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Fresno
hires Lopes to replace Tarkanian
FRESNO,
Calif. (AP) — Oklahoma assistant basketball coach Ray Lopes
said Tuesday he will be the new head coach at Fresno State, replacing
Jerry Tarkanian.
“I
look forward to continuing what Jerry has established here,”
Lopes told reporters at the Fresno airport. “I’m looking
forward to a lot of energy, a lot of success and a lot of championships.”
The
Fresno Bee reported on its Web site Tuesday that Lopes will be introduced
as coach at a news conference Wednesday.
Telephone
messages left for Fresno State sports information director Steve
Weakland by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.
Lopes,
an assistant at Oklahoma for eight years, worked with Sooners coach
Kelvin Sampson for one season at Washington State. Prior to arriving
at Oklahoma, Lopes coached four years at California-Santa Barbara.
The
71-year-old Tarkanian retired from Fresno State last month after
four decades of coaching.
Tarkanian
won an NCAA title with UNLV in 1990 and is the fourth-winningest
coach in NCAA history, finishing with a 778-202 record. He won 20
or more games 29 times, second only to Dean Smith’s 30.
Tarkanian
will become a consultant for Fresno State, his alma mater, where
he coached the last seven years.
The
Bulldogs ended their season March 13 with an 81-75 loss to Temple
in the NIT.
Donald
Little being held in lieu of bond
CINCINNATI
(AP) — Cincinnati center Donald Little was arraigned Tuesday
on two felony charges for allegedly kidnapping, beating and burning
his roommate.
The
23-year-old Little was being held in the Hamilton County jail in
lieu of $50,000 bond.
Police
arrested Little on Monday night and charged him with felonious assault
and kidnapping, prosecutors said.
Little’s
roommate, Justin Hodge, told authorities that Little invited him
to his home Monday, where he accused Hodge of stealing money, then
hit Hodge on the head with a whiskey bottle.
Hodge
also said he was tied with tape to a plastic lawn chair, burned
with incense and beaten, the police report said. Hodge told police
he was stabbed when he tried to escape.
Police
said more arrests were possible.
Little
averaged 7.1 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Bearcats, who were
31-4 last season.
Athletic
department officials said Little will be barred from basketball-related
activities until courts deal with the charges against him.
Little
was dismissed from the Cincinnati basketball team last May after
being arrested for traffic violations. He was reinstated prior to
last season.
Stanford’s
Casey Jacobsen declares for NBA Draft
PALO
ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Casey Jacobsen, the Pac-10 Conference’s
leading scorer this past season, has declared for the NBA Draft,
but left open the possibility of returning to Stanford.
The
6-foot-6 junior swingman is one of college basketball’s premier
shooters and averaged 22.0 points a game last season.
NBA
scouts are enamored with Jacobsen’s size and ability to shoot
off the dribble, making him a possible lottery pick in the June
26 draft.
Underclassmen
have until May 12 to declare for the draft but are allowed to remove
their names from selection by June 19 as long as they do not hire
an agent. Jacobsen said he will not sign with an agent, making it
possible for him to return for his senior season.
Stanford
also may lose 7-foot junior center Curtis Borchardt, who led the
Pac-10 in rebounding at 11.4 per game and shot nearly 58 percent
from the field.
The
Cardinal finished 20-10 overall and in a four-way tie for second
place in the conference at 12-6. They beat Western Kentucky before
falling to top-seeded Kansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
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