Briefly
Sean May, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams came to North Carolina with hopes of winning the national championship.
Check. Time to move on.
“To me, it’s the perfect way to end a season and a career,” May said.
As expected, all three are joining teammate Rashad McCants in the NBA draft, leaving the Tar Heels without their top seven scorers for next season. The announcement came Friday during a news conference on the court at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina also lost seniors Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott, and now has only one player on its roster who started a game last season – point guard Quentin Thomas, who replaced the suspended Felton in the opener.
Football
New stadium approved for Giants
New Jersey State officials approved a new $750 million stadium for the New York Giants that should be ready for the 2009 season, a year later than first expected. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the date was moved because of the contentious negotiation process, which took longer than expected.
Officials have said taxpayers will not shoulder any additional burden from the deal, which calls for the team to pay the entire cost of construction and to manage the facility, and to keep all profits.
“The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Patrick Surtain in a trade with the Dolphins, giving Miami its second-round draft pick in exchange for the man whose 25 interceptions over the past three years lead the league.
“Michael Brim, a cornerback who played for five NFL teams, died in a shootout with another man after an argument about a woman in Richmond, Va., police said. Brim, 39, was shot Tuesday night and pronounced dead at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
Tennis
Grosjean upsets Agassi
Sebastien Grosjean took advantage of Andre Agassi’s serving troubles and snapped a string of seven straight losses to top-10 opponents with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 upset in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at Houston.
Top-seeded Andy Roddick powered his way into the semifinals earlier, closing a 6-4, 6-1 win over Luis Horna with four straight aces.
In the other quarterfinals, Jurgen Melzer eliminated defending champion Tommy Haas 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, and qualifier Nicolas Lapentti rallied to beat James Blake 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (3).
Cycling
Armstrong still lags in Georgia
Lance Armstrong cruised across the line in seventh place at the fourth stage of the Tour de Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga. While he moved up one spot to eighth in the overall standings, he remained 1 minute, 42 seconds behind teammate Floyd Landis.
Brian Vandborg of Denmark won the heat ahead of another of Armstrong’s Discovery Channel teammates, Viatcheslav Ekimov.
“A top lawyer for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said that the organization stood behind the test that led to Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton’s two-year suspension for a blood-doping violation, the first case based on the test designed to detect blood transfusions.
Hockey
NHL players could miss Olympics
Prospects for NHL players taking part in the 2006 Olympics are dwindling because of the ongoing lockout, commissioner Gary Bettman said during the Associated Press Sports Editors annual meeting with league commissioners at New York.
“NHL linesman Stephane Provost was killed when his motorcycle slammed into the back of a tractor trailer near his home in Weston, Fla.
“Mark Parrish scored with 4.5 seconds remaining to lead the United States to a 5-4 victory over Canada at Quebec City, the teams’ final North American tuneup before the world hockey championships.
“Phil Kessel and Nathan Gerbe each had a goal and two assists, and the United States beat Sweden 6-2 to advance to the final of the world under-18 ice hockey championship at Plzen, Czech Republic.
Miscellany
New York cleared in IOC inquiry
New York was cleared by the IOC of breaking any rules in bidding for the 2012 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee opened an inquiry Tuesday into whether New York and London violated regulations by offering incentives to sports federations and national Olympic bodies.
“Georgia won its sixth NCAA women’s gymnastics title, ending UCLA’s two-year reign and rebounding with a flourish from a nightmarish regional. The GymDogs scored a season-high 197.75 to beat Alabama (197.40) and Utah (197.275).
“Quarterback Brent Schaeffer is leaving Tennessee after being suspended from the team this month following his arrest. He had been charged with misdemeanor assault after a fight with a student.
“Darrell Jackson, a freshman who withdrew from classes at Missouri and left the football team in August, pleaded guilty to five counts of statutory sodomy. Jackson, 19, admitted in St. Louis County Circuit Court that he molested a child five times from August 2000 to April 2004.
“Yohannes Christian John of Indonesia recovered from a knockdown in the first seconds of a bout at Jakarta, Indonesia, to keep his WBA featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Derrick Gainer of the United States.