Associated Press
Mike Krzyzewski appears set to go for more gold.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo “all leads point to Coach K coming back,” following a report by the Boston Globe that Krzyzewski has agreed to return as U.S. Olympic basketball coach.
Colangelo said he was aware of the speculation regarding Krzyzewski but wouldn’t confirm a decision had been reached. “With the success that we had, I would do everything in my power to keep everything intact,” Colangelo told The Associated Press. “I’m a strong believer in not upsetting the apple cart.”
The Americans plan to announce their coach at a press conference July 21 or 22.
* AUCKLAND, New Zealand ó Howard Thompkins III had 14 points and Seth Curry added nine as the United States qualified for the quarterfinals with an 82-61 win over Puerto Rico at the FIBA under-19 world championships.
NBA
DETROIT ó The Detroit Pistons and John Kuester were nearing an agreement to make him their coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told The AP.
Kuester, a North Carolina graduate, spent the past two seasons as a Cleveland assistant and was on Larry Brown’s championship-winning staff in 2004 with the Pistons. The 54-year-old Kuester played for the Dean Smith-led Tar Heels.
* ATLANTA ó The Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement to re-sign Mike Bibby to a three-year deal.
Marvin Williams is a restricted free agent and may be the team’s next priority.
* DALLAS ó Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who has played professionally in France, signed his rookie deal.
* NEW YORK ó The NBA salary cap has been set for next season at $57.7 million, a decline from 2008-09, allowing teams to begin signing players.
COLLEGE HOOPS
JACKSON, Miss. ó The attorney for Mississippi State signee Renardo Sidney and his parents says meetings with the NCAA were “productive.”
The NCAA is questioning the 6-foot-10 power forward’s amateur status after newspaper reports based on anonymous sources questioned how the Sidneys were living in million-dollar homes after leaving Jackson for Los Angeles while their son played at Fairfax High.
* LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Kentucky finalized its 2009-10 scholarship roster, and it includes both Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins
Harrellson, a junior forward, and Liggins, a sophomore point guard, weren’t sure they’d remain with the team when the Wildcats hired John Calipari. They will join holdovers Patrick Patterson, Ramon Harris, Darius Miller and Perry Stevenson.
The roster includes six newcomers, including highly touted freshmen guards Eric Bledsoe and John Wall and forwards DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton. Freshman forward Jon Hood and sophomore forward Darnell Dodson round out the scholarship roster.
NFL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Tennessee’s state medical examiner said that investigators have been hesitant to conclude that Steve McNair’s girlfriend killed the NFL star and herself because she didn’t appear to have a motive but that murder-suicide is the most likely scenario.
* MINNEAPOLIS ó Yahoo Inc. and the NFL Players Association have reached a settlement over use of players’ statistics, photos and other data in Yahoo’s popular online fantasy football game, but details were not released.
Yahoo sued the NFLPA last month, claiming Yahoo shouldn’t have to pay royalties to use the data because the information is already publicly available.
Yahoo dropped the lawsuit, and a judge formally dismissed it without prejudice.
* MIAMI ó Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth told police he drank up to four shots of premium tequila while partying with friends at a Miami Beach club but did not feel drunk in the hours before he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car.
In a recorded interview with police, Stallworth said he met fellow Browns receiver Braylon Edwards and others at a hotel sometime after 2 a.m. on March 14. Stallworth said he drank some tequila from Edwards’ table and later bought some shots himself.
“Three, four at the most,” Stallworth said. “I wasn’t really counting.”
When asked if he was intoxicated, Stallworth said: “No, sir.”
Lab tests later showed Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of .126, above Florida’s .08 limit.
* NEW YORK ó Giants linebacker Michael Boley has been suspended for the first game of the regular season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Boley was arrested in May of 2008 and charged with battery on his wife after she accused him of becoming “too physical” after an argument.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ó Tennessee fan blogs have been buzzing about the possibility of the Volunteers playing in black jerseys this fall. Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said he doesn’t foresee Tennessee in black “anytime in the near or distant future.”
