Francis’ Killer Gets Life: The man who shot and killed former USC guard Ryan Francis has been sentenced to life in prison. DeAnthony Ford, 20, killed Francis in Baton Rouge, La., the Trojan guard’s hometown. Home for Mother’s Day, he was riding in a car when Ford shot him. [9/21/07]

Ohio State Must Pay O’Brien: Former Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien hasn’t coached the Buckeyes to a single victory since 2004, but he’ll soon be receiving $2.5 million from the school. An appeals court ruled that the university must pay O’Brien for wrongfully firing the coach in 2004. In 1998, […]

Rattlers Choose Veteran Assistant as New Coach: Forced to find a new coach late in the off-season, Florida A&M has named Eugene Harris head coach. Harris takes over for the Rattlers after former coach Mike Gillespie was fired late in the summer. Police arrested and charged Gillespie with stalking a […]

Crawford Repairs Knee: Kentucky senior guard Joe Crawford, who figures to play a central under new coach Billy Gillespie, had arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee. Crawford should recover in time to begin practice in a few weeks, but Gillespie said the senior leader will miss some time in […]

Fields Is in Pure Trouble: Pittsburgh junior guard Levance Fields was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, disarming a police officer, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after an incident at a Pittsburgh nightclub. The 20-year-old was kicked out of the Pure nightclub but continued to launch a profanity-laden rant outside […]

Hobbs Extends His Term: In a city filled with speculation about who’s next, George Washington hopes coach Karl Hobbs’ tenure will outlast the next president’s term in the White House. The university extended Hobbs’ contract through 2012, giving the coach the job security to aggressively recruit the most talented players. […]

Tide Point Guard to Sit: Alabama senior point guard Ronald Steele will sit out the upcoming season with a medical redshirt while he fully recovers from two off-season knee surgeries. The medical redshirt will preserve Steele’s final year of eligibility. After watching his scoring average dip by nearly six points […]

Ball State Investigation Comes Up Empty: Despite the work of fingerprinting experts and interviews with more than 30 people, Ball State’s investigation into racial notes targeting former coach Ronny Thompson and his staff has not produced any suspects. The school’s director of public safety said the investigation has yielded no […]

Everhart Leaves Hospital: Duquesne coach Ron Everhart is almost ready to get back to work after leaving a Pittsburgh hospital. Everhart spent three days in Mercy Hospital so doctors could remove a small portion of his colon. Last season, he occasionally had to deal with the pain caused by diverticulitis, […]

Holy Cross Will Keep Willard Around Longer: Ralph Willard agreed to a five-year contract extention as the head coach at Holy Cross, which will keep him at his alma mater through the 2012-13 season. In eight seasons in Worcester, Willard has posted a 159-89 record and led the Crusaders to […]