6B • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2003
LeBron James contests ruling
The Associated Press
AKRON, Ohio — LeBron James' attorney asked a court yesterday to block a ruling that barred the basketball high school superstar from playing for the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-8 senior, expected to be the No.1 pick in this year's NBA draft, did nothing wrong when he accepted two sports jerseys, attorney Fred Nance said in documents filed in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
"All LeBron did was receive a
gift from a friend as congratulations for his academic achievements," Nance said. "Had LeBron wished to capitalize on his fame, the recompense could be in the millions of dollars."
Judge James Williams set a hearing for Wednesday morning. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, which is No.1 in the latest USA Today rankings for the fourth straight week, next plays in the Isles Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, N.J., this weekend.
James was declared ineligible on Friday by Commissioner Clair
Muscaro of the Ohio High School Athletic Association for accepting the jerseys worth a combined $845 from a clothing store in Cleveland.
The OHSAA found that the store gave James the Gale Sayers and Wes Unseld "throwback" jerseys for free, in exchange for James posing for pictures to be displayed on its walls.
Muscaro ruled that James broke an amateur bylaw "by capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value."
Nance said in the court filing that James returned the jerseys when he learned that the gift was controversial and might threaten his amateur status.
James sat out the first game of his career Sunday. The Fighting Irish have four games left before the state playoffs.
If the court blocks the ruling. James would be cleared to play, pending an appeal by the OHSAA.
James was expected to appeal his suspension to the athletic association.
Detroit Lions hire former 49ers coach
The Associated Press
DETROIT — Steve Mariucci was hired as coach of the Detroit Lions yesterday, taking over one of the NFLs worst teams less than three weeks after his dismissal by the 49ers.
Mariucci, born and raised in Iron Mountain, Mich., signed a contract with the Lions and will be formally introduced at a news conference today, team spokesman Bill Keenist said.
Fired by the San Francisco 49ers after six seasons, Mariucci becomes the Lions fourth coach in four seasons. He replaces Marty Mornhinweg, who was fired last week after the Lions went 3-13. In two seasons, Mornhinweg was 5-27 — the worst two-year mark in team history.
Mariucci was 60-43 with the 49ers and coached them to the playoffs four times. The 49ers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs this season, losing to Tampa Bay 31-6.
Mariucci clashed with 49ers owner John York and was dismissed three days after the loss to the Buccaneers on Jan. 12. His postseason record was 3-4 — the
Lions have just one playoff victory since winning the NFL title in 1957.
Mariucci presided over a remarkably brief rebuilding period in San Francisco, but it wasn't enough to save his job even with a year left on his contract.
He was the loser in a battle of wills featuring York, general manager Terry Donahue and Hall of Fame coach-turned-adviser Bill Walsh — none of whom was around when Mariucci was hired in 1997.
The reasons for Mariucci's departure were murky — perhaps by design for an organization that apparently felt Mariucci wasn't the man to lead the young, talented team he helped to build from scratch.
Mariucci's flirtations with other jobs in the last offseason also didn't engender feelings of loyalty from York.
"I think it'll be good. Good for him, because he will be in a situation where he's actually wanted and appreciated," Lions defensive end Robert Porcher said yes-
terday. "I think it'll be good from a team standpoint because now our general manager gets the guy that he's always wanted.
"And I think from the players'
standpoint, it'll be excellent because he brings in that instant credibility with his winning record in San Francisco."
This season, San Francisco went 10-6 and reclaimed the NFC West title before making the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history to beat the New York Giants 39-58.
Mariucci repeatedly said he wanted to keep his family in the San Francisco Bay area, and he would be willing to take a minimal raise or even coach the final year of his contract without an extension.
He will be about 90 miles away from best friend Tom Izzo, Michigan State's basketball coach. Mariucci and Izzo grew up
together and attended Northern Michigan.
Mariucci has been Detroit's leading candidate since the Lions fired Mornhinweg. On Wednesday night and Thursday, Mariucci became the only coach to have an in-person interview with the Lions.
Lions chief executive Matt Millen never publicly named any other candidate for the job but said the Lions would do their best to comply with the NFL's policy of interviewing at least one minority candidate.
Mariucci agent Gary O'Hagan, also agent for former Minnesota coach Dennis Green, refused to comment on numerous reports that Green refused to interview with the Lions because they appeared to have their sights set only on Mariucci.
Attorneys Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri, leaders of a campaign for more minority hiring in the NFL, said in a Monday statement: "The Lions have seriously threatened to undermine and potentially violate the new NFL minority hiring policy approved by team owners in December.
women will be inspired and challenge themselves as well as others to not limit themselves but strive for excellence in all things," Aycock said in a prepared statement.
Samuelson
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
That's the kind of thing that is said when a celebration transcends the basketball court.
Monday's magnificent meeting between past players was about dreams, goals and success — even if those treasures are measured greater for members of the other gender.
"A lot of times you don't see many women getting their numbers retired in college," said freshman Crystal Kemp, a forward from Topeka who came to play for Kansas in part because of the tradition players such as Aycock and Dixon built. "The fact that those two are getting them back-to-back is awesome. It's a way for me and my teammates to see what we are trying to do for the history of this team."
Kansas women's basketball right now has no tradition, nor the support of a successful team — because they are not successful as are the men.
That's the kev.
But even when they were just three years ago, few fans found their way to the Fieldhouse for games.
When Aycock and Dixon teamed for two seasons from 1993 to 1995, they guided Kansas to back-to-back 20-victory seasons — a benchmark Washington would accomplish in 11 straight seasons.
Those teams would have never thought that this year's squad, which is 9-10 heading into tonight's game in Colorado, could ever be fighting through its third-straight losing season.
That's why Monday was so important, said the legendary Woodard — who was and is to women's basketball what Michael Jordan was and is to men's.
"I keep telling this young team that there's enough room for all of them to be up there," Woodard said of them getting their jerseys retired. "Each day they're growing and they're going to see the possibilities. Not just hearing about me, they saw it first hand here tonight."
That's what Washington wanted. That's why she set up the ceremony at a men's game. To pay the kind of homage befitting to two of her greatest players.
"That's what it's all about," Washington said. "When I first shared this moment with Angela and told her that her number was going to be retired, she said, 'Coach I don't deserve it.' I said, 'You absolutely do.'"
"But the point is it goes beyond Angela, it reaches beyond Tamecka, it's reached out beyond Lynette Woodard," Washington said.
"It's about having an opportunity for women, especially female athletes, to be able to come to this arena and to know that, with hard work and commitment, anything is possible."
As the final seconds ticked off of Kansas' 76-70 victory against rival Missouri, there standing among the student faithful was a group of Kansas women's basketball players cheering wildly.
Hopefully on Monday they realized what the real monumental victory was.
Samuelson is a Wichita senior in journalism.
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