Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL

Source: Knicks to get Anthony

The New York Knicks have agreed to a trade with the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday night. The deal that would end the season-long trade saga involving Denver’s All-Star forward can’t be finalized until today during a conference call with the NBA office. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly on the trade. The Denver Post, citing a league source, said the Knicks would send Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first-round draft pick to the Nuggets, who would get additional picks and cash. Along with Anthony, New York would acquire Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, according to the Post.

FOOTBALL

Williams back at Grambling St.

Doug Williams is returning to Grambling State as coach of the Tigers football team, the university confirmed late Monday. Grambling State Athletic Director J. Lin Dawson announced the return of the NFL Hall of Famer in a statement, saying Williams has signed a four year contract that begins March 1. Williams was the general manager of United Football League’s Virginia franchise in 2010. The former Grambling State quarterback was the MVP of Super Bowl XXII with the Washington Redskins. He later succeeded Eddie Robinson as coach at his alma mater, winning three consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference titles from 1998-2003. The 55-year-old Williams, a native of Zachary, La., replaces Rod Broadway, who resigned earlier this month to become head coach at North Carolina A&T.

A $500,000-per-year pay raise recently awarded to Texas Tech Coach Tommy Tuberville through 2015 has angered some university faculty members, who have been asked to take a pay freeze in 2011. Facing an 8 percent state funding reduction and with more funding cuts possible, Texas Tech officials killed $3 million in faculty raises for 2011. However, Tuberville’s new five-year, $11 million contract guarantees the coach at least $2 million per year. That’s up from $1.5 million in the contract he signed in 2010. Tuberville (Camden, Southern Arkansas) and Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers declined to comment. However, school President Guy Bailey told the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal that the university was keeping a promise made to Tuberville a year ago when he was hired at “less than market value.”

The Minnesota Vikings placed the franchise tag on Chad Greenway on Monday. Greenway has led the team in tackles for three consecutive seasons. He was chosen the team’s 2010 defensive MVP and had 149 tackles. He will be entering his sixth season, including a rookie season that he sat out with a knee injury.

BASEBALL

Seven chosen for Hall

Boston Red Sox Manager Terry Francona and former National League MVP Dick Groat are among seven former players and coaches elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Francona, an outfielder at Arizona from 1978-80, was the Golden Spikes Award winner in 1980 before a 10-year major league playing career. Groat played shortstop at Duke from 1951-52, helping lead the Blue Devils to their first College World Series appearance before playing 14 big league seasons, mostly with Pittsburgh, and winning the 1960 NL MVP. Joining them Monday were former big leaguers Danny Goodwin (Southern University of Baton Rouge), Oddibe McDowell (Arizona State) and Tim Wallach (Cal State Fullerton), and former coaches Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (Grambling State) and Bill Wilhelm (Clemson).

HOCKEY

Neal traded for Goligoski

The Pittsburgh Penguins began addressing their banged-up lineup by acquiring forward James Neal from the Dallas Stars in exchange for offensive defenseman Alex Goligoski on Monday. As part of the deal, struck prior to Pittsburgh’s game against the Washington Capitals on Monday, the Penguins also acquired defenseman Matt Niskanen. Neal is in his third NHL season and ranked third on the Stars with 21 goals and fifth with 39 points in 59 games. Niskanen has six assists in 45 games this season, a considerable drop from 2008-09, when he led all Stars blue-liners with 35 points (six goals, 29 assists). He was the Stars’ first-round pick in the 2005 draft, selected 28th overall. Neal was the key acquisition for the Penguins, who are down nine regulars to injuries, including captain Sidney Crosby, who is out indefinitely with a concussion, and Evgeni Malkin, who will miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. Goligoski is regarded as an up-and-coming defenseman who has nine goals and 31 points in 60 games in his third NHL season. He had three goals and four assists earlier this season.

TENNIS

Wozniacki officially No. 1

Caroline Wozniaki has officially reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis, one week after surrendering it to Kim Clijsters.The 20-year-old Dane won her first singles title of 2011 on Sunday, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3 in the Dubai (United Arab Emirates) Championships final. Clijsters, who has won three majors since coming out of retirement, dropped back to No. 2. Vera Zvonareva is ranked third in Monday’s rankings, followed by Sam Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Jankovic, Li Na, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska.

Third-seeded Tomas Berdych defeated Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-3 Monday in the first round of the Dubai (United Arab Emirates) Championships, and fifth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic was forced to retire with a leg injury against Ukrainian qualifier Sergei Bubka. Earlier, eighth-seeded Ernests Gulbis defeated German qualifier Michael Berrer 6-3, 6-4. Gulbis hit 10 aces and broke Berrer once in each set. Richard Gasquet of France also advanced, defeating Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-4. Also, Florian Mayer beat Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-2 and Philipp Petzschner downed Andreas Seppi of Italy 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic upset seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the opening round of the Qatar Open on Monday in Doha. Marion Bartoli of France, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, beat Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 7-5, 6-2, while Nadia Petrova of Russia ousted Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-2.

MOTOR SPORTS

Bahrain Formula One GP called off

MANAMA, Bahrain - The crown prince of Bahrain called off Formula One’s season-opening race Monday, handing another victory to protesters aiming to break the ruling dynasty’s stranglehold on power in the Gulf kingdom.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa owns the rights to grand prix and serves as commander of the armed forces in an island country where at least eight protesters have been killed in a week of unrest. Angry protesters, who see the Bahrain GP as particularly meaningful to him, wanted the March 13 race dropped.

Facing more demonstrations around an event that draws a worldwide TV audience of around 100 million in 187 countries, the crown prince told F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone by telephone that the race would not go ahead.

“We felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of Bahrain’s Formula One race to a later date,” Bahrain’s crown prince said in a statement.

No new date has been set for the Bahrain GP that has been on the F1 calendar every year since 2004.

“It is sad that Bahrain has had to withdraw from the race, we wish the whole nation well as they begin to heal their country,” Ecclestone said. “The hospitality and warmth of the people of Bahrain is a hallmark of the race there, as anyone who has been at a Bahrain Grand Prix will testify. We look forward to being back in Bahrain soon.”

The F1 championship’s next scheduled race is the Australian GP in Melbourne on March 27.