Duke All-American Jason Williams will be back...

Duke All-American Jason Williams will be back next season but most probably will leave for the NBA after the 2001-02 season, his mother said. Althea Williams says her son should be close to earning his degree by the end of his junior year and might make himself eligible for the NBA draft next spring. . . . A week after being hired as the coach at Pepperdine, Paul Westphal announced that Gib Arnold and Jim Nielsen will be his assistant coaches. Arnold served under Jan van Breda Kolff at Pepperdine the last two seasons. Nielsen coached at Redondo Union High the last nine years, compiling a 193-68 record.

Pro Football

The Philadelphia Eagles released defensive end Mike Mamula, their first-round draft pick in 1995. Mamula, 27, had two years left on his contract and would have made a little less than $3 million next season.

Jurors cleared Cincinnati Bengal quarterback Akili Smith of two misdemeanor drunken driving charges following a weeklong trial at San Diego.

The Tennessee Titans reached agreements with six free-agent wideouts, including Drew Bennett of UCLA and Marshaun Tucker of Oregon. . . . The Denver Broncos announced a deal with undrafted USC tackle Brent McCaffrey. McCaffrey, 23, was a three-year starter for the Trojans. . . . The Pittsburgh Steelers signed 16 undrafted rookie free agents, including Notre Dame wide receiver Joey Getherall. . . . R.J. Bowers, college football’s leading career rusher from Division III Grove City, signed a free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers.

Miscellany

Three seeded players--No. 9 Franco Squillari, No. 10 Cedric Pioline and No. 15 Francisco Clavet--were upset in the opening round of the $1-million Seat Godo Open at Barcelona.

Squillari lost, 6-2, 6-3, to Argentine countryman Agustin Calleri in this clay-court tuneup for the French Open.

Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine downed Pioline of France, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4). Clavet of Spain was beaten by Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 6-2, 6-4.

The University of Nevada Las Vegas signed football Coach John Robinson to a five-year contract extension through the 2005 season that will pay him $500,000 a year.

Cleveland Rocker forward Eva Nemcova underwent surgery on her left knee and is expected to be out as many as six weeks.

Liselotte Neumann, 1988 U.S. Women’s Open champion, was given an exemption for the 2001 championship by the Women’s Committee of the United States Golf Assn.

Female boxer Patricia Devellerez of Australia is expected to make a full recovery from a serious head injury that required surgery at Christchurch, New Zealand.

Passings

Harold “Hal” White, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Browns and Cardinals in the 1940s and 1950s, died Saturday at 82 at Venice, Fla.