Roberts Is St. John’s New Coach

Norm Roberts was hired Tuesday as the coach of a St. John’s basketball program trying to recover from scandal, suspensions and a last-place finish in the Big East Conference.

“This is coming home,” the 38-year-old Queens native said at a news conference. “It’s very exciting coaching in New York again, the place where I always dreamed of doing the job. When I was growing up Lou Carnesecca was on the sidelines, and that’s where I dreamed of playing.”

Roberts’ hiring as Mike Jarvis’ replacement comes after one of the worst seasons in school history. The Red Storm was 6-19 overall and 1-13 in the Big East, and ended the season with only eight players, including four walk-ons, after a string of suspensions and expulsions.

Roberts worked last season for Bill Self at Kansas, after three years as an assistant to Self at Illinois.

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Saint Joseph’s 5-foot-11 guard Jameer Nelson won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, honoring the best college player under 6 feet.... Auburn junior forward Marco Killingsworth has made himself available for the NBA draft but isn’t signing with an agent to keep open his option of returning to school.

College Football

Insisting the Colorado football program does not condone sexual misconduct, suspended Coach Gary Barnett said that there was “no question” misbehavior occurred at a 2001 party at the center of a rape scandal, but that everyone at the gathering shared blame.

Barnett, questioned for nearly five hours by a panel investigating recruiting practices at Colorado, said there were 10 people at the off-campus party, including four football players.

“There is no question in my mind that inappropriate behavior occurred,” Barnett said. “There is no question that the behavior of the 10 young people involved was the result of their own poor decisions and under the influence of alcohol.”

Tennis

Top-seeded Andy Roddick started fast and finished strong for a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Kenneth Carlsen in the first round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court championships at Houston.

In another match, Alex Bogomolov Jr. upset second-seeded Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-1.

Martina Navratilova lost the second match of her return to singles play, falling to Amy Frazier, 6-4, 6-4, in the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, S.C. Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, ranked first in the world, withdrew because of lightheadedness from a low blood-sugar count.... Top-seeded Rainer Schuettler lost to Victor Hanescu, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-3, in the first round of the Estoril Open at Oeiras, Portugal.... Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Israel Matos Gil, 6-2, 7-5, in the first round of the Valencia Open in Spain. Ferrero will next play Jan Vacek.

Miscellany

American synchronized swimmer Tammy Crow will not compete in an Olympic test event even though she was approved by the USOC after her sentence on a manslaughter charge was delayed until after the Athens Games. The U.S. Olympic Committee executive board authorized her candidacy for the team Friday, but Crow did not plan to compete this week anyway.

Carrie Graf was hired as coach of the Phoenix Mercury, returning to the WNBA team where she was an assistant for four seasons. She replaced John Shumate, who left Feb. 6 to rejoin the Phoenix Suns as a college scout.

The United States advanced to the semifinals of hockey’s under-18 world championship, beating Canada, 2-1, at Minsk, Belarus, on third-period goals by Phil Kessel and Brett Bevis. The Americans (4-0-0) clinched first place in Group A.