Illness May Keep Mourning Out for Season

Alonzo Mourning’s kidney condition has deteriorated and will probably prevent him from playing this season, a source close to the Miami Heat center said Thursday.

The Heat released a statement confirming that Mourning would be sidelined indefinitely because doctors don’t believe he’s healthy enough to play.

Mourning is certain to miss the start of the season, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Heat’s opener is Oct. 30.

The 32-year-old Mourning was diagnosed in October 2000 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a career-threatening kidney disease. He played in only the last 13 games that season but played in 75 games last season and made the All-Star team for the seventh time.

The Heat said a timetable for his return hasn’t been determined. Mourning’s publicist, Lisa Joseph, said doctors haven’t told him he’s out for the entire season, and he hopes to play again eventually.

“He’s not retiring,” she said. “There will be no announcement that he’s retiring.”

Joseph said she spoke Thursday with Mourning.

“His spirits are great,” she said. “He’s fine. He’s doing well. He’s just trying to get back healthy.”

Mourning was unavailable for comment.

“Alonzo wants to keep everything private,” Heat spokesman Tim Donovan said.

Coach Pat Riley declined to comment but will hold a news conference today.

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The Sacramento Kings exercised their contract option on forward Hedo Turkoglu for the 2003-04 season. Turkoglu averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 80 games last season.... Chicago Bull rookie guard Roger Mason Jr. had surgery to repair his dislocated right shoulder and will be out four months.... Tito Maddox, the former Fresno State and Compton High point guard selected 38th in the NBA draft, signed with the Houston Rockets.

Golf

Billy Andrade shot a five-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead over J.J. Henry and rookie Kenneth Staton in the Pennsylvania Classic at Paoli.

Andrade birdied all three par fives in his bogey-free round, closing with a two-foot putt on the par-five 18th.

Donnie Hammond and Australia’s Mathew Goggin opened with 68s on the Waynesborough Country Club course.

Paraguay’s Carlos Franco topped a nine-player group at 69, and Len Mattiace, a two-time winner this year, was another stroke back along with Buick Classic winner Chris Smith.

Tennis

Defending champion Monica Seles advanced to the semifinals of the Brazil Open, defeating Slovakia’s Henrieta Nagyova, 6-0, 6-4, at Costa do Sauipe.

In another quarterfinal, top-seeded Jelena Dokic, the runner-up last year, beat South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Second-seeded Lisa Raymond defeated Ashley Harkleroad, 6-3, 7-6 (7), to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Island Championships at Waikoloa, Hawaii.

Raymond will face seventh-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, who led Sarah Taylor, 6-1, 2-0, when Taylor retired because of a sprained left foot.

Fourth-seeded Anna Kournikova of Russia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Open with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over China’s Zheng Jie.

Top-seeded Anna Smashnova of Israel had an easier time with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Cho Yoon-jeong of South Korea.

Top-seeded Marat Safin of Russia lost, and second-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany quit with an arm injury in the quarterfinals of the President’s Cup at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Safin lost to Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Top-seeded Andrei Pavel defeated Albert Portas, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the Romania Open at Bucharest.

Miscellany

A high school football player died after collapsing after a freshman game in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Steven Puente of King High was shaking hands with opponents from Ray High after the Wednesday night game when he fell to the ground unconscious. The Nueces County medical examiner was to conduct an autopsy today.

Several Ray football players said the 15-year-old Puente, who played running back and linebacker for nearly the entire game, seemed short of breath in the second half.

Evan Burns, a McDonald’s All-American forward released from his letter of intent at UCLA earlier this week, enrolled at San Diego State as a partial NCAA qualifier as expected.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Fairfax High will not be eligible for the 2002-03 season unless he wins an appeal with the NCAA, which has determined he did not complete enough “core” high school classes.

Burns signed a letter of intent with UCLA last spring. However, UCLA does not accept partial qualifiers.

University of Hawaii basketball Coach Riley Wallace was released from a Las Vegas hospital, six days after brain surgery to relieve pressure caused by internal bleeding, school officials said. He is scheduled to return home Sunday.

Series leader Mike Bliss edged local favorite David Starr to take the pole position for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Silverado 350 at Fort Worth.

Bliss, the next-to-last driver to qualify, turned a lap at 179.695 mph on the Texas Motor Speedway to take his third pole of the season.

The California Netball Assn. will play host to a tournament in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, featuring clubs from San Francisco, Santa Monica and Thousand Oaks. Details: (213) 229-7981