McKay to Coach Lobos
Oregon State coach Ritchie McKay was hired late Thursday as the new coach at New Mexico, receiving a five-year contract, spokesman Greg Remington said.
McKay, 22-37 in two seasons at Oregon State, will replace Fran Fraschilla, who resigned March 17 as coach of the Lobos.
New Mexico Athletics Director Rudy Davalos and Senior Associate Athletics Director Bill McGillis met with McKay at least twice a day for the last week.
“On Monday, we started serious discussions with him,” McGillis said.
McKay and the Beavers were 12-17 this season and failed to qualify for the eight-team Pacific 10 Conference tournament.
Associated Press
For Sam Clancy, being invited to the Final Four has taken some of the sting out of ending his college career by losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament but not all of it.
“I’d rather be busy getting ready to play,” said the USC senior, who was flown to Atlanta by a sports magazine as a candidate for power forward of the year. Kansas’ Drew Gooden won the award. “But I’m just happy they invited me down here for this.”
Clancy, who was wearing his USC warmups, was taking in the slam-dunk and three-point shooting contests at Georgia State on Thursday night.
“It’s been tough to get over that loss,” Clancy said of the Trojans’ 93-89 overtime defeat at the hands of unheralded North Carolina Wilmington on March 14. “It’s been hard to get over it, but now it’s time for me to get ready for the next stage of my life.”
Clancy, who tested the NBA draft waters last spring before returning to USC, has signed with agent Arn Tellem and will bypass pre-draft camps this time around. Clancy said he would instead work out for individual teams as the draft gets nearer.
Paul Gutierrez
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Tony Stockman, Clemson’s second-leading scorer, is leaving the Tigers for a school closer to his home in Ohio.
Stockman, a sophomore, averaged 12.2 points. He and Edward Scott were expected to form one of the top backcourts next season in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Dwon Clifton, a sophomore guard, also has chosen to transfer to a school near his hometown of High Point, N.C.
“They are fine young men who have represented the program well,” Clemson Coach Larry Shyatt said.
Shyatt says the Tigers next season will count on Scott and four inside returnees--forwards Ray Henderson, Chris Hobbs, Tomas Nagys and Sherrod Ford.
Alcorn State Coach Davey L. Whitney, the winningest coach in Southwestern Athletic Conference history, pushed retirement back one more year.
The 72-year-old coach said that he will return for a 27th year with the Braves.
“I still have that fire,” Whitney said.
He led Alcorn State to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time this season. The Braves lost to Siena in a play-in game after winning the SWAC tournament.
Associated Press