Fast Break
Arena football
Shock’s Gilliam af2 rookie of year
Spokane Shock defensive back Sergio Gilliam has been named the 2008 rookie of the year, as selected by a vote of arenafootball2 head coaches and media members.
Gilliam, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound rookie from Clemson, broke the all-time af2 interception record with 16, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
Gilliam has continued to play well in the playoffs as the top-seeded Shock have knocked off the Austin Wranglers and Central Valley Coyotes in successive weeks. In his team’s two wins, Gilliam has collected three interceptions, three tackles and one pass breakup.
The Shock host Amarillo at 7 p.m. Saturday in the National Conference Championship. Spokane can earn a chance to play for its second ArenaCup title in the organization’s first three years of af2 play.
Basketball
Dickau signs with European team
Los Angeles Clippers guard and former Gonzaga University All-American Dan Dickau became the ninth player who held a job in the NBA last campaign to defect to a foreign club this off-season when he agreed to join the Euroleague team Avellino.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Dickau, who averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 67 games last season, joined former Orlando Magic guard Carlos Arroyo, Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress, Toronto Raptors guard Carlos Delfino and forwards Jorge Garbajosa and Primoz Brezec, Juan Carlos Navarro of the Memphis Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets teammates Bostjan Nachbar and Nenad Krstic overseas.
Dickau has appeared in 300 NBA regular-season games with six different teams over the past six seasons.
College basketball
Bjorklund rematch set for Dec. 30
Defending NCAA women’s champion Tennessee visits Spokane in December to face Gonzaga in a final Bjorklund-Bjorklund matchup.
The game at McCarthey Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m. on Dec. 30.
The teams met last season in Knoxville and the Lady Vols won 96-73.
In that game, UT freshman Angie Bjorklund tied a school record with seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points and her sister, GU junior Jami, had 19. The U-Hi graduates guarded each other on many occasions.