Hairston Says UCLA Is Not in His Future

UCLA is out of the running for McDonald’s All-American forward Malik Hairston, sources said Tuesday.

The Detroit Renaissance High senior is expected to choose today between Oregon and Kansas.

Hairston is the second prominent player to spurn the Bruins in recent weeks. Robert Rothbart, a 7-foot center from Sacramento, turned down a UCLA offer and will attend Indiana.

UCLA has been granted permission to talk to David Padgett, a 6-11 post player who is leaving Kansas after starting at center as a freshman last season.

Padgett must sit out next season as a transfer, then would have three years of eligibility remaining.

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Assistant coach Lane Odom, who led Missouri’s recruiting of troubled former player Ricky Clemons and was implicated in several alleged NCAA violations, announced he was quitting.

Odom said in a statement that he was resigning “to pursue other opportunities.”

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Police issued an arrest warrant for Terry Pettis, saying the former Fresno State player is the only suspect in a shooting and robbery that left Rene Shannon Abbott dead and her boyfriend, Kent Wolf, injured.

Larry Shyatt, who spent five seasons as Clemson’s coach, was hired as an assistant at Florida.

Tennis

Top-ranked Roger Federer overcame cold conditions to beat Gaston Gaudio, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, at the Hamburg Masters in Germany.

Martin Verkerk, the runner-up in the French Open, was among five seeded players who lost. The 12th-seeded Verkerk was defeated by Ivan Ljubicic, 7-5, 7-6 (4).

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Serena Williams, after sitting out nearly a month because of a knee injury, defeated Maria Sanchez Lorenzo of Spain, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.

Pro Football

Two-time most valuable player Kurt Warner met with the New York Giants to discuss the possibility of becoming the veteran quarterback who competes with Eli Manning for the starting job.

The St. Louis Rams gave Warner permission to shop himself with the expectation that he would be released in a salary-cap move June 1.

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San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay had successful surgery on his left groin.

Rattay tore a tendon in his groin Friday during San Francisco’s minicamp. The 49ers expect him to return for training camp in late July.

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Running back Rudi Johnson signed a one-year contract with Cincinnati.

Miscellany

The NCAA has upheld its decision to strip the Hawaii men’s volleyball team of its 2002 national title for using an ineligible player, outside hitter Costas Theocharidis.

The NCAA dismissed Hawaii’s appeal and ordered the school to vacate the title and return the championship trophy to the governing body. Hawaii defeated Pepperdine to win the title.

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The U.S. Olympic Committee and NCAA are creating a task force to study the decline in Olympic sports at the collegiate level. Schools have dropped programs because of tight budgets and demands of federal laws to provide equal opportunities for men and women in all activities, including athletics.

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Former Washington Redskin defensive back Darrell Green was among six players and three coaches from small-division schools selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

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Former Washington football coach Jim Lambright, 62, has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and will undergo surgery today to remove his bladder and prostate gland.

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Reigning World Cup slalom champion Rainer Schoenfelder received a warning from the Austrian Ski Federation for testing positive for the banned stimulant etilephrine March 27.

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Former boxing heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe dropped a lawsuit against former manager Rock Newman and apologized for claiming Newman stole money from him.