Fussball » Boatright scored 17 points, a

Hector Bellerin has signed a new contract at Arsenal. His growing importance to the side makes it a huge boost, writes Nick Wright... If there was ever a game to epitomise the rise of Hector Bellerin, it was Arsenals clash with Pep Guardiolas Bayern Munich in October last year. The Spaniard was twisted inside-out by Douglas Costa in a punishing first half at the Emirates Stadium, but rather than crumbling in the face of relentless pressure, he held his nerve.Bellerin gradually got on top of Costa, and Arsenal began to turn the tide. Olivier Giroud bundled home the opening goal from a free kick, and then there was Bellerin, the youngest player on the pitch, pouncing on a loose pass from David Alaba and racing into Bayerns box to cross for Mesut Ozil to seal the win. The Emirates erupted. Bellerins redemption was complete. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price! The young right-back has made a habit of coming through tough moments. He was dropped during a loan spell at Watford in 2014 and struggled badly on his Arsenal debut against Borussia Dortmund a few months later, but every setback has only added to his determination. Every challenge has become another leap forward. Bellerin played every minute of Arsenals first 11 Premier League matches A year on from that night against Costa, Bellerin has commited his future to Arsenal with a new long-term contract expected to place him among their highest earners. The 21-year-old was the only outfield player to play every minute of their first 11 Premier League games of the season, and it is testament to his importance that the news of his recent ankle injury prompted such anxiety among supporters.It is rare for a young player to reach such lofty heights in such a short space of time, but Bellerin has always been different. In fact, to Andres Carrasco, the man who signed him for Barcelona when he eight years old and coached him right up until he was 15, it is no surprise at all.Its always difficult to know which players will make it, but if Id had to bet on one, it would have been him, Carrasco told Sky Sports. Mentally, he was very strong. That is a very important aspect for a young player. The psychological aspect is crucial. Hector was a boy who seemed 20 when he was 15. Bellerin has formed an effective partnership with Theo Walcott on Arsenals right Carrasco is not the only coach to have been struck by Bellerins maturity. He has been absolutely fantastic, said Arsene Wenger last month. His first game was a nightmare. The season before he was at Watford where he didnt play. His progress has been brilliant because he has absolutely top mental strength.Bellerin can often be seen geeing up team-mates and offering instructions on the pitch. He is an old head on young shoulders and Wenger trusts him implicitly. I think he loves being here and he has responsibilities already in the dressing room for such a young age, added the Frenchman. Its something remarkable. I think he is a real Arsenal player.His emergence has already seen the £16m Calum Chambers sent away on loan and France international Mathieu Debuchy frozen out altogether, and his status as the Premier Leagues outstanding right-back was confirmed when he was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season. Arsenals average positions in their 4-1 win over Hull City in September Its little wonder supporters were so nervous about facing Manchester United without him last weekend. Bellerin keeps getting better, and this season he has become increasingly important to how Arsenal play. With left-back Nacho Monreal providing defensive balance on one side, Bellerin essentially operates as an auxiliary winger on the other.Bellerins average position has been in the opposition half in 10 of his 11 appearances, according to Opta. His overlapping runs on the right flank have allowed Theo Walcott to rediscover his scoring touch in central areas, and it is also revealing that Bellerin has had 32 touches in the opposition box himself. Its more than any other Premier League defender. Touches by defenders in opposition box - Premier League 2016/17 Player Team Touches Hector Bellerin Arsenal 32 Marcos Alonso Chelsea 25 Ryan Shawcross Stoke City 23 Scott Dann Crystal Palace 21 Antonio Valencia Man Utd 20 It highlights the unique nature of his role. No other full-back plays with such attacking adventure because they cant match his electrifying pace. He showed his extraordinary recovery speed with his last-ditch tackle on Pedro in Arsenals win over Chelsea, and there was a similar intervention to deny Tottenhams Heung-Min Son. Bellerin can venture high up the pitch without exposing vulnerability at the other end. Bellerin tackles Chelseas Pedro during Arsenals 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium He is also accomplished when defending with his back to goal. The statistics show a pattern of constant improvement in one-on-one situations over the last four seasons, and this year he looks more assured than ever having struck up a strong understanding with Shkodran Mustafi on the right-hand side of Arsenals defence. Hector Bellerins one-on-ones (league games only) Season Team Dribbled past per game 2013/14 Watford 1.3 2014/15 Arsenal 0.8 2015/16 Arsenal 0.6 2016/17 Arsenal 0.5 Bellerin is expected to be sidelined for four weeks, and his absence is sure to have a big impact on how Arsenal play. Carl Jenkinson is expected to continue deputising having come into the side against United, but he has only recently returned from a long-term injury, and he cant match his team-mates rare combination of speed, attacking threat and defensive awareness.Few players can. Bellerin has always been different. He showed it with Carrasco in Barcelonas academy and he showed it that night at the Emirates Stadium against Douglas Costa. Wenger deserves credit for fast-tracking his career and the contract is a welcome boost. Bellerins importance to the side could become even clearer during his time on the sidelines.Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4! Also See: Bellerin signs new Arsenal deal Wenger: Sanchez is remarkable Air Max 97 Saldi . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. Air Max 720 Scontate . Maricopa County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says thats the finding from an autopsy conducted Thursday by the county Medical Examiners Office. http://www.airmaxscarpescontate.it/scarpe-air-vapormax-prezzo-basso/vapormax-97-saldi.html . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Nike Air Max Italia . McCutchen was cut before the series opener against Seattle on Monday night, when Lewis was set for his first start for Texas since July 18, 2012. Texas selected Lewis contract from Triple-A Round Rock. Nike Air Max 90 Essential Sconti . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here.Storrs, CT (SportsNetwork.com) - The seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns play their first true road game of the season, as they tangle with the Connecticut Huskies in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon. Texas is a perfect 5-0 this season, the team having recently whipped visiting Saint Francis-PA last Tuesday, 78-46. That triumph came on the heels of the Longhorns winning the 2K Classic with championship-round victories over Iowa (71-57) and California (71-55). This bout is the first of three tough ones UT will play before starting up Big 12 Conference action on Jan. 3, 2015, as games against No. 1 Kentucky and Stanford loom over the next several weeks. The defending national champion Huskies opened the 2014-15 campaign with three straight wins. Unfortunately, the team suffered its first setback in last Sundays 78-68 final at West Virginia, which happened to the be the title game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. UConns wins have come against Bryant (66-53), the College of Charleston (65-57) and Dayton (75-64), but tougher bouts are on the horizon, as in addition to todays tussle, the Huskies will square off against Duke (Dec. 18) and Florida (Jan. 3, 2015) before getting into the meat of their American Athletic Conference schedule. Connecticut owns a 5-2 lead in the all-time series with Texas, which includes an 82-81 win in the most recent encounter in Austin back in 2011. Texas got a monster effort from freshman Myles Turner in the recent win over Saint Francis, as he recorded his first career double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He also added three blocks to his impressive stat line, and tied a single-game school record for FG percentage (min. 10 attempts) by going 11-of-12 from the floor. Cameron Ridley helped out with 16 points, Kendal Yancy had 12 and Connor Lammert 11 for the Longhorns, who made good on 57.1 percent of their total shots, which included a 7-of-14 effort from 3-point range. Defensively, Texas turned up the hheat in allowing the Red Flash a mere 31 percent success rate on their field goal attempts, with only 5 of their 21 long-range launches finding the bottom of the net.dddddddddddd A 43-21 rebounding advantage and a 42-18 edge in points in the paint also played major roles in the lopsided outcome. Isaiah Taylor is one of three double-digit scorers for Texas coming into this contest, as he is netting 15.0 ppg, while also contributing with 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Jonathan Holmes (13.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Turner (12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.6 bpg) have been highly productive as well, with the rookie Turner doing all his damage off the bench. Overall, the Longhorns are putting up 78 ppg while permitting just 52.2 ppg, and they are easily outshooting their foes (.496 to .298 FG percentage, .393 to .274 3-point FG percentage), while laying claim to substantial rebounding differential (+14.2). Ryan Boatright scored 17 points, and freshman Daniel Hamilton logged a double- double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but those efforts went for naught as UConn dropped a 10-point decision to West Virginia last Sunday in Puerto Rico. Kentan Facey chipped in 10 points for the Huskies, who matched the Mountaineers in field goal shooting (45 percent), but were outscored at the foul line (16-9), while making good on only 3-of-17 3-point attempts (.176). A whopping 19 turnovers also cost them a chance at the win. Boatright has been the teams go-to scorer here in early going, as the senior is averaging an even 20 ppg in hitting his shots at a 45.5 percent clip. He is also an 81.3 percent free-throw shooter, having made more than twice as many foul shots as his closest teammate has even attempted. Hamilton (13.3 ppg) is the squads only other double-digit scorer at the moment, although Amida Brimah (9.5 ppg) and Rodney Purvis (9.3 ppg) are close to joining the ranks. As a team, the Huskies are netting 68.5 ppg while allowing 63.0 ppg. ' ' '