Associated Press
RALEIGH ó North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried has hired former Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz (lootz) as an assistant.
Lutz spent 12 seasons with the 49ers, leading his alma mater to five NCAA tournaments and three NITs. He was fired after the 2010 season and spent last year as an assistant at Iowa State.
Lutz served three years as an assistant at Charlotte before taking over there. He had previously served as head coach at Pfeiffer, helping the program become an NAIA power.
Lutz joins former South Carolina assistant Orlando Early on the staff under Gottfried, who replaced Sidney Lowe as Wolfpack coach last week.
STORRS, Conn. ó Connecticut has called a news conference for Tuesday with guard Kemba Walker, where it is expected the junior star will announce that he will enter the NBA draft.
Walker, who led UConn to its third national championship, is projected as a first-round pick and coach Jim Calhoun has said he has advised Walker to forgo his senior season. But with a lockout looming, Walker has so far left his options open.
ěIt would be a lot of fun if I came back,î he said last week. ěThese guys are my brothers and I love them. So, if I have an opportunity to come back, it would be special.î
Walker averaged almost 24 points and five assists per game in leading UConn to a 32-9 record, including an 11-0 run through the postseason. He accounted for 45 percent of his teamís points.
MANHATTAN, Kan. ó Florida native Frank Martin says he hasnít heard from the University of Miami about its vacant coaching position and while he and his family are happy at Kansas State he will always listen to other offers.
The 2010 Big 12 coach of the year, who has become wildly popular with Kansas State fans, also said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press that in the last two years he has been approached by several other schools with talk of significant pay boosts.
ěIíve never had any other options but to be at K-State this year. And I havenít had any desire but to be at K-State this year,î Martin said.
MLB
OAKLAND, Calif. ó The Oakland Athletics realized the need to keep their young rotation intact, and getting Trevor Cahill for the long haul was a big key.
The Aís and their All-Star righty reached agreement Monday on a new five-year contract worth $30.5 million, which takes him through all three of his arbitration-eligible seasons and first potential year of free agency.
ěIt feels good. I came up with them and Iím just glad they gave me the opportunity to lock me up and Iím guaranteed to pitch for a while, so I couldnít be happier,î Cahill said in Chicago before the Aís played the White Sox.
The 23-year-old Cahill is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two starts this season. He was the Aís opening day starter after winning 18 games last year with a 2.97 ERA in his second season in the majors. Cahill was a prime reason Oakland led the AL in ERA (3.56) and shutouts (17) in 2010 while holding opponents to a .245 batting average.
NEW YORK ó From young phenom to ripened reliever, Jason Isringhausen has come full circle with the New York Mets.
Hoping to help their beleaguered bullpen, the Mets brought back a prodigal son Monday when Isringhausen joined the team for the opener of a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies.
Once a prized starter and part of a much-hyped trio nicknamed Generation K, the 38-year-old Isringhausen is back with the Mets for the first time since 1999.
ěIt feels good so far. Iíve only been here 20 minutes. Itíll be different when I get on the mound,î Isringhausen said. ěIíll give ëem everything Iíve got.î
Derailed by a string of elbow injuries, the two-time All-Star had not pitched in a big league game since June 13, 2009, with Tampa Bay. But first-year Mets manager Terry Collins was planning to use Isringhausen as soon as possible.
ěIíd like to get him in the fire,î Collins said.
NHL
NEW YORK ó As familiar as warm weather and rain is an appearance by the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
For the past 13 seasons they have been joined by the New Jersey Devils, but that has changed because the one constant team in the Eastern Conference didnít measure up this year. Detroitís dominance dates even further: Not since 1990 have the Red Wings sat out the race for the Cup.
Captain Nicklas Lidstrom, in his 19th NHL season, has seen it all. Throughout his surely Hall of Fame career, Lidstrom has only worn a winged wheel sweater and has never missed the playoffs.
He got a bit of a scare last year when Detroit qualified as only the No. 5 seed. But Lidstrom and the Red Wings still managed to reach the second round with a tough, seven-game series win over the Phoenix Coyotes ó their first-round opponent again.
ěHaving been with such a good organization for 20 years, and being part of a winning tradition here, you almost take it for granted,î Lidstrom said of being a playoff staple. ěLast year was the hardest one where we really had to focus and get some wins and had our backs up against the wall for pretty much the whole season.
