SMU considers legendary Larry Brown for coaching vacancy
AHN Sports Staff Dallas, TX, United States (AHN Sports) – Despite being 71-years-old and boasting a Hall of Fame career, Larry Brown still has the coaching bug in his system. Brown, who has coached seven NBA teams since guiding Kansas to the ’88 national title, will reportedly interview for the head coaching position at SMU Saturday. “I’m not going to be politicking for a job right now,” Brown told an ESPN reporter in March. “I’d like to get back involved in the game in some capacity. Whether that’s as a coach, assistant, running a team or just as a resource, I don’t care.” Marquette associate coach Tony Benford is also being considered for the post, according to the same report. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Dirk Nowitzki’s 27 points lead Mavs past Warriors
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Oakland, CA, United States (AHN Sports) – After his recent offensive struggles, Dirk Nowitzki found his range and scored 27 points, leading the Dallas Mavericks past the Golden State Warriors 112-103 Thursday night at ORACLE Arena. Brandan Wright added 16 points and nine boards as part of the strong Mavs’ bench effort to extend the team’s win-streak to two. Jason Terry also had 16 points off the bench, while Jason Kidd filled the stat sheets with 12 assists, 10 boards and nine points for the victors. The reigning NBA champion Mavericks, who kicked off a pivotal four-game road trip, started to take control late in the second quarter. Dallas was up 63-49 at intermission. The Warriors regrouped and drew within 87-79 in the third frame. Nowitzki, who in his past two games shot a combined 9-for-30 from the field, including 4-of-10 from three-point range, gave Dallas a 103-92 lead with just under six minutes to play and the Mavs held on to notch the win. David Lee poured in a game-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds, but it was not enough to help the Warriors snap a two-game losing skid. Klay Thompson added 24 points and eight assists in defeat. With the victory, Dallas moved 1 1-2 games behind Memphis for the Western Conference’s fifth playoff seed. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Dwyane Wade changes tune on pay for play Olympics
AHN Sports Staff Miami, FL, United States (AHN Sports) – Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade believes NBA athletes should be compensated for playing in the Olympics but also said his main motivation for participating in the Games is not money. Wade was answering a question on Wednesday about whether or not Olympians should be paid when he said he believes ”guys should be compensated.” Wade pointed to the demands of playing in the summer and the schedule as well a having less rest entering the following NBA season. He didn’t say he needed to be paid to play and on Thursday Wade said, ”I do not want to be paid to go to the Olympics.” Wade also tweeted Wednesday that pride for his country ”motivates me more than any $$$ amount.” Wade has played for the U.S. at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. He has stated that the 2012 London Games would be his last. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
LeBron leads Heat back on track with season sweep of Mavs
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Miami, FL, United States (AHN Sports) – LeBron James, playing with a dislocated left ring finger on his non-shooting hand, had 19 points and nine boards, helping lead the Miami Heat back on track with a 106-85 conquest of the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. It was a well-rounded outing for James, who also had five assists and two steals in 36 minutes of play. The Heat’s All-Star forward, who injured his finger in a loss at Indiana Monday, was 8-of-16 from the field after shooting just 40 percent the previous five games. Chris Bosh also tallied 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem finished with 16 points apiece as the Heat shrugged off some tentative moments in snapping a two-game skid in its return home from a three-game road swing. After trailing 29-24 after the first, Miami’s guns were ablaze and shot an amazing 75 percent (15-of-20) from the floor in the second frame to take a 60-53 advantage at intermission. The Heat sputtered in the third, shooting just 21.7 percent. The cold-shooting did not affect Miami’s performance on the foul line, where it went 9-of-10 in the period. The Heat regrouped in the fourth and outscored Dallas 26-13 to extend NBA’s longest home-winning streak to 15 games, while dealing the Mavs their ninth road loss in their past 11 road games. For the game, Miami shot 48.8 percent from the field. It also held a 44-29 rebounding advantage and dominated the paint, 46-24. The Mavericks, playing at Miami for the first time since hoisting the championship trophy in the city last June, were paced by Dirk Nowitzki’s game-best 25 markers. The Heat swept the two-game season series with Dallas. Miami dominated their first encounter 105-94 after watching the Mavs raise the championship banner in North Texas on Christmas Day. That Christmas Day triumph put an end to a 14-game regular season skid to Dallas. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Kansas assistant Danny Manning takes Tulsa head coach post
AHN Sports Staff Tulsa, OK, United States (AHN Sports) – Former NBA All-Star and Kansas assistant Danny Manning was named the new head coach of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane men’s basketball team, the school announced Thursday. The 46-year-old Manning landed his first head coaching job after serving as an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks, the program he steered to the 1988 NCAA National Championship as a player. Manning, the 1988 NCAA Most Outstanding Player and Kansas’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder, will continue to be on the Jayhawks bench for their upcoming Final Four match and head to Tulsa next week. As an assistant coach for the last nine seasons, Manning was instrumental in the Jayhawks’ five Big 12 tournament titles and an NCAA National crown in 2008. Manning will be replacing coach Doug Wojcik, fired after leading the Hurricanes to a 140-92 record over seven seasons. Nevertheless, the winning record does not translate well with regards to season-ticket sales, which reportedly dropped significantly during Wojcik’s tenure. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Henson, Barnes, Marshall depart: UNC loses trio to NBA draft
