College Basketball

The graduation rate for men’s basketball players at major colleges dropped from 42% to 40%, the second lowest since 1984, according to the latest NCAA survey.

But graduation rates for all Division I athletes remained at 58%--the same as in surveys conducted the last two years by the governing body for college sports.

The results released Monday were for athletes with scholarships who began college in 1994. The graduation rate among athletes remained two percentage points higher than the rate for the general student population.

Since higher eligibility standards were set for incoming freshmen in 1986, graduation rates have hovered between 57% and 58%, the NCAA said.

Athletes who entered college under the higher Proposition 16 standard, which went into effect in 1996, will not become part of the NCAA study until 2003.

Miscellany

Shawn Kemp of the Portland Trail Blazers has agreed to drop a $4.1-million lawsuit against Reebok for terminating his endorsement contract, the company said. A Reebok representative said Kemp also has agreed to pay Reebok an undisclosed amount to settle a countersuit filed by the company. In its suit, the athletic shoe company claimed Kemp owed it a little over $1 million in advance royalties. ... Philadelphia 76er guard Allen Iverson, the NBA’s most valuable player last season, was selected America’s best athlete by Time magazine, which said it chose Iverson over athletes such as golfer Tiger Woods and cyclist Lance Armstrong because basketball requires more athletic ability. ... Lleyton Hewitt of Australia advanced two places to third in the ATP Champions Race after beating Pete Sampras in the U.S. Open final for his first Grand Slam tennis title. The 20-year-old Hewitt, who became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Sampras won at 19 in 1990, moved within 120 points of leader Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, who has 755 points.

Kemp Richardson moved a step closer to matching his father’s success in the U.S. Senior Amateur, beating Lenwood Ladd, 7 and 6, in the opening round of match play at St. Louis. John Richardson won the 1987 U.S. Senior Amateur. If Kemp Richardson wins this week, the Richardsons will become the first father and son to have won the tournament. ... Two-time defending champion Carol Semple Thompson beat Brigid Shanley Lamb, 7 and 6, in the opening round of match play in the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Sewickley, Pa. ... Ken Hitchcock, who has coached the Dallas Stars to five consecutive NHL division titles, received a contract extension through the 2003-04 season. ... Organizers of the 2004 Athens Summer Games and the U.S. Olympic Committee agreed to allow the sale of Olympic merchandise in the United States. ... Burger Lambrechts, South Africa’s top shotputter, was suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned steroid stanozolol.