THE SIDELINES : Ex-Iowa Coach New Drake AD

Lynn King, a former coach and administrator at Northern Iowa, today was named athletic director for a Drake program trying to bind the wounds left by a basketball player revolt last winter.

King, 44, was appointed by Drake President Michael Ferrari after a nationwide search that lasted 4 1/2 months. More than 100 people sought the job, which opened when Curt Blake resigned June 1.

King takes over a program that was shaken last winter when members of the men’s basketball team complained that Coach Tom Abatemarco abused them. The players threatened a boycott unless he was removed. The university reassigned Abatemarco to other duties while it investigated the complaints, and Abatemarco resigned after the investigation determined that he had demeaned his players.