Knight Issues an Apology

With his coaching future at Indiana University in jeopardy, Bob Knight apologized Saturday for his sometimes-explosive temper and said he realizes he needs to be more diplomatic.

In a 330-word statement, the 59-year-old basketball coach with three NCAA championships to his credit said he is working on trying to control his emotions.

“There are times when my passion for basketball led me into confrontations that I could have handled a lot better,” Knight’s statement read. “I’ve always been too confrontational, especially when I know I’m right.”

He made no mention of whether he would continue as coach.

While the statement’s tone was apologetic, Knight said his temper was not a factor “in the investigated incident,” a reference to allegations by former player Neil Reed that Knight choked him.

Reed’s claim prompted university officials to begin an investigation into the confrontation. Once the investigation was announced, others came forward with stories of abusive behavior.

Knight’s statement was released a day before the IU trustees were scheduled to meet in closed session amid speculation they will consider asking Knight to resign rather than force a showdown that could lead to his dismissal.

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Tom Izzo, who led Michigan State to the NCAA basketball title last month, said he has turned down a reported five-year contract worth more than $15 million to coach the Atlanta Hawks and will remain at the school. Izzo recently agreed to a new five-year, rollover contract that would be worth $1.1 million annually, plus bonuses.

Tennis

The world tennis rankings will have two new leaders when they are released Monday--Magnus Norman and Lindsay Davenport.

Davenport, who lost her top ranking last week, regained her spot atop the Sanex WTA Tour rankings despite not playing when Martina Hingis lost to Conchita Martinez, 7-5, 6-4, in the semifinals of the German Open at Berlin.

Sweden’s Norman replaced Andre Agassi as the leader in the ATP Tour points race when he advanced to the Italian Open final, defeating Lleyton Hewitt, 6-3, 6-0, at Rome.

Norman will today face Gustavo Kuerten, who defeated Spain’s Alex Corretja, 6-4, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

The UCLA and USC men’s and women’s tennis teams advanced in their NCAA regionals. The UCLA men defeated Missouri Kansas City, 4-0, at UCLA and will play Notre Dame in the regional final today. The USC men defeated Pacific, 4-1, and will face host Fresno State today in the second round. UCLA’s women blanked Georgia Tech, 6-0, and advanced to the NCAA championships at Pepperdine. The host USC women defeated Maryland Baltimore County, 6-0, and will play Arizona today, with the winner going to Pepperdine. The Pepperdine men defeated Tulsa, 4-0, at UCLA.

Auto Racing

Michael Andretti defeated Dario Franchitti to win the CART Firehawk 500 at Motegi, Japan, a race that had been postponed a day by rain. . . . Funeral services for Adam Petty are set for Monday at High Point College in North Carolina. Petty, 19, died Friday after crashing during practice for the Busch 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Tim Fedewa won the race Saturday. . . . Jack Sprague, in a Chevy, won for the second time in six days in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, taking the Quaker State 200 at Millington, Tenn., by 0.193 seconds over defending champion Greg Biffle and his Ford.

Miscellany

Roy Jones Jr. knocked Richard Hall down twice in the first round, then dominated him until the world light-heavyweight title fight was stopped midway through the 11th round at Indianapolis. It was the sixth consecutive successful title defense for Jones (42-1), and his 34th knockout. In a co-feature fight, Bernard Hopkins retained his International Boxing Federation middleweight belt with a unanimous decision over Canadian Syd Vanderpool.

Led by top-seeded Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, three of the top four seeded teams advanced to the winner’s bracket semifinals of the Oceanside Open, the first tournament of the Beach Volleyball America Tour.

An arbitrator has ruled that Barry Sanders must repay the Detroit Lions $1.83 million of his signing bonus in July, though the Lions and Sanders aren’t in agreement as to the exact date. . . . Washington Redskin running back Michael Sellers was charged with driving while intoxicated in Arlington, Va.

Australian teenage swimming sensation Ian Thorpe broke his world record in the 400-meter freestyle by half a second at Sydney. Thorpe, 17, swam in a time of 3 minutes, 41.33 seconds and qualified for the Summer Olympics in the process. . . . James Jenkins won two individual events to lead the Crescenta Valley High boys to the Southern Section Division II swim title, while Santa Margarita relied on strong relay teams to win the girls’ championship at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

U.S. sprinter Maurice Greene bolted into the international track season with a victory at the IAAF Japan Grand Prix at Osaka. He clocked 9.91 seconds in the 100-meter dash, .12 seconds off his world record time. Marion Jones won the women’s 100 at 10.84 but was fourth in the long jump. . . . Stacy Dragila tied the world outdoor record of 15 feet 1 inch in the women’s pole vault at the Modesto Relays. Jeff Hartwig won the men’s pole vault by clearing 19-5, highest in the world this year.

Wade Miller, a senior at G.W. Long High in Skipperville, Ala., set a national single-season home run record with his 30th in the first inning of a state semifinal playoff game. . . . Linda Bensel-Meyers, a University of Tennessee professor who alleged academic fraud in the school’s athletic department, says her office has been broken into, her phone bugged and she has received threatening mail. She said she reported the matter Friday to the FBI in Knoxville.