Bearcat to Sit Out 14 Games

The NCAA restored the eligibility of Cincinnati forward Ruben Patterson, but said he must sit out 14 games for accepting illegal benefits.

Athletic Director Bob Goin said he would appeal the suspension.

If the suspension is upheld, Patterson, who has missed Cincinnati’s first three games, would not be able to play until the Bearcats’ Jan. 18 game at Louisville.

The university last month forwarded an appeal on behalf of Patterson to the NCAA. Patterson, a senior, averaged 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds last season.

The university informed the NCAA of a plan for Patterson to pay $1,434 in restitution for benefits he received in violation of NCAA rules.

Cincinnati told the NCAA that Patterson received housing and meals in a university dormitory and had use of computers and some academic services before his enrollment at the school.

Patterson also received free lodging for up to 30 days, made unauthorized long-distance telephone calls and had his employer -- who has ties to the university’s athletic programs -- co-sign for a car loan. Patterson has returned the 1991 Nissan Maxima.

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St. Mary’s 7-foot-3 junior center, Brad Millard, one of the top players in the West Coast Conference, will miss at least five weeks because of a broken left foot.

The 345-pound Millard was to undergo surgery to have a pin placed in his foot, which will then be placed in a cast.

Millard hurt the foot last week in practice, aggravating a problem he had in high school. A bone scan Monday detected a full break.

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The sports agent who provided two Connecticut basketball players with airline tickets in violation of NCAA rules, has agreed not to be an agent for student athletes for the next five years.

John Lounsbury entered into the agreement Tuesday with the Connecticut state Department of Consumer Protection to settle a complaint filed by the department under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, Commissioner Mark Shiffrin said.

As part of the agreement, Lounsbury admitted he provided airline tickets to players Ricky Moore and Kirk King in the fall of 1995.

The NCAA stripped UConn of its run to the 1996 NCAA regional semifinals and ordered it to return $90,970 in tournament money as a result of the infractions.

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An inflatable rubberized can designed to promote a brand of beer is being removed from Fresno State’s basketball court in the wake of guard Chris Herren’s leaving the team to deal with substance abuse.

After Herren began a rehabilitation program last week, Fresno Bee sports columnist Bill McEwen and others criticized the university for its close commercial ties with beer companies.

The inflatable beer can serves as a tunnel through which the players run onto the court.