COLLEGE BASKETBALL / DAILY REPORT : ACROSS THE NATION : Fired Baylor Coach to File Lawsuit

Pam Bowers, fired as women’s basketball coach at Baylor, said Tuesday that she will sue the school in Waco, Tex., claiming she was dismissed because of sexual discrimination and whistle-blowing.

Bowers originally was fired last year after exposing alleged irregularities in the men’s basketball program at Baylor. She was rehired for one year after filing complaints of sexual discrimination and violations of Title IX, which calls for the equal treatment of men’s and women’s athletics.

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Kevin O’Neill, the new Tennessee coach, ripped some Marquette alumni for making his job harder during his first years as coach of the Warriors.

“There are a bunch of former players in this town who I can tell you right now tried to derail this program at every turn,” said O’Neill, who did not identify those players.

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John Kresse, who led the College of Charleston to its first appearance in the NCAA tournament this season, agreed to a 10-year contract worth more than $900,000, the school said in Charleston, S.C. . . . Former Western Kentucky coach Ralph Willard was officially hired as Pitt’s coach on his 48th birthday and vowed: “There won’t be many dull moments. Basketball at Pitt is going to be fun.” . . . Southeastern Louisiana coach Norman Picou resigned after only two seasons to become an assistant to his long-time friend Ben Jobe at Southern University.