Kansas State super freshman turning pro
MANHATTAN, Kan., April 14 (UPI) -- Kansas State freshman forward Michael Beasley, the Big 12 Player of the Year, announced Monday he will enter his name into the 2008 NBA Draft.
"It's been a long process, thinking about this and that, the pros and cons of leaving college," said Beasley -- who said he will sign with an agent, making the decision irreversible. "I think it's time for me to take my game to the next level."
Beasley, a finalist for this season's Wooden and Naismith awards, made his decision public during a televised press conference.
The 6-foot-10 235-pounder was third in the nation in scoring, averaging 26.2 points per game, and also averaged 12.4 rebounds per contest -- second-best in the country.
Kansas State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years this season, falling to Wisconsin in the second round.
A Washington native who attended four different high schools, Beasley was a McDonald's All-American during his senior year at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.
SanFran names Rex Walters basketball coach
SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 (UPI) -- The University of San Francisco said Monday that former NBA guard and ex-Florida Atlantic Coach Rex Walters is its new basketball coach.
Walters, 38, led Florida Atlantic to a 31-33 record in two seasons.
USF had a vacancy after Eddie Sutton, one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history, left the post following a brief stint as interim head coach. Sutton replaced Jessie Evans Dec. 26 after Evans announced he was taking a leave of absence.
Sutton, needing two wins to reach 800 in his college coaching career, got six.
Walters played college ball at Northwestern and Kansas, helping the Jayhawks to the 1993 Final Four. He spent seven seasons in the NBA, playing for three different teams from 1993 to 2000.
Florida Atlantic was Walters' first head-coaching position. He previously served as an assistant under Matt Doherty at FAU before Doherty went to SMU.
Zvonareva, Szavay win Family Circle opener
CHARLESTON, S.C., April 14 (UPI) -- Russian Vera Zvonareva and Hungarian Agnes Szavay led Monday's first-round winners at the $1.34 million Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
The ninth-seeded Zvonareva beat qualifier Chia-Jung Chuang of Taiwan 6-2, 6-2, and 10th-seeded Szavay defeated Ukrainian Yuliana Fedak 6-0, 7-6 (7-4).
Eleventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska beat countrywoman Marta Domachowska 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and 12th-seeded Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik beat Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
Monday's only American winner was qualifier Alexandra Stevenson, who defeated Russian qualifier Alina Jidkova 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 for the right to meet defending champion Jelena Jankovic.
Chinese qualifier Tiantian Sun beat American wild card Ahsha Rolle 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2; Italian Sara Errani beat American Julie Ditty 6-2, 6-2; and Romanian Sorana Cirstea beat American wild card Vania King 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-1.
Serbian Jankovic beat Russian Dinara Safina in last year's Charleston finale. This year's top seeds are Jankovic and last week's Amelia Island winner Maria Sharapova. Serena Williams is seeded fifth.
Garnett, Iverson NBA weekly winners
NEW YORK, April 14 (UPI) -- Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson were named Monday the NBA Eastern and Western Players of the Week.
Garnett became the first Celtic to take the honor three times in one season since Larry Bird won it four times during the 1985-86 campaign. Garnett averaged 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in four games during the week.
Boston was 3-1 after clinching the East's top seed by April 5. Garnett is averaging 19 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.1 minutes per game this season.
Iverson and the Nuggets also were 3-1. They are trying to take the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff berth. Iverson, who also has won weekly honors three times this season, averaged 28.8 points and 6.8 assists during the week.
