NBA unveils 2003-04 schedule
NEW YORK, July 29 (UPI) -- The NBA debut of former high school phenom LeBron James will take place in Sacramento on Oct. 29.
The NBA released its complete 2003-04 schedule Tuesday, and James' first game is widely anticipated.
He was the No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland in the June draft. The Cavaliers will open their season with a three-game road trip, and the game against the Kings will be nationally televised.
The Cavaliers' first home game will be on Nov. 5 against Denver, which made Carmelo Anthony the No. 3 overall selection.
The season begins on Tuesday, Oct. 28 with three games. Defending NBA champion San Antonio will open its season that night at home against Phoenix. Also the night, the Los Angeles Lakers host Dallas and Philadelphia entertains Miami.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who faces charges of felony assault in Eagle, Colo., will be allowed to play even if the legal issue is not resolved.
The first rematch of last season's NBA Finals is Nov. 12, when the Spurs visit New Jersey. They will play again Jan. 21 at San Antonio.
The All-Star game is Feb. 15 at Los Angeles.
Another heat incident for Jaguars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 29 (UPI) -- John Henderson of Jacksonville Tuesday became the second defensive tackle in three days to be affected by heat problems.
On the team's Web site, Henderson succumbed to heat exhaustion in the final few minutes of a practice session Tuesday morning. He was carted off the field and whisked away in an ambulance.
"'Big John' had an episode where he was short of breath, so we went into the mode of getting him cooled down and treated," said Coach Jack Del Rio, who indicated that the team now will have a scaled-down practice regimen. "We anticipate he'll be just fine."
Del Rio does not think weight was a problem. Henderson is 6-7, 328 pounds.
"He's not terrible out of line from where we want him to be," Del Rio said.
Henderson follows Larry Smith, who had a similar episode on Sunday and was kept for overnight observation, also at Jacksonville's Baptist Hospital.
Smith did not practice with the team Tuesday morning. Del Rio said he had a separate indoor workout.
Nike reacts to Woods decision
PORTLAND, Ore., July 29 (UPI) -- In the wake of a decision by Tiger Woods, Nike wasted little time in trying to defuse a budding controversy.
For the made-for-TV Battle of the Bridges event Monday night, Woods decided to use his old driver, which was manufactured by Titleist. He has been struggling with the one made by Nike.
"I want to go back to something I played well with," Woods said.
Nike reacted quickly after a large number of calls overnight.
"True to our word, Tiger Woods can play any piece of equipment he chooses," the company said in a statement through spokesman Dean Stoyer. "Nike Golf has presented Tiger with options that take advantage of the latest in technology, but Tiger prefers a smaller, slower set-up to the larger, faster heads. This shift does not affect our relationship in any way; in fact, we will begin testing new designs with Tiger at the earliest convenient date."
Gilbertson officially replaces Neuheisel
SEATTLE, July 29 (UPI) -- Keith Gilbertson officially took over Tuesday as football coach at the University of Washington.
Gilbertson, the offensive coordinator under Rick Neuheisel, is the 24th football coach in school history. He was given a four-year contract worth $870,000 annually.
""I know the culture here," Gilbertson said. "I've been here. I think that will help. The best lessons are the hardest ones."
Gilbertson, 55, an assistant at Washington since 1999, has been in charge of the football program while the school handled the firing of Neuheisel. He was a head coach at California from 1992-95, and at Idaho from 1986-88, posting a combined record of 48-35.
Gilbertson was the offensive coordinator under Don James on Washington's 1991 co-national championship team.
John Pettas, the Huskies' quarterback coach, will take on the added duties of offensive coordinator.
NCAA bylaw 10.3 prohibits athletic department employees and student-athletes from gambling on college and pro sports. Neuheisel admitted to entering high-stakes gambling pools during the last two NCAA men's basketball tournaments, but claimed he was told by a school official that he had permission to participate in the pools as long as they did not take place on school grounds.
