Oregon assistant joins UCLA staff

Scott Duncan, an assistant basketball coach at Oregon for the last seven seasons, was named an assistant by UCLA Coach Ben Howland on Wednesday.

Duncan will replace Kerry Keating, who accepted the head-coaching job at Santa Clara last week.

Duncan, 51, has been an assistant at Clemson, Wyoming, Washington State, Northern Illinois, Fresno State, New Mexico and Cleveland State.

“When you think of college basketball the one school you think of is UCLA. I would not leave Oregon for any other assistants job but this one,” Duncan said.

Oregon Coach Ernie Kent said, “I’m miserable. His knowledge is at the level that almost makes him invaluable.”

Kent said he had no hard feelings toward UCLA or Duncan.

“You can’t when it’s a move up to a school with the history and rich tradition of UCLA. I understand,” Kent said.

Duncan said he isn’t sure yet how his responsibilities will be divided, but he said he considered coaching offense one of his strengths.

Duncan will now get to coach Kevin Love, a top Oregon high school recruit who will attend UCLA.

-- Diane Pucin

Tommy Amaker was hired to coach Harvard, less than a month after his firing at Michigan.

Harvard did not renew Frank Sullivan’s contract after a 12-16 season and 178-245 record over 16 years. Amaker, 41, was fired March 17 after failing to lead the Wolverines to the NCAA tournament during his six seasons. He was 109-83 but only 43-53 in the Big Ten.

Former Olympic and WNBA coach Van Chancellor was hired as the women’s coach at LSU, succeeding Pokey Chatman.

Chancellor, 63, was the women’s coach at Mississippi before leading the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships. He also coached the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and has a 38-0 record in international competition.

Chatman resigned March 7 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with a former player.

Former UCLA coach John Wooden will remain hospitalized at least one more day, his daughter Nan Muehlhausen said.

Wooden, 96, was hospitalized Sunday because of internal bleeding.

TENNIS

Blake advances

in 59 minutes

Second-seeded James Blake used his strong forehand to overwhelm Davide Sanguinetti, 6-3, 6-0, in 59 minutes in the first round of the U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston.

Third-seeded Tommy Haas beat Sam Querrey, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

Venus Williams needed only 49 minutes to reach the third round of the Family Circle Cup, defeating Vasilisa Bardina, 6-2, 6-1, in Charleston, S.C.

Jelena Jankovic, ranked No. 9 and the highest remaining seed at No. 2, defeated Anastasia Rodionova, 6-1, 6-1.

Only three women ranked in the top 10 will compete in the first round of the April 21-22 Fed Cup -- and they will all be Russian.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova and Anna Chakvetadze officially were chosen to represent Russia against Spain.

Serena Williams was chosen to represent the U.S. along with sister Venus Williams, Lisa Raymond and Vania King.

MISCELLANY

USC recruit

is reconsidering

Brandon Jennings, regarded as one of the top junior point guards in the country, has rescinded his oral commitment to USC and is now considering Connecticut and Arizona in addition to the Trojans.

The 6-foot-1 standout from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy had said in November that he picked USC in part because he wanted to play in front of his family, which lives in Lakewood. Jennings spent his freshman and sophomore years at Compton Dominguez High.

-- Ben Bolch

Taj Burrow scored a 9.00 out of a possible 10 with less than two minutes remaining to surge past Andy Irons and win the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Australia.

The victory moved Burrow into a first-place tie in the ratings with Mick Fanning.

-- Pete Thomas

Ben McEnroe, a former Cal Lutheran player and assistant coach, was named the school’s football coach.

He had been coach at West Hills Chaminade High the last four years after being an assistant at Humboldt State.

Drew Bledsoe, who threw for 44,611 yards and 251 touchdowns in a 14-year NFL career with New England, Buffalo and Dallas, announced his retirement.

PASSINGS

Strelow, noted hockey

assistant coach, 73

Warren Strelow, a pioneering goaltending coach and assistant for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, died in Worcester, Mass. He was 73.

Strelow, a diabetic who had a stroke Feb. 28, had been ailing for years after undergoing a kidney transplant.