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Kentucky
athletics placed on probation by NCAA
LEXINGTON, Ky.
(AP) — Kentucky’s athletic program was placed on three
years’ probation by the NCAA on Thursday and the football team
was banned from a bowl appearance after next season because of more
than three dozen recruiting violations.
Kentucky must
reduce football scholarships from a permissible limit of 25 to 16
during the 2002-03 academic year, 18 in 2003-04 and 22 in 2004-04,
and reduce its total football scholarships to a maximum of 80 rather
than the limit of 85, the NCAA’s committee on infractions decided.
Over three years, the Wildcats forfeit 19 scholarships.
Former recruiting
coordinator Claude Bassett also was effectively banned from working
at an NCAA school for the next eight years.
The Wildcats
were 2-9 last year, including 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference.
This is not
the first time the Wildcats have been hit by NCAA sanctions. The
Wildcats’ basketball program was banned from playing in the
NCAA tournament in 1989 and 1990 because of numerous recruiting
violations, including the mailing of cash to a recruit’s home.
The violations
were committed from 1998 to 2000 during the tenure of former coach
Hal Mumme, who resigned under pressure last February. Mumme was
charged with failure to monitor the program, but was not given any
individual sanctions.
Bassett was
found in violation of ethical conduct bylaws and received a show-cause
order, which means any NCAA institution that wishes to hire Bassett
during that period would have to demonstrate to the committee why
it should not be penalized if it hired Bassett.
Colts
coach fills out staff with Tampa Bay colleagues
INDIANAPOLIS
(AP) — Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy hired four assistants
who served with him in Tampa Bay, completing his coaching staff
Thursday.
Jim Caldwell
(quarterbacks), Clyde Christensen (wide Receivers), Chris Foerster
(tight ends) and Ricky Thomas (offensive quality control) were added
to the staff Thursday.
Dungy retained offensive coordinator Tom Moore, running backs coach
Gene Huey and offensive line coach Howard Mudd from former coach
Jim Mora's staff.
Dungy was hired
last week after Mora was fired following a 6-10 season. Dungy went
54-42 in six seasons with the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers but
was fired following a first-round playoff loss.
Tyson
applies to fight Lewis in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES
(AP) — Mike Tyson will apply for a license to fight heavyweight
champion Lennox Lewis at the Staples Center this spring, the Los
Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Tyson’s
manager, Shelly Finkel, told the newspaper the fighter would like
to challenge Lewis at the Los Angeles venue. Tyson lost his bid
to fight Lewis in Las Vegas on April 6 when the Nevada State Athletic
Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to deny Tyson a boxing license.
The next meeting
for the California commission is Feb. 9.
“We haven’t
received anything from Tyson's people requesting licensure,”
Rob Lynch, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission,
said Thursday from his Sacramento office.
Lynch said if
Tyson does apply for a license, he has no idea when the commissioners
would consider the issue, but added it almost certainly would be
at a special meeting and not Feb. 9.
Maryland
uses late-game heroics to down Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE,
Va. (AP) — Juan Dixon’s running one-hander with 31 seconds
left capped No. 3 Maryland’s late comeback from nine points
down Thursday night and the Terrapins stunned No. 8 Virginia 91-87.
Maryland trailed
83-74 with 3:22 to play after the Cavaliers reeled off seven consecutive
points, but Drew Nicholas hit his only two field goals of the game,
both 3-pointers, and Maryland went 4-for-5 from the free throw line
to send the Cavaliers to their second straight loss.
The game marked
only the second time in 156 meetings that both teams came into the
game ranked in the Top Ten, and it lived up to the billing.
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