Air Force Loses Coach to Princeton

Air Force men’s basketball coach Joe Scott was named the coach at Princeton on Wednesday, returning to his alma mater a month after guiding Air Force to its first NCAA tournament berth in 42 years.

The hiring came one day after John Thompson III left Princeton to become the coach at Georgetown, the university his father led to a national championship.

“Very few schools have the opportunity to appoint an alumnus of their university who was recognized as one of the top five coaches in the country this past season,” Princeton Athletic Director Gary Walters said. “His coaching job at Air Force was simply extraordinary.”

Scott, a 1987 graduate of Princeton, led Air Force to a 22-7 record last season in winning the Mountain West Conference title. Air Force lost to North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Scott was 51-63 in four years at Air Force.

“Joe’s appointment also ensures that the unique genealogy of Princeton basketball that stretches back over 70 years will continue,” Walters said.

“Each successive coach was mentored either as a player or as a coach by someone within the Princeton basketball family.”

Scott, 39, was an assistant at Princeton from 1992-2000. He also played for Pete Carril at Princeton from 1983-87.

Princeton won the Ivy League last season with a 20-8 record. The Tigers lost to Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

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College Sports

Colleges could face harsher penalties one year earlier than expected if the NCAA board of directors changes an academic reform proposal next week.

Under the provision passed unanimously by the NCAA’s Management Council, schools would face increased penalties beginning in the fall of 2006 for poor performance of the athletes in the classroom.

Speculation at the NCAA is that the penalty schedule could now be expedited. The board will vote April 29, and can amend the proposal without an additional vote.

If unchanged, the NCAA would collect data about graduation rates and the academic progress of student-athletes this year and next year. A “cut” line would then be established in each sport.

Teams that fall below the “cut” line would receive warning letters beginning in 2006-07, and consistently poor-performing teams could begin losing scholarships beginning in the 2007-08 season.

The harshest penalties -- the loss of postseason eligibility and money from NCAA tournaments -- would be imposed in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

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Tennis

Guillermo Coria overwhelmed Nicolas Kiefer, 6-0, 6-3, to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters at Monaco. The third-seeded Coria improved to 7-0 on clay and 19-5 overall this season.

In other matches, two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt came back from a set and 0-3 down to beat Gaston Gaudio, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Tim Henman beat David Sanchez, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-3; Marat Safin eliminated Max Mirnyi, 6-4, 6-3, and David Nalbandian ousted Felix Mantilla, 6-0, 5-7, 7-6 (4).

Rising Spaniard Rafael Nadal broke his left foot and will miss the French Open and the Athens Olympics.

Nadal, 17, was hurt last week during the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open.

He upset top-ranked Roger Federer at the Nasdaq-100 Open last month.

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Miscellany

Churchill Downs officials told jockeys scheduled to ride in the Kentucky Derby on May 1 they could be barred from the track if they try to wear advertising.

At least 20 riders and their representatives were informed of the possible consequences in a letter this week.

The warning came two days after the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority turned down a request by five jockeys, including Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey, to wear corporate advertising on their pants during the year’s first Triple Crown race.

Fourteen jockeys were fined $500 apiece for wearing their association’s logo on their pants during last year’s Derby at Louisville, Ky.

After fading on the opening day of the Tour de Georgia, Mario Cipollini won a frantic sprint to the finish to win the 117-mile second stage of the cycling race across Georgia in 4 hours 40 minutes 44 seconds and move up to third in the overall standings.

Cipollini attacked the final 350 yards and held off overall race leader Gord Fraser of Canada to claim the Stage 2 victory.

Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong took it easy for the second day in a row, settling for 41st place in the second stage and the 26th spot in the overall standings. He is expected to make his move in the mountains this weekend.

Broadcaster Pat Summerall was released from St. Luke’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., where he received a liver transplant on April 10.

Summerall, 73, will remain in the Jacksonville area for several weeks for outpatient care until his doctors clear him to return home to Texas, the hospital said in a statement.