Jaguars’ Jones-Drew signs five-year, $31-million deal

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew signed a five-year, $31-million contract Wednesday with the Jacksonville Jaguars that includes $17.5 million guaranteed.

“It really was a matter of wanting more Maurice,” Jaguars Coach Jack Del Rio said. “We want Maurice on the field more often. We believe he’s a feature guy and it’s his time. We’re excited about that.”

Jones-Drew, a second-round draft pick from UCLA in 2006, has 6,003 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns in three seasons. He led the team with 824 yards rushing last year, ranked second with 62 receptions for 565 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He is expected to do more in 2009 since the Jaguars released Fred Taylor, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, in February.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Harper will succeed Yow

North Carolina State has chosen Western Carolina’s Kellie Harper to succeed Hall of Famer Kay Yow as the Wolfpack’s coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press.

The school has scheduled a news conference for today.

As expected, Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma was introduced as the coach of the U.S. team for the next three years, through the 2012 Olympics in London.

HOCKEY

Oilers fire coach MacTavish

Craig MacTavish was fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers after they failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year.

The Oilers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 38-35-9 for 85 points. This was the fifth time in seven seasons they have not reached the playoffs.

Kings forward Dustin Brown and defensemen Jack Johnson and Peter Harrold have been named to the U.S. hockey team in the 2009 IIHF World Championship tournament, April 24 to May 10 in Switzerland. Another Kings defenseman, Drew Doughty, will play for Canada.

-- Billy Witz

TENNIS

Venus Williams advances

Second-seeded Venus Williams struggled to advance to the third round in the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, S.C., beating Sania Mirza, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

Melanie Oudin advanced to the third round with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over ninth-seeded Aleksandra Wozniak.

ETC.

Bartow has stomach cancer

Former UCLA and Alabama Birmingham men’s basketball coach Gene Bartow has stomach cancer.

The 78-year-old Bartow, currently the president of the company that owns the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, will begin outpatient treatment at the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham next week.

Bartow succeeded John Wooden as UCLA’s coach in 1976 and led the Bruins to the Final Four. He left after two seasons to start Alabama-Birmingham’s program.

He is to be inducted in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November.

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson has won the 79th Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Other finalists were Nastia Liukin, the women’s gymnastics all-around champion at the 2008 Games, the U.S. Olympic men’s 400-meter freestyle relay swim team, volleyball player Cynthia Barboza of Stanford and North Carolina basketball player Tyler Hansbrough.

Three English soccer teams advanced to the semifinals of the European Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a spectacular 40-yard shot in the sixth minute, and defending champion Manchester United defeated Porto, 1-0, for a 3-2 aggregate victory in the home-and-home, total-goals series.

Manchester United will next play Arsenal, which defeated Spain’s Villarreal, 3-0.

In the other semifinal, Chelsea plays Barcelona.

PASSINGS

Broadcaster Harmon dies

Broadcaster Merle Harmon, who in a career spanning more than 40 years called professional and college sports for NBC and ABC, died at Arlington, Texas, after a long illness. He was 82. Story, Section A.