Notre Dame

Torii Hunter Jr., the son of Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, will make an unofficial visit to UCLA. Hunter is a wide receiver from Prosper (Texas) High School, where he will be a senior in the fall. Hunter had 40 receptions for 701 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. He has received offers from Arkansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. UCLA coaches have already started recruiting their 2013 class, holding the first of two junior days this weekend. Among those scheduled to attend were: Murrieta Vista Murrieta defensive back Su'a Cravens, whose offers include UCLA, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas A&M and USC. Rancho Cucamonga defensive back Tahaan Goodman, whose offers include UCLA, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Rancho Cucamonga defensive back Chris Hawkins, whose offers include UCLA, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford and Texas A&M. Phoenix Mountain Pointe offensive lineman Kenny Lacy, whose offers include UCLA, Arkansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

Junior Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High thrives on having a target on his back as the sprinter you have to beat to be considered the fastest teenager in California. "Everybody wants to come after me," he said. "I love it. I love the pressure. " On Saturday at the Southern Section track and field championships, Muhammad recovered from a momentary slip at the start of the Division 3 100 meters to win in a wind-aided 10.45 seconds, the fastest time in the state this year.

USC receiver Joel Scott, lying stretched out in the end zone at Notre Dame Stadium, stared at the football, sitting motionless on the grass a few feet away. "I thought I would go down in history," he said. Instead, he just went down. As did his Trojans, 28-24, when quarterback Todd Marinovich's desperation fourth-down pass in the closing minutes to Scott, thrown into triple coverage, was batted away.

The Southern Section track and field championships will be held Saturday at Mount San Antonio College, with field events beginning at 10:30 a.m. and running events at 1 p.m. Sprinter Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the second-place finisher in the state 100 and 200 last year, will be trying to win his first section title in the Division 3 100 and 200. There are lots of standouts in the boys' and girls' ranks, including Gardena...

No. 4 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (7-1, 0-0) vs. No. 15 Encino Crespi (7-2, 2-0) at Birmingham High. Tonight at 7. Why it matters: These two San Fernando Valley rivals are among the top baseball programs in Southern Section Division II. To win this Mission League game, Crespi will need a strong pitching performance from junior Ryon Healy (3-0). The Celts' top hitter has been third baseman Zack Wiley, who's 11 for 21. Notre Dame's top hitter has been infielder Casey Ryan, who is 16 for 33.

The Catholic outrage toward the University of Notre Dame for its plan to honor President Obama at its commencement ceremony Sunday is unprecedented -- but only in its scope, not in its occurrence. Obama's pro-abortion-rights stance has prompted 74 American bishops to criticize the honor; some are even ready to cut ties with the university. More than 360,000 Catholics have signed the Cardinal Newman Society's petition at NotreDame- Scandal.com.

These days, protests over college commencement speakers herald spring's arrival as surely as longer days and greening leaves. The most interesting of this season's controversies involves President Obama's scheduled appearance at America's most prominent Roman Catholic institution of higher learning, the University of Notre Dame. The school traditionally invites a new chief executive to address its graduates, and Obama -- like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush -- accepted.

at Notre Dame, Saturday, 11 a.m. PST, Channel 2 -- After a fast start to the season, the 9-2 Irish lost a shocker to Loyola Marymount -- at home, no less -- last weekend. "There are definitely some things we've got to work on," Coach Mike Brey said. Two-time All-American Luke Harangody leads the team, averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. -- David Wharton Tuesday. Colorado State...7:30 p.m. Dec. 27 Delaware State...1 p.m. Dec. 31 Arizona State...1:30 p.m. Jan. 2. Arizona.

When University of Notre Dame valedictorian E. Brennan Bollman learned she'd be sharing a stage at Sunday's commencement with President Obama, she was elated. "I am a strong supporter of President Obama because I think he lives the values of justice and working toward peace," the 22-year-old senior said Tuesday. "President Obama takes a lot of pro-life positions. I don't think that he is strongly pro-abortion."

Loyola Marymount 87, at Notre Dame 85: Jarred DuBois made a three-point basket with eight seconds left to lift the Lions (4-7) over the Irish (9-2). A three-pointer by Ben Hansbrough with 1:50 left had given Notre Dame an 85-82 lead. But Loyola cut the lead to one when Vernon Teel scored on a fast-break layup after stealing the ball from Hansbrough. The Lions eventually got the ball back on a five-second violation. Teel led Loyola with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Drew Viney scored 18. Loyola shot 52% from the field and out-rebounded Notre Dame, 40-33.