* WASHINGTON ó Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch is calling on the Justice Department to investigate college football’s Bowl Championship Series for what he views as violations of antitrust laws.
* ATLANTA ó There will be no public ticket sale for the Sept. 5 Alabama-Virginia Tech game in the Georgia Dome. Fans of the two schools already have purchased all the tickets.
NHL
DENVER ó Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s longtime captain who led the team to two Stanley Cup titles, will retire Thursday and end his 20-year NHL career, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
* PITTSBURGH ó Penguins forward Maxime Talbot will miss training camp and the beginning of the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
* ANAHEIM, Calif. ó Todd Marchant is staying with the Ducks. The free-agent center signed a two-year deal.
* PHILADELPHIA ó Chris Pronger and the Flyers agreed to a multiyear extension, ensuring the former MVP will remain under contract beyond this season.
* TORONTO ó The Maple Leafs nabbed coveted Swedish free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson with a one-year contract. The 24-year-old netminder, nicknamed “The Monster,” was also heavily pursued by Dallas, San Jose and Colorado.
“Jonas is considered by many to be the best goaltender not playing in the NHL today,” Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said in a statement.
* DALLAS ó The Stars signed free-agent defenseman Jeff Woywitka to a two-year deal.
n TAMPA, Fla. ó Free agent forward Stephane Veilleux signed with Tampa Bay.
* CALGARY, Alberta ó The Flames have brought back center Jamie Lundmark and signed forward Jason Jaffray.
SOCCER
MILAN ó United States defender Oguchi Onyewu joined AC Milan, becoming one of the few Americans to play in Italy’s top league. Onyewu, long a star in the Belgian league, gained notice with superb performances in the U.S. run to the Confederations Cup final.
* WASHINGTON ó A confrontation with a referee following the United States’ upset victory over Spain has earned midfielder Michael Bradley a three-game suspension, although the penalty is unlikely to affect qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
Bradley, son of U.S. coach Bob Bradley, was sent off in the 87th minute for a lunging tackle in the 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals. Michael Bradley then confronted Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda in the tunnel after the game, drawing the suspension announced Tuesday by soccer governing body FIFA.
TENNIS
PARIS ó French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt, who was recently banned for betting on matches, has died. He was 24.
The French tennis federation said Montcourt died overnight but the cause of death is not yet known. French media reported the 119th-ranked Montcourt was found dead by his girlfriend in the stairwell of his Paris apartment. In May, Montcourt was handed a five-week ban and fined $12,000 for betting on other matches. That ban took effect Monday.
TRACK
LAUSANNE, Switzerland ó Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200 meters in history, finishing in 19.59 seconds at the Athletissima meet despite chilly weather and a track slowed by a downpour.
His time was 0.01 seconds slower than what Tyson Gay ran in May in fair weather and with a breeze at his back.
HORSE RACING
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Kentucky Derby- and Preakness-winning trainer Rick Dutrow was suspended for 30 days for violating doping rules.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission issued the suspension more than a year after tests revealed that Salute the Count had an excessive amount of Clenbuterol in his blood after finishing second in a race at Churchill Downs the day before Dutrow won the Derby with Big Brown. Clenbuterol allows horses to breathe easier while exercising. It’s only legal at low dosages.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission also ordered Dutrow to return the purse money won by the horse.
CYCLING
MONTPELLIER, France ó Lance Armstrong surged within a second of the Tour de France lead after his Astana squad won Tuesday’s team time trial in a dramatic finish. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara of the Saxo Bank team narrowly kept the yellow jersey following the fourth stage.
VOLLEYBALL
Kerri Walsh had planned to take the year off from the pro beach volleyball tour after having a baby this spring. Now making plans to come back in August, the AVP Tour confirmed to The Associated Press.
Walsh hasn’t said yet who her partner will be. Misty May-Treanor, who won gold with Walsh in Athens and Beijing, is also planning to start a family.