In Brief

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Following Sweet 16 run, Groce
leaves Ohio for Illinois job

John Groce was introduced Thursday as Illinois' basketball coach, taking over a team that has missed the NCAA Tournament three of the past five years. He replaces the fired Bruce Weber.

Groce, 40, had been at Ohio University, a Mid-American Conference school, since 2008. He led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament twice, including a run to the Sweet 16 this year that ended with an overtime loss to North Carolina. The Bobcats hadn't been that far in the tournament since 1964.

Groce will be paid a base salary of $1.4 million a year and has a five-year contract, a significant upgrade from the $355,000 he made this season at Ohio. He was 85-56 at the school, including 29-8 this season. Before taking over at Ohio, he was an assistant to Thad Matta at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State.

Also: Kansas assistant coach Danny Manning, who led the Jayhawks to the NCAA championship in 1988 and was the No. 1 pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, agreed to become the head coach at Tulsa.

Manning joins Barry Hinson as the second assistant from coach Bill Self's staff to announce his departure during Final Four week. Both coaches will assume their new duties after Kansas is done in New Orleans. Hinson accepted the head position at Southern Illinois.

Manning, 45, takes over for Doug Wojcik, who was fired after four 20-win seasons but no NCAA Tournament appearances. Manning spent nine years on the Kansas staff.

North Carolina sophomore small forward Harrison Barnes, junior power forward John Henson and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall said they will enter the NBA Draft. Marshall won the Cousy Award on Thursday presented to the nation's top point guard.

Pat Kelsey, 36, was hired as Winthrop's basketball coach, replacing Randy Peele, who was fired after the team's second straight losing season.

Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey has been diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis that she said won't change the way she coaches in the Final Four. The Bears play Stanford in Sunday's semifinals at Denver.

FOOTBALL

Ruling blocks sales of Reebok Tebow-Jets merchandise

New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has been introduced to fans, but they'll have to wait until Tuesday to meet his official NFL jersey. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel granted Nike Inc. a temporary restraining order, finding "sufficient reason" to block sales of Tebow merchandise created by Reebok International Ltd. after March 1.

Nike has a five-year contract to be the NFL's exclusive provider of on-field apparel, including game uniforms and sideline apparel. It maintained in a lawsuit that Reebok rushed to market the Tebow apparel to take advantage of a "unique and short-lived opportunity." Nike said Reebok was required to get Tebow's permission if it intended to hurry out shipments of Jets apparel after he was acquired last week from the Denver Broncos. Reebok's 10-year NFL licensing deal ends this month.

Castel banned Reebok from selling any apparel with the name "Tebow" on it unless it was made by March 1, while he was still with the Broncos.

Also: Mark Rypien, the 1992 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player with the Washington Redskins, joined the list of more than 120 former NFL players who are suing the league because, they say, more should have been done to inform them about concussions and more can be done now to help them. Rypien said he has dealt with depression and has problems remembering simple things, including conversations with his girlfriend, so they record themselves talking. He said he had two diagnosed concussions over his 11 NFL seasons.

Free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove agreed to a deal with the Green Bay Packers, a move that could provide a much-needed boost to the team's pass rush. Hargrove, who has 19½ sacks in 102 regular-season games, played for the Seattle Seahawks last season and had three sacks in 15 games.

The judge overseeing former Penn State football assistant Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse case delayed the start of the trial in Harrisburg, Pa., by three weeks to early June, and prosecutors filed a lengthy court document that said the case should not be dismissed. Judge John Cleland said extra time is needed "to accommodate various logistical contingencies that have arisen."

GOLF

Cabrera, Pettersson share lead
in suspended Houston Open

Angel Cabrera and Carl Pettersson took advantage of early tee times to beat the rain and share the first-round lead in the Houston Open at Humble, Texas. Cabrera and Pettersson each shot 7-under-par 65 in calm morning conditions to set the pace before the round was suspended by a thunderstorm.

Only 51 players completed play. Tournament director Steve Timms said the storm dumped about 1¼ inches of rain, leaving shallow ponds on many of the fairways. Grounds crews fanned out across the course late in the afternoon, and Timms was optimistic Redstone would be playable when the first round was scheduled to resume this morning.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, who needs a victory to qualify for the Masters next week, were playing their front nines when play was suspended. Timms said he hopes to finish the tournament by 5 p.m. (CDT) Sunday to accommodate TV and the players heading to Augusta, Ga.

Also: Amy Yang shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Lindsey Wright after the first round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Yani Tseng was third at 68, ending the top-ranked player's streak of eight consecutive rounds with the lead. The five-time major champion has won two straight tournaments and three of five this season.

Peter Lawrie of Ireland led the European Tour's Sicilian Open by one stroke after shooting an 8-under 64 in the first round.

MISCELLANEOUS

Sharapova nudges Wozniacki,
will meet Radwanska in final

Maria Sharapova defeated Caroline Wozniacki 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the final of the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla. Sharapova will play Agnieszka Radwanska, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Marion Bartoli, in Saturday's final.

In the men's quarterfinals, top-ranked and defending champion Novak Djokovic beat David Ferrer, 6-2, 7-6 (1). Djokovic will meet Juan Monaco, who defeated American Mardy Fish, 6-1, 6-3. Rafael Nadal, seeking his first Key Biscayne title, will play 2009 champion Andy Murray in the other semifinal.

Also: Las Vegan Jason Zucker became the first NHL player from Nevada, making his debut for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers at Minneapolis. Zucker, who signed Tuesday, was scoreless on three shots in 10:55 of ice time.

Wranglers center Eric Lampe was named a first-team forward on the All-ECHL team. He leads the league in goals (36), is tied for first with seven game-winning goals and 12th in points (63).

Left wing Adam Miller was named a second-team forward, and Joe Fallon was named second-team goaltender. Miller is second in the ECHL in points (80), and Fallon is tied for first in wins (30).

The UNLV track and field team won two events at the Texas Relays in Austin. Amanda Bingson claimed the hammer throw with a toss of 220 feet, 7 inches, and the 4x800 relay team of Laura Affeld, Alison Bartosch, Brett Zorich and Kelsey Williamson won in 8:39.22.

Former NHRA Pro Stock driver Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, voted No. 8 among the sport's greatest racers in a 2001 experts poll, died Thursday at age 81. He won 13 NHRA national events.