BASKETBALL

TEXAS’S TUCKER, MSU’S BROWN DECLARE FOR DRAFT Texas junior forward P.J.Tucker and Michigan State junior Shannon Brown both announced yesterday that they will submit their names for the NBA draft but won’t hire agents in order to keep their college eligibility.

The decision not to hire an agent allows them to return to college for their senior seasons if they don’t like their draft positions. They have until June 18 to pull their names out of the draft, which is June 28.

The burly 6-foot-5-inch Tucker led the Longhorns in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.1 and 9.5 rebounds per game, as Texas won a school-record 30 games and reached the Atlanta Regional final of the NCAA tournament before losing to LSU.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Brown averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists last season, and shared team MVP honors with Paul Davis and Maurice Ager. While he had a solid season, he didn’t finish well, scoring five points on 2-of-11 shooting in a first-round loss to George Mason in the NCAA tournament.

SOUTHERN METHODIST HIRES DOHERTY SMU hired former national coach of the year Matt Doherty yesterday to try reviving a program that hasn’t gone to the NCAA tournament in 13 years. Doherty signed a five-year deal, but terms weren’t disclosed. Doherty, coming off a 15-13 season at Florida Atlantic, replaces Jimmy Tubbs, who was fired April 6 after two losing seasons and an internal investigation that uncovered NCAA violations.

Doherty,who won a national championship as a player for North Carolina,broke into coaching with Notre Dame in 1999-2000. He took over the Tar Heels the next season and earned the coach of the year award from The Associated Press for going 26-7 and winning a share of the regular-season ACC title. North Carolina missed the NCAA field the next two years, and Doherty resigned under pressure in April 2003. He worked as a television analyst for two years, then spent this past season at Florida Atlantic.

– Associated Press