Former North Carolina State star Lorenzo Charles dies in bus crash

Former North Carolina State basketball star Lorenzo Charles, the muscular forward whose last-second dunk gave the underdog Wolfpack the 1983 national championship, was killed Monday when a bus he was driving in Raleigh, N.C., crashed, a company official said Monday.

Elite Coach General Manager Brad Jackson said Charles, 47, worked for the company and was driving one of its buses on Interstate 40.

Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue said no passengers were aboard.

Charles secured his spot in N.C. State lore 28 years ago in the final moments of the Wolfpack’s matchup with Houston in the national championship game.

He grabbed Dereck Whittenburg’s 30-foot shot and dunked it at the buzzer to give N.C. State a 54-52 win and its second national title, sending Coach Jim Valvano spilling onto the court, scrambling for someone to hug in what has become one of the lasting images of the NCAA tournament.

Etc.

Terrell Owens had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees after suffering an injury while taping a reality television show, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen.

Owens, 37, was injured during a personal workout while filming a show for VH1, according to the report, and had surgery performed by noted Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

Owens caught 72 passes for 983 yards with nine touchdowns for Cincinnati last season, but will be a free agent once the lockout ends.

The injury was previously undisclosed, and agent Drew Rosenhaus denied there was an injury when ESPN contacted him last month.

The Kings said they extended qualifying offers to goaltender Jeff Zatkoff, defensemen Andrew Campbell, Drew Doughty, Johan Fransson and Alec Martinez, and forwards Marc-Andre Cliche, Rich Clune, Corey Elkins, Bud Holloway, Trevor Lewis, David Meckler, Oscar Moller, Patrick Mullen and Brad Richardson.

Extending a qualifying offer ensures that a team retains negotiating rights to that player. Restricted free agents who don’t receive qualifying offers become unrestricted free agents.

The only Kings player not receiving a qualifying offer was forward Rob Bordson, who was an unpublicized part of the trade that brought Mike Richards from Philadelphia. The Kings agreed to take his contract so the Flyers could remain under the maximum number of player contracts, but the Kings never mentioned him in their press release announcing the trade.

The Ducks announced they had given qualifying offers to three restricted free agents: right wing Dan Sexton, center Nick Bonino and left wing Patrick Maroon.

They did not extend qualifying offers to center Kyle Chipchura, defensemen Eric Regan, John deGray and Nigel Williams, left wing Ryan Hillier and goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur.

— Helene Elliott

A person familiar with the deal says the Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Kevin Bieksa to a five-year, $23-million contract extension.

A 21-year-old man claims boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. directed his bodyguards to attack him at a Las Vegas casino last year after the man asked about a long-awaited showdown with Manny Pacquiao, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in state court in Las Vegas.

The lawsuit alleges Mayweather’s bodyguards attacked Anthony Cliff of Las Vegas near a valet parking stand at the Palms Casino Resort on March 27, 2010, after Mayweather accused Cliff of “disrespecting” him.

Mayweather’s bodyguards allegedly struck Cliff in the face, slamming his head into the ground. They then kicked him repeatedly in his back and side, the lawsuit says.

Mayweather’s attorney did not respond Monday to a request for comment. A spokesman for the Palms said casino officials do not comment on pending litigation.

Las Vegas police spokesman Jacinto Rivera said that an alleged battery at the Palms involving Mayweather and his entourage was reported, but the case was suspended because witnesses and casino video surveillance did not identify any suspects.

Former North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson is headed to Wisconsin, potentially solving one of the biggest hurdles standing between the Badgers and a Big Ten title. Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema said that Wilson will compete for the Badgers’ starting job in the fall. The two-sport star most recently played in the Colorado Rockies’ minor league system but apparently is ready to hang up his baseball spikes.

New Orleans Hornets forward David West will become a free agent after opting out of the final year of his contract. West, the Hornets’ leading scorer last season, recently had reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

The University of Kentucky has given men’s basketball Coach John Calipari an extension that makes his contract worth $36.5 million and will keep him coaching the Wildcats through 2019.

Dallas Mavericks guard Roddy Beaubois has undergone surgery for the second time since fracturing his left foot while training with the French national team last summer. Beaubois had the procedure Monday. The team didn’t offer a time frame for what it said would be a full recovery.