Father says Durant may stay at Texas

Basketball
The father of Texas freshman Kevin Durant said it's not a slam dunk that his son will turn pro after this season, The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday. "There's a chance he would come back to Texas next year," said Durant's father, Wayne Pratt. "Kevin is so young. There's not a rush for him to go to the NBA. Right now, we're not even talking about that. We're talking about winning the Big 12, and Kevin continuing to progress academically." Durant, 18, is the Big 12's leading scorer (24.9 average) and rebounder (11.4) . . . The marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms police say they seized from a car occupied by two Gonzaga basketball players needs to be analyzed by the crime lab before charges can be considered, a prosecutor said. Josh Heytvelt and Theo Davis were suspended from the team after last weekend's arrest.

Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said he hates gay people, but later apologized. "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people," he said while a guest on a radio show in Miami. "I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." The discussion was sparked by last week's announcement that retired NBA center John Amaechi is gay. Hardaway later apologized during a telephone interview . . . The Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson, a former Celtic, was chosen by commissioner David Stern for the NBA's East All-Star team as a replacement for New Jersey guard Jason Kidd, who will miss Sunday's game with a back injury.

Baseball

Mariano Rivera had this warning for the New York Yankees: If he becomes a free agent, he'll consider offers from other teams. "Everybody has the same shot," he said yesterday. "The Yankees will not have an advantage." Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called the 37-year-old closer a day after Rivera said he was hoping for a contract extension, and told him his preference is to push back the matter until after the season. Catcher Jorge Posada also is entering the final season of his contract, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez can opt out of his deal after the World Series . . . Free agent righthander Steve Trachsel finalized a $3.1 million, one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles, filling a void in the starting rotation left by Kris Benson's injury . . . Righthanded reliever Kerry Ligtenberg agreed to a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds, who will give him a chance to win a spot in their bullpen . . . Former All-Star Dmitri Young agreed to a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals, getting another chance after the Detroit Tigers cut him last year following legal and substance problems . . . Free agent righthander Cliff Politte signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians . . . Infielder Desi Relaford agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes an invitation to spring training.

NFL

Former NFL running back and new "Today" show correspondent Tiki Barber said his problems with New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin had "started to take its toll on me." Barber, 31, retired as a Pro Bowl running back, scoring a touchdown in the Pro Bowl last weekend. Barber and Coughlin had their rough patches, particularly when Barber said the Giants were outcoached after a playoff loss a season ago. "Coach Coughlin is very hard-nosed, and I didn't get a lot of time off, couldn't sit down and rest myself, and so it was a constant grind -- a physical grind on me that started to take its toll," Barber said . . . Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary thinks he's ready to become an NFL head coach after just four seasons as an assistant. The former Chicago Bears great was the first candidate to meet with the San Diego Chargers, less than 48 hours after they fired Marty Schottenheimer . . . Kansas City defensive end Jared Allen will serve two days in jail for driving under the influence of alcohol after pleading no contest in Leawood (Kan.) Municipal Court . . . Ron Aiken, defensive line coach at Iowa, has been hired for the same job with the Arizona Cardinals.

Miscellany

The Phoenix Coyotes have agreed to a five-year contract with captain Shane Doan. The agreement was completed yesterday, according to a person with knowledge of the contract who asked not to be identified because the deal had not been officially announced . . . Kim Clijsters won the first match of her last home tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, beating Olga Poutchkova, 6-0, 6-2, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Diamond Games . . . World Cup champion Italy ended Brazil's 4 1/2-year stay at the top of FIFA's world soccer rankings, taking the No. 1 spot for the first time since 1993 . . . Manny Pacquaio, who won three times in 2006, was honored as fighter of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America, while his trainer, Freddie Roach, of Dedham, Mass., was the trainer of the year . . . Shannon Briggs withdrew from his first defense of his World Boxing Organization heavyweight title because he has pneumonia. Briggs was to fight Russia's Sultan Ibragimov March 10.