Basketball
UAB HIRES DAVIS: Former Indiana coach Mike Davis took over UAB's basketball program Friday, returning to his home state after a rocky tenure with the Hoosiers. The 45-year-old Davis, a native of Fayette who played for Alabama, replaces Mike Anderson, who left the Blazers to become coach at Missouri. Davis announced his resignation from Indiana on Feb. 16, effective at the end of the season.
GONZALEZ EXCITED: New Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez is ready to lead a big-time college basketball program. Gonzalez took over the Big East school Friday after guiding Manhattan for the last seven years. "I came up through the ranks. I've paid my dues and I feel like I belong here and I'm ready," Gonzalez said at a news conference.
Tennis
WILLIAMS SISTERS OUT:Serena and Venus Williams have withdrawn from next week's Family Circle Cup because of injuries. Venus Williams, ranked No. 11 in the world, has a right elbow sprain that has forced her out of tournaments for the past two months. Serena Williams, ranked 88th, has not recovered from a left knee injury that has sidelined her for much of the year.
Skiing
COACH RESIGNS:Corby Fisher has resigned after two years as the jumping coach for the U.S. Ski Team. Fisher, a former jumper whose career ended early because of a concussion, spent the last four years as a coach, first coaching jumping for the U.S. Nordic combined team before taking over the ski jumping team two years ago.
Auto racing
GRAND AM POLE:Luis Diaz won the pole for the Grand American Challenge of Long Beach, turning a lap at 88.587 mph Friday on the 1.968-mile city street circuit. Diaz's Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley will start Saturday alongside Patrick Long's Alex Job Racing Porsche Crawford (88.472 mph).
NASCAR POLE: Kasey Kahne hopes his second Nextel Cup pole of the season translates into another trip to Victory Lane. Kahne qualified first Friday for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 in Fort Worth with a fast lap of 190.315 mph. The Dodge driver's other pole this year came last month at Atlanta, a similar 1 1/2-mile track where he also won the race. Rookie J.J. Yeley qualified second with a lap at 189.374 mph; Mark Martin, second in the standings, qualified third.