Associated Press
The college basketball notebook …
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ó Memphis freshman Derrick Rose announced he was jumping to the NBA Tuesday, the same day coach John Calipari agreed in principle to a contract extension with the school.
Calipari said he always worked under the assumption that Rose would be a one-and-done player.
iDerrick is one of the great players Iíve ever coached, but of even more importance, he is one of the greatest teammates Iíve been around,î Calipari said in a statement. iWe are forever indebted to Derrick and his family for what they did for not only this basketball program, but also for the University and the city of Memphis. It was a tremendous opportunity for me and the staff to coach such a fine person.î
Rose capped his spectacular first season by leading Memphis to the national championship game, where they lost to Kansas in overtime.
The 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago averaged 20.8 points in six NCAA tournament games and will likely be taken with one of the top picks in the draft.
Rose, who helped Memphis to an NCAA Division I record 38 victories last season, said he enjoyed his year in college but is ready to make the leap to the NBA.
iMy only regret is not winning a national title for the University of Memphis,î Rose said. iI am, however, very excited about the prospect of playing in the NBA and continuing to strive to be the best player and the best person I can be.î
PROVIDENCE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ó Keno Davis canít guarantee heíll have the same success in his first season at Providence as he had this year at Drake, where his team won 28 games, was ranked in the Top 25 and earned a NCAA tournament bid.
But Davis, hired Tuesday as Providenceís new head coach, promised that the Friars wonít be outworked on the court.
Davis, the son of former longtime Iowa coach Tom Davis, was lured from Drake two weeks after being selected as The Associated Press national coach of the year. This season, Keno Davisí first as a head coach, he took Drake to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1971, and led the Bulldogs to a 28-5 record and their first national ranking in 33 years.
Davis replaces Tim Welsh, who was fired last month after taking Providence to two NCAA tournaments in 10 seasons and finishing with losing records in three of the last four seasons.
Davis inherits a Providence team that returns its key nucleus of starters, including leading scorer Jeff Xavier, but that has struggled to stay competitive in the Big East. The Friars went 6-12 in the conference and 15-16 overall this season, playing all but one game without injured starting point guard Sharaud Curry.
KENT STATE
CLEVELAND ó Rob Senderoff canít change his past or what happened at Indiana. Heís only looking forward.
Senderoff, involved in a phone-call scandal that led to Kelvin Sampsonís resignation and NCAA scrutiny at Indiana, was hired Tuesday as an assistant at Kent State, returning to the school where he spent four years before joining Sampsonís staff.
iI couldnít be happier to be back,î Senderoff said.
SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO ó San Francisco lured former NBA player Rex Walters away from Florida Atlantic to take over its struggling basketball program.
Walters, who had a 31-33 record in two seasons for the Owls, said, iThe University of San Francisco is a national name and we need to be a national basketball program.î