Off the wire

— BASKETBALL

LSU hires Jones

LSU has hired North Texas Coach Johnny Jones for the same position with the Tigers. LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva made the announcement on Friday night. He said he is pleased to welcome Jones back to Baton Rouge, where he played and was an assistant coach for the Tigers. Jones played in the 1981 Final Four for then-LSU coach Dale Brown, then was one of Brown’s assistants with LSU’s 1986 Final Four team. Jones will replace Trent Johnson, who left LSU after four seasons to become TCU’s head coach. Jones, 51, said returning to LSU is “a dream come true.” Jones has coached North Texas for the past 11 seasons, going 190-146 and winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title twice.

Florida guard Bradley Beal is turning pro, leaving the Gators after one season. Beal announced his intentions Friday, declaring for the NBA draft after telling Coach Billy Donovan. The 6-4 Beal is expected to be a high pick in the June 28 draft, predicted to go in the top five. Beal averaged 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a freshman and made the first-team All-SEC team.

Connecticut center Andre Drummond said Friday he has declared for the NBA draft after a single season of college basketball. The freshman averaged 10 points for the Huskies this season while leading the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game. The announcement comes days after UConn’s leading scorer, sophomore Jeremy Lamb, announced that he will be leaving for the NBA. The NCAA has banned UConn from next year’s postseason because of past academic problems. Drummond also led the team with 92 blocked shots, and his 2.7 blocks per game ranked third in the Big East.

Alex Oriakhi, a 6-9 power forward who played the past three seasons at Connecticut, is transferring to Missouri. The Tigers announced the transfer late Friday. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.Oriakhi helped lead the Huskies to the 2011 NCAA championship as a sophomore. He has averaged 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 109 games over the past three seasons at UConn. He also has 166 blocked shots. The Tigers were 30-5 in the first year under Coach Frank Haith. The Huskies are expected to be barred from the NCAA Tournament next season because of low Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.

Tom Benson brought stability to the Saints nearly three decades ago and now plans to do the same for the Hornets in New Orleans. The Saints’ owner agreed Friday to purchase the Hornets from the NBA. “We expect this club to be one of the most outstanding clubs in the league, otherwise I don’t want to get involved,” Benson said. “This is just a good thing and I’m just glad to be a part of it.” A person familiar with the deal says the purchase price is $338 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial terms have not been announced. The NBA has been trying to sell the Hornets since buying the team from founder George Shinn in December 2010. While preparingthe team for sale the league negotiated a new lease for the Hornets to remain in the state-owned New Orleans Arena through 2024. The sale of the team to Benson has to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, which is meeting in New York on Friday. “The city is one of the country’s treasures and we really have found the perfect owner,” Commissioner David Stern said. Benson, 84, is a New Orleans native and has owned the Saints since 1985.

The Kings’ future in Sacramento is uncertain again. A tentative deal for a new arena has fallen apart, leaving open the possibility the team’s owners could again try to move from California’s capital. “Is the deal dead? As we know it, absolutely,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday. The Maloof family, which owns the team, has balked at terms of the agreementreached last month.

FOOTBALL

Leaf charged with 4 felonies

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been formally charged with four felonies on accusations that he broke into an acquaintance’shome to steal prescription painkillers, then robbed a second home two days after being released from jail. Cascade County (Mont.) Attorney John Parker charged Leaf with two counts of burglary and two counts of criminal possession of a dangerous drug in court documents filed Thursday but only available on Friday. If convicted, Leaf faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years on each burglary charge and five years for each possession charge. An arraignment has not yet been scheduled. A message left with Leaf’s attorney was not returned Friday afternoon. Leaf is jailed without bond on a 30-day hold on charges that the arrest violated the terms of his probation from a 2010 plea deal in Texas.

The Denver Broncos have released cornerback Andre’ Goodman, a move that’s been expected ever since they signed free agent cornerback Tracy Porter last month. Goodman spent the past three seasons with the Broncos, starting 40 regular season games and collecting 109 tackles, 1 sack, 7 interceptions and 35 pass breakups to go with 3 fumble recoveries. He also had five unassisted tackles in two starts in the playoffs in January.

The Tennessee Titans have resigned veteran defensive end Dave Ball. The Titans announced the move on Friday. Terms of the deal were not released. Ball has been with the Titans since 2008, playing in 51 games, making 203 tackles and sacking quarterbacks 15.5 times while being credited with pressuring quarterbacks 43 times.

The Houston Texans have signed unrestricted free agent linebacker Bradie James and re-signed linebacker Tim Dobbins. The 6-2, 246-pound James played for Dallas from 2003-2010. He made more than 100 tackles in five consecutive seasons and led the Cowboys in tackles six times. He had 15 1/2 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 12 recoveries and 2 interceptions in his nine seasons with the Cowboys. Dobbins played in 15 games last season, leading the team with nine special teams tackles and adding four tackles and a forced fumble on defense.

ATHLETICS Fine accuser says he lied

LEWISTON, Maine - A Maine man says he lied when he accused former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine of molesting him.

Zachary Tomaselli of Lewiston said Friday that he fabricated the allegations and took pride in his ability to convince people his claims were true. He told The Associated Press he’s a “habitual liar and sociopath”who lacks feelings for others.

Two other men made accusations against Fine, but prosecutors said too much time had passed to consider charges related to their allegations.

Federal prosecutors examining Tomaselli’s claim did not comment. A district attorney said in December that evidence undercut Tomaselli’s credibility.

Fine has not been charged and has denied the abuse claims. His attorney declined comment Friday.

Tomaselli begins serving a prison sentence next week for molesting a boy in Maine.

Sports, Pages 18 on 04/14/2012

Upcoming Events