Courier, three others in tennis Hall
Jim Courier's first love may have been baseball, but instead of going to Cooperstown next summer, he'll be heading to Newport, R.I., for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He'll be joined by Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna, and Butch Buchholz. Courier, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi dominated the sport during the 1990s, Courier becoming the first of that group to win two Grand Slams and be ranked No. 1. He retired in 2000 after winning 29 titles. Courier came close to dropping tennis as a kid, but decided against following in the footsteps of his father and brother, both of whom played college baseball. Noah was the first Frenchman to win his country's Open in 37 years when he prevailed in 1983, Novotna was Wimbledon champ in 1998, and Buchholz is a long-time tour administrator . . . Jennifer Capriati will miss the Australian Open because of a shoulder injury, withdrawing from the grand slam event she won in 2001-02 . . . Bode Miller lost a pole on the first run, and nearly performed the splits near the finish on the second, but he somehow still managed to finish second in a World Cup giant slalom in Abelboden, Switzerland, and maintained his lead in the overall standings. Miller, a native of Franconia, N.H., took over the top spot in the giant slalom standings . . . Jayson Williams, acquitted last year of charges in the shooting death of a limousine driver, is talking with the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Assn. about a comeback. He still faces retrial on reckless manslaughter . . . DeLisha Milton-Jones of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks was named interim coach of the Los Angeles Stars of the American Basketball Assn., the second female coach of a men's pro team.
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The Ohio State football program cannot seem to escape the long shadow of Maurice Clarett. Suspended quarterback Troy Smith accepted money from a rogue Ohio State booster last spring in order to pay an outstanding bill for a cellphone his mother obtained for Clarett, according to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Outgoing athletic director Andy Geiger, citing federal student privacy laws, would not comment. Smith, who has not spoken publicly since he was suspended before the Alamo Bowl, is expected to return to the Buckeyes for spring practice, pending NCAA approval, but likely will sit out next year's season opener, making it a two-game suspension . . . Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik won the Broyles Award as college football's top assistant coach. Connecticut offensive coordinator Norries Wilson was a finalist . . . If Boston College plays again in next season's bowl game in Charlotte, N.C., the Eagles will be defending their title in the Meineke Car Care Bowl; the muffler installers signed a three-year deal to take over sponsorship from Continental Tires . . . Richard Anderson and Thomas Wheatley have won the 2004 Red Hill Awards, recognizing the season's top ECAC football officials.
