Webber's school refuses to forfeit
Chris Webber's high school yesterday refused to forfeit three state championships he helped win, a day after the Michigan High School Athletic Association ruled he should not have been allowed to play because of his relationship with a former Michigan booster. Webber, now a star with the Sacramento Kings, violated his amateur standing and was ineligible during the time he played at Detroit Country Day, the governing body said Sunday. The association had left it up to the school to decide whether to forfeit games in which Webber played . . . The New Jersey Devils acquired center Viktor Kozlov from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Christian Berglund and defenseman Victor Uchevatov . . . Defenseman James Patrick, who has missed 15 games with a pinched nerve in his neck, is expected to return to the Buffalo Sabres for tomorrow's game in Ottawa . . . The New Orleans Hornets have activated guard David Wesley after he missed the last 20 games with a toe injury . . . The Golden State Warriors placed guard Nick Van Exel on the injured list with left knee inflammation . . . Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior will miss five to 10 days because of an inflamed right Achilles' tendon . . . Jose Canseco, who was told there was a "99 percent chance" the Dodgers wouldn't sign him, still showed up at a tryout but was not impressive.
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UConn women slip to 4th in poll
One week after three New England teams were ranked No. 1 in the weekly collegiate polls, each has been sent down a notch -- or two, or three. The University of Connecticut (23-3) was relegated to No. 4 in the women's basketball rankings after falling to Villanova. The Boston College men's hockey team slipped to No. 2, behind North Dakota, after the Eagles (26-4-4) lost to New Hampshire. And the Harvard women's hockey team (23-3-1) dropped to No. 3 after losing to Dartmouth. The Big Green (20-5-2) moved up to No. 2 behind Minnesota . . . Former astronaut Michael Bloomfield was hired as Air Force's athletic director, taking over as the academy tries to recover from a sexual assault scandal . . . Texas swimmer Ian Crocker, a native of Portland, Maine, set a world record in the 50-meter butterfly at the Big 12 time trials in Austin, Texas, pending verification by the sport's international federation . . . The WUSA has chosen Carson, Calif., and Blaine, Minn., to host festivals in June . . . China's national women's basketball team will play the Connecticut Sun in May during the WNBA preseason. 