Beasley leaves school for the NBA draft

Kansas State All-American freshman Michael Beasley announced Monday that he will skip his final three college seasons to make himself available for the June 26 NBA draft, where he could be the No. 1 overall pick.

“It’s time to take my game to the next level,” Beasley said as his family and several teammates looked on at Manhattan, Kan. “I think I proved myself over the course of the season. I just think it’s time for new challenges.”

Beasley dominated his lone college season, averaging 26.2 points and becoming only the third freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounds, at 12.4 per game. He had the second-most rebounds and third-most points by a freshman in NCAA history, helping Kansas State to its first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years.

Beasley also was a consensus All-American, was named Big 12 Conference player of the year and finished second to North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough for numerous player-of-the-year awards.

NBA officials came out in droves to watch him play at nearly every game and some general managers spent three to four days at a time in Manhattan, leading to speculation that Beasley would be the No. 1 overall draft pick if he left school early.

“I kind of made my mind up, then went back to being undecided, made my mind up, then went back to being undecided,” said Beasley, who signed with agent Joe Bell. “Today was when my decision stuck.”

Fellow Kansas State freshman Bill Walker also announced he was making himself available for the draft but said he won’t sign with an agent.

San Francisco lured former NBA player Rex Walters away from Florida Atlantic to take over its struggling basketball program.

Walters takes over for Jessie Evans, who was forced to take a leave of absence in the middle of last season and then was fired last month. Eddie Sutton took over the program on an interim basis for the remainder of the season as the Dons finished 10-21 in their third straight losing season.

Freshman center Kevin Love was named winner of the Coach John Wooden Award as UCLA’s most valuable player at the team’s annual Hoopsters Awards Dinner Banquet at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night.

Love, the Pacific 10 Conference player of the year and a first-team All-American, also received awards as the team’s best freshman and best rebounder.

Sophomore guard Russell Westbrook received three awards, including the UCLA Alumni Assn. award given to the player who leads the team in assists.

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TENNIS

Harrison, 15, wins

first-round match

Fifteen-year-old Ryan Harrison beat Pablo Cuevas, 6-4, 6-3, in the U.S. Clay Court Championship at Houston to become the 10th player in the Open era to win a main-draw match before his 16th birthday.

Harrison, who will turn 16 on May 7, won 17 of 18 points during one stretch of the first set.

He closed out the set on his first opportunity by breaking Cuevas’ serve at 15. In the second set, he faced only one break point.

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MISCELLANY

Masters don’t do well

in Los Angeles

The final round of the Masters on CBS earned an 8.9 national overnight Nielsen rating with an 18 share of the audience, compared with a 2.8/6 for the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs on ABC. But in Los Angeles, it was a different story. The golf received a 5.7/13 and the Lakers-Spurs a 9.5/23.

German prosecutors dropped a fraud investigation against former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in return for a fine.

The deal ends a 21-month investigation into whether the retired rider defrauded his T-Mobile team by taking performance-enhancing drugs, thus increasing his income by illegal means.

Ullrich maintained his innocence, saying he accepted the deal to “free my family from the public pressure” and to save money.

The Arizona Cardinals signed free-agent defensive lineman Bryan Robinson to a two-year contract.

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PASSINGS

Former NL hit streak record-holder Holmes, 91

Tommy Holmes, 91, who hit in 37 consecutive games in 1945 to set a modern National League record that stood until it was broken by Pete Rose, died at Boca Raton, Fla. He was 91. Story, Section B.

Polly Lauder Tunney, whose marriage to heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney made international headlines in 1928, has died, her family said. She was 100. Story, Section B.