‘Win-Win Situation’ for Afflalo in Return to UCLA

UCLA guard Arron Afflalo, last season’s leading scorer and an All-Pacific 10 Conference player, confirmed Saturday that he has taken his name out of the NBA draft pool and will return to the Bruins for his junior season.

Afflalo, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, said he decided to stay in school because “I waited for honest feedback. It was hard for teams to guarantee as far as my draft status and it wasn’t worth jeopardizing a great situation here.”

Afflalo, from Compton Centennial High, helped lead the Bruins to the 2006 NCAA tournament championship game, where they lost to Florida. Afflalo said he worked out for five NBA teams -- the Lakers, Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.

He said that he got varying estimates of being drafted late in the first round or in the second round and that the major criticism he received was that “they want to see me create a little more off the dribble both for myself and for teammates.”

Calling his return to UCLA a “win-win situation,” Afflalo said, “I’m focused on one thing now. Getting us back to the same situation we were in last year.”

UCLA Coach Ben Howland is still waiting to hear the decision from his other starting guard, Jordan Farmar. Farmar, who also will be a junior, has until today to announce whether he will remain in the draft. Farmar participated in an NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., where he got mostly good reviews and was reportedly leaning toward leaving college.

-- Diane Pucin

TENNIS

Federer Goes Three Sets

but Reaches Weber Final

Roger Federer moved into the final of the Gerry Weber Open with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Tommy Haas at Halle, Germany.

It was the third consecutive three-set match for the top-ranked player, who moved within a win of equaling Bjorn Borg’s grass-court record of 41 straight wins from 1976 to 1981.

The three-time Wimbledon champion will play Tomas Berdych in the final. Berdych beat Kristof Vliegen, 6-3, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

Federer has now reached the semifinal stage at least in 17 straight tournaments. His attempt to become the first four-time Halle winner comes in his ninth final from as many tournaments in 2006.

Maria Sharapova was upset by 81st-ranked Jamea Jackson, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals of the DFS Classic at Birmingham, England, only the fourth loss in 37 matches on grass for the top-seeded player.

Jackson will play Vera Zvonareva in today’s final after she beat qualifier Meilen Tu, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the other semifinal.

In her match against Jackson, Sharapova even received a code of conduct warning after her father, Yuri, gave her advice.

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, lost twice on grass in 2003 and once last year.

James Blake beat defending champion Andy Roddick, 7-5, 6-4, in an all-American semifinal and advanced to the Queen’s Club final against Lleyton Hewitt at London.

Hewitt won his semifinal match earlier in the grass-court tournament, beating Tim Henman, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

“It was the best grass-court match I think I’ve ever played,” Blake said after denying Roddick a chance to become the first player to win four consecutive titles at Queens. “I knew how talented he was on grass and how effective his serve can be, so I knew I had to take chances.”

HOCKEY

Kings Fire Coaches

From Manchester Team

The Kings dismissed Manchester Monarchs Coach Jim Hughes and assistant Derek Clancey as part of changes to their American Hockey League affiliate in New Hampshire.

The dismissals were announced by new Kings assistant general manager Ron Hextall, who is also GM of the Monarchs.

Hughes had a regular-season record of 43-30-3-4 in one season, and a 3-4 playoff record as the Monarchs lost in the first round to Hartford.

MISCELLANY

Williams Gains 97 Yards

in CFL Game for Toronto

Ricky Williams needed a little time to get going in his CFL debut.

After gaining eight yards in the first half, the suspended Miami Dolphins running back finished with 97 yards in 18 carries in the Toronto Argonauts’ 27-17 win over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the regular-season opener for both teams.

The University of New Orleans hired Brent “Buzz” Williams as its men’s head basketball coach.

The 33-year-old Williams spent the last two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M.;