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NBA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2006
Fans criticize LeBron for leaving court
BY JIM LITKE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Being tabbed the "next Michael Jordan" is great for as long as it lasts. There's fact contracts and sneaker deals, commercials by the dozen, an invite inside every velvet rope and endless adulation.
If those things don't trip you up, well, there always the cameras. Always, as LeBron James should know by now, there will be cameras.
One caught him walking off the floor Tuesday night in Cleveland with about 15 seconds of overtime left in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. James just had missed a 3-point shot, the Cavs were nine behind, and the Hawks were headed
the other way up the floor.
Like more than a few players on more than a few nights, he started toward the tunnel before the final buzer sounded. All James has heard since — beyond endless replays of an astonished Hawks' announcer chirping. "What a great sport he is!" — is how he let everyone down.
The list starts with his teammates and fans and extends on up to NBA commissioner David Stern, who's caught in the throes of an etiquette campaign that would make Miss Manners blush.
"Anytime someone doesn't have anything to talk about, they're going to question anything that you do," James said before tip-off Thursday night at home against the Chicago Bulls. He was still in a defiant
"Say if we were winning the game and I did the same thing that I did when we lost. Would it have been mentioned?" James added without waiting for an answer. "I don't think so."
mood.
What he did offends old-school sensibilities, no doubt. We say keep hustling to the end of every game, no matter how bitter. But it's another thing to lecture a professional who just played 47 tough minutes in a tough loss, knowing there are 75 more games and who-knows-how-many postseason series left.
It's hardly a reason to take someone whose preocciousness — on and off the court — has invited comparisons to Jordan, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson and
suddenly demote him to Randy Moss' classroom.
Not that James felt slighted:
"Randy Moss is a guy who has been unfairly treated sometimes ... but he's one of the best players in the game."
Unlike Moss, James has been a model citizen. His talents have been tempered by humor and a well-developed sense of diplomacy that make it easy to forget he's still 21 years old. James' instincts have taken him this far without so much as a serious hiccup.
He's handled the spotlight as capably as defenders since high school, and that's without the benefit of even one season on campus, let alone with somebody like Dean Smith in his corner.
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» BIG 10 FOOTBALL
Coach to sit out next game Penn State leader still in hospital after sideline injury
BY GENARO C. ARMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno declared himself "out" for Penn State's next game Saturday, designating longtime assistant Tom Bradley to make any tough calls in the school's first contest without the coaching icon since 1977.
Better make the right decisions, though, Tom: Paterno undoubtedly will be watching.
Heeding his doctor's advice, Paterno told his staff Thursday that he would not be at Beaver Stadium for Saturday's game against Temple. The 79-year-old coach had surgery Sunday to repair a fractured shinbone and two torn knee ligaments in his left leg, injuries sustained in a sideline collision in a loss last week to Wisconsin.
His left leg fitted with a temporary brace, Paterno spoke with his assistants Thursday morning during a meeting at his Mount Nittany Medical Center room.
"You guys know what you're doing and what I want enough that I don't need to be there creating a huge distraction Saturday," he told them. "Enough on me; let's get back to football."
Paterno remained in good condition Thursday and was described by a team spokesman, Guido D'Elia, to be in good spirits, with his recovery from surgery proceeding well.
Paterno is eager to check out, but he won't be released until team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli is satisfied with the progress of his recovery. It's unclear whether Paterno will watch his squad Saturday from home or from his room at the hospital, just down the street from the stadium.
The coach "just realized he's got to be proactive," D'Ellia said, "that in this condition it wasn't safe to be out and about."
So JoePa and his roiled-up khakis will be missing from the Penn State sideline for the first time since 1977, when he missed a game after
his son, David, was involved in an accident. Paterno also missed a game as an assistant in 1955 after his father died.
At least one thing hasn't changed:
Paterno wants to win.
His sights are set on a New Year's Day bowl game in Florida, a destination that Penn State can likely lock up if they beat Temple on Saturday, and Michigan State in the regular-season finale on Nov. 18. A decision on whether Paterno can coach against the Spartans from a coach's box high above Beaver Stadium will be made next week.
Doctors have said Paterno might be allowed to coach from the sidelines for a bowl game as long as his recovery is going well and he can stay off his feet. It might be six weeks until Paterno can put weight on the left leg.
The school didn't name an acting head coach, though Bradley, an assistant to Paterno for 28 years, will make any tough decisions come game-time.
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VOLLEYBALL Kansas adds outside hitters says goodbye to five seniors
With five seniors on the current roster, the team adds two highly touted high school seniors.
Coach Ray Bechard announced Karina Garlington, from Denver, and Jenna Kaiser, from Wichita, signed National Letters of Intent to play for Kansas.
The Jayhawk volleyball team signed two outside outings Thursday
Of the five seniors graduating, three are starters — Jana Correa, Jamie Mathewson and Megan Hill.
