The Morning Dish – Tuesday, December 21st
Majerus Sorry, USC Searching…Knight Interested?: Rick Majerus apologized to Southern California athletic director
Mike Garrett for changing his mind after accepting the Trojans’ head coaching job last week. Majerus, who at the press
conference announcing his hiring indicated that his health was not an issue, changed his tone Monday, saying “I’m not fit
enough for this job for my standards.” Majerus will return to his job as college basketball analyst for ESPN, and Garrett will
return his attention to luring a head coach to Los Angeles. Among the top candidates for the position, currently occupied by
former assistant coach Jim Saia, are Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal, Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and former Chicago Bulls,
New Orleans Hornets and Iowa State coach Tim Floyd. George Karl, the former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle
Supersonics and current ESPN NBA analyst is also thought to be a potential candidate. Citing an unnamed source, The Los
Angeles Daily News reported that Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight is interested in a possible job change.
Sprain Sidelines Simien: Kansas senior power forward Wayne Simien will be out four to six weeks after undergoing
surgery last night to repair a severely sprained left thumb. The preseason All-American, who was averaging 17.4 points and 12
rebounds per game, suffered the injury in the Jayhawks’ 64-60 victory over South Carolina Saturday. Simien missed 28 games
because of injury during his first three seasons in Lawrence. Kansas takes on Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Kemper Arena Wednesday
before they begin preparation for a New Year’s Day showdown with Georgia Tech.
Bye George: Louisville forward Otis George, who had already missed four games this season because of a stress fracture in
his right foot, will be sidelined two to four weeks after aggravating the same injury. George’s latest setback came during
practice Sunday, one day after he scored six points and pulled down six boards in a 60-58 loss to rival Kentucky. The
senior and fan favorite is averaging 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season. The No. 14 Cardinals take on IUPUI
tonight.
Out of the Doghouse: Arizona senior shooting guard Salim Stoudamire, who was benched for Saturday’s 48-43 win at
Marquette, is expected to be in the starting lineup when Arizona hosts Manhattan tonight. Chris Rodgers started in place of
Stoudamire against the Golden Eagles and responded with 16 points and six rebounds, but Arizona was held to its lowest point
total in 20 years. Coach Lute Olson suspended Stoudamire from the team for a week for sulking and moping after being
held scoreless for just the third time in 101 career games in Arizona’s 67-62 victory against Utah Dec. 11. Stoudamire, who
faced a similar suspension last season, is the Wildcats’ leading scorer and is shooting a team-high 45.2 percent from the
field.
Buffs Dismiss Smith: Colorado coach Ricardo Patton confirmed that highly recruited freshman swingman Keith Smith
was dismissed from the program for an undisclosed violation of team rules. It’s been a rough couple of years in Boulder for
Smith, who sat out last season after undergoing two foot surgeries. The former Oklahoma prep star had foot surgery in October
2002 at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, which went well save for one minor problem: The surgeons operated on the
wrong foot. Smith went to another hospital to get surgery done on the correct foot. Now, instead of looking for another
hospital, he’s looking for another school, where he would be eligible to play in the second semester of next season.
Settlements Reached: The family of former Oklahoma State guard Daniel Lawson Jr., one of 10 men who died when a plane
carrying members of the Cowboys’ basketball program crashed Jan. 27, 2001, on the way back from a game at Colorado, was
awarded a $1.6 million settlement. The settlement was split between Lawson’s parents, 3-year-old son and attorneys. The
families of five other men killed in the crash also reached settlements. North Bay Charter, the owner of the airplane,
and the estate of pilot Denver Mills combined to pay more than $1.2 million. Marathon Power Technologies Co., an
airplane parts manufacturer, paid $200,000.
Adeleke Bids Adieu: Hartford senior Kenny Adeleke, sitting out this season in accordcance with NCAA rules after
transferring from Hofstra, left the Hawks for “undisclosed personal reasons,” according to a Hartford official. Adeleke
averaged 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season and left Hofstra 14th on the school’s career scoring list and
fifth on the rebound list. The 6-foot-9, 250 pound forward, who initially committed to DePaul out of high school, left
Hofstra during the summer for disciplinary reasons and cannot play in Division I again unless he returns to Hartford.
Wright Breaks Nose: Indiana forward Bracey Wright broke his nose in two places on Sunday night after taking an elbow
during Indiana’s 56-53 loss to Missouri. Wright suffered the injury during the first half but received a shot to dull the
pain at the break and returned to play the final 13 minutes. Wright is unsure whether he will play against Charlotte
Wednesday.
Texas Tech Officials OK’d Purchase of Banned Stimulants: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that former Texas Tech
sports nutrition expert Aaron Shelley purchased products containing ephedra and other banned stimulants during his four years
in Lubbock and that he got approval to make the purchases from athletic officials, including athletic director Gerald Myers
and head basketball coach Bob Knight. Shelley, who was fired in February, pleaded guilty last Thursday to a money laundering
charge. He was accused of defrauding the school of nearly $500,000 by inflating prices and even creating fake products.
Lappas Suspends Anderson: Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas suspended senior point guard Anthony Anderson for three games
for violating team rules. The suspension took effect before Sunday’s 70-67 win against Davidson, and Anderson will also miss home
games against Rider and Boston University. Anderson is averaging 11 points per game this season and is tied for second place
on the school’s all-time three-pointers made list with Carmelo Travieso (245).
Ranked Teams Roll: Syracuse, Cincinnati and Mississippi State all won last night. The Orange downed Cornell 82-69
behind 19 points and 10 boards from Hakim Warrick. Leading by just one at the break, Syracuse forced 17 second-half turnovers
to pull away for its 28th straight win against Cornell, which shot 15-of-24 from long range. In Cincinnati, the Bearcats jumped
out to an early 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 95-43 victory to improve to 8-0 for the fifth time in the past 10
seasons. The victory was the 550th of head coach Bob Huggins’ career. And in Starkville, Lawrence Roberts scored a game-high
25 points as the Bulldogs throttled Florida A&M 104-80.
