News Nuggets, 01.29.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
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Compiled from staff reports
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TCU decision imminent on Mountain West bid
PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
01.28.04: Pitino
hopes to mend quickly... .. Buccaneers gear up for grabs...
.. Finley Stadium to host more I-AA title games... ..
More... |
01.27.04: 'Excruciating'
ailment sidelines Pitino... .. Spike TV gets in on NCAA
tourney action... .. AP hoops poll: U of L ascends to No. 4... ..
More... |
01.26.04: High-flying
Cards too much for Volunteers... .. NCAA nixes FSU
allegations against Gators... .. C-USA basketball standings
& scoreboard... ..
More... |
01.25.04: Rivers
puts on Senior Bowl show for pro scouts... .. Frogs about to
hop to MWC?... .. Colorado, Colorado State confer on new
pact... ..
More... |
01.24.04: Gator
takes command of muscles and fitness for ECU football... ..
Alabama native Rivers finally plays at home... .. Phog
Fieldhouse mystique doesn't faze Spiders... ..
More... |
01.23.04: Rimpf,
C-USA Senior Bowl mates on display for NFL scouts... .. Suit
claims Petrino reneged on scholarship... .. Majerus gets a
pass on discrimination charge... ..
More... |
01.22.04: 2003
was good year at ticket office for C-USA football... .. UNC-CH
brings in former Nebraska assistant... .. Diener on rebound
after neck injury... .. Cards make Cincy's first loss a
doozie... ..
More... |
01.21.04: Lawhorn
named league's best, ECU picked for upper division... ..
Diener goes down in Marquette loss to 49ers... .. Pitino
assistant pleads guilty to DUI... .. Foes feasting on
depleted South Florida... ..
More... |
01.20.04: Tigers'
2004 football slate includes journey to Greenville... ..
Even Hawaii's mascot draws fire for loutish antics... ..
Five C-USA, Carolinas juggernauts gang up in AP Top 10... ..
More... |
01.19.04: Ref
dies during Wesleyan-Shenandoah game... .. Louisville
assistant nabbed for DUI... .. Memphis adds three years to
Calipari pact... .. C-USA basketball standings & scoreboard... ..
More... |
01.18.04: Auburn
CEO resigns over secretive plot to change coaches... .. Nutt
demands on-air apology from 'goofball' Alberts... .. Drunken
fan cuffed after beheading mascot... ..
More... |
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FORT WORTH — Texas Christian
could decide by Friday whether to accept an invitation to leave Conference
USA to join the Mountain West Conference.
Athletic director Eric Hyman said Wednesday that the move would be discussed
at the school's board of trustees meeting later this week. Hyman declined to
discuss further details.
The move would probably be for the 2005-06 school year and would end months
of speculation about the Horned Frogs' athletic future.
TCU would join Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San
Diego State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Utah and Wyoming in the Mountain West.
Mountain West officials did not immediately return calls from the Associated
Press on Wednesday.
TCU has been on the move since the Southwest Conference dissolved in 1995.
The Mountain West would be TCU's fourth conference in 10 years. TCU joined
the Western Athletic Conference in 1996 and left for Conference USA after
the 2000-01 season.
In November, Conference USA lost five members and gained five others.
Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida bolted to the
Big East, then C-USA added Central Florida, Marshall, Rice, SMU and Tulsa.
Cards cruise while Pitino quickly mends
LOUISVILLE — Louisville didn't miss Rick
Pitino in its first game without its ailing coach.
With assistant Kevin Willard in charge, the
fourth-ranked Cardinals beat Houston 64-48 Wednesday for their 16th
consecutive victory. Spokesman Kenny Klein spoke to Pitino after the game
and said Pitino hopes to fly back from Cleveland on Thursday morning and
make it to Louisville's afternoon practice.
Pitino received treatment at the Cleveland
Clinic for an undisclosed ailment that's caused him pain for months. Pitino
announced Monday he was taking an indefinite leave of absence, then said
Tuesday he might rejoin his team by this weekend.
Larry O'Bannon and Nate Daniels scored 17
points apiece to lead Louisville (16-1, 6-0 Conference USA), which also
played without leading scorer Francisco Garcia and point guard Taquan Dean.
Garcia sprained his ankle last Sunday and Dean suffered a pulled groin in a
practice last week.
Majerus to hang up whistle after latest health scare
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah
basketball coach Rick Majerus will resign at the end of the season after his
latest health problem put him in the hospital with chest pains. Majerus, 55,
was being treated in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Wednesday. His condition was
not released.
Assistant Kerry Rupp will
coach the Utes in the interim, though Majerus could return and finish out
the season if his health allows. Rupp will guide the team when it plays
Saturday against BYU.
Majerus is the second coach
this week to take a leave because of health reasons. Louisville's Rick
Pitino took an indefinite leave Monday to determine the cause of the
urological-related pain.
``Its been a strange week for
the coaching fraternity — first Rick Pitino and now Rick Majerus,'' said
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, whose Wildcats beat Utah in the 1998 title game.
``This profession can be physically and emotionally demanding.''
The health of the portly
Majerus has always been a concern, especially after he had heart bypass
surgery in 1989 — just six games into his first season at Utah. Since then,
he has led the Utes to the NCAA tournament 10 times.
``Everybody that knows Rick
and cares about Rick has mentioned that he needs to take care of himself,''
Utah athletic director Chris Hill said.
``I think coaches' lives in
general are stressful. I think every year is stressful because of the
pressure they put on themselves,'' he said. ``I think they're all very, very
intense and maybe Rick is maybe on the high end of intense.''
Majerus felt chest pains late
Tuesday in Salt Lake City. He was flown to southern California for treatment
by his cardiologist.
Rupp and his fellow assistants
heard about Majerus early Wednesday. Players were kept away from the media
until after a late afternoon practice.
Utah (15-5, 3-2 Mountain West)
has lost its last two games, falling at Air Force on Monday night 62-49.
Majerus had one of his youngest teams this season with just two seniors, no
juniors and a host of underclassmen.
In Rupp's only game as head
coach, Utah beat BYU 79-75 last season in Provo after Majerus left to attend
the funeral for the stepfather of former Utah standout Andre Miller.
Majerus came to Utah from Ball
State in 1989, and the 1990s saw Utah ranked eighth among NCAA Division I
programs in both wins (250) and winning percentage (.767).
Majerus has twice taken
extended leaves in two other seasons since he started at Utah. Along his
bypass surgery in December 1989, Majerus coached one game in the 2000-2001
season before leaving to deal with health issues and care for his ailing
mother.
Majerus is well-known for his
demanding coaching style and frequent outbursts. His program had a high
turnover rate, with many players leaving after getting frustrated with
Majerus' oft-abrasive treatment.
Utah was placed on three
years' probation by the NCAA last summer after an investigation confirmed
several minor violations, including meals Majerus bought during meetings
with players. The NCAA rule has been changed to allow for such meals as long
as each one is documented.
Reacting to the reprimand,
Majerus flashed his disdain for the NCAA's complex rules. ``I don't think
anybody ever said we gained a competitive advantage because, 'I had that
hamburger with Majerus.' Or in recruiting, somebody would say, 'Hey, if I
only become a Ute I'll be able to go to Crown Burger with Majerus,''' he
said after the Utes were placed on probation.
Utah may still participate in
postseason tournaments and no restrictions were placed on TV appearances.
Just this month, Hill said
Majerus was cleared in an investigation
into a complaint by a former player who claimed the coach berated him about
his partial hearing loss.
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools, and from Associated Press and
other reports. Copyright 2004
Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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