Former Auburn Coach Eagles, 45, Dies on Court

Tommy Joe Eagles, basketball coach at the University of New Orleans, collapsed while playing basketball Saturday in Salt Lake City and died a short time later. He was 45.

Eagles was visiting Phoenix Sun assistant Scotty Robertson and several former players, who were participating in the Rocky Mountain Revue at the Delta Center.

According to Robertson, Eagles and one of his former players, Sun rookie forward Aaron Swinson, remained on the floor after practice at Salt Lake Community College to work on Swinson’s shooting. After throwing a pass to Swinson, Eagles collapsed and didn’t regain consciousness.

Paramedics were unable to revive him.

“He’s a non-drinker, non-smoker and jogger,” Robertson said. “He was supposedly in excellent shape. We’re all just devastated.”

Eagles accepted the New Orleans job in May after resigning from Auburn. A Louisiana native who played and later coached at Louisiana Tech, he resigned under pressure in March after Auburn posted an 11-17 season. His record at the Southeastern Conference school was 64-78 in five seasons.

Tennis

Jason Stoltenberg continued his string of upsets in the $1.7-million Player’s International tournament at Toronto, ousting fourth-seeded Jim Courier, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals.

The unseeded Australian has beaten Canada’s Daniel Nestor, seventh-seeded Marc Rosset of Switzerland and 15th-seeded American Richey Reneberg en route to the final, in which he will face eighth-seeded Andre Agassi. Agassi defeated sixth-seeded Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, 6-4, 7-5.

Unseeded Richard Fromberg of Australia ousted top-seeded Alberto Berasategui of Spain from the $300,000 Dutch Open clay-court championships with a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-0 victory at Hilversum.

Fromberg will play another unseeded player, Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic, in today’s final. Novacek, a two-time champion here, defeated 18-year-old Marcelo Rios of Chile, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez won in straight sets, setting up a championship confrontation between the world’s second- and third-ranked players in the U.S. Women’s Hardcourts tournament at Stratton Mountain, Vt.

Sanchez Vicario defeated Iva Majoli of Croatia, 6-3, 6-3, and Martinez survived a 50-minute rain delay and eliminated Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-4, 6-4.

Pro Basketball

Pervis Ellison, a forward-center who has been plagued by injuries during his five NBA seasons, reportedly has agreed to a contract with the Boston Celtics. The Boston Globe quoted an unidentified source as saying the 6-foot-11 Ellison signed a six-year contract for more than $12 million.

Miscellany

Craig Charron and Steve Wilson scored two goals each as the Blades defeated the Phoenix Cobras, 10-7, in a Roller Hockey International game at the Forum. It was the seventh home victory in a row for the Blades (14-4), who lead the league with 28 points.

Michael Jordan, batting .189, hit the first home run of his pro baseball career in the Birmingham Barons’ 6-1 victory over the Carolina Mudcats. . . . Moses Kiptanui of Kenya set a world record for two miles in 8 minutes 9.01 seconds at Hechtel, Belgium. Kiptanui, who holds world records in the 3,000 meters and 3,000 steeplechase, beat the mark of 8:12.17 by Moroccan Khalid Skah, set at the same track on July 31 last year.