PENSACOLA, FLA. — Alec Kessler, a Georgia basketball star who played four seasons for the Miami Heat before becoming an orthopedic surgeon, died after collapsing during a pickup game. He was 40.
He appeared to have had a heart attack Saturday and was pronounced dead a short time later at Gulf Breeze Hospital.
Kessler, 6-feet-11, was the captain of Georgia’s 1990 Southeastern Conference championship team and became a first-round NBA draft pick. Kessler was drafted No. 12 overall by the Houston Rockets, who promptly traded him to Miami. During his time with the Heat, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Hoosiers to lose scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson will not receive a $500,000 raise and his team will lose one scholarship for next season after violating NCAA-imposed sanctions on recruiting phone calls. Assistant coach Rob Senderoff will also be penalized.
Serena falls in final
MOSCOW — Serena Williams was undone by a slew of errors and lost the Kremlin Cup final 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to Elena Dementieva. Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko won the men’s title by beating Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 7-5, 7-6 (9) and winning this event for the second straight year.
Defending champion Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the Zurich Open, which starts today, because of a lingering shoulder injury. Sharapova will also miss the Generali Ladies in Linz, Austria, starting Oct. 22, which she also won last year.
Kiplagat sets mark
UDINE, ITALY — Lornah Kiplagat set a half-marathon world record to defend her title at the world road running championships. Kiplagat finished in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 25 seconds on the 13.11-mile course, slicing 19 seconds off the mark Elana Meyer set in Tokyo eight years ago. Deena Kastor, a former resident of Alamosa, finished 16th, 3:13 behind Kiplagat. Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea used a late attack to defend his title in the men’s race, winning in 58:59.
