Huggins Gets Out of Hospital

Cincinnati men’s basketball Coach Bob Huggins was released from a hospital Monday, nine days after having a heart attack while on a recruiting trip.

Huggins, 49, plans to attend the Bearcats’ first practice Saturday, university officials said.

Tests done at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati showed Huggins suffered significant damage to his heart, but his condition is expected to improve with the help of rehabilitation and medication, cardiologist Dean Kereiakes said.

Huggins had the heart attack at the Pittsburgh airport Sept. 28.

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Three men were acquitted in Boston of trying to kill Boston Celtic star Paul Pierce in a nightclub attack two years ago. Two of the defendants were convicted on lesser charges.

William Ragland, 30; Trevor Watson, 35, and Anthony Hurston, 33, were found not guilty of armed assault with intent to murder in the Sept. 25, 2000, attack in Boston’s theater district.

Ragland was convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a knife), and assault and battery. Watson was found guilty of assault and battery. Hurston was acquitted on all charges.

Pierce, who was not in court, couldn’t identify any of the three men when he testified during the trial. He was stabbed eight times, hit in the head with a bottle and had a collapsed lung, but managed to play in the 2000-01 season.

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Senior forward Meg Banahan, who led Texas A&M; in scoring last season, has left the women’s basketball team because of injury problems.

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Baseball

Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras is in the United States and under the control of immigration authorities after defecting last week while in Mexico. Contreras, coach Miguel Valdez and Valdez’s 19-year-old son were being held at an Immigration and Naturalization Service detention facility in San Diego.

Contreras, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who turns 31 in December, was considered by many major league scouts as the best pitcher in Cuba.

He last appeared in the America Series tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, on Oct. 1. The three Cubans entered the United States through San Ysidro, Calif., INS spokeswoman Laura Mack said.

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Tennis

Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden rallied to defeat Fabrice Santoro of France, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-2, in the first round of the Lyon Grand Prix in France.... Third-seeded Albert Costa of Spain was upset by Andrei Pavel of Romania, 7-6 (6), 6-1, in the first round of the CA Trophy at Vienna.... Eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia defeated Daja Bedanova, 6-2, 6-3, in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix at Filderstadt, Germany.

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Hockey

In a groundbreaking move by a major professional sports league, the NHL and a New Jersey company have reached a multiyear agreement to sell jerseys worn during games this season.

Prices range from $250 for lesser-known players to $12,500 for one of 12 jerseys used by New York Ranger captain Mark Messier. The Kings and Mighty Ducks are participating in the venture, but nine clubs are not, including Pittsburgh, Detroit and Carolina.

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Boxing

Super-welterweight world champion Oscar De La Hoya will hold a news conference today at 12:30 p.m. in the Plaza at Olvera Street to make an announcement about his Golden Boy Promotions. The public is welcome.

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Miscellany

Phil Mickelson has agreed to play in the Target World Challenge Dec. 5-8 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Tiger Woods is the host and defending champion of the golf tournament.

OneWorld sailed to its fourth consecutive victory, beating Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes by 1 minute 21 seconds in the America’s Cup challenger series off Auckland, New Zealand. Alinghi of Switzerland beat Britain’s GBR Challenge by 4:33. Two races were postponed because of high winds.