Newsmakers

Declared Baylor freshman Perry Jones was declared ineligible by the NCAA on Wednesday after an investigation about whether Jones or his family received preferential treatment or improper benefits from an AAU coach before enrolling in college. The NCAA’s decision came only hours before the Bears played Oklahoma in their first game at the Big 12 Conference tournament, leaving them without a starter and one of the nation’s top freshmen. The 6-foot-11 Jones averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds for Baylor.

Injured Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was awake and able to respond to doctors after being hit in the face by Brian McCann’s foul liner while standing in the dugout during an exhibition game. Salazar may have sustained a concussion and might have a facial fracture and damage around his left eye, Braves general manager Frank Wren said.

Fired Basketball coach Barry Rohrssen has been fired at Manhattan College after five seasons that saw the Jaspers go 58-95. Rohrssen was relieved of his duties less than a week after the team capped a 6-25 season with an overtime loss to Siena in the opening round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.

• Northern Illinois coach Ricardo Patton will not be back for a fifth season with the Huskies. Northern Illinois finished the year 9-21.

Praised NASCAR driver Greg Biffle praised his pilot for successfully landing his plane after a mechanical failure at a Kentucky airport. Biffle said the right main landing gear failed and the wing hit the runway as his plane came to a stop at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.

Announced Skier Bode Miller again opted for fatherhood over ski racing. The U.S. Ski Team announced that Miller has cut short his World Cup season for the third consecutive year, raising questions about whether he might retire. The team said that the former two-time World Cup champion will skip the final two stops on this year’s circuit to spend time with his daughter in San Diego.