Sports Desk

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The New York Sun

BASKETBALL


FIVE PLAYERS, FIVE FANS TO FACE CHARGES FOR BRAWL Five Indiana Pacers players and five fans were charged yesterday for fighting in the stands and on the court at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons last month.


Players Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, David Harrison, and Anthony Johnson were all charged with one count of assault and battery, a misdemeanor that carries up to three months in jail and a fine of up to $500. Jermaine O’Neal, a three-time All-Star, was charged with two counts of assault and battery.


All the fans were charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, including Pistons star Ben Wallace’s brother, David. Bryant Jackson also was charged with felony assault for allegedly throwing a chair into the fray, Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca said. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.


Gorcyca singled out spectator John Green, who faces two assault counts and, the prosecutor said, “in my mind single-handedly incited this whole interaction between the fans and players and probably is the one that’s most culpable.” Green is accused of throwing a cup at Artest, splashing him and sparking the melee. John Ackerman and William Paulson, each facing an assault charge, also were accused of throwing cups in players’ faces. In addition, two men were charged for walking onto the court at The Palace of Auburn Hills.


NETS SIGN DICKENS, WAIVE STOREY Forward Kaniel Dickens, the leading scorer in the CBA, was signed by the Nets yesterday. New Jersey also waived forward Awvee Storey and placed center Jabari Smith on the injured list with a sprained left ankle.


Dickens was averaging 29.4 points and 9.6 rebounds with the Idaho Stampede. During the preseason, he averaged 3.6 points and two rebounds with the Los Angeles Clippers. Storey made the Nets as a free agent. He played in nine games, averaging less than a point.


COLLEGE BASKETBALL


KENTUCKY ROMPS OVER MOREHEAD STATE Kelenna Azubuike scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to lead no. 10 Kentucky past intrastate rival Morehead State 71-40 last night, the fewest points scored by the Eagles in 56 years. Kentucky (5-1) scored the first 20 points of the second half to turn a tight game into a runaway. In other Top 25 action last night, no. 19 Virginia beat Furman, 79-67.


BASEBALL


BUSH WEIGHS IN ON STEROID SCANDAL President Bush urged Major League Baseball yesterday to take “strong steps” to confront the use of steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing substances by players.


Bush spoke up on the issue – which he also noted in his State of the Union address in January – as players and league management worked toward an agreement on tougher testing for steroids. Drug use “diminishes the integrity of sports,” Bush’s spokesman said.


COLLEGE FOOTBALL


HEISMAN TROPHY CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED Jason White has a chance to join Archie Griffin as a two-time Heisman Trophy winner. White, the Oklahoma quarterback who won last year’s Heisman, was chosen yesterday as one of five finalists for college football’s most prestigious individual title.


Joining White for Saturday’s award ceremony in New York will be his Oklahoma teammate Adrian Peterson, Southern California teammates Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, and Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Among Heisman contenders who did not make the top 5 were Texas running back Cedric Benson, Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell, and California teammates Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Arrington.


WHITTINGHAM TO REPLACE MEYER AT UTAH Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham was hired as the school’s football coach to replace Urban Meyer. Whittingham rejected an offer from rival BYU to take the Utes’ job. He will replace Meyer as Utah’s coach following the January 1 Fiesta Bowl.


BLACK COACHES URGE BOYCOTT OF SOUTH CAROLINA The Black Coaches Association wants prospective football recruits and assistant coaches to stay away from South Carolina because the school ignored the group’s recommendation for a more open coaching search.


The group’s director, Floyd Keith, told the Associated Press that South Carolina never contacted the BCA. The group sent the school search guidelines before Steve Spurrier was hired to replace Lou Holtz last month.


South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee said the mission of the BCA is important to college football. However, he said administrators faced a brief time frame to land someone as prominent as Spurrier.


PRO FOOTBALL


HARRISON SIGNS SIX-YEAR DEAL WITH COLTS Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison agreed to a six-year, $66 million contract with the team yesterday that includes a $22 million signing bonus, according to a league source.


Harrison, 32, who set an NFL record with 143 receptions in 2002, has 826 receptions in nearly nine seasons with the Colts. Earlier this season, he passed the 800-catch mark faster than any receiver in NFL history. He and Manning have also combined for more completions than any other quarterback-receiver combination.


SOCCER


FOUR TEAMS ADVANCE IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, and AS Monaco advanced to the second round of the European Champions League last night, completing the 16-team field.


Playing in front of 82,000 empty seats in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, Real Madrid beat AS Roma 3-0 on two goals by Luis Figo and one by Ronaldo. The Union of European Football Associations ordered the Italian team to play without fans after a referee was struck by an object thrown from the stands in a game on September 15.


In Group A, Liverpool rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat visiting Olympiakos Piraeus 3-1. Liverpool joined Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United to give England four teams in the second round for the first time.


– Associated Press


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