Bad Break: His Prayers Are Answered

New Jersey’s Jayson Williams, out for the season because of a broken leg, says he used to pray for a Net victory before each game, but he won’t anymore.

“The Lord said, ‘Look, I’ve gotten you a big house and nice cars and a way to make a good living and you’re over here asking for more. And take this with you--snap.’

“Plus Jesus said he doesn’t watch the NBA until the playoffs anyway.”

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Trivia time: USC’s Randy Williams never won the long jump in four years of competition against UCLA. What was his notable achievement?

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Like it or not: Mark Kiszla in the Denver Post: “Nick Van Exel is not an easy point guard to love. His tender heart is hidden for protection beneath a glare that can scare and enough attitude to pollute a locker room.

“Van Exel, however, is going to be the Denver Nuggets’ point guard for years to come. You got a problem with that? Too bad.

“ ‘Nick Van Exel is one of the 10 best point guards in the NBA. And I will defend that idea to my death,’ Nugget General Manager Dan Issel said.”

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More Van Exel: Bob Kravitz of the Rocky Mountain News is virtually pleading with new Nugget owner Bill Laurie not to re-sign the former Laker:

“Van Exel is to defense what Howard Stern is to good taste. I know Van Exel’s season statistics generally are career highs--except for his shooting percentage, which is slightly above the Garth Brooks line--but he has largely been a disappointment.

“He has been late to practice, he has sulked and, well, he just isn’t all that good anymore.”

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Derby deja vu: Event Of The Year was the early favorite to win last year’s Kentucky Derby when the unbeaten colt suffered a serious knee injury at Churchill Downs 10 days before the race.

One year later on Derby Day, Event Of The Year will be favored to win the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park.

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Trivia answer: Williams, a freshman, was the gold medalist at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, with a jump of 27 feet 1/2 inch. He jumped 27-4 1/4 in qualifying, still a USC record.

Note: The UCLA record is 27-0 1/2, set by James McAlister in 1973. Seven of the UCLA-USC men’s dual meet records have endured for at least 21 years.

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And finally: Tony Kornheiser in the Washington Post: “Just once I’d like to hear an athlete say that the reason he was retiring was because he ‘didn’t like the fungusy smell in the locker room anymore.’

“Or because his ‘uniform was too tight,’ and when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror he ‘looked like the cross-town bus.’

“But it’s always the same stuff: 1. I want to spend more time with my family. 2. I needed other challenges. 3. It was getting harder and harder to motivate myself.”