In brief: Westhead leaves Mercury to join Sonics

Paul Westhead is leaving the WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury to return to the NBA, accepting an assistant coach job with the Seattle SuperSonics on Thursday.

Westhead’s move to join the staff of friend P.J. Carlesimo was not unexpected after the Mercury won their first title two weeks ago.

The WNBA crown was the second title for the 68-year-old Westhead, who also won the NBA championship in 1980 as a rookie coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Houston Comets star Sheryl Swoopes underwent back surgery Wednesday.

The team’s trainer told Houston television station KRIV that the surgery was successful.

“Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson III signed a six-year contract extension that will keep him with the Hoyas through 2013.

“A day after surviving a first-game scare, the United States routed Jamaica 115-47 at the FIBA Americas tournament.

Seimone Augustus had 19 points for the U.S.

Golf

Americans start well

The Americans got off to a near-perfect start in the Presidents Cup, getting superb play from veterans and rookies alike in winning 5 1/2 points out of the six alternate-shot matches at Royal Montreal.

If not for U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus, it might have been worse for the International team.

Despite a leaderboard covered with American red numbers, perhaps the most poignant moment of a gray afternoon was Nicklaus instructing Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin to concede a 3 1/2-foot par putt on the 18th hole that assured Mike Weir of Canada and his International team its only point of the opening session.

“Briny Baird birdied four of his first five holes and set the first-round record at the PGA Viking Classic in Madison, Miss., with a 9-under-par 63, taking a two-stroke lead.

“Lorena Ochoa opened her bid for a fourth straight tour victory with a 6-under 66, but Stacy Prammanasudh took the lead with a late-afternoon 63 in the first round of the inaugural Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala. Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum opened with a 69 and Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., a 70.

Colleges

Louisville dismisses LB

Louisville linebacker Willie A. Williams was kicked off the team, less than 24 hours after his arrest on a marijuana possession charge.

“Former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones enrolled at No. 24 Cincinnati, where he’ll be eligible to run their no-huddle, spread offense next season.

Jones started Notre Dame’s season opener against Georgia Tech and fumbled twice in the 33-3 defeat – the worst opening loss in Irish history.

“Florida State University’s president said the school doesn’t know all the details of an academic cheating scandal that has already resulted in two employees being fired.

President T.K. Wetherell reported the findings in a letter to the NCAA this week that a six-month investigation by the school revealed that at least 23 Florida State athletes were implicated in cheating on tests.

“A longtime critic of Rutgers University’s drive into big-time sports is being criticized over a newspaper article comment that university officials have branded as racist.

At the end of a New York Times article Wednesday about William C. Dowling’s failed efforts to get Rutgers to turn away from high-stakes athletics, the tenured English professor responded to arguments that athletic scholarships provide opportunity to low-income, minority students.

“If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant kid who happens to play a sport, that’s fine,” Dowling said. “But they give it to a functional illiterate who can’t read a cereal box, and then make him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That’s not opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go find the ones who are at the library after school.”