IN BRIEF

COLLEGES

New Mexico State unveils football coach

DeWayne Walker was introduced Wednesday as New Mexico State's football coach, promising to reassert the Aggies in the conference and region.

"Anybody who comes in here, especially New Mexico and (Texas-El Paso), we've got to let them have it," Walker said.

Walker, who spent three seasons as UCLA's defensive coordinator, is the seventh black head coach among the 119 major college football schools and fourth hired this month, along with Mike Locksley at New Mexico, Mike Haywood at Miami of Ohio and Ron English at Eastern Michigan.

Walker was offered a five-year contract to replace Hal Mumme, who was fired in early December after the Aggies went 3-9 last fall, including a 1-7 mark in the Western Athletic Conference.

Also: Alabama football coach Nick Saban didn't rule out the possibility of All-America left tackle Andre Smith returning for his senior season. An NCAA spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the governing body has spoken with university officials and determined that it is an internal matter.

Saban suspended the Outland Trophy winner for Friday's Sugar Bowl against No. 7 Utah after alleged dealings with a sports agent.

Rocky Long, the former New Mexico football coach, was hired as defensive coordinator at San Diego State by new coach Brady Hoke.

Long resigned at New Mexico in November after 11 seasons as head coach.

North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow missed her third straight game Wednesday as she battles a recurrence of breast cancer.

The 66-year-old Hall of Fame coach, who was first diagnosed with it in 1987, had hoped to be on the bench for her team's 61-58 victory over Georgetown. But team spokesman Mark Kimmel said she decided about four hours before tip-off that she would be unable to coach.

MISCELLANEOUS

Speedway Motorsports buys Kentucky track

Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased Kentucky Speedway, clearing the way for SMI owner Bruton Smith to try to bring a coveted NASCAR Sprint Cup race to the 1.5-mile tri-oval in northern Kentucky.

The deal was finalized more than seven months after SMI, which also owns Las Vegas Motor Speedway, agreed to buy the track from the speedway ownership group led by Jerry Carroll. According to papers filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Smith agreed to pay $78.3 million for the speedway that cost $152 million to build.

Also: Aaryn Ellenberg scored 26 points, but the Bishop Gorman girls basketball team came up just short, losing to host Campbell County (Wyo.) 61-60 in the championship game of the Energy Classic in Gillette, Wyo.

Dannielle Diamant added 16 points for the Gaels. Ellenberg and Diamant were named to the all-tournament team.

John Tavares scored three goals, and Canada overcame an early three-goal deficit to beat the United States 7-4 to earn a bye into the semifinals at the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.

Four-time defending champion Canada (4-0) was down 3-0 midway through the first period in the Group A game in front of a tournament-record 20,223 fans at Scotiabank Place.

Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who hasn't played since suffering a concussion Dec. 20, was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least another week.

Bergeron, who missed most of last season with a concussion, spent a night in the hospital after a collision with Carolina's Dennis Seidenberg. He remained on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the locker room.

Thailand's Denkaosan Kaovichit knocked out Japan's Takefumi Sakata in the second round to win the WBA flyweight title in Hiroshima.