It’s Agreed: Miller Stays at Utah

Point guard Andre Miller has said it several times, and so has his coach, Rick Majerus. Friday, the University of Utah said it too, issuing a statement that Miller, who played a key role in the Utes’ advance to the NCAA championship basketball game, will remain in school for another season.

The school put out the statement after Majerus had told a Seattle radio station Friday morning that Miller would be staying.

Miller, of Los Angeles’ Verbum Dei High, is the second prominent Utah player in the last three years to pass up the pro draft and stay in school. Keith Van Horn stayed for his senior season, 1996-97, then was the No. 2 pick in the draft last summer.

Miller who went to Utah as a Prop. 48 student--a scholastic nonqualifier--had to sit out his freshman season to concentrate on his studies but is on schedule to graduate in June with a sociology degree.

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The NCAA has concluded that the rules violations uncovered in Cincinnati’s basketball program are major and deserve more investigation, the university announced.

The NCAA has sent the school a notice of official inquiry that alleges a lack of institutional control over Coach Bob Huggins’ program.

Point guard Charles Williams and forward Ruben Patterson received lengthy suspensions last season for various violations of NCAA rules. John Loyer, one of Huggins’ top assistants, remains on paid leave because of his involvement in the infractions.

Pro Football

In a move to give the Denver Broncos operating room under the salary cap, John Elway deferred a March 1 roster bonus of $1.45 million, according to the Rocky Mountain News.

Elway’s decision allowed the Broncos to re-sign left guard Mark Schlereth and defensive end Neil Smith. Elway was given an extra $155,000 for agreeing to postpone the payment. He will have to be a member of the Broncos to get the $1.6-million payment in March 1999.

The New York Giants shuffled their front office, promoting Tom Boisture to vice president of player personnel and handing his old job of director of player personnel to former New York Jet scout Marv Sunderland.

Hockey

Matt Cullen of the Ducks scored for the United States with 47 seconds left, salvaging a 1-1 tie with Germany in the relegation round of the World Ice Hockey Championships at Zurich, Switzerland. The Americans are trying to stay among the A-Pool elite next year.

Kansas City goaltender Peter Skudra stopped all 23 Long Beach shots en route to his first shutout of the International Hockey League playoffs as the Blades recorded a 7-0 victory over Long Beach, evening their series at 2-2.

A University of Michigan player who helped lead his team to the NCAA title last month will stand trial on a charge that he hit an opponent in the face with a stick during a recreational game.

Chris Fox, 21, is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm for allegedly hitting Robert Thomas.

Baseball

Nolan Ryan has agreed to pay nearly half the $13 million needed for a stadium to house his minor league team in Texas.

Ryan recently announced his intention to move his Class-AA team, now in Jackson, Miss., to Round Rock, an Austin suburb.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that in discussions with the city, Ryan, his son Reid and business partner Don Sanders would contribute $5.725 million toward construction of a 9,000-seat stadium.

Miscellany

Favorites had their way on the first day of the women’s water polo national championships at USC and Long Beach State.

Top-seeded UCLA, the two-time defending national champion, beat Princeton, 15-1.

Stanford routed Michigan, 10-1, and Massachusetts, 10-2. California defeated Indiana, 7-0, and USC, 7-3.

Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten, the defending French Open champion, double-faulted on one match point and blew another in losing to Spain’s Alex Corretja in the quarterfinals of the German Open at Hamburg, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8) 6-4.

Joe Bessey, the first driver out to qualify, lapped the mile track at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., at 127.701 mph and won the pole for today’s NASCAR Busch Grand National race. . . . Sydney Olympic organizers were warned to include medical authorities in their security setup because of the threat of chemical terrorism.

China’s Guo Jing Jing and Zhang Jing finished 1-2 in the women’s one-meter competition on the second day of the FINA-USA Diving Grand Prix at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. . . . Sprinter Ato Boldon of Trinidad and UCLA won the 100 meters at the Hampton International Games in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 10 seconds. . . . Former heavyweight contender Andrew Golota stopped 41-year-old journeyman Jack Basting in the third round of their scheduled 10-rounder at Atlantic City, N.J.

Billie Jean King will receive the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for her pioneering efforts in women’s tennis and advocacy of women’s equity in athletics.