James Is a Finalist for Sullivan Award

LeBron James and Diana Taurasi were among five finalists announced Monday for the 2003 Sullivan Award for the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

James closed his stellar high school basketball career last year, was the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft and now ranks in the top 15 in the league in scoring for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Taurasi helped Connecticut win a second consecutive NCAA women’s basketball championship last season, and was the Associated Press’ player of the year.

The other finalists are Apolo Anton Ohno (speedskating), Michael Phelps (swimming) and Philippa “Phil” Raschker (track and field).

The award is named after James E. Sullivan, the founder of the Amateur Athletic Union, and has been presented annually since 1930. The winner will be announced April 13 at the New York Athletic Club.

Golf

Tiger Woods is the top-seeded player for the World Golf Championships Match Play event, which begins Wednesday at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

Woods will face 64th-seeded John Rollins in his first-round match on Wednesday. Rollins, who won the PGA Tour’s Bell Canadian Open in 2002, is appearing in the WGC Match Play championship for the first time.

Woods has a 12-3 record in the WGC match play event, having beaten David Toms in last year’s final. The other top-seeded golfers in the four 16-golfer brackets are Vijay Singh, Davis Love III and Mike Weir. Singh opens against Shingo Katayama, Love plays Briny Baird and Weir faces Rich Beem.

Tennis

Top-ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne wants a longer off-season in tennis.

The champion at three of the last four majors will defend her title this week at the Dubai Open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Venus Williams also will return to action. Both players withdrew from last week’s Diamond Games tournament in Belgium because of injuries.

“It’s a long season, and we need more time to rest and have a holiday,” Henin-Hardenne said. “We need at least six weeks to be prepared for the next season.”

After a first-round bye, Williams will play Wednesday against Alicia Molik, who beat Maria Vento-Kabchi, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Also Monday, seventh-seeded Francesca Schiavone was eliminated, 6-4, 6-4, by Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Anca Barna defeated Magdalena Maleeva, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

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Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez defeated Eva Birnerova, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to reach the second round of the Copa Colsanitas at Bogota, Colombia.

Miscellany

Promoter Bob Arum said he finalized a deal for the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas to stage a June 5 fight card featuring Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya in separate bouts. If the two win as expected, they will meet Sept. 18 at the MGM for the middleweight title.

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Wisconsin running back Dwayne Smith was suspended from the team after being jailed in Madison, Wis., on suspicion of sexual assault. Smith, the Badgers’ leading rusher as a sophomore last season, was arrested along with a 23-year-old man after a woman

said she was assaulted after a party Saturday.

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DeLisha Milton-Jones will miss the U.S. women’s basketball team’s upcoming trip to Cuba after injuring her right knee in practice.

Milton-Jones tore a knee ligament Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla., USA Basketball said. Milton-Jones also plays for the WNBA’s Sparks.

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Andy Kelly completed 24 of 36 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Detroit Fury to a 34-25 Arena Football League win over the Indiana Firebirds before 8,219 at Auburn Hills, Mich.