Gambling Bill Wins a Round

A bill to outlaw betting on college sports advanced in its against-the-odds march through Congress on Wednesday, winning approval in the House Judiciary Committee.

The committee voted, 19-9, to ban betting on amateur sports, a type of gambling practiced only in Nevada. The Senate Commerce Committee approved similar legislation in April.

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), whose district includes Las Vegas, said opponents will now turn their efforts to keeping the bill from reaching the floor in the final weeks of the 106th Congress.

Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, the House GOP committee chairman, said he still does not think the bill will get passed this year. But the measure is proving stronger than many predicted.

When it was introduced in January, some supporters acknowledged passage was unlikely. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona gave the bill momentum by adopting it as a cause soon after abandoning his presidential campaign, and the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. enlisted prominent college coaches.

Pro Basketball

Apparently, the Portland Trail Blazers felt they did not have enough big bodies to combat the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal.

The Trail Blazers signed free-agent center Will Perdue, who had been with the Chicago Bulls, to a two-year contract. Portland also re-signed swingman Stacey Augmon. Terms were not disclosed.

Already armed with 7-foot-3 Arvydas Sabonis, 6-11 Rasheed Wallace, 6-10 Shawn Kemp and 6-10 Dale Davis, the Trail Blazers have added the 7-foot Perdue, a 12-year veteran who played for four NBA championship teams.

Seattle SuperSonic guard Vernon Maxwell surrendered to police at Charlotte, N.C., more than a week after a warrant was issued seeking his arrest for an assault complaint.

Maxwell was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail after posting a $2,500 bond for a charge of assault on a female, according to a jail spokeswoman.

The Miami Heat signed forward Don MacLean and center Todd Fuller. Terms were not disclosed.

Hockey

The New York Islanders signed unrestricted free-agent defenseman Garry Galley to a one-year contract.

Galley, who spent the last three seasons with the Kings, joins off-season additions Kevin Haller and Roman Hamrlik on the Islanders’ overhauled defense.

Galley, 37, collected nine goals and 21 assists in 70 games for the Kings last season. He was scoreless in four playoff games.

The Kings open their exhibition season today at Phoenix, with Stephane Fiset and Steve Passmore sharing goalie duties. Jamie Storr and Marcel Cousineau will handle them Saturday at Colorado. The Kings took 37 players to Phoenix, where 20 will play and the others practice before moving on to Denver. Saturday’s lineup will involve several changes from that of today.

Miscellany

Indiana University will pay fired basketball coach Bob Knight $1.3 million in deferred compensation over 10 years.

University counsel Dorothy Frapwell said the university would pay Knight the money owed him from the compensation fund, but could not say when the first payment would be made.

Under terms of his contract, Knight will forfeit the compensation if he affiliates with any NCAA Division I men’s basketball program in the states of Indiana or Kentucky, or at any member of the Big Ten Conference within eight years.

The woman who admitted helping Minnesota basketball players cheat on their schoolwork will plead guilty to a charge of misappropriating funds, Minneapolis’ WCCO-TV reported.

WCCO, citing unidentified sources, reported that former tutor Jan Gangelhoff has agreed to plead guilty as early as Friday to one felony count and testify before a grand jury. In exchange, federal prosecutors will ask that she not receive any prison time.

Gangelhoff revealed in March 1999 that she wrote more than 400 research papers and tests for about 20 players.

U.S. Open champion Marat Safin beat local favorite Oleg Ogorodov, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the President’s Cup at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.