UAB names Mike Davis new head coach
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 7 (UPI) -- The University of Alabama at Birmingham named former Indiana coach Mike Davis Friday as its new men's head basketball coach.
"Mike brings a tremendous amount of energy and success to our program," said interim athletic director Richard Margison. "His ability to recruit, play a demanding schedule and his style of play have proven to be a winning formula that I know our fans will appreciate and support."
Davis -- a native of Fayette, Ala., who played basketball for the Crimson Tide -- succeeds Mike Anderson, who left UAB to become head coach at Missouri.
The Blazers finished 24-7 in 2005-06 and lost to Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Davis coached the Hoosiers for six years, guiding Indiana to a 115-79 record, after taking over for Bob Knight prior to the 2000-01 season. Under Davis, the Hoosiers played in the post-season five times and reached the NCAA championship game in 2002 campaign.
Davis resigned from Indiana in February, but stayed on the job until Indiana was eliminated from this year's NCAA tournament with a second-round loss to Gonzaga.
Seton Hall names Gonzalez basketball coach
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., April 7 (UPI) -- Seton Hall named Bobby Gonzalez its new head men's basketball coach Friday.
Gonzalez, who has coached Manhattan for the past seven seasons, succeeds Louis Orr at Seton Hall. Orr was fired on March 24 -- despite leading the Pirates to a winning record in the Big East and an NCAA Tournament berth.
"We are very excited to add Bobby Gonzalez as our head coach to an already storied basketball tradition at Seton Hall," athletic director Joe Quinlan said. "Our search process was very thorough and we talked with extremely talented candidates, but in the end we felt Bobby stood out as the best coach to represent the university and lead our student-athletes. He has an established presence in the metropolitan area and his teams have been perennial winners on the court."
Gonzalez had signed a contract extension in August 2004 that would have kept him at Manhattan through the 2009-2010 season. His stock in the coaching profession rose after he guided the Jaspers to a 20-11 2005-06 season and an appearance in the NIT.
Josh Boone declares for NBA Draft
STORRS, Conn., April 7 (UPI) -- Connecticut junior forward Josh Boone announced on Friday he will enter the 2006 NBA Draft.
Boone is keeping his options open to return to school for the 2006-07 season. He is not hiring an agent and could still withdraw from the draft.
"Over the last three years at Connecticut, I have played with, and against, the highest level of competition in college basketball," said Boone. "I feel now is the time for me to explore the option of testing my basketball skills against the best players in the world."
Boone has played in 103 games with the Huskies -- averaging 9.3 points, 7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. During his time at UConn, the Huskies were 86-18, won the NCAA National Championship in 2004, two Big East regular season titles and one Big East Tournament championship.
Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun said he supported Boone's decision.
"He has been and will continue to be a member of our basketball family and we will always be here to help Josh work through this process and arrive at the best decision for everyone involved," said Calhoun.
Szczerbiak needs knee surgery
BOSTON, April 7 (UPI) -- Boston Celtics forward Wally Szczerbiak is out for the remainder of the NBA season because of a left-knee injury which needs surgery.
The 6-foot-7 inch Szczerbiak, who has been playing through the injury since early February, underwent an MRI on Thursday. The medical procedure indicated that he has a bone bruise.
He will have arthroscopic surgery some time next week and is expected to be ready for the Celtics' training camp in October.
The six-year veteran -- a first-round draft pick by Minnesota out of Miami (Ohio) in 1999 -- was obtained from the Timberwolves in late January along with Michael Olowokandi, center Dwayne Jones and a future first round draft choice. Minnesota received guards Ricky Davis and Marcus Banks, center Mark Blount, forward Justin Reed and two conditional second round draft choices in return.
In 72 games this season, Szczerbiak had averages of 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and three assists per contest.
Hershel Dennis again needs knee surgery
LOS ANGELES, April 7 (UPI) -- Tailback Hershel Dennis of Southern California needs surgery because of torn ligaments in his left knee.
The injury occurred during a non-contact drill on Tuesday.
The surgery -- his second on the knee -- will cause Dennis to miss the 2006 season.
"He was crushed by the whole thought of it, going through this again and all," Coach Pete Carroll told the Los Angeles Times. "But by the time we finished talking he had already started to turn his sights toward the goals he'll set up for himself for recovery."
Dennis, a fifth-year senior, sat out the 2004 season because of a similar injury. He was expected to be the Trojans' top running back next fall after the departures of Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and LenDale White.
Dennis is expected to appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility.
Petrova, Kuznetsova in Bausch & Lomb semis
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla., April 7 (UPI) -- Russians Nadia Petrova and Svetlana Kuznetsova won their quarterfinal matches Friday at the $600,000 Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Fla.
The top-seeded Petrova routed Spanish qualifier Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-3, 6-0, while the fifth-seeded Kuznetsova cruised past second-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder, 6-3, 6-1.
Petrova will meet the Lucie Safarova-Jill Craybas winner in Saturday's semifinals.
Kuznetsova -- the 2004 U.S. Open champion -- won her eighth straight, following on the heals of her surprise title at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami.
The world No. 10 Kuznetsova -- 19-4 this season -- faces third-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone in the Bausch & Lomb semifinals. Schiavone won her quarterfinal match against German Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-2, 6-3.
Army women's basketball coach dies
WEST POINT, N.Y., April 7 (UPI) -- Maggie Dixon, who coached the Army women's basketball team to its first NCAA tournament this season, has died.
A memorial service was scheduled at West Point Friday for the 28-year-old Southern Californian.
Dixon was taken to Westchester (N.Y.) Medical Center after suffering an "arrhythmic episode to her heart" Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy, her older brother, Pittsburgh men's Coach Jamie Dixon, told the Los Angeles Times.
"She went to the house of a friend for afternoon tea, where she said she wasn't feeling good and she collapsed," Dixon said in a statement.
Dixon had no history of heart problems, a friend of the family said. She had attended the Final Four in Indianapolis with her brother with no apparent sign of health irregularities.
