National sports

Roberts, Bass pull out of NBA draft, as does UW’s Robinson

Two of the Southeastern Conference’s top players, All-American Lawrence Roberts of Mississippi State and Brandon Bass of LSU, pulled out of the NBA draft and will return to their schools next season.

Saint Joseph’s guard Delonte West, meanwhile, will skip his senior season and remain in the June 24 draft, despite not being projected as a first-round pick. Only players picked in the first round get guaranteed contracts.

Charlotte center Martin Iti and Washington guard Nate Robinson also withdrew their names from consideration before the Thursday afternoon deadline.

Robinson was a key member of the Huskies. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals as a sophomore.

“I’m going to take Husky basketball back to where it needs to be, back to a winning program like we did last year, and even better,” Robinson said.

“Darko Milicic broke his hand in a token appearance in the Detroit Pistons’ NBA title-clincher, an injury that could jeopardize his chances of playing for Serbia in the Olympics.

Football

Delhomme gets extension

Jake Delhomme was rewarded for helping guide the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl, getting a five-year contract extension worth $38 million.

Delhomme will get $12 million up front, including a signing bonus and option bonuses. Delhomme had one year remaining on his two-year contract.

Delhomme threw for 3,219 yards with 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions this season.

“Rams defensive end Leonard Little was indicted on charges of persistent drunken driving, nearly two months after police in a St. Louis suburb arrested him.

Little pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in an alcohol-related wreck that killed a St. Louis woman in 1998. The latest indictment mirrors charges in a criminal complaint filed against him April 26.

Little was indicted Wednesday on charges of speeding, and as a persistent offender with felony driving while intoxicated. His lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, said Little would plead innocent.

Little was arrested on April 24 after police pulled him over for speeding on an interstate. Police said he had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, failed three roadside sobriety tests and admitted drinking alcohol.

“Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, was designated as the Arizona Cardinals starting running back.

Cycling

Thorburn wins Olympic berth

Christine Thorburn, 34, won Thursday’s national women’s cycling elite time trial championship at Moreno Valley, Calif., guaranteeing her a spot on the Olympic team. The Iowa native — a big underdog entering the race — finished the 24-kilometer course in 34:16, eight seconds better than Amber Neben of Irvine, Calif.

It’s the first Olympic berth for Thorburn, a medical doctor who is working on her postdoctoral fellowship in rheumatology at Stanford. Her cycling pursuits from 2000 through 2002 were limited because of her medical studies, but she managed to make a full-fledged return to the international circuit last year.

The next five finishers behind Thorburn all were members of the powerful T-Mobile team, most of whom were considered to be the top pre-race favorites for the guaranteed Olympic spot.

Dede Barry, who is already assured one of the three women’s road cycling spots on the Athens team, finished third, followed by Kristin Armstrong and three-time defending national time trial champion Kimberly Bruckner, who finished 31 seconds off Thorburn’s pace.

“At Linthal, Switzerland, Swiss rider Niki Aebersold won the sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse after an early breakaway, while Germany’s Jan Ullrich retained his overall lead.

Soccer

MLS to use East vs. West format

Major League Soccer’s all-star game will feature teams from its two conferences, a switch after Real Madrid pulled out of the midseason exhibition.

The game will be played between the East and West on July 31 at Washington’s RFK Stadium, site of the 2002 all-star game, the league said.

Sports people

Former Harlem Globetrotter Clyde “the Glide” Austin was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison for using churches to lure people into fraudulent investment schemes that cost them $16 million. Austin, 46, also was ordered to repay the victims… . The Tampa Bay Lightning picked up the $6.5 million option to bring back goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who helped them win their first Stanley Cup title… . Goaltender Dominik Hasek won’t play for the Detroit Red Wings next season. Hasek said Ottawa is one of the teams he would be interested in joining, and added he wants to be on a club that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup… . The Colorado Avalanche re-signed forward Steve Konowalchuk to a three-year contract.