Sendek Named N.C. State Coach

Herb Sendek, who coached Miami of Ohio to a postseason berth in each of his three seasons at the school, became the new basketball coach at North Carolina State on Tuesday.

Sendek, 33, a former assistant to Rick Pitino at Kentucky, will replace Les Robinson, who resigned March 22 after six seasons as the Wolfpack’s coach.

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Mississippi State junior Dontae’ Jones has hired an agent, effectively ending his collegiate basketball career. Jones, who in his only season at the school helped the Bulldogs reach their first NCAA Final Four, had announced earlier this week that he would forgo his senior season and make himself available for the NBA draft.

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Vitaly Potapenko, a junior center at Wright State, said he would declare for the NBA draft but is not sure he wants to give up his final year of college eligibility. Potapenko, a native Ukrainian, has not hired an agent and may withdraw from consideration up to 48 hours before the draft.

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The NCAA has opened an inquiry into the Weber State men’s basketball program and allegations of recruiting inducements to prospective athletes and extra benefits to enrolled athletes.

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Two former Cal State Stanislaus basketball players claim they received A grades for a physical education class neither attended, the Modesto Bee reported.

Undrae Walker, a reserve forward, said he got an A in 1993 for a course called “Theory of Coaching Basketball,” and a player who requested anonymity said he got an A in the course in 1989.

The course was taught by basketball Coach John Jones, who refused to discuss the allegations.

Auto Racing

Michael Andretti was put on probation by CART, which also fined driver Christian Fittipaldi and two racing teams.

Andretti, who also was put on probation last year, was punished for his actions in three of the last four CART Indy car races. Two of the incidents occurred Sunday at Long Beach and involved contact with PacWest drivers Mauricio Gugelmin and Teo Fabi.

The crews of Andretti’s Newman-Haas team and the PacWest team were fined $5,000. Fittipaldi was fined $5,000 for grabbing and pushing Greg Moore after their cars had collided at Long Beach.

Gymnastics

Ivan Ivankov of Belarus had the best all-around day at the World Gymnastics Championships at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ivankov finished in the top five spots in five of the six apparatus events in the first phase of the men’s competition.

American Chainey Umphrey finished the day in second place in the high bar, and Stephen McCain was in fourth in the parallel bars. Teammate Bill Roth was in a sixth-place tie in the floor exercise.

Jurisprudence

A Phoenix judge ordered former Arizona Cardinal Luis Sharpe arrested for failing to undergo a drug test ordered as part of the condition of his release while facing drug and assault charges.

Dominique Wilkins, a former NBA star, was not in a Bahamas court to answer accusations he paid $100,000 in a cocaine deal that went bad. Wilkins remained in Greece, where he now plays, and sent two lawyers to represent him.

Wilkins has denied involvement in any drug deal. His name emerged during an investigation into the killings of two Bahamians found burned to death in a car in December, 1991.

Miscellany

Bayern Munich and Girondins Bordeaux advanced to the final of the UEFA Cup by winning their semifinal games. Bayern Munich, seeking its first European title since 1976, won, 2-1, at Barcelona to advance on 4-3 aggregate. Bordeaux, 15th in the French League, won, 1-0, at home against Slavia Prague to advance on 2-0 aggregate.

Tuesday night’s college baseball game between No. 1 Fullerton State and No. 2 USC was postponed by rain. It will be played tonight at 7 p.m. at Dedeaux Field.

Uta Pippig, the women’s champion in Monday’s Boston Marathon, was hospitalized for tests because of stomach problems, according to her coach, Dieter Hogan.

Names in the News

Quarterback John Elway signed a five-year, $29.5-million contract with the Denver Broncos.

Lindsay Davenport, Gigi Fernandez, Mary Joe Fernandez and Chanda Rubin will play for the United States in this month’s Fed Cup tennis matches against Austria at Salzburg.

U.S. Water Polo president Richard J. Foster, an attorney in Irvine, was elected the U.S. delegate to the FINA General Congress, which will meet during the Olympics in Atlanta.

As expected, Mighty Duck Coach Ron Wilson was named coach of the U.S. World Championships team. His assistants will be Tim Army of the Ducks and Ted Sator of the Hartford Whalers. The tournament starts Sunday in Vienna.