Starbird, Duncan Win Naismith

Tim Duncan of Wake Forest and Kate Starbird of Stanford were chosen winners of the 1997 Boost-Naismith college basketball player of the year awards Sunday.

Roy Williams of Kansas was selected men’s coach of the year, and Geno Auriemma of Connecticut was picked as women’s coach of the year.

Duncan, a 6-foot-10 senior, averaged 20.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per game this season.

Starbird, a 6-2 guard from Tacoma, is averaging just under 22 points per game for the Cardinal, which plays Georgia in the NCAA West Regional final tonight.

Williams led Kansas to a 34-2 record and a spot in the NCAA round of 16. Auriemma’s Huskies are 33-0 and meet Tennessee in the Midwest Regional final tonight.

Rutgers considers Texas coach

Tom Penders, who has led Texas to eight NCAA tournament appearances in nine seasons, will interview this week for the vacant coaching job at Rutgers, he told The Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper reported that Penders is the leading candidate to succeed Bob Wenzel and that Rutgers will make a strong push to get him. Wenzel was fired after Rutgers went 11-16 this season.

Penders has rebuilt basketball programs at Tufts, Columbia, Fordham and Rhode Island. He interviewed with Rutgers while he was at Fordham in 1985. He spoke with Rutgers again while at Rhode Island, before taking the Texas job in 1988.

The News said Rutgers is prepared to pay Penders a base salary of about $700,000. Penders’ total package at Texas is about $400,000, plus bonuses. Penders has five years remaining on a seven-year contract, but Texas is in the process of renegotiating the deal.

Patton removes name from Memphis list

University of Colorado men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton is removing his name from consideration for Memphis University coaching job, a Denver newspaper reported.

Citing sources close to Memphis and Colorado, the Rocky Mountain News said Patton “is not comfortable” with several aspects of the salary and benefits package being offered by Memphis.

The offer reportedly is a five-year deal worth $400,000 per year. Colorado also has offered a package in the same range.

Patton, who led Colorado to its best record (22-10) in school history and its first NCAA tournament appearance in 28 years, would not confirm the News report.

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