ěItís always been fun going into the playoffs. People are always waiting for April to come around for the playoffs.î
And why not?
Not only have the Red Wings made it a habit to be in the playoffs, they are always a threat to win it all. During this 20-season run, Detroit has captured the Cup four times and been to the finals in two other years.
The Central Division champions own the No. 3 seed this time. If they advance past Phoenix again they could pose a serious threat to the Presidentsí Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks and the second-seeded San Jose Sharks, who despite being a dominant regular-season team in recent years are still seeking their first trip to the finals.
The Canucks, who topped the NHL with a team-record 117 points, have been knocked out in the second round by Chicago in two consecutive years. The Blackhawks rode last seasonís win all the way to the Stanley Cup title and will likely have confidence again when they take on Vancouver in the first round.
Donít think that the Canucks havenít taken notice.
ěWe took a very hard look at the end of the playoffs organizationally about where we were, and we analyzed every element of this team from training staff, medical staff, coaching staff, players, how we handled things as managers,î Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis said.
ěThe experience of losing two years in a row to the same team was one that was very difficult for a lot of people to accept. However, we did it with a team that we donít think is as competitive as the team we have this year. Overall, we feel more confident this year.î
The Blackhawks might be sensing a new lease on life, too, given their fortunate road to the playoffs. Chicago couldíve made it an easy Sunday for the team and its fans by beating the Red Wings at home, but Detroit showed why it is so good this time of year and left with a 4-3 victory.
That opened the door for the Dallas Stars to sneak in at No. 8, but with their season on the line they were beaten by already-eliminated Minnesota. The Wild won one more for their home fans and for coach Todd Richards, who was fired Monday.
So, what does this second chance mean for the Blackhawks? The Canucks certainly would like to make their title defense end early.
ěThey definitely got in not the traditional way, but at the end of the day they got in,î said Montreal defenseman Brent Sopel, a member of the Blackhawks last season. ěIt doesnít matter how you get in. Good for them. Now youíve got 16 great teams that are battling, and itís anybodyís ballgame.î
In the other Western matchups, the Sharks will take on the Los Angeles Kings in a rare all-California series, and the Anaheim Ducks will face the Nashville Predators.
Back in the East, the Devils had one last thing to play for in their second-to-last game when they took on the New York Rangers with a chance to take their biggest rival out of the playoff picture with them. New Jersey grabbed a pair of one-goal leads, but faded and lost 5-2.
That set up New York to get some help that came in the nick of time when Tampa Bay won at Carolina on Saturday night, denying the Hurricanes a chance to lock up the last spot with a home win. So the Rangers will face top-seeded Washington in the first round, hoping to avenge a series loss from two years ago in which New York led 3-1.
ěWeíve been in playoffs,î Rangers coach John Tortorella said of the late-season grind. ěItís been a great experience for the youth of our club. Some of the experiences weíve gone through I think will help us. This is the next round of the playoffs for us.î
The Philadelphia Flyers will look to start a second consecutive run to the Cup finals, this time from the No. 2 position instead of last yearís seventh seeding. The quest starts against Buffalo, one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs.
Boston is back in after winning the Northeast Division and will face No. 6 seed Montreal for the 33rd time and third in four years. The Bruins and Canadiens split the previous two meetings, with Boston winning in a sweep in 2009. But Montreal owns the overall edge, taking 24 of 32 series.
Spicing up the already hot Original Six matchup is bad blood created when Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara seriously injured Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty with a hard check that knocked Pacioretty into a padded stanchion supporting a glass partition between the benches.
ěEverybody in the room knows how we match up,î Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said. ěItís not about all the other stuff thatís taken place or whatís happened this year. Itís about who can win the four games. It should be a pretty good battle.î
The Bruins will be looking to erase memories of last year, when they blew a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia in the second round and a 3-0 lead in Game 7 at home.
ěIt was a tough situation, but we learned from it and moved on,î veteran Bruins forward Mark Recchi said. ěYouíve got to grow from those experiences, and I really believe we did as a team. The guys have the right attitude and hopefully we can continue that way.î
The Pittsburgh Penguins might still be without captain Sidney Crosby (concussion) in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have played without him and Evgeni Malkin (knee), but could feel the pinch if they have to face the playoffs with this dynamic duo out of action.
The Associated Press
04/11/11 17:29