In brief: Howland: UCLA’s Love, Collison still undecided
UCLA All-American Kevin Love and teammate Darren Collison have not yet decided whether they will make themselves available for the NBA draft, coach Ben Howland said Wednesday.
He dismissed a report on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site that said the players had decided to leave and were expected to hire agents, which would prevent them from returning to the Bruins next season.
“It’s an erroneous report,” Howland said, adding that Love and Collison were upset about the report because they had yet to discuss their future with their families.
College players have until April 27 to declare for the June draft.
“USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo, West Virginia junior forward Joe Alexander and Syracuse freshman forward Donte Greene have declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin will return for his sophomore season instead of declaring for the NBA draft.
“Memphis coach John Calipari was named Naismith National Coach of the Year by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
“LSU intends to hire Stanford’s Trent Johnson as its new coach today, several sources close to the selection process said.
“Former UNLV men’s coach Bill Bayno signed a five-year deal to coach Loyola Marymount.
“Candace Parker was selected No. 1 by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA draft. LSU senior Sylvia Fowles was taken second by the Chicago Sky, Stanford star Candice Wiggins went third to the Minnesota Lynx. “Television ratings for the women’s NCAA championship game and the entire tourney were up from last year.
Tennis
Venus Williams out
Venus Williams will miss another tournament next week in Charleston, S.C., as she undergoes tests for a medical issue that her agent said isn’t serious. “Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled out of France’s team for this weekend’s Davis Cup quarterfinal series against the United States with a right knee injury.
Miscellany
U.S. women qualify
The U.S. women’s soccer team qualified for the Beijing Olympics, beating Costa Rica 3-0 in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament semifinals at Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
“Kevin Everett is recovering after having minor surgery this week to relieve pain in his neck, which was related to the severe spinal cord injury that nearly left the Buffalo Bills tight end paralyzed last September.
“The House Judiciary Committee intends to hold more hearings on the benefits programs for retired NFL players.
“Former Minnesota Vikings great Carl Eller was jailed in Minneapolis after allegedly fighting with police after being stopped for possible drunken driving.
“At Harbin, China, Canada beat Finland 4-2 to advance to the title game in the women’s world hockey championship.
“Swimmers broke three world records at the short-course world championships in Manchester, England, including the U.S. team of Ryan Lochte, Bryan Lundquist, Nathan Adrian and Doug Van Wie in the 400 free relay (3 minutes, 8.44 seconds).