Announced
That he will remain at Florida, basketball coach Billy Donovan, three daysafter the Gators won their second straight national championship. Donovan wasrumored to be considering the opening at Kentucky, where he was an assistantunder Rick Pitino. (The job went to Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie afterDonovan's announcement.) Donovan has gone 261--103 in 11 years at Florida andbuilt a hoops powerhouse at what was once predominantly a football school.He'll try to continue that success next season without juniors Corey Brewer,Taurean Green, Al Horford (above) and Joakim Noah, all of whom said last weekthat they will leave school early and declare for this summer's NBA draft.
Jumped
To West Virginia after a season as Kansas State's basketball coach, BobHuggins. The 53-year-old Huggins grew up in Morgantown, W.Va., played for theMountaineers from 1975 to '77 and began his coaching career as a graduateassistant there. He sat out the 2005--06 season after being fired byCincinnati, and was given a six-year contract by Kansas State last year. (Hemust pay the Wildcats $100,000 for breaking the deal.) "I wanted to be heresince I was a little kid," Huggins said at his introductory pressconference. "Thanks for letting me come home."
Pleaded Guilty
To bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, Olympic gold medalist TimMontgomery. The sprinter, 32, who won 4 √ó 100-meter gold at the 2000 Games, wasone of 11 people charged in New York in April '06 for allegedly depositing orpossessing $5 million in stolen or counterfeit checks over a three-year period.Montgomery originally pleaded not guilty, but on Monday he reached a deal withprosecutors. He faces between 37 and 46 months in prison.
Swum
By 52-year-old Martin Strel, the entire length of the Amazon. Strel'sunprecedented 3,375-mile voyage down the world's second-longest river took 66days. The Slovenian (below)—who was also the first to swim the Yangtze, theDanube and the Mississippi—had to navigate waters that contained piranhas andbloodsucking fish. He suffered from several stomach ailments, which kept himfrom talking to reporters after he finished. "My dad's lying in hisroom," Strel's 26-year-old son, Borut, said. "He's O.K.; he's a toughguy."
Died
Of multiple stab wounds after an altercation at a bar in College Station,Texas, last Thursday, walk-on Rice guard Jonathan Bailey. Bailey, 22, and histwin brother, Janson, were involved in a fight in the bar; after the brawlerswere asked to leave, the fight continued outside, where both Bailey brotherswere stabbed. (Janson survived and was released from the hospital on Monday.)Police arrested Ronald Andrew Johnson Jr., 23, of College Station, on a murdercharge. Said Rice coach Willis Wilson, "This is one of those life eventsyou can never explain."
Suspended
For two weeks for making racist comments about the Rutgers women's basketballteam, nationally syndicated radio host Don Imus. On April 4, the day after theScarlet Knights were beaten by Tennessee in the national championship game,Imus referred to the mostly black team as "rough girls" and acollection of "nappy-headed hos." The remarks prompted calls for Imus'sfiring from the NAACP and the Reverend Al Sharpton; a spokesperson for CBSRadio, which owns the show, said the company was "disappointed" andthat the comments were "completely inappropriate." Last Friday, Imusapologized on his show and did so again Monday on Sharpton's radio show. Laterthat day CBS announced Imus's show would be pulled from the air for two weeksbeginning on April 16.
Declined
To renew the contract of coach Micheal Ray Richardson, the Albany Patroons ofthe Continental Basketball Association. After a March 27 playoff gameRichardson insulted a fan with a gay slur and then made several insensitivecomments during an interview with the Albany Times-Union, saying that he had"big-time Jew lawyers" working for him and that Jews are "hated allover the world, so they've got to be crafty." Richardson later apologizedand said the remarks were not anti-Semitic: "I was giving compliments,"he said. "It's like saying the NBA is 85 percent black." Said PatroonsG.M. Jim Coyne, "I think he learned a lot of lessons, tough lessons. Itdoesn't mean he shouldn't coach again."
Ordered
By a panel of Swiss judges to reopen the doping case of tennis player GuillermoCanas, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Canas, who beat RogerFederer twice last month, received a 15-month suspension from the CAS in 2005after testing positive for a banned masking agent. (Canas, who maintains thathe never knowingly took anything illegal, ingested the agent through medicinesupplied by a tournament doctor. He returned to the ATP Tour last September.)Canas (left) appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which has jurisdictionover the CAS, and he is the first athlete to successfully challenge the courtin its 23-year history. Canas will likely seek damages from the ATP but, saidhis agent Cedric Aguet, "our first ambition is to try to clear hisname."
They Said It
TODD JONES, Tigers reliever, on receiving his 2006 ALchampionship ring:
"When I go to eat with my wife, it'll be dinner for three. I'm going toname it and give it its own plate."
Go Figure
3 Walk-off grand slams the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez hashit in his career, tying Cy Williams (who played from 1912 to '30) and VernStephens (1941--55) for the most in major league history.
50 Goals by Senators winger Dany Heatley, the firstNHL player with consecutive 50-goal seasons since Pavel Bure in 2000 and'01.
18 Years since the last time NBA teammates (MichaelJordan and Scottie Pippen of the Bulls) had triple doubles in the same gamebefore the Nets' Vince Carter and Jason Kidd did it in a win over the Wizardslast Saturday.
1 Players in NBA history who have been older than44-year-old center Kevin Willis, who signed with the Mavericks last week; NatHickey played for the Providence Steamrollers at age 45 in 1948.
19 Consecutive losses in San Antonio by the Warriors,tying the Bucks' 0-for-19 streak in Phoenix for the longest current winless runagainst a team on the road in the NBA.
SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
An incarcerated Thai drug dealer won the women's WBClight flyweight title in a fight at a Bangkok prison.
PHOTO
BOB ROSATO (HORFORD)
PHOTO
AMAZON SWIM/AP (STREL)
PHOTO
DEANNE FITZMAURICE (PICTURE THIS)
PICTURE THIS Great Dane Gibson, the world's tallest dog (7'2" on his hind legs), and friend.
PHOTO
DAVID E. KLUTHO (JONES)
PHOTO
RON C. ANGLE/BEIMAGES SPORTS (CANAS)
