Sports briefs 2/11/04

Basketball

Randy Ayers was fired by the struggling Philadelphia 76ers during his first season as their coach, and assistant Chris Ford was promoted to replace him Tuesday. Philadelphia went 21-31 under Ayers and is 1 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. All but one of the 15 Eastern Conference teams (Atlanta) have changed coaches since the end of last season -- and now the 76ers have done it twice in that span. Ayers took over after the resignation of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who is now with the Detroit Pistons.

Wizards scoring leader Larry Hughes has a broken left wrist and will miss four to six weeks. Hughes was hurt in the second half of last week's game against Memphis, but the injury initially was thought to be a sprain. The broken bone was revealed when Hughes was re-examined Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 guard leads the team with 18.7 points per game.

LeBron James was not among the four players the league announced will take part in the event during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. But the Cleveland Cavaliers' star rookie has been hinting at a possible surprise appearance. Citing a sprained right ankle that sidelined him for three games, James recently turned down the NBA's invitation to be in the dunk contest. Golden State's Jason Richardson will try for a third straight dunking crown against Boston's Ricky Davis, Denver's Chris Andersen and Indiana's Fred Jones.

College

Rick Majerus said he will not coach the University of Utah again this season, ending his 15-year association with the school he brought to national prominence. "No. I won't come back this year, and I won't coach next year for sure," Majerus told ESPN. He also ruled out coaching Utah in the future. Majerus left the team on Jan. 28 because of heart problems.

The scandal at the University of Colorado took another twist with reports that football players hired strippers to perform at recruiting parties as recently as two weeks ago. The regents have set up a special commission to investigate allegations that the school uses alcohol and sex to entice top high school recruits in a bid to stay competitive.

The men's basketball teams at the University of Kansas and Wichita State University would have to play each other under a bill introduced in the state Legislature. The bill requires the University of Kansas and Wichita State to play once during the 2005-06 season and once in 2006-07. The bill was introduced by Rep. Todd Novascone, R-Wichita, who acknowledged it's unlikely to pass. The schools have not played since the 1992-'93 season. They have met 14 times, with Kansas winning 12.

Top Miami recruit Willie Williams surrendered after more criminal charges were added to a record of 10 arrests the university didn't know about when it signed him. Williams turned himself in at the Broward County Jail on an arrest warrant that charged he violated probation in a 2002 burglary case. Williams will be held without bail until a Friday hearing.

Hockey

Red Wings goalie Dominik Hasek will miss the rest of the season because of an injured groin, leaving the team with Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace in the net. Hasek, 39, ended his retirement after one year to return to Detroit, but he played in just 14 games before Tuesday's announcement. He was 8-3-2 for the Central Division-leading Red Wings. Hasek has been the NHL's MVP twice and won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie six times. Joseph is 13-9-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average this season.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Rob Blake broke his left leg and will be out indefinitely. He had been playing in pain the past couple of weeks and tests Monday revealed the fracture. The All-Star ranks second among NHL defensemen with 40 points.

-- From wire reports