SUNRISE, Fla. -- On Monday, President-elect Donald J. Trump chose Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola to serve as Army secretary.Viola, a 1977 West Point graduate who bought the Panthers in 2013, will need to be confirmed by the Senate. If that happens, then -- pending NHL approval -- ownership of the Panthers would remain in the Viola family, and his roles as chairman and governor of the club would be filled by Doug Cifu, a partner in the ownership group.Viola would become the Armys top civilian official.It is an honor to be nominated to serve our country, he said.Trump called Viola an incredibly accomplished and selfless individual.Whether it is his distinguished military service or highly impressive track record in the world of business, Vinnie has proved throughout his life that he knows how to be a leader and deliver major results in the face of any challenge, Trump said in a statement. He is a man of outstanding work ethic, integrity and strategic vision, with an exceptional ability to motivate others.Violas Army ties run deep and have carried over into his leadership of the Panthers. The team has held training camps and played exhibition games at West Point, has several West Point graduates and military veterans working in the front office, and incorporates some military thinking into its day-to-day marketing strategies.Our hockey team has always been proud to be part of Mr. Violas legacy, Panthers president of hockey operations Dale Tallon said. We admire his dedication to his country and are excited to watch him pursue this new endeavor.Trump, in announcing Viola as his pick, said he was living proof of the American dream.Viola founded Virtu Financial, an electronic trading firm that has a multibillion-dollar valuation. He is listed 374th on Forbes Magazines top 400 with a net worth of $1.8 billion.Violas father served in the Army during World War II. Viola became the first member of his family -- Italian immigrants living in Brooklyn -- to attend college. He served in the 101st Airborne Division, then was part of the U.S. Army Reserve after his active duty.Hes a graduate of New York Law School, has long been involved with philanthropic projects and is a past winner of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2003, he founded and helped fund the creation of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.We could not be more proud for Vinnie and his dedication to our country, Panthers president and CEO Matthew Caldwell said.The NHL offered Viola congratulations.The club has assured us that the day-to-day operations of the Panthers franchise will not be affected by this development, and we will certainly work closely with the club to ensure that is the case, the NHL said in a statement. Mr. Viola and team ownership have further advised that they remain completely committed to South Florida and to the Panthers fans. 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Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Wendell Carter Jr. Bulls Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Creighton jumped on Washington State early and the Cougars could never recover.But the Bluejays confidence is still showing, especially after their 103-77 victory over Washington State on Friday in the opening round of the Paradise Jam tournament.Huff scored 19 points, Marcus Foster added 16 points and Justin Patton 10 for Creighton (3-0), which took command early in leading by as many as 34 points against the overmatched Cougars (2-1).Our confidence is sky high, but what weve done in these first three games, weve got to put that behind us now, Huff said. Were just going to have to focus on our game plan, and see if we can get another win (Sunday).Conor Clifford scored 29 points, Ike Iroegbu and Charles Callison had 11 each, and Josh Hawkinson added 10 for Washington State (2-1).Creighton led from the outset, going up by double figures less than seven minutes into the first half en route to a 60-34 halftime lead.I liked the way our starters set the tone, Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. Our pace was good early, which is always good to see, and then the guys coming off the bench gave us a lift. Theres a lot of positives from tonight.Creighton took its biggest lead midway through the second half, going up 80-46 on Tyler Clements layup with 13:30 remaining.The Bluejays would then break the 100-point mark for the first time this season with 1:50 left on Ronnie Harrell Jr.s jumper.They were just relentless in their pursuit, Washington State coach Ernie Kent said. Theyre good. That is a very good basketball team. Their ability to run, their ability to shoot, their ability of their biigs to get up and down, thats a good team.ddddddddddddBIG PICTUREWashington State: Turnovers were a problem for the Cougars. After giving up 16 total in their first two games, they had 16 Friday, leading to 23 points for Creighton.Creighton: Its a good start for the Bluejays, who are trying to win their fourth regular-season tournament title under McDermott. They also won tournaments in 2011, 2012 and 2015.STAT SHEETWashington State: Not a bad night, shooting 46.9 percent from the field (30 of 64). But the Cougars made just 3 of 9 3-pointers, and were outrebounded 39-33.Creighton: Easily had its best shooting game this season -- 56.3 percent from the field (40 of 71), and hit a season-best 15 of 27 3-pointers.RUN AND GUNThanks to the turnovers, Creighton was able to get its fast break going against Washington State, outscoring the Cougars 19-6.STAT OF THE NIGHTIt comes from Creighton point guard Maurice Watson Jr. While Watson was held to seven points (10 points below his season average), he added a season-best 13 assists. To put that in perspective, Watson had more assists than Washington State had as a team (12).POLL IMPLICATIONSCreightons first triple-digit game of the season, coming right after knocking off No. 9 Wisconsin by 12 points three days ago, cant do anything but help the Bluejays move up the Top 25.UP NEXTWashington State: Plays Montana at 7 p.m. Saturday in a consolation round game.Creighton: Gets Saturday off, then faces N.C. State in a semifinal game at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. ' ' '