BERKELEY, Calif. — Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal and tutored some of the game’s greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93.
His death was confirmed by the University of California, the school Newell coached to a national title in 1959. Newell, who had been living near San Diego, had a serious lung operation in 2005.
“He’s 93. He had a wonderful life, and it was just old age,” said Dr. Earl Shultz, who played for Newell at Cal and had watched over him for the past several years. “His health was not good, because they had removed two-thirds of his lung and he had smoked for many years. It was starting to be a real struggle for him physically. He was getting more weak and dwindling away a little bit.”
Newell coached for 14 years at San Francisco, Michigan State and California before doctors advised him to give it up because of the emotional toll. His final coaching job came in the 1960 Olympics, when he took a U.S. team led by Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas on a dominant run to a gold medal in Rome.
His overall record was 234-123, and he beat UCLA’s John Wooden the last eight times they met.
Garnett suspended; O’Neal fined.
Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett was suspended for one game and Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal was fined $25,000 by the NBA for separate incidents over the weekend.
Garnett was penalized for hitting Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut in the face near the end of Saturday’s game. Garnett will sit out tonight’s game against the New York Knicks.
O’Neal was fined for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court quickly after being ejected Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons.
• Golden State Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson signed a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 season.
• Oklahoma City Thunder forward Desmond Mason will miss about 10 days with a sprained right elbow.
McDonald out with broken leg
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Blues center Andy McDonald is expected to be sidelined eight weeks after breaking his left leg during Sunday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Coach Andy Murray said McDonald, who leads the Blues with 18 points, was hurt when he crashed into the corner boards late in the first period.
• Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will miss tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild with an undisclosed injury.
Footnotes.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed Johnson & Johnson will not renew its top-level sponsorship worth up to $100 million.
• Dara Torres, who at 41 years old won three silver medals at the Beijing Olympics, said she hopes to race at the world championships next summer.
• Goalkeeper Brad Guzan, forward Jozy Altidore and midfielder Freddy Adu were added to the U.S. roster for Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier against Guatemala in Commerce City.
The Associated Press
