World hoops event continues
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Unbeaten Team USA should not get much of a challenge from New Zealand Tuesday night in second-round play at the World Basketball Championships at Indianapolis.
The United States (4-0) opened the second round in Group F with an easy 106-82 victory over Russia at Conseco Fieldhouse while New Zealand fell to Germany, 84-64.
After rallying for preliminary-round wins over Germany and China, Team USA never trailed against Russia, which was without its best player, Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko.
The U.S. took a 10-point lead into halftime then took charge with a 17-6 run to start the third quarter. Russia got no closer than 16 points thereafter.
Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics scored 20 of his 27 points in the third quarter for Team USA. Andre Miller of the Los Angeles Clippers added 18 points off the bench and fellow reserve Antonio Davis of the Toronto Raptors chipped in with 13 for the Americans, who shot nearly 54 percent from the field.
Germany will play Argentina and Angola meets Turkey in other Group F games on Tuesday.
In Group E, Puerto Rico continued its surprising run in the tournament with an 85-83 win over powerful Yugoslavia. Jose Ortiz made two free throws in the final minute and Daniel Santiago collected 31 points and 10 rebounds for Puerto Rico, which has won three of four games and will play Spain on Tuesday. Spain is led by NBA Rookie of the Year Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Yugoslavia features five NBA players, including Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings, but dropped to 2-2 in the tournament with Monday's loss. Yugoslavia next Brazil, which rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and remained unbeaten with an 86-83 triumph over Angola.
China will play Russia in Tuesday's other Group E contest.
Report: Neuheisel gets contract extension
SEATTLE, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- University of Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel apparently has agreed to a contract extension through the 2008 season.
The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that Neuheisel agreed to a deal earlier this summer and that an official announcement would be made by the school either later this week or next week. The newspaper did not report contract terms.
During a news conference Monday, Neuheisel admitted that "we have an agreement that I'm going to be here a little while longer."
The Huskies opened their season with a heartbreaking 31-29 loss at Michigan last Saturday. A costly penalty for too many men on the field set up a game-winning field goal for the Wolverines.
Neuheisel, 41, is currently working on the fourth year of a five-year deal he signed when he came from Colorado in 1999.
His contract was modified last September after he lead the Huskies to a Pac-10 Conference title and a win over Purdue in the Rose Bowl, raising his base salary from $997,000 to $1.21 million per season plus incentives.
Neuheisel is in his fourth year at Washington and owns a 26-11 record. He is 59-25 overall, including four years at Colorado.
Vols lose another defender for season
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The defense of the fourth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers has suffered another personnel loss as the school has learned that junior linebacker Kevin Burnett is done for the 2002 season because of a knee injury.
The extent of the damage was to be determined by an MRI on Tuesday. The initial diagnosis was a torn ACL. There was worry about the condition of the knee in the preseason. Burnett missed two of the three fall scrimmages and wore a brace on the knee for part of the preseason.
"Right now the plan, if everything is correct, is he'll have the surgery in about three weeks," Coach Phillip Fulmer told the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Burnett, a 6-3, 236-pounder from Carson, Calif., said he knew his season was over the instant he was injured. Some 30 family members watched on television in Los Angeles in horror during Saturday afternoon's game against Wyoming.
The first person he called was his mother, Rhonda Hickman.
"I didn't know the extent of it until five minutes after he had left the field when he called me," Hickman told the paper. "He said, 'Momma, I tore my ACL,' and then he told me he was out for the season."
It was the latest in a series of negative incidents for Burnett, whose father was killed in a car accident when he was five years old.
"It was a devastating loss, something that can't be overcome with personnel shifts," said Fulmer. "Kevin Burnett had a great work ethic. Losing him and Constantin Ritzmann has been a staggering blow to our defense."
Burnett, who was crying hard after the injury, was consoled by defensive end Constatin Ritzmann, who tore an ACL in the preseason.
"I told him we'd work to come back together," Ritzmann said. "I knew exactly how he was feeling."
Burnett will be replaced by Kevin Simon, a 5-11, 225-pound freshman from Walnut Creek, Calif. The Volunteers host in-state rival Middle Tennessee State this Saturday.
Rypien dumped by Seattle
SEATTLE, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Veteran quarterback Mark Rypien, not enjoying the kind of success being experienced by his aging, journeyman counterpart, Rodney Peete, is having in Charlotte, late Monday was waived by the Seattle Seahawks.
Rypien, who was signed as a free agent on Aug. 19, found the going got tough in the preseason after he came out of semi-retirement. He saw action in two preseason games, completing 13-of-21 passes for 97 yards, most of that coming in last week's 31-0 preseason loss at Denver.
