneer Football League titles, an 18-game winning streak and consecutive 11-1 seasons. He is now in his third season leading the Chargers.

Fans who attended got access to a team store, local food trucks, post-practice autographs and a limited-edition poster while supplies lasted. Tuesday's practice was the Chargers' first in pads this summer, with players working more than 90 minutes in helmets and shoulder pads. Harbaugh described camp as a gradual ramp-up, saying the team was on the highway but still working its way out of the right lane. The Chargers practiced on Wednesday in San Diego before returning to their own facility for practice Thursday.

Mark your calendars, Toreros! The third annual Sandbagger Alumni Golf Tournament at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, supporting USD Baseball, returns on Monday, Nov. 9.

This beloved tradition has sold out the past two years and brings together alumni, families and friends of the program for a day on the course while directly supporting the student-athletes who wear the blue and white.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available and make a meaningful impact on the baseball program's resources and experience.