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Sports Briefs: Spurs grab former Blazers’ starter Udoka
By The Associated Press
Saturday, August 18, 2007 | No comments posted.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs signed Portland starter Ime Udoka on Thursday.
The team declined to disclose the terms of the deal reached with the free-agent swingman who started in 75 games for the Trail Blazers last season.
Udoka, who was undrafted out of college, averaged 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. He ranked 19th in the NBA in three-point shooting, sinking 89 of 219 attempts.
He played in the NBA Development League and internationally before spending one season with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the New York Knicks and arriving back in Portland, his hometown, for the 2006-07 season.
Wizards trade rights for Navarro to Grizzlies for future pick
WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards traded the rights to Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future first-round draft pick.
The Wizards drafted Navarro in the second round, 40th overall, in 2002. He never joined the team, though, instead playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish league.
Last month, FC Barcelona and the 27-year-old Navarro agreed to a buyout that allowed him to head to the NBA.
GOLF
MacKenzie leads after first round at Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Will MacKenzie shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Lucas Glover, Steve Marino, Brian Davis and Jeff Overton after the first round of the Wyndham Championship.
MacKenzie, who spent a more than a decade away from the sport, nearly made a hole-in-one and had nine birdies to offset one bogey in taking an encouraging first step toward the second victory of his career.
Seven players — Carl Pettersson, John Merrick, Todd Hamilton, Todd Fischer, Greg Kraft, John Huston and 2003 winner Shigeki Maruyama — were two strokes back on a steamy day at the 7,333-yard Forest Oaks Country Club course where temperatures were high and scores were consistently low. After the opening round, 79 players — more than half of the field of 156 — were 3-under or better.
Diaz leads Canadian Open
EDMONTON, Alberta — Laura Diaz shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Canadian Women’s Open, while 17-year-old Michelle Wie opened with a 75 to drop 10 strokes back.
Diaz, coming off a second-place tie Sunday in Sweden in the European tour’s Scandinavian TPC, made a long birdie putt on the par-4 first hole — her 10th hole of the day on the Royal Mayfair course.
Wie, making her first appearance in the event, closed her late afternoon round with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth. She also had a double-bogey 6 on No. 12, a bogey on the par-5 third and a birdie on the par-4 first.
Kelli Kuehne and Kyeong Bae opened with 66s, 2005 winner Meena Lee topped a group at 67, and Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster shot 68s.
HOCKEY
Devils sign Martin to contract
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils kept a major piece of their defense together, signing Paul Martin to a three-year, $11.5 million contract.
Martin will earn $3 million this season, $4 million in 2008 and $4.5 million in 2009.
Since losing veteran Brian Rafalski — their best defenseman — to free agency, the Devils have re-signed Martin and Johnny Oduya and signed Karel Rachunek and Vitali Vishnevski.
Martin had three goals and 23 assists last season while playing in all 82 regular-season games. He added four assists in 11 playoff games.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
USCamong teams in new Thanksgiving tournament
ANAHEIM, Calif. — O.J. Mayo will be getting some early season national exposure when Southern California and seven other teams play in the new Anaheim Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.
Mayo, one of the nation’s most highly touted recruits, will be three games into his college basketball career when the Trojans play San Diego on Thanksgiving night on ESPN2.
The eight teams will play three games each from Nov. 22-25, taking Nov. 24 off to frolic at Disneyland. Five of the games will be shown on ESPN2, with the others televised on ESPNU.
The other Thanksgiving day matchups are: Mississippi State against UC Irvine; Southern Illinois vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga; and Miami of Ohio against Southern Alabama.
Summitt files for divorce
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, filed for divorce after nearly 27 years of marriage.
Irreconcilable differences were cited in the petition filed Wednesday in the Knoxville suburb of Maryville. She and husband R.B Summit will have been married 27 years on Aug. 23.
The couple has one child, Tyler, who will be 17 next month. The petition said there are no custody issues and the teenager is living with his mother. R.B. Summitt is a banker in Sevierville.
Summitt has 947 NCAA victories since she began coaching the Lady Vols in 1974. The Hall of Fame coach has led the Lady Vols to seven NCAA championships, including in April when they defeated Rutgers.
TENNIS
Federer avoids upset
MASON, Ohio — Roger Federer survived a scare from Marcos Baghdatis to move into the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, which has been brutal to seeded players this week.
Federer beat Baghdatis 7-6 (5), 7-5, shortly after 16th-seeded David Ferrer ousted defending champion Andy Roddick 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Only four seeds remain, including No. 9 James Blake, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-4 in an evening match. Blake said he’s no longer serving as tentatively as he was earlier this week, after pulling a stomach muscle a week ago.
TORONTO (AP) — Justine Henin beat China’s Peng Shuai 7-5, 6-2 at the Rogers Cup, moving three wins away from her sixth WTA Tour title of the season.
Other seeded players to advance included No. 2 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, No. 6 Nadia Petrova of Russia, and No. 12 Tatiana Golovin of France. Seventh-seeded Marian Bartoli beat No. 9 Dinara Safina of Russia 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-0 in the late match.
