KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 / SPORTS
3B
BASKETBALL
HS sophomore commits to Kansas
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
twitter.com/c_thibodeaux
conference Wednesday
Zach Peters, a high school sophomore from Plano, Texas, verbally committed to Kansas in a press
Peters
Wednesday,
Peters,
a 6-foot-9,
240-pound for-
ward, plays at
Prestonwood
Christian Academy
is a four-star
recruit
according to
Rivals.com
"It's probably the best program, arguably," Peters said. "Honestly, I've always been a lajayhawk fan. I'd say they're probably the best team in college basketball to watch."
During the 2009-10 season, Peters led the Lions to a 35-3 record including a 5A State Championship while averaging 15.3 points and nine rebounds per game.
Tim Peters, Zach's father, said most people in his hometown thought his son would pick Texas.
But Zach saw Kansas play Colorado years ago and has been a fan ever since.
"It's been three long years," Tim said of the decision making process.
Zach started visiting a list of 10 schools in eighth grade, including Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.
Peters is the first player to commit in the 2012 class. The only other time coach Bill Self had a verbal commitment from a sophomore was from 2010 recruit Royce Woolridge.
"None of them compared to Kansas," he said. "I think there's no better environment in college basketball or the loudest."
The main selling point for Peters was Self and assistant coach Danny Manning.
"They're two coaches I really feel I can trust and know what's best for me," Peters said. "I feel like going to Kansas, I'll try my best to make them the best team, and I feel like they'll do their best to make me the best player I can be."
- Edited by Anna Archibald
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Reggie Bush agrees to settlement in lawsuit
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
SAN DIEGO_ Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush has reached an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit filed by a San Diego sports marketer who alleged he provided Bush and his family nearly $300,000 in cash and gifts in violation of NCAA rules during Bush's playing career at USC.
The settlement includes a confidentiality agreement preventing either side from discussing the case.
Settlement documents in New Era Sports and Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Lake's civil suit against Bush, his mother Denise Griffin and his stepfather LaMarr Griffin are expected to be placed in San Diego Superior Court today or Friday. The court was closed Wednesday.
Bush, in reaching the settlement, avoids having to be questioned under oath about a scandal that could result in the Trojans vacating the 2004 national championship, forfeiting victories in the 2005 season and Bush being stripped of the 2005 Heisman.
The settlement also clears the way for the NCAA to issue a ruling in its three-year investigation of the USC football and basketball programs.
Lake's attorneys declined comment Wednesday. Bush attorneys could not be reached.
A ruling from the NCAA could come as early as next week in a probe that has not only looked at the Bush case, but probed Trojans tailback Joe McKnight's relationship with a sports marketer whose SUV McKnight was driving, and allegations that USC basketball star OJ. Mayo received gifts and cash from a representative of a sports agent and then-Trojans coach Tim
Flovd.
NCAA investigators had hoped to review transcripts of sworn depositions from Bush and Michael Michaels, the financial backer behind New Era Sports and Entertainment, in the Lake lawsuit scheduled for this week before issuing a ruling on the USC case.
Michaels had been prevented from being interviewed by NCAA investigators because of a confidentiality agreement that was part of an out-of-court settlement in his lawsuit against Bush. But San Diego Superior Court Judge Steven R. Denton last week ordered Michaels to be deposed Wednesday. Denton also cleared the way for Bush to be deposed Friday.
Bush's deposition would have been the only time the Trojans All-American was questioned about his relationship with Lake and Michaels under oath and under the penalty of perjury.
The Bush and Michaels depositions could have given NCAA investigators a clearer picture of when Bush and his family began receiving benefits from Lake and Michaels in violation of NCAA rules. The exact date could be important in determining how many games USC will have to forfeit.
If you can dodge a wrench...
Chantelle Johnson, a Freeman from Lawrence, throws a dodgball at her opponents Wednesday night. Her sorority, Sigma Kappa, lost in the finals of the Sigma Chi Derby Days Dodgeball Tournament to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority Wednesday night.
Spencer Walsh/KANSAN
MLB
Mariners sweep Orioles in Seattle
SEATTLE — Mariners ace Felix Hernandez threw the eighth complete-game of his career, limiting Baltimore to a lone unearned run, and Jack Wilson provided a decisive three-run double as Seattle kept the Orioles reeling with a 4-1 win on
Wednesday night.
Seattle completed the three-game sweep of the Orioles, who dropped to 2-14 and continued the worst start for the franchise since losing their first 21 games in 1988 to set a major league record.
Hernadez (2-0) wasn't his sharpest, but didn't need to be against the Orioles despite Kevin Millwood throwing a complete game for Baltimore in the loss.
Hernandez allowed nine singles and didn't walk a batter.
Wilson's two-out hit was his fourth double in the last three games, and the three RBIs matched his season total entering the game.
While Wilson got the big hit, the hustle of Matt Tuiasosopo kept the inning alive. Tuiasosopo singled off Millwood (0-3) with two outs to load the bases as Jose Lopez wisely was held at
third base.
Rob Johnson, who had Seattle's first hit off Millwood, chopped a grounder back up the middle that was cut off near the outfield grass by second baseman Justin Turner. Instead of trying a difficult throw across his body to try and get Johnson, Turner made an underhand flip to shortstop Cesar Izturis covering second.
Associated Press
MLB
Boston beats Texas on Youkilis double
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — Kevin Youkilis hit an RBI double off the base of the left-center field wall with two outs in the 12th inning and the Boston Red Sox beat Texas 8-7 Wednesday night, sending the Rangers to their sixth straight loss.
It was Boston's second straight last at-bat win after losing its previous five games.
J. D. Drew hit a grand slam and Darnell McDonald homered in his second straight game for Boston. Mike Lowell also connected.
Josh Hamilton hit a three-run homer in the Texas seventh that made it 7-all.
Neither team did much in the extra innings until Marco Scutart singled with one out in the 12th and alertly tagged up on a medium deep flyout to center, sliding in barely
under second baseman Joaquin Arias' tag. After Dustin Pedroia was intentionally walked, Youkilis delivered against Dustin Nippert (1-2).
Texas was successful on all three steal attempts after swiping a team-record nine on Tuesday night. The Rangers are 30 for 30 over the past two seasons against the Red Sox. Boston's catchers have thrown out just one of 34 runners overall who have tried to steal this year.
Hideki Okajima (2-1) pitched one hitless inning for the win.
A big cheer went up from the Fenway Park crowd that was left in the middle of Michael Young's at bat when the Boston Bruins won their NHL playoff game in double
overtime. The Red Sox wrapped up their extra-inning win about eight minutes later.
McDonald was selected from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday and became an instant hit that night. He tied the game with a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth and won it in the ninth with a bases-loaded single off the left field wall.
Down 7-4 in the seventh against Boston ace Josh Beckett, Hamilton homered deep into the centerfield bleachers.
Beckett struggled with his control and was tagged for seven runs on six hits in seven innings. He walked five and struck out four.
Texas led 4-0 after two innings
— the Rangers wasted a 6-1 lead in Tuesday's loss.
Boston moved ahead 5-4 in the third when Drew lofted a fly ball down the right field line that hooked around the foul pole into the second row of seats for his fifth career slam. McDonald, Bill Hall and Scutaro each singled before Drew's homer.
McDonald homered into a camera area in center, making it 6-4 in the fourth.
Lowell, starting at DH, homered into the Green Monster seats.
Rangers starter Matt Harrison gave up six runs in four-plus innings.