"I really thought it was a buddy joking around at first," Rypien told the Spokane Spokesman-Review of the telephone call he got from a Seahawks scouting official telling him of his release. "This has never happened to me. I've never been released before or cut, whatever, from Little League on up. It's kind of a surprise, but I gave it my best shot."
Filling his roster spot will be Dave Dickenson, a former University of Montana star who was just released by the San Diego Chargers.
He spent his first five pro seasons north of the border with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. The 5-11, 185-pounder took that team to the CFL's title game in 1999. The next year, he led Calgary to the league playoffs and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player after passing for 4,636 yards and 36 touchdowns.
He also played for the Chargers this preseason. On Aug. 10, he went 12-of-20 for 154 yards against Arizona, but was waived when San Diego became enamored of rookie Seth Buford from Cal-Poly.
Reports indicate he will be paid $300,000 this season.
The Seahawks originally had second thoughts about adding a quarterback despite the poor play of backup Matt Hasselback, who inherited the job after starter Trent Dilfer suffered a torn MCL in his right knee in a preseason contest Aug. 10 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Ironically, Rypien, 39, played last season for the Colts backing up Peyton Manning after sitting out three seasons, 1998-2000. He attempted only nine passes last year.
Peete, who is 39 as well, will be the starting quarterback when the Panthers open the regular season next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. He also was brought in to be a calming influence on younger players at his position, including Chris Weinke.
The Seahawks will be committed to $450,000 of Rypien's estimated $750,000 salary even though he will not be with the club. He indicated the day he signed that he expected to be on the roster through the regular season.
Rypien also said the preseason convinced him that he can still play and has no intention of retiring.
"I didn't do anything that played me out of having a chance to stay," he said. "I still feel I can offer something to somebody and I won't in any way, shape or form let this get me down. I'm thankful they gave me a chance, even though it wasn't much of one. They were looking for a different type of fit."
Seattle will be without Dilfer for possibly the next six weeks as he recovers from his knee injury.
For his career, Rypien played in 104 games, starting 78. He tossed 115 touchdowns to 88 interceptions, and passed for 18,473 yards.
Rypien, who lives in nearby Spokane, Wash., played collegiately at Washington State. He was with the Washington Redskins from 1987-93, and was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVI, when he passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns in their 37-24 rout of the Buffalo Bills in 1992.
In the 1992 regular season, he threw for 3,546 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Peete to start at QB for Panthers
CHARLOTTE, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Carolina Panthers late Monday confirmed earlier reports by naming aging, journeyman signal-caller Rodney Peete their starting quarterback for the regular-season opener Sun., Sept. 8 at home against the Baltimore Ravens.
Peete, 39, will succeed Chris Weinke, who did not perform well during his tenure.
Peete is a 14-year NFL veteran out of Southern California who was a backup the last two seasons for Dallas and Washington, respectively.
"This is not an indictment of Chris Weinke," Fox told reports Monday after practice. "Chris is our quarterback for the future. We brought in Rodney Peete to help Chris. I think right now, at this point, with Chris only having five weeks in the offense and Rodney having some past in it and a little more comfort in it, I think this decision is purely to give us the best chance to win on Sunday."
Peete, who has 72 career pro starts, is very familiar with the offensive system of new coordinator Dan Henning. The two worked together in Detroit in 1992 and '93.
Fox intimated that Weinke did not play well when Carolina went deep into its playbook in the preseason, when he completed 35-of-59 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Peete missed time in the preseason because of a knee injury and a family emergency. He completed just 9-of-19 passes for 68 yards in two games in the preseason.
"We were simple and the people we played against were simple," Fox said. "As it goes along, people are getting more diversified in their packages, and that's when I saw the sputtering in our offense. That's the way it goes. Defenses were becoming more complex. We were becoming more complex. With five weeks to play quarterback in defense of Chris, that's not a long time to be comfortable at a high level. That's why the decision was made. This is not an easy decision by any stretch, (but) I have been one to trust my instincts and my staff's instincts. We've made that decision and we've got to make it work."
Fox also said Peete's advanced age has very little to do with the decision.
"In Rodney's case, he is healthy now," Fox said. "He is a veteran in this system. He is a veteran in this league. We've got to give our best shot to win on Sunday, and in our opinion, that gives us the opportunity."
When Weinke came out of Florida State in 2001, he already was 29, having played baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays organization for four years. He was the Panthers' No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft.
In his rookie campaign, he threw for 2,931 yards and 11 touchdowns, but was very erratic. Carolina went just 1-15 last season, the final 15 in succession.