The team declined to disclose the terms of the deal reached with the free-agent swingman who started in 75 games for the Trail Blazers last season.
Udoka, who was undrafted out of college, averaged 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. He ranked 19th in the NBA in three-point shooting, sinking 89 of 219 attempts.
He played in the NBA Development League and internationally before spending one season with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the New York Knicks and arriving back in Portland, his hometown, for the 2006-07 season.
Wizards trade rights for Navarro to Grizzlies for future pick
WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards traded the rights to Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future first-round draft pick.
The Wizards drafted Navarro in the second round, 40th overall, in 2002. He never joined the team, though, instead playing for FC Barcelona in the Spanish league.
Last month, FC Barcelona and the 27-year-old Navarro agreed to a buyout that allowed him to head to the NBA.
GOLF
MacKenzie leads after first round at Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Will MacKenzie shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Lucas Glover, Steve Marino, Brian Davis and Jeff Overton after the first round of the Wyndham Championship.
MacKenzie, who spent a more than a decade away from the sport, nearly made a hole-in-one and had nine birdies to offset one bogey in taking an encouraging first step toward the second victory of his career.
Seven players — Carl Pettersson, John Merrick, Todd Hamilton, Todd Fischer, Greg Kraft, John Huston and 2003 winner Shigeki Maruyama — were two strokes back on a steamy day at the 7,333-yard Forest Oaks Country Club course where temperatures were high and scores were consistently low. After the opening round, 79 players — more than half of the field of 156 — were 3-under or better.
Diaz leads Canadian Open
EDMONTON, Alberta — Laura Diaz shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Canadian Women’s Open, while 17-year-old Michelle Wie opened with a 75 to drop 10 strokes back.
Diaz, coming off a second-place tie Sunday in Sweden in the European tour’s Scandinavian TPC, made a long birdie putt on the par-4 first hole — her 10th hole of the day on the Royal Mayfair course.
Wie, making her first appearance in the event, closed her late afternoon round with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth. She also had a double-bogey 6 on No. 12, a bogey on the par-5 third and a birdie on the par-4 first.
Kelli Kuehne and Kyeong Bae opened with 66s, 2005 winner Meena Lee topped a group at 67, and Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster shot 68s.
HOCKEY
Devils sign Martin to contract
NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils kept a major piece of their defense together, signing Paul Martin to a three-year, $11.5 million contract.
Martin will earn $3 million this season, $4 million in 2008 and $4.5 million in 2009.
Since losing veteran Brian Rafalski — their best defenseman — to free agency, the Devils have re-signed Martin and Johnny Oduya and signed Karel Rachunek and Vitali Vishnevski.
Martin had three goals and 23 assists last season while playing in all 82 regular-season games. He added four assists in 11 playoff games.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
USCamong teams in new Thanksgiving tournament
ANAHEIM, Calif. — O.J. Mayo will be getting some early season national exposure when Southern California and seven other teams play in the new Anaheim Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.
Mayo, one of the nation’s most highly touted recruits, will be three games into his college basketball career when the Trojans play San Diego on Thanksgiving night on ESPN2.
The eight teams will play three games each from Nov. 22-25, taking Nov. 24 off to frolic at Disneyland. Five of the games will be shown on ESPN2, with the others televised on ESPNU.
The other Thanksgiving day matchups are: Mississippi State against UC Irvine; Southern Illinois vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga; and Miami of Ohio against Southern Alabama.
Summitt files for divorce
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, filed for divorce after nearly 27 years of marriage.
Irreconcilable differences were cited in the petition filed Wednesday in the Knoxville suburb of Maryville. She and husband R.B Summit will have been married 27 years on Aug. 23.
The couple has one child, Tyler, who will be 17 next month. The petition said there are no custody issues and the teenager is living with his mother. R.B. Summitt is a banker in Sevierville.
Summitt has 947 NCAA victories since she began coaching the Lady Vols in 1974. The Hall of Fame coach has led the Lady Vols to seven NCAA championships, including in April when they defeated Rutgers.
TENNIS
Federer avoids upset
MASON, Ohio — Roger Federer survived a scare from Marcos Baghdatis to move into the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, which has been brutal to seeded players this week.
Federer beat Baghdatis 7-6 (5), 7-5, shortly after 16th-seeded David Ferrer ousted defending champion Andy Roddick 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Only four seeds remain, including No. 9 James Blake, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-4 in an evening match. Blake said he’s no longer serving as tentatively as he was earlier this week, after pulling a stomach muscle a week ago.
TORONTO (AP) — Justine Henin beat China’s Peng Shuai 7-5, 6-2 at the Rogers Cup, moving three wins away from her sixth WTA Tour title of the season.
Other seeded players to advance included No. 2 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, No. 6 Nadia Petrova of Russia, and No. 12 Tatiana Golovin of France. Seventh-seeded Marian Bartoli beat No. 9 Dinara Safina of Russia 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-0 in the late match.
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