Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó John Calipari agreed Tuesday to leave Memphis and take on the challenge ó and riches ó of returning Kentucky to glory.
Calipari will receive an eight-year, $31.65 million deal plus incentives, according to the university, making him the highest-paid coach in college basketball. The school also will pay Memphis a $200,000 buyout.
Calipari spent the day considering the lucrative offer and calling former Kentucky coaches, including Joe B. Hall.
Hall said the chat centered on what it takes to survive one of the nation’s most prestigious and most scrutinized jobs.
MISSOURI
COLUMBIA, Mo. ó Mike Anderson has agreed to a new seven-year contract and will remain Missouri’s coach.
VIRGINIA
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ó Virginia says new coach Tony Bennett has agreed to “a memorandum of understanding” that will be pay him $1.7 million annually for five years. He will receive a $500,000 signing bonus and another $500,000 if he stays five years.
WASHINGTON STATE
SPOKANE, Wash. ó Washington State hopes to hire a coach to replace Tony Bennett in about a week, and athletic director Jim Sterk has a couple of candidates in mind.
The AD mentioned Ken Bone of Portland State and Bill Grier of San Diego as possible targets. Other possible candidates include Randy Bennett of Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga assistant Ray Giacoletti, who was head coach at Utah and Eastern Washington.
VCU
RICHMOND, Va. ó A Virginia Commonwealth official says the school has picked Florida assistant Shaka Smart to be its new head coach.
Smart, 32, was an assistant to Billy Donovan last season after leaving Clemson.
ARIZONA
TUCSON, Ariz. ó Russ Pennell knows he will most likely be coaching next year, just not at Arizona.
The surreal one-season ride of the former assistant coach and ex-radio broadcaster who was thrust into the head coaching role at one of the country’s premiere programs in October is winding down after last week’s 103-64 loss to Louisville.
“I asked (athletic director Jim Livengood) who the next coach was going to be, and he wouldn’t tell me,” Pennell said Tuesday after an exit interview with Livengood.
Pennell cleaned out his McKale Center office Monday.
PURDUE
INDIANAPOLIS ó Center JaJuan Johnson has decided to return for his junior year.
NIT
NEW YORK ó Curtis Jerrells scored 25 points and LaceDarius Dunn had 23 in leading Baylor into Thursday’s NIT final with a 76-62 win over San Diego State.
n Talor Battle scored 17 points, Andrew Jones had career highs of 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Penn State hung on for dear life after squandering a big lead in a 67-59 win over Notre Dame.
Cheered on by Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions (26-11) beat one of their gridiron rivals.
Luke Harangody had 17 points to lead the Irish (21-15).
CIT
PEORIA, Ill. ó Frank Hassell, playing with a stress fracture in his right leg, had 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead Old Dominion to a 66-62 win over Bradley for the title of the inaugural CollegeInsider.com tournament.
MCDONALD’S WINNERS
CORAL GABLES, Fla. ó Texas-bound guard Avery Bradley beat Mason Plumlee (Duke) and Derrick Favors in the final of the McDonald’s All-American dunk contest.
Plumlee picked up three balls and twice attempted to dunk all three at the same time.
“If he would have made it, he would have won it,” Bradley said.
Ryan Kelly, a 6-foot-10 shooter from Raleigh who’s headed to Duke, beat Tommy Mason-Griffin 20-18 in the final of the 3-point contest.
The McDonald’s All-American games are today.
WOMEN
Courtney Paris of Oklahoma is the first four-time All-American in women’s college basketball, and sophomore Maya Moore of Connecticut is a unanimous selection in her second appearance on The Associated Press’ All-America team.
Moore is joined on the first team by teammate Renee Montgomery and seniors Angel McCoughtry of Louisville and Kristi Toliver of Maryland.
Auburn forward DeWanna Bonner leads the second team and is joined by Stanford’s Jayne Appel, Maryland’s Marissa Coleman, UConn’s Tina Charles and Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender.
UConn 83, Arizona State 64
TRENTON, N.J. ó Connecticut didn’t bother cutting down the nets after wrapping up a second consecutive trip to the Final Four.
It has bigger goals in mind.
Moore scored 25 points and the Huskies (37-0) advanced to the national semifinals for the ninth time in 14 years. They will face Stanford on Sunday.
Oklahoma 74, Purdue 68
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Paris led the way with 19 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks as the Sooners (32-4) earned their second trip to the Final Four, where they will face Louisville.