IN BRIEF

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

McMackin replacing Jones as Hawaii coach

Greg McMackin was hired as Hawaii's football coach Wednesday after serving as its defensive coordinator last season on a team that went undefeated until losing in the Sugar Bowl.

He replaces June Jones, who left the Warriors to coach Southern Methodist less than a week after they were routed by Georgia. McMackin agreed to a five-year deal that will pay him $1.1 million a season, making him the highest-paid coach in school history.

The 58-year-old former assistant with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks said the Warriors will not change their wide-open offense that flourished last season behind NFL-bound quarterback Colt Brennan.

Also: Mississippi tackle Michael Oher changed his mind and decided to return to school for his senior season, two days after making himself eligible for the NFL Draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft was Tuesday, but they are given three days to change their minds, as long as they don't sign with an agent.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Calhoun will return to UConn bench tonight

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun plans to be back on the sideline when the Huskies host Providence tonight.

The Hall of Fame coach left the bench during the second half of UConn's win over St. John's on Jan. 8, suffering from what team officials at the time said was a combination of stress and exhaustion.

Calhoun was too ill to coach in the Huskies' 72-69 loss to Georgetown on Saturday. Associate head coach George Blaney guided the team in his absence.

Also: Penn State forward Geary Claxton will miss the rest of the season after tests confirmed the senior will need surgery on a torn knee ligament.

Claxton tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and had a bone bruise Tuesday in Penn State's 80-55 loss to Wisconsin, team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli said.

Claxton was leading the team this season with 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

MISCELLANEOUS

Solo helps U.S. soccer rout China in warm-up

Goalie Hope Solo played the entire game as the U.S. women's soccer team routed Canada 4-0 in Guangzhou, China, in a warm-up for the Olympic qualifiers this spring.

Solo was kicked off the team in September after the World Cup semifinals in China when she ripped coach Greg Ryan for playing Briana Scurry in a match against Brazil, which beat the Americans, 4-0.

Solo's comments got her dismissed from the team.

Ryan's contract wasn't renewed, and the Americans hired their first foreign coach: Pia Sundhage, a Swedish soccer star who was an assistant coach for China in the Cup.

Also: Santa Anita is changing its racing surface, hoping the additions will make the track easier on horses and hold up better in different weather.

The changes were prompted by the hardening and poor drainage of the synthetic surface.

Track president Ron Charles said it will take up to 12 days to produce a stabilizing binder that will be mixed into the surface without having to remove or displace the track.

Tish Johnson used a 300 game to move into the women's lead of the United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials at Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson.

Johnson, the winner of 25 professional women's titles, leads Stefanie Nation by 122 pins heading into today's third of four rounds.

Nathan Bohr continues to lead the men's division, and Henderson's Steven Villanueva fell from second place after the first round to 48th.