Week ahead in sports: Express opens Sunday in Ultimate Disc League
Sunday
The Charlotte Express opens its America Ultimate Disc League season at 2 p.m. Sunday at East Mecklenburg High against the Atlanta Hustle. The Express plays another home game next Sunday (April 19) against the Jacksonville Cannons. Tickets: http://www.charlotteexpress.com/tickets/
Monday
The Hornets’ playoff hopes are finished, so their final home game of the season – against the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. – will be meaningless. But there are always giveaways for fans – and the Rockets are jockeying for prime playoff position in the NBA’s Western Conference. Tickets: http://www.nba.com/hornets/tickets
Wednesday
It’s the biggest day of the year for basketball recruiting junkies: National Signing Day. High school players can sign national letters of intent (if they didn’t do so already during the early signing period last November).
Thursday
Sonny Vaccaro, Nike’s original sneaker and marketing representative who signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal, is featured on ESPN’s excellent “30 for 30” series (9 p.m.).
Thursday-Saturday
The FLW College Fishing tournament is set for Lake Murray near Columbia. Teams from the Carolinas include South Carolina and Western Carolina. Daily weigh-ins will be next to South Carolina’s baseball stadium. Spectators are welcome at the weigh-ins and takeoff, which is at SCE&G North Recreation Area at Dreher Shoals Dam, 2101 N. Lake Drive, Columbia at 7 a.m. each day.
Saturday
The Charlotte 49ers wrap up spring football practice with their Green-White game 6 p.m. – the first public event under the new lights at Richardson Stadium. Next time we see the 49ers will be next fall, when they begin their first season in Conference USA and the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision.
Saturday
Want to bowl with sports celebrities like the Panthers’ Josh Norman and Charles Johnson, or former NBA star Ralph Sampson? The Celebrities and Strikes charity tournament is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Strike City in the EpiCentre in uptown Charlotte. Former basketball broadcaster Billy Packer is the emcee and proceeds go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/wendys-2nd-annual-celebrities-and-strikes-bowling-fundraiser-tickets-15838778212.
This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Week ahead in sports: Express opens Sunday in Ultimate Disc League."