Felton Is Georgia’s New Coach

Dennis Felton was hired Thursday as basketball coach at the University of Georgia, entrusted with a program left in disarray by Jim Harrick.

Felton left Western Kentucky to join the Bulldogs with a five-year contract worth $700,000 annually.

He led the Hilltoppers to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and was 100-54 in five seasons.

Georgia wants to repair its image after Harrick left amid accusations of academic fraud and improper benefits to players. The scandal prompted the school to ban the Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference and NCAA tournaments. An investigation is continuing and the school could face sanctions.

Felton becomes the second African American to coach at Georgia. Tubby Smith, now the basketball coach at Kentucky, was the first.

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Kansas Coach Roy Williams and North Carolina will talk through the weekend about his interest in returning to the program where he learned to coach under Dean Smith.

Tar Heel Athletic Director Dick Baddour said Williams wasn’t ready to decide after two days of discussions.

The Tar Heels are looking for a replacement for Matt Doherty, who resigned April 1 with three years left on his contract.

Baddour said Williams had not been offered the job and that the school would pursue other candidates in the next few days.

Tennis

Serena Williams kept winning, despite cold and overcast conditions at the Family Circle Cup.

With temperatures in the low 50s and a chilly breeze blowing, Williams needed only 61 minutes to defeat Conchita Martinez, 6-2, 6-2, and advance to the quarterfinals at Charleston, S.C. Williams today will play Jelena Dokic, a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 winner over Elena Dementieva.

Also in the third round, second-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Nathalie Dechy, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. She next plays Mary Pierce, who defeated Amanda Coetzer, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0. Ashley Harkleroad defeated Meghann Shaughnessy, 6-2, 6-2. Harkleroad next plays Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Jill Craybas, 7-6 (10), 6-3. Third-seeded Lindsay Davenport defeated Clarisa Fernandez, 6-4, 6-4.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov advanced to the Estoril Open quarterfinals, routing Romania’s Adrian Voinea, 6-3, 6-0, at Oeiras, Portugal. In the women’s draw, top-seeded Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia was ousted in the second round, losing to qualifier Julia Schruff of Germany, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.... Defending champion Younes El Aynaoui reached the quarterfinals of the $400,000 Grand Prix Hassan II, beating Sweden’s Magnus Norman, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, at Casablanca, Morocco.

Ice Hockey

Steve Saviano scored two goals and New Hampshire advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game with a 3-2 upset of top-seeded Cornell at Buffalo, N.Y. New Hampshire (28-7-6) will face defending champion Minnesota, which defeated Michigan, 3-2, when Thomas Vanek scored 8 minutes 55 seconds into overtime. Minnesota (29-8-9) had trailed at one point, 2-0.

The Los Angeles Junior Kings and the California Wave 88s from Westminster won titles in the USA Hockey National Championships at Colorado Springs, Colo. In the Youth Tier I division, the Kings won the 16-and-under-title, and the Wave 88s won the 14-and-under title.

Miscellany

The WNBA canceled its pre-draft tryout camp because of stalled labor negotiations that also threaten the league’s draft and season.

The league’s four-year contract with its players’ association expired in September, and talks for a new deal began in November. On Tuesday, the NBA Board of Governors said it would cancel the WNBA season if there were no agreement by April 18.

No new talks are scheduled.

The 6-year-old league lost two franchises after last season: Teams in Miami and Portland folded. Two other teams moved, Utah to San Antonio, and Orlando to a casino in Uncasville, Conn.

Prep basketball star LeBron James will be covered by a $10-million insurance policy when he plays in next week’s Capital Classic all-star game.

Wisconsin running back Anthony Davis, the team’s leading rusher, was placed in a first-offender’s program after pleading guilty to punching his girlfriend in the face during a fight at Madison, Wis.

A Hofstra football player pleaded guilty to raping a female student on the campus athletic field last October. Peter Martocci faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced June 12.

Gavin Brady’s boat won its 14th consecutive race to maintain a four-match lead over Australia’s James Spithill in the Long Beach Yacht Club’s 39th Annual Congressional Cup.

The California Women’s Bowling Assn. will hold its annual state championship tournament at Pickwick Gardens in Burbank and Mission Hills Bowl, beginning Saturday. The competition runs through July 27.

Passings

Ken McKenzie, co-founder and former publisher of the Hockey News, has died of complications after undergoing colon cancer surgery. He was 79.