No. 29 Minnesota Vikings: FS Harrison Smith, Notre Dame -- Smith, who has good size for his position at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, is a versatile defender expected to see plenty of action in zone coverage. His only weakness is covering man to man, but most scouts believe he's ready to play now at the NFL level, particulary in a zone scheme. Comment: - Minnesota's secondary was a mess last season, so the Vikings felt compelled to trade back into the round and take the No. 2 safety.

No. 13 Arizona Cardinals: WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame - - Floyd set a school record by catching 100 balls last year, eclipsing the mark of 93 set by current Seattle receiver Golden Tate. At one point a team captain, Floyd was stripped of that honor after being cited for drunk driving in April 2011. He was suspended from the team, but only for the off-season, returning to play and never missing a game. Comment: At 6-3, 200 pounds, Floyd will be a big, capable complement to Larry Fitzgerald.

Highlighted by the individual efforts of junior Khalfani Muhammad, the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame boys' track and field team came on strong Saturday to earn the sprint crown and finish second behind Temecula Great Oak in the team championships at the 54th annual Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut. Muhammad won the boys' invitational 100 meter dash in a time of 10.55 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second off his personal best, which he clocked the previous week at the Maurice Greene Invitational.

With foul trouble mounting and a fourth-quarter lead beginning to dwindle, Sun Valley Village Christian turned to the most unlikely of players, reserve guard Joe Shashaty, to deliver the decisive blows in the Division V state championship basketball game Saturday at Power Balance Pavilion. Shashaty made consecutive three-pointers midway through the final quarter, enabling the Crusaders (32-3) to protect a four-point lead and come away with a 62-51 victory over Alameda St. Joseph Notre Dame for their first state title.

Torii Hunter Jr., the son of Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, will make an unofficial visit to UCLA. Hunter is a wide receiver from Prosper (Texas) High School, where he will be a senior in the fall. Hunter had 40 receptions for 701 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. He has received offers from Arkansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. UCLA coaches have already started recruiting their 2013 class, holding the first of two junior days this weekend. Among those scheduled to attend were: Murrieta Vista Murrieta defensive back Su'a Cravens, whose offers include UCLA, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas A&M and USC. Rancho Cucamonga defensive back Tahaan Goodman, whose offers include UCLA, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Rancho Cucamonga defensive back Chris Hawkins, whose offers include UCLA, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford and Texas A&M. Phoenix Mountain Pointe offensive lineman Kenny Lacy, whose offers include UCLA, Arkansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

When Jack McDowell was a pitching standout at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the early 1980s, umpires frequently found themselves receiving an earful from a teenager unafraid to express his feelings, because he hated to lose. He didn't change much at Stanford or in the major leagues, where he won the American League Cy Young Award in 1993 with the Chicago White Sox. At 46 and in his second year as head coach at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, McDowell jokes, "That's my biggest accomplishment with umpires -- staying in games.

UCLA today AT NOTRE DAME When: 11 a.m. PST. Where: Joyce Center, South Bend, Ind. On the air: TV: Channel 2; Radio: 570. Records: UCLA 3-6, Notre Dame 9-2. Record vs. opponent: 28-19. Update: After a much-needed win over New Mexico State, the Bruins face their first true road game of the season, heading into South Bend as underdogs. They must try to contain Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody without the help of James Keefe, who suffered a dislocated shoulder this week.

As if Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis hasn't been reminded enough, a billboard a half mile from his office provided another indication of his on-the-hot-seat status. It reads: "Best wishes to Charlie Weis in the 5th year of his college coaching internship. -- Linebacker Alumni." "Everything was great until the last word," Weis said, laughing with reporters. "So tell them, 'Thanks a lot for wishing me best wishes.' " That won't happen yet. Though the billboard sits above the Linebacker Inn near the Notre Dame campus, the hotel's general manager told WSBT of South Bend, Ind., they had nothing to do with the sign.

USC tailback Amir Carlisle is transferring to Notre Dame, his father told the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune. Carlisle, a freshman last season, was slowed by ankle and knee injuries but played in eight games. He rushed for 118 yards in 19 carries and had seven receptions, one for a touchdown. Under NCAA transfer rules, he will have to sit out next season and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Duane Carlisle told the Tribune that his son's move "definitely was a family decision.

— The day before his team took the field for its Champs Sports Bowl matchup with Notre Dame, Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher acknowledged that he had higher hopes for his team than how they ended up in 2011. Loaded with talent and expectations in the preseason, the No. 25 Seminoles squandered early-season opportunities against ranked foes and fizzled again late in the year to end any path back to the Bowl Championship Series. Thursday night's 18-14 win over Notre Dame in front of a sellout crowd at Florida's Citrus Bowl might not have been the national stage Florida State expected to be on this season, but how it won the game could be proof it is finally making progress.