NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma star Blake Griffin will give up his final two years of eligibility and head to the NBA after a sophomore season in which he was honored as college basketball’s top player.
It was a choice coach Jeff Capel called a “no-brainer” on Tuesday with Griffin establishing himself as a likely candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft this June.
Griffin led the nation with 30 double-doubles and 14.4 rebounds per game while also averaging a Big 12-best 22.7 points.
• Arizona junior forward Chase Budinger said he is hiring an agent and will make himself available for the NBA draft, while teammate Nic Wise declared for the draft but will not hire an agent.
Kentucky star Jodie Meeks and South Carolina’s Devan Downey have declared for the draft without hiring an agent.
• Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has been named the Naismith men’s coach of the year after leading the Panthers to a school-record 31 wins.
• Arizona lured Xavier coach Sean Miller to Tucson with a five- year contract that pays him a base salary of $2 million per year plus a $1 million signing bonus.
• Michael Jordan‘s youngest son, Marcus, says he’ll play basketball at Central Florida next season.
Chicago’s bid gets thumbs up
CHICAGO — The chairwoman of the International Olympic Committee’s evaluation commission, Nawal el Moutawakel, says members were “most impressed” by what Chicago could offer the Olympics. “We are leaving with a very strong impression that the bid is a strong one.”
Chicago is vying against Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Games. The IOC will make its decision Oct. 2.
• Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista has donated $4.5 million to Rio de Janeiro’s bid for the 2016 Games.
Footnotes.
Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng could miss the rest of the regular season because of stress fractures in his right tibia.
• The Heat will likely be without forward Udonis Haslem for the remainder of the regular season because of a cut on his right thumb.
• Defensive tackle Tank Johnson has agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcus Stroud signed a two-year contract extension potentially worth $16.5 million, his agent said.
• Former Texas Tech linebacker Brad Hastings died at age 44 of heart failure in Arlington, Texas.
• Former world champion cyclist Jobie Dajka has been found dead at his home in Adelaide, Australia, local media are reporting.
• Guillermo Canas, ranked 113th in the world, defeated top-seeded James Blake 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston. Bjorn Phau, ranked 77th, beat second-seeded Mardy Fish 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
• Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, will have night racing — June 19 and 26 and July 2 — for the first time in the track’s 135-year history.
• The Islanders have signed veteran forward Doug Weight to a one-year contract extension.
• Soccer coach Bora Milutinovic says he will coach Iraq’s national team.
The Associated Press