Fox did not think Weinke's overall psyche would be affected adversely in the long run.
"My read on this is that, ultimately, this will be good for him," said Fox. "He has lived through some tough times and he will live through some more. He is not happy with this decision. I don't blame him. But I feel comfortable it won't be divisive amongst our team and that's my ultimate goal."
Kentucky F Parker kicked off hoops team
LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Redshirt sophomore Jason Parker has been dismissed from the basketball team at the University of Kentucky for violating undisclosed departmental policy. The announcement was made by Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart.
Neither Barnhart nor men's coach Tubby Smith would disclose the nature of the policy that was violated because of privacy issues. Smith was unavailable for comment.
Speculation about Parker started last Thursday, when he was not included in the team picture on Photo Day.
"Maybe it will be a good omen," school spokesman Brooks Downing told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "He wasn't in the team picture his freshman year and he played pretty well."
In 2001, the 6-8 Parker, a native of Charlotte, N.C., made the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team after starting at center all 34 games. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, and recorded a career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Wildcats' last game that season in an NCAA Tournament contest against Southern California.
In June 2001, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. He was scheduled to return to action in January 2002, but tore the ligament again last October just before the start of fall practice, known as Big Blue Madness, which caused him to miss the entire 2001-02 season as a medical redshirt.
Parker's dismissal continued a tumultuous offseason for the UK program which has seen several other players either transfer, released or declared academically ineligible.
The most notable was center Marvin Stone, who transferred to bitter in-state rival Louisville after the fall semester last season.
Former college hoops coaching great dies
OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Abe Lemons, whose combination of college basketball coaching success and enormous sense of humor made him universally popular, dies Monday after fighting numerous ailments. He was 79.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Lemons had Parkinson's disease, spent the past year in a wheelchair, and sustained a broken hip in a fall earlier this month.
Lemons' coaching career spanned 25 seasons. His overall record was 597-344, ranking him 28th all-time among men who coached at four-year schools.
He was the head man at several schools -- twice
at Oklahoma City (1956-83 and 1984-90), and once each at the University of Texas (1977-82) and Pan American (1974-76). He retired in 1990 and was characterized as "a living legend."
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, joining, among others, former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer and former Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench.
"Sometimes dying is not the worst thing that can happen to you," said current Oklahoma basketball coach Kelvin Sampson. "I know from talking to him earlier this summer and watching him over the years, that's not always the worst thing. But it's a sad day. He impacted a lot of people. He made a lot of people laugh. Laughter might be the greatest thing that he left us. He was a great coach, but making people laugh is not a bad thing, either."
"He wasn't afraid to go against the grain," said former Texas coach Tom Penders. "He believed in that [faster] style, and he was successful with it."
He made one of his most memorable sayings while speaking to boosters while coaching Pan American.
"There's no booster club at Pan-American," he once said. "They ain't gonna care whether we win or lose. There's too many other things to do around here. Why, there's white-wing dove hunting just 12 miles down the road. A couple of alumni once offered to buy up my contract, but I didn't have change for a $20 bill. So they let me stay."
Lemons is survived by his wife, Betty Jo, daughters Dana and Jan and four grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Kentucky F Parker kicked off hoops team
LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Redshirt sophomore Jason Parker has been dismissed from the basketball team at the University of Kentucky for violating undisclosed departmental policy. The announcement was made by Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart.
Neither Barnhart nor men's coach Tubby Smith would disclose the nature of the policy that was violated because of privacy issues. Smith was unavailable for comment.
Speculation about Parker started last Thursday, when he was not included in the team picture on Photo Day.
"Maybe it will be a good omen," school spokesman Brooks Downing told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "He wasn't in the team picture his freshman year and he played pretty well."
In 2001, the 6-8 Parker, a native of Charlotte, N.C., made the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team after starting at center all 34 games. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, and recorded a career-high 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Wildcats' last game that season in an NCAA Tournament contest against Southern California.
In June 2001, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. He was scheduled to return to action in January 2002, but tore the ligament again last October just before the start of fall practice, known as Big Blue Madness, which caused him to miss the entire 2001-02 season as a medical redshirt.
Parker's dismissal continued a tumultuous offseason for the UK program which has seen several other players either transfer, released or declared academically ineligible.
The most notable was center Marvin Stone, who transferred to bitter in-state rival Louisville after the fall semester last season.
Season over for Cubs P Prior
CHICAGO, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- When the Chicago Cubs announced Monday that prized righthander Mark Prior has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, initially they did not say he would not pitch again this season. Now, they do.
