Sprewell’s Lawsuit Against Warriors, NBA Is Dismissed

A federal judge in San Francisco on Thursday dismissed a $30-million suit filed by Golden State Warrior guard Latrell Sprewell to challenge his suspension for choking his coach.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said Sprewell’s suit against the Warriors and the NBA had “manifold deficiencies,” but he gave Sprewell’s lawyers until Aug. 31 to decide if they want to refile.

Sprewell assaulted Coach P.J. Carlesimo during a Dec. 1 practice session, prompting the team to terminate his $24-million contract and the NBA to order him suspended for one year.

In March, an arbitrator reinstated Sprewell as a member of the Warriors, reducing the suspension to the remainder of the 1997-98 season, a span of 68 games.

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The NBA failed to get an order prohibiting arbitrator John Feerick from holding a hearing on whether players should be paid during a lockout.

College Basketball

Scott Padgett of defending national champion Kentucky and Andre Miller of Utah, which lost to the Wildcats in the title game, lead 25 candidates for the John Wooden Award.

In March, the 10-player Wooden All-American team will be announced and one member will be selected for the Wooden Award as the nation’s top college player.

Other candidates include sophomore guard Baron Davis of UCLA, senior guard Arthur Lee of Stanford and senior centers Todd MacCulloch of Washington and Tim Young of Stanford.

Tennis

Third-seeded Venus Williams rallied to defeat Corina Morariu, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic at Palo Alto. Second-seeded Monica Seles breezed past Anne-Gaelle Sidot of France, 6-3, 6-1, to reach the semifinals. . . . Defending champion Filip DeWulf of Belgium needed only 57 minutes to defeat Thomas Muster of Austria, 6-2, 6-4, in the third round of the Generali Open at Kitzbuehel, Austria. Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, ranked 62nd in the world, turned in the biggest surprise of the round by beating seventh-ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, 6-4, 6-1. . . . Defending champion and second-seeded Felix Mantilla of Spain advanced to the quarterfinals of the Croatia Open at Umag, defeating Adrian Voinea of Romania, 6-3, 6-0.

Jurisprudence

New Texas football Coach Mack Brown says he will wait on the judicial system before deciding on possible sanctions against two senior linemen arrested on alcohol-related charges.

The players are guard Ben Adams from La Mirada High and center Russell Gaskamp of Weatherford, Okla. Adams, 6 feet 5 and 315 pounds, has started 24 consecutive games. Gaskamp, 6-4, 305, has been projected to replace center Ryan Fiebiger.

Hockey

Goalie Kelly Hrudey, a former King who spent the past two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, retired after 15 years in the NHL. Hrudey, 37, a backup last season to Mike Vernon, had a 20-40-7 record with a 3.03 goals-against average. . . . Kevin Lowe, 39, a defenseman who was Edmonton’s first draft pick, scored the Oilers’ first NHL goal and stayed with them through five Stanley Cups and more than 1,000 games, announced his retirement. . . . Walt Kyle, an assistant with the Mighty Ducks the past two seasons, was named coach of the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

Miscellany

Lisa Fernandez hit a home run and pitched a one-hitter as the United States beat Australia, 1-0, in Fujinomiya, Japan, to win its fourth consecutive title in the women’s world softball championships. Earlier, the U.S. beat Japan, 4-0. . . . Five-time champion Cuba beat the Dominican Republic, 9-2, to remain the only unbeaten team in the world baseball championships at Rome. The Cubans, 7-0 in the tournament, extended their winning streak to 38 games. . . . Jack Sprague raced back from a late pit stop and a bumping incident with Ron Hornaday to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Cummins 200 at Clermont, Ind. . . . Gonzaga University was put on four years’ probation after the NCAA determined that Dan Fitzgerald, a former athletic director, had improperly deposited university funds in a private fund over which he had sole control.