LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshmen Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight and junior DeAndre Liggins declared for the NBA draft Wednesday but will not sign with an agent, clearing the way for them to return to school next fall if they change their mind by May 8.
Jones and Knight are likely mid- to-high first-round picks, and Liggins is a defensive stopper who hopes to play his way into the first round after being evaluated.
• Arizona forward Derrick Williams said he played the final two months of his sophomore season with a broken right pinky, not a sprain, as the team reported.
• Mitch Henderson, who helped Princeton reach the NCAA Tournament three times in the late 1990s, was named to replace former teammate Sydney Johnson as the Tigers’ coach. Johnson left Princeton this month to take the coaching job at Fairfield.
Billups questionable for Game 3
NEW YORK — The New York Knicks said guard Chauncey Billups is questionable for Friday’s Game 3 of their playoff series against the Boston Celtics because of a strained left knee and Amar’e Stoudemire is day to day with a back injury.
Also, Celtics center Shaquille O’Neal will miss his third game in a row with a right calf injury.
• Memphis forward Zach Ran- dolph signed a four-year extension.
• Former NBA player Oliver Miller was arrested and accused of pistol-whipping a man at a cookout Sunday near his Maryland home.
NFL, players end talks for now
MINNEAPOLIS — After four long and intense mediation sessions between the NFL and its locked-out players, the judge decided to give both parties an extended break.
Executive vice president Jeff Pash, the NFL’s lead negotiator, said U.S. Judge Magistrate Arthur Boylan told both sides they likely won’t convene again until May 16 because he has a few other matters on his judicial calendar.
In the interim, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson is expected to decide well before then on the players’ request to immediately lift the 40-day-old lockout.
Accused Auburn tree poisoning suspect says he was attacked
OPELIKA, Ala. — Harvey Updyke Jr., the Alabama fan accused of poisoning landmark trees at Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner, told police he was assaulted at a gas station shortly after leaving the courthouse.
Updyke, 62, told an officer he was attacked when he stepped out of his car at a gas station on Birmingham Highway, according to Opelika Police Capt. Allan Elkins.
Earlier, Updyke’s attorney waived his client’s right to a preliminary hearing. Updyke is charged with first-degree criminal mischief in the poisoning of the trees.
Footnotes.
Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman, Vancouver’s Mike Gillis and Nashville’s David Poile are finalists for the NHL’s general manager of the year award. The winner will be announced June 22.
• Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye agreed to the final detail of their long-awaited heavyweight title bout, selecting Hamburger SV’s soccer stadium for the July 2 fight.
The Associated Press
