RALEIGH, N.C. — Mark Gottfried said all the things North Carolina State fans wanted to hear: He plans to contend for a national championship, be a fixture in the NCAA Tournament and go toe-to-toe with the Wolfpack’s highly ranked rivals.
Now he has to deliver.
“Every job in America has different challenges, obstacles, those things that make the job difficult,” the new North Carolina State men’s basketball coach said Tuesday. “I’m not backing down from anybody here, period. We want to win.”
Gottfried, 47, received a five-year contract with a guarantee of $1.2 million annually, a deal that includes an automatic two-year extension if he leads the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament in either of the next two seasons. Gottfried, who replaces Sidney Lowe, has a career record of 278-155 in 14 seasons at Murray State and Alabama.
• Frank Martin said he’s happy coaching at Kansas State, but the South Florida native indicated he would listen if Miami calls.
• Pat Knight, fired after going 50-61 in three seasons at Texas Tech, was named coach at Lamar. He replaces Steve Roccaforte, fired after going 76-78 in five years.
• Forward Jereme Richmond declared for the June 23 NBA draft after one year at Illinois, ending a rocky college career for the highly touted recruit.
• Kevin McGuff was named the Washington women’s basketball coach after compiling a 213-73 record over nine seasons at Xavier. He replaces Tia Jackson, who resigned last month.
Storm rocks Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — An overnight storm that swept through Augusta National left broken limbs all over the course and knocked down one of the famous trees along Magnolia Lane.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson noticed the gap when he arrived at the course.
“It was just disappointing that a tree that’s been there for so many years was uprooted,” he said.
The storms toppled trees and some power lines across town. The club delayed its scheduled opening by 45 minutes to give workers time to clear debris so the practice rounds could begin.
Today’s forecast calls for temperatures in the low 70s.
Footnotes.
New York Rangers forward Ryan Callahan, the team’s second-leading scorer, is out indefinitely because of a broken right leg suffered in Monday night’s victory over the Boston Bruins.
• Fiesta Bowl officials will meet April 18 with the NCAA subcommittee in charge of licensing bowl games and could have their four- year license revoked.
• With the lockout at three weeks and no end in sight, attorneys for the NFL and its locked-out players will go before a federal judge today in the first round of their fight over the future of the $9 billion business — including the 2011 season.
• MLS rookie of the year Andy Najar announced he wants to play international soccer for Honduras — and not his new home, the United States.
• Schalke defeated defending champion Inter Milan 5-2 and Real Madrid downed Tottenham 4-0 in first-leg European Champions League games.
Denver Post wire services
