In brief: Connecticut’s Calhoun takes medical leave
Men’s basketball: Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun took a medical leave Tuesday for an undisclosed condition, the latest health concern for the 67-year-old Hall of Famer.
The school did not provide additional details. Calhoun had prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer twice, most recently in 2008.
Dr. Peter Schulman, the coach’s primary-care physician, said in a statement he advised Calhoun to take time off “to address some temporary medical issues, none of which involve any previous medical conditions that he has dealt with.”
Associate head coach George Blaney will run the Huskies in Calhoun’s absence.
•No. 19 Georgia Tech tops No. 17 Clemson: Zachery Peacock made two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining and No. 19 Georgia Tech knocked off another ranked team, beating No. 17 Clemson 66-64 at Atlanta.
James leads Cavs over Raptors
NBA: LeBron James scored 28 points and performed a few signature dunks, Mo Williams added 22 and the Cavaliers earned a 108-100 win over the Toronto Raptors in Cleveland.
James had 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Cavs.
Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal added 16 points and became the fifth player in NBA history to surpass 28,000 in his career.
•Garnett returns to practice: Kevin Garnett is practicing again with the Boston Celtics after missing the last nine games with a hyperextended right knee.
•Stern denies Hawks’ appeal: The NBA has denied the Atlanta Hawks’ protest over a shot-clock error.
Commissioner David Stern ruled the mistake didn’t have a “clear impact” on last month’s loss at Cleveland.
Crosby, Malkin guide Penguins to victory
NHL: Evgeni Malkin broke out of a slump with three goals and Sidney Crosby scored twice while figuring in every Pittsburgh goal as the Penguins recovered after blowing a three-goal lead to beat the visiting Islanders 6-4.
Trent Hunter and Richard Park scored in the third period as the Islanders came back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 to tie it.
Clijsters, Nadal advance Down Under
Tennis: U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters took another step toward winning consecutive Grand Slams with a 6-3, 6-3 win today over Tamarine Tanasugarn in the second round of the Australian Open.
Clijsters won the last six games after an early service break in the second set against the 32-year-old Thai veteran who was playing her 51st major.
On the men’s side, defending champion Rafael Nadal converted five of his first six breakpoint chances in an emphatic 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 second-round win over Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.
No. 7 Andy Roddick had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.
Teams try to avoid arbitration hearings
Baseball: On the busiest day of baseball’s offseason, 71 players eligible for arbitration reached agreements on contracts, leaving just 38 still on track for hearings next month.
The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract with closer David Aardsma and a $1.15 million, one-year deal with setup reliever Mark Lowe, avoiding salary arbitration with each.
Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon agreed to a $9.35 million, one-year deal.
All-Star slugger Josh Hamilton reached an agreement on a $3.25 million contract with the Texas Rangers.
Right-hander Jered Weaver and catcher Mike Napoli were among four players who agreed to one-year contracts with the Los Angeles Angels.
Second baseman Howie Kendrick and outfielder Reggie Willits also reached deals with the Angels.
Cowboys, Phillips close in on deal
NFL: Dallas coach Wade Phillips is on the verge of signing a three-year contract extension with the Cowboys.
Club officials refused to acknowledge an agreement had been reached and removed a story briefly posted on its own Web site stating a three-year deal was in place. But Phillips told associates an extension has been offered, and he was characterized as upbeat about his future with the team.
•Bills hire Gailey: Chan Gailey was hired by the Buffalo Bills, getting a second chance to prove himself as an NFL coach and inheriting a team that has missed the playoffs for 10 straight years.
Gailey has spent 15 of his 38 years of coaching in the NFL.
•Saints’ McAllister will retire: Deuce McAllister has decided to retire, ending an injury-plagued eight-year career in which he rewrote New Orleans Saints rushing records.