IN BRIEF

OLYMPICS

UConn's Auriemma to coach women's squad

Fresh from leading unbeaten Connecticut to the NCAA championship, Geno Auriemma is set to become coach of the U.S. women's basketball team through the 2012 Olympics in London.

Auriemma will serve as coach for the next three years, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

A news conference was scheduled for today in Storrs, Conn., home of the Huskies.

Auriemma, 55, guided Connecticut to its sixth national championship and third perfect season.

GOLF

Teen phenom Lee decides to turn pro

Danny Lee, the youngest winner on the European PGA Tour, has turned professional following his debut at the Masters.

The 18-year-old New Zealander, who won the U.S. Amateur championship in August, will make his first pro appearance at the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans next week.

Lee is making the transition after becoming the youngest player to win on the European Tour at February's Johnnie Walker Classic. That victory came six months after he eclipsed Tiger Woods as the youngest U.S. Amateur champion by securing the title one month after his 18th birthday.

Lee missed the cut at Augusta last weekend.

MISCELLANEOUS

Las Vegas bowl game gets new sponsor, name

Officials unveiled a new sponsor and a new name for the annual college football bowl game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The game will be called the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, and it will be played this year on Dec. 22. Bowl executive Tina Kunzer-Murphy announced a three-year sponsorship agreement with Maaco Inc., an auto repair chain.

Kunzer-Murphy said Christmas scheduling is pushing the 18th annual game to a Tuesday for the first time since 2001. The event is owned by ESPN Regional Television. It will be broadcast by ESPN.

Plans call for the champion or first selection from the Mountain West Conference to play the fourth or fifth selection from the Pac-10.

Also: Rick Porter, the owner of Old Fashioned, said that the onetime Kentucky Derby favorite was being retired after surgery to repair a slab fracture in his front right knee.

The injury was detected after Old Fashioned finished second in Saturday's Arkansas Derby, his final Kentucky Derby prep race.

Jim France is stepping down as head of International Speedway Corp., the largest operator of NASCAR tracks.

Lesa France, the granddaughter of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will assume her uncle's role as chief executive officer of ISC. The change becomes official June 1.

Four-time champion Bill Rodgers will run the Boston Marathon again this year. Rodgers was given a bib showing his last name and the official number of 79 to honor the 30th anniversary of his 1979 victory. The 61-year-old last completed the race in 1996 in just over 2 hours, 53 minutes.

The 51s' game against the Salt Lake Bees in Salt Lake City was postponed because of rain. The Pacific Coast League game will be made up as part of a doubleheader today, starting at 4 p.m.