The Cubs have decided to be very careful with Prior, so the trip to the DL because of a strained hamstring will end his first season in the Major Leagues.
"Obviously, I'm upset," said Prior, the Cubs' No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. "I didn't want to go out this way. I don't think anybody wants to end the season this way. It's tough because I'm happy with what I did, but I'm not happy with what I did. I'm not happy with a 6-6 record and that, when I start games, we have a losing record (8-11). There's a lot of things I'm not happy with that I'll come back with and hopefully use to my advantage. It's been a disappointing couple of days."
"There's no way we're going to take any chances with him," said Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. "It's an injury that our medical staff feels will take be at least three or four weeks to heal properly. If he had the fastest recovery in the world, it would be two or three weeks. There's no sense in thinking about getting him ready for the last week of the season. He did a terrific job obviously in his rookie season, but he's a cornerstone of our future and there won't be any chances taken with him."
Prior was injured while running the bases in the fifth inning of Saturday's 8-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He tried to warm up at the start of the sixth, but could not continue.
Saturday's loss dropped Prior to 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA this season. He is tied for 11th in the National League with 147 strikeouts, despite making just 19 starts.
The 6-5 Prior, who turns 22 this Saturday, won his major league debut on May 22 after spending less than two months in the minor leagues. He posted a 5-2 record in nine games at Double-A West Tennessee of the Southern League and Triple-A Iowa of the Pacific Coast League. He struck out 79 over 51 innings.
Expos confirm brief Tatis suspension
MONTREAL, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Montreal Expos have confirmed that veteran third baseman Fernando Tatis was suspended without pay for one game during their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.
"Some club policy was broken by Fernando, and (Manager) Frank (Robinson) felt it necessary to suspend him," said General Manager Omar Minaya. "We backed him on that decision."
Exactly which form of policy was broken was not detailed by the team administration or Minaya, who opted to keep the matter an internal one. In his pre-game meeting with the media on Sunday, however, Robinson intimated the situation that led to the suspension arose prior to Saturday's game, when there was a confrontation between himself and the third baseman.
The suspension of Tatis occurred Saturday, and reports are that Minaya had to keep Tatis and Robinson from coming to blows after Tatis was not a part of the starting lineup.
"Was he upset? I think it's safe to say that anytime a player is suspended, he's upset," said Minaya. "Fernando and Frank and I have since met and cleared the air."
Robinson took the high road in discussing his Tatis, brushing aside speculation on what had happened to focus on what Tatis needed to do to get himself right in time for next season.
Overall, Tatis has been viewed as a disappointment in 2002, even though he has 14 home runs and 50 RBI after a season where he was limited to just a pair of homers and 11 RBI in 145 at-bats.
Tatis is battling chronic shoulder problems and a gimpy knee. The ailments have plagued him for almost two years. His average is a mediocre .237, the lowest of his career, while his on-base percentage is just .312, the worst since a .297 mark in his rookie season of 1997.
Also, Tatis has such limited range defensively that he can take no more than several steps to either side before collapsing. His sidearm throws across the diamond have been an adventure for first basemen, while his soft relays to second base on potential double-play grounders have often eliminated twin-killing chances.
"He doesn't need to rest," said Robinson. "That would be the worst thing for him. He needs to rehab. To shut him down wouldn't be any good. That would be a setback."
Robinson suggested that Tatis, in the best interests of himself and the team, be placed on a physical conditioning program that he would follow religiously. He added that, unlike in past offseasons, there would also need to be a concerted effort on the part of the Expos to monitor the progress of the player in the offseason.
"Check up on him," said Robinson. "And I don't mean calling him up and saying, 'How you doing?'"
The injuries forced Tatis to do a rehab assignment at Single-A Brevard County in the Florida League earlier this season.
Penguins ink former top draft pick
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday signed right wing Colby Armstrong, their first-round pick in the 2001 draft.
Armstrong, 19, played in 64 games for Red Deer of the Western Hockey League last season, collecting 27 goals and 41 points. He added 16 points in 23 playoff contests.
The Penguins also re-signed goaltender Robbie Tallas, who was 6-25-5 with a 3.46 goals against average in 38 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey league.
Penguins ink former No. 1 pick
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday signed right wing Colby Armstrong, their first-round pick in the 2001 draft.
Under NHL salary guidelines, he will receive $1.13 million a season.
Armstrong, 19, played in 64 games for Red Deer of the Western Hockey League last season, collecting 27 goals and 41 points. He added 16 points in 23 playoff contests.
The Penguins also re-signed goaltender Robbie Tallas, who was 6-25-5 with a 3.46 goals against average in 38 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey league.
