NCAA to have new eligibility levels in '16
INDIANAPOLIS, May 4 (UPI) -- The NCAA said Friday it will increase initial academic eligibility standards effective for students who enter college in 2016.
The NCAA Division I board of directors said the new standards mandate that, to be eligible for intercollegiate sports, students must have graduated high school with 16 core courses passed, 10 of which much be completed before the prospective student's senior year in high school, and have a minimum grade point average of 2.3.
The GPA would be compared to a sliding scale of ACT or SAT scores to determine the minimum needed on the standardized tests for eligibility.
The association had planned on tightening standards effective 2015 but held off to give high schools and students time to become familiar with the new requirements. The new standards mark an increase in the required GPA from 2.0 to 2.3, for instance.
"We want to give young people a fair chance to meet the new standards by taking core academic courses early in their high school education," South Florida President Board Chair Judy Genshaft, the board chairwoman, said on NCAA.com.
"The presidents have every confidence that future student-athletes will do the work necessary to be academically successful in college."
Tigers reinstate Delmon Young
DETROIT, May 4 (UPI) -- Outfielder Delmon Young was reinstated Friday by the Detroit Tigers after a weeklong suspension for an incident in which he allegedly used anti-Semitic slurs.
Young was suspended for seven days by Major League Baseball three days after he was arrested in New York.
Young allegedly confronted a group of men outside a hotel two weeks ago. The altercation included the slurs and a physical attack, authorities said.
Police said they took Young to a hospital because of acute intoxication and he was jailed on a charge of misdemeanor aggravated harassment.
MLB officials suspended Young effective April 27.
"Those associated with our game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game's stature as a social institution," MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said at the time.
"An incident like this cannot and will not be tolerated. I understand that Mr. Young is regretful, and it is my expectation that he will learn from this unfortunate episode."
Magic's Anderson is NBA's 'most improved'
NEW YORK, May 4 (UPI) -- Orlando swingman Ryan Anderson has been voted the NBA's Most Improved Player for the past season, the league said Friday.
Anderson drew 33 of the 121 possible first-place votes and totaled 260 points. Milwaukee's Ersan Ilyasova and Minnesota's Nikola Pekovic finished second and third, respectively.
Anderson posted career highs of 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. He led the NBA with three-point goals made (166) and attempted (422).
He scored 10.6 points a game in 2010-10 after averages of 7.4 and 7.7 points a game his first two years in the NBA
He is the fifth member of the Orlando Magic to win the Most Improved Player award. Scott Skiles won in 1991, Darrell Armstrong in 1999, Tracy McGrady in 2001 and Hedo Turkoglu won four years ago.
Haas continues strong run in Munich
MUNICH, Germany, May 4 (UPI) -- Wild-card entrant Tommy Haas beat his second seeded opponent of the week Friday in grabbing a semifinal berth at the BMW Open tennis tournament in Germany.
Haas, who ousted No. 1-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round, eliminated No. 8-seeded Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in the quarterfinals. He saved all three of the break points he faced -- all in the second set.
He'll have to beat another seeded player, No. 3 Marin Cilic, to advance to his first final in three years.
Cilic was on the court for 2 hours, 45 minutes before he got past Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. Cilic had 11 aces and lost his serve once in 16 games. That came in the third set but he had two of his three breaks in that set.
The other semifinal pits second-seeded Feliciano Lopez against fourth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber. Lopez was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over fifth-seeded Bernard Tomic, pounding out 14 aces and losing just eight points on serve. Kohlschreiber defeated Marinko Matosevic 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). He lost seven points in the first set.
Haas won 10-8 in the fifth set of a 2009 match at Wimbledon the only time he played Cilic in a tournament. Lopez is 3-1 versus Kohlschreiber.