AHN Sports Staff Chapel Hill, NC, United States (AHN Sports) – Sophomore wing Harrison Barnes, junior power forward John Henson and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall of the UNC Tar Heels all are entering the NBA draft, the university reported Thursday. “It’s a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball,” coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “On a very small stage, it’s a sad day for me because I won’t get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well.” Barnes, a first-team All-ACC selection, averaged 17.1 points this season but hit just 20 of 61 field goals in four tourney games. “Chapel Hill is a special place,” Barnes said in the statement. “Over the past two years I’ve enjoyed every single moment of my Tar Heel experience. The road we took to reach the Elite 8 in 2011 and again in 2012 were great team accomplishments. I am thankful to UNC fans, my teammates, and to have played for Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams and the entire coaching staff. Now it’s time for the next course of my journey.” Henson, the program’s second-best shot blocker in its rich history, said he is sad to depart. “It’s tough to leave because I love my teammates, coaches and UNC,” Henson said in the statement. ” I wish we’d been able to bring our fans a national championship, but it wasn’t meant to be. I am proud of what we accomplished, especially the last two years. … I can’t say enough about how much I’ve enjoyed my experience in Chapel Hill. This was a big decision and it will be a big change, but I’m ready.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman is sick, broke and headed to court
AHN Sports Staff Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN Sports) – A flamboyant lifestyle appears to be catching up to former NBA star Dennis Rodman. According to a report, Rodman is “extremely sick,” “broke” and can’t afford to pay large child and spousal support payments. The Los Angeles Times reported that according to court documents, Rodman is behind in his payments and faces a court hearing Tuesday. Rodman faces up to 20 days in jail for failure to pay spousal and child support, according to an attorney for his ex-wife. The report stated that court documents said that as of March 1, Rodman owed $808,935 in back child support for the 9- and 10-year-old children that he had with his third wife, Michelle Rodman. The 51-year-old Rodman also owed $51,441 through March 1 in back spousal support, Michelle Rodman’s attorney Jack Kayajanian alleged in court documents. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
‘Big Four’ dominate as Baylor women rip Tennessee, head to Final 4
AHN Sports Staff Des Moines, IA, United States (AHN Sports) – The NBA’s Boston Celtics aren’t the only team with a ‘Big Four’, it turns out. The Baylor women’s basketball team has a pretty impressive group, as four players combined to score 75 points in the Bears 77-58 crushing of Tennessee in a Monday night NCAA Elite Eight tourney game. Odyssey Sims poured in 27 points, including five treys, while Brittney Griner netted 23 points and Kimetria Hayden added 18 for the victors, who improved their perfect record to 38-0. Griner was sensational as usual, adding 15 rebounds and 9 blocks, while teammate Destiny Williams added 8 boards and 7 points. Tennessee, which trailed 35-20 at the break, failed to compete in hitting just below 30 percent of its field goal attempts. Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen combined to score 41 points and grab 24 rebounds, but their teammates were mostly silenced by Baylor’s rugged defense. The Vols finished their season at 27-9 under the legendary Pat Summitt. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
No timetable for Pietrus return; Celts’ depth remains in doubt
Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Boston, MA, United States (AHN Sports) – Celtics head Doc Rivers indicated Monday that Mickael Pietrus’ condition improved, but he would not set a timetable for the return of the veteran swingman to the lineup. According to Rivers, Pietrus still has to pass a series of exams the NBA instituted this season for players returning from head injuries. “It’s a concussion, and he’s not even ready to take a test yet,” Rivers said via the Boston Herald. “They do the baseline tests, the same thing the NFL (does). They do the tests before the year now. This is the first year I think that we’ve ever done that.” Pietrus left Friday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers after the 6-foot-6 forward landed hard on his back and suffered what looked like a whiplash to his neck. That fall came after Pietrus drove through the lane in the second quarter of a 99-86 loss and lost control when Philadelphia guard Lou Williams got a hand on the ball. Pietrus, who started for the ailing Ray Allen, underwent tests in Philadelphia after suffering what the Celtics said was a questionable closed head injury. He has been cleared to return to Boston Saturday. Meanwhile, the short-handed Celtics will travel to Charlotte Monday to play the Bobcats while they try to catch Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division. Allen, who had an MRI on his ankle over the weekend, will miss his third straight game Monday, according to Rivers. The Celtics are expected to mix up their lineup as they did in Sunday’s 88-76 win over the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. The Celtics reserves responded to the call with Avery Bradley unloading a career-high 23 points as Boston claimed its sixth straight home victory. The Celtics bench outscored its counterparts, 19-11. Paul Pierce had 21 points, eight boards, Kevin Garnett scored 10, while center Greg Stiesma chipped 10 markers and seven rebounds off the bench. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
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