BasketballMIRACLE TOSS: The WNBA expansion Orlando Miracle will have the first pick of two players signed by the league after winning a coin flip with the Minnesota Lynx.
The two expansion teams each receive two players allocated to them by the league. Each team has already been assigned a player, and the other will be named before the draft.
By winning the coin toss, the Miracle had the option of getting the first choice of an allocated player or picking first in the expansion draft.
Minnesota now will choose first in the April 6 expansion draft and have the seventh overall pick in the April 27 general draft. Orlando will pick second in the expansion draft and eighth in the draft.
HOLDSCLAW REPEATS: Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw, already the first three-time All-American, achieved another breakthrough Thursday when she became the first to repeat as The Associated Press player of the year in women's basketball.
Carolyn Peck, who has her team in contention for the national championship in her second and final season at Purdue, was selected coach of the year in voting by AP newspaper and broadcasters.
WASHINGTON STATE HIRES GRAHAM: Paul Graham, the new men's basketball coach at Washington State, is ready to face the challenge of drawing recruits from big cities to this remote southeastern Washington town.
He's had practice perfecting those skills. As an assistant under Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State, Graham earned a reputation for luring recruits to Stillwater, Okla. -- also a small town.
NORTHEASTERN CLEARS LEWIS: An internal investigation by Northeastern University of the sudden death of Celtics star Reggie Lewis found no evidence that he used cocaine in college.
In a motion filed in the medical malpractice case, lawyers for Lewis' estate said "every credible witness with personal knowledge states unequivocally before the Northeastern Commission that Reggie Lewis never used cocaine."
The 1996 report has become central to the battle over responsibility in Lewis' July 1993 death.
CALIFORNIA CAPTURES NIT: Though he was just 3-of-17 from the field, California's Geno Carlisle came through with a three-point play with 4.7 seconds left, and the Golden Bears beat Clemson 61-60 to win the NIT championship Thursday night.
Carlisle drove the lane, missed a shot, got the ball back and tossed up a one-hander to tie the score as he was fouled by Tom Wideman. The free throw was the decisive point.
Hockey
JUDGE HALTS PENGUINS' MOVE: A federal judge has ordered the Pittsburgh Penguins to remain at the Civic Arena through 2007 and barred team officials from any talks about moving to other cities.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bernard Markovitz issued a permanent injunction prohibiting Penguins co-owner Roger Marino -- or any new owners who come out of bankruptcy proceedings -- from trying to take the team to any other city.
The injunction prohibits team officials from discussing possible sale to non-Pittsburgh owners.
Boxing
NO SLACK FOR TYSON: Mike Tyson was turned down today in his bid to have his jail sentence in Maryland reduced from one year to eight months.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Stephen Johnson, who imposed the original sentence last month, said at today's hearing he still considers the sentence "fair and appropriate."
Football
FLUTIE MOVIE PLANNED: Doug Flutie's comeback will soon be the stuff of a TV movie. The agent for the Buffalo Bills quarterback said an agreement has been struck to develop a movie on Flutie's life.
Mula said the Doug Flutie Jr. Autism Foundation, named after Flutie's 7-year-old son, would benefit from the project.