Garlington played for Grandview High, which was ranked 16th in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com.
Kaiser, who stands 6-0, is from Kapaun Mt. Carmel, and earned 5A first-team all-state and all-metro volleyball honors in 2005 and 2006.
The team returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Waco, Texas, to play against Baylor.
Females,athletes earn highest grad rates
INDIANAPOLIS — College athletes continue to graduate at a higher rate than other students, and female athletes again outperformed their male counterparts, according to data released by the NCAA on Thursday.
The latest measurements showed incoming athletes from the freshman class of 1999-2000 held a 2-point advantage. 63 percent to 61 percent,
Under the NCAA's new Graduation Success Rate formula, which considers students who transfer into and out of schools but still graduate — something left out of the federal data — 77 percent of athletes supposed to graduate did graduate for the one-year calculation.
over their peers who did not play sports. Athletes also had a 1 percent overall increase since last year's figures.
The NCAA's numbers were consistently higher than those calculated under the federal guidelines.
Among the more notable findings during a four-year period were that female athletes earned diplomas at a significantly higher rate, 71 percent, than their male counterparts.
Four schools Boston College Bucknell, Duke and Northwestern
graduated at least 90 percent of their athletes over the one-year period. Duke, at 91 percent, had the highest rating.
The lowest scores belonged to Florida A&M (19 percent), TexasPan American (21 percent) and Lamar (30 percent).
Associated Press
Tigers have early start, favored to win tourney
The schedule figures to be more grueling than the competition for Missouri at the start of the Mike Anderson era.
Quin Snyder's replacement unveils his run-and-qun style on
Columbia, Mo. The Tigers, opening the school's second century in the sport with the earliest starting date, follow with games against Army on Saturday and Stetson on Sunday in the round-robin event.
2 Friday against North Carolina A&T in the first of three games in three days in the John Thompson Foundation Classic in
The Tigers are favorites in all three in their opening weekend, given that North Carolina A&T was 6-23, Army was 5-22 and Stetson finished 14-18, but will not approach overly confident.
Anderson has not settled on a lineup. He'll get a chance to tinker with his roster minus injured guard Keon Lawrence and forward Glen Dandridge, each sidelined by a broken foot. A third player, Leo Lyons, is out indefinitely for violating the team's academic policy.
Baylor freshman takes control of offense
Shawn Bell's season ended early
WACO, Texas — A backup quarterback is like a vice president. Blake Syzmanski was Baylor's Dick Cheney.
when he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament Oct. 27. With the Bears at 4-5 and needing just two wins to get to a
bowl, Syzmanski suddenly became commander-in-chief.
With no starts and just five passes thrown in his collegiate career, the freshman signal caller said he was anxious heading into his first start against Texas Tech University.
He ended up throwing for 191 yards and one touchdown, completing 16 of 30 passes, Syzmanski also scored twice on three-yard runs.
Senior cornerback C.J. Wilson said the defense needs to do a better job giving Syzmanski and the offense a chance to win.
The Bears play their final road game of the year Saturday when they head to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State.
Baylor Lariat
Bob Knight to receive achievement award
LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight has been chosen to receive the 2006 Pete Newell Challenge Career Achievement Award. The annual
4 award is given for significant contributions to the game of basketball. Knight will accept the award from Pete Newell.
before the first game of the 10thanniversary Pete Newell Challenge. Tech opens the doubleheader against Stanford Dec. 3 in San Jose, Calif.
The 2006-2007 season marks the 41st season for Knight as a head coach.
Besides being on the brink of the all-time coaching record, Knight ranks first in active coaching victories with 869 wins, most games coached with 1,219 seasons coached with 40 and 20-win seasons with 28. Knight also is tied with Smith for the most career NCAA Tournament appearances with 27.
Knight begins his sixth season at Texas Tech after coaching at Indiana for 29 seasons and Army for six seasons.
At Indiana, Knight enjoyed a .735 winning percentage with three NCAA Championships. His 1975-1976 team won the NCAA Championship with a 32-0 record, the last men's basketball team to finish without a loss.
Knight and the Raiders take the court 1 p.m. Saturday against Sam Houston State at the United Spirit Arena.
Associated Press
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Calendar
SATURDAY
Women's basketball vs. Seton Hall, WBCA Classic, 2 p.m., Kansas City, Mo.
Men's basketball vs.
Northern Arizona, 7 p.m., Allen
Fieldhouse
Rowing, Sunflower Showdown, TBA, Manhattan
Cross Country, Midwest Regional Championships, TBA
Minneapolis
Women's tennis at North Carolina Tournament, all day, Chapel Hill, N.C.
SUNDAY
1
Women's basketball vs.
Iowa/Missouri St. WBCA Classic,
TBA, Kansas City, Mo.
Women's tennis at North Carolina Tournament, all day. chapel Hill, N.C.