UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades announced the signing of 6-foot-5 Turkish guard Melih Tunca ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Tunca played the 2024-25 season with Turk Telekom in the Turkish Basketball Super League, the top professional league in Turkey, earning Young Player of the Regular Season honors. He averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game through 30 games while shooting 55.0 percent from 2-point range, 47.5 percent from 3-point range and 96.4 percent from the free throw line.

“He has size and length that we love, with the ability to make plays and shots,” Rhoades said. “Melih really fits our style of play on both ends.”

Ex-Nittany Lion Rafferty dies

WINDSOR, Colo. — Tom Rafferty, an offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl and played with two Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman over 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, died. He was 70.

Rafferty died Thursday in Windsor, Colorado, where he had been hospitalized since early May following a stroke, his daughter, Rachel Powers, told The Dallas Morning News.

A year after getting drafted out of Penn State, Rafferty’s first season as a starter was at right guard in 1977, which ended with the Cowboys’ 27-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl 12. He played the same position a year later when the Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31 in the title game.

After a move to center, Rafferty threw one of the key blocks on Tony Dorsett’s record 99-yard touchdown run in a 31-27 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1983. Dallas had 10 men on the field for that famous play.

Rafferty’s final season was Aikman’s rookie year in 1989, when he started eight games at center for a 1-15 team.

Rafferty is one of 12 Dallas players to spend at least 14 seasons with the franchise.

All-Star Burnes set for surgery

CINCINNATI — All-Star right-hander Corbin Burnes of the Arizona Diamondbacks is set to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery, ending his season early in the first year of a $210 million, six-year contract.

The 30-year-old left his most recent start with Arizona leading 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning Sunday. After Burnes allowed a single by CJ Abrams with two outs, he gestured toward the dugout with his glove and yelled in frustration. The injury will end a four-year run of All-Star appearances for Burnes.

Braves call up saves leader

SAN FRANCISCO — The Atlanta Braves called up franchise career saves leader Craig Kimbrel from the minors a day after having their worst blown ninth-inning lead in more than a half-century.

The Braves selected Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd before opening a road series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Stars fire coach DeBoer

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer was fired Friday after three seasons with the team, getting to the Western Conference final each time but never advancing past that for a shot at the Stanley Cup.

The move came eight days after the Stars ended their season in a 6-3 loss at home to Edmonton in Game 5 of the West final.

DeBoer made the curious and much-discussed decision to bench Jake Oettinger after his star goalie gave up two goals on two shots in the first 7:09. Two days later, the coach acknowledged he still hadn’t talked to Oettinger about that decision.