Sports briefs 4/19/06

Colleges

• Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison is expected to forgo his senior year and declare for the NBA draft, according to numerous media reports.

Morrison, a first-team All-America and the nation's leading scorer, has not commented on the reports, but has scheduled a press conference at Gonzaga for this afternoon.

Spokane television stations KHQ, KREM and KXLY and FoxSports.com reported Monday night that Morrison had decided to turn pro. All cited unnamed sources. The Spokesman-Review and The Seattle Times both reported in Tuesday's editions that he would leave, also citing unnamed sources.

Morrison, who averaged 28.1 points per game last season, is expected to be a first-round draft choice in the June 28 NBA draft. He has until April 29 to officially declare for the draft.

* Forward DeMarre Carroll will transfer away from Vanderbilt after this semester, coach Kevin Stallings said Tuesday.

Carroll was the Commodores' third-leading scorer with 10.8 points and the second-leading rebounder with 6.4 per game. He also had double-doubles in both games against Kentucky and Tennessee.

"DeMarre feels that to accomplish his goals in basketball it is in his best interest to transfer at this time," Stallings said in a statement. "Given the makeup of our roster, he feels that significant playing time on the perimeter is not likely. We certainly wish DeMarre all the best."

Carroll asked for, and will be given, releases to Missouri, North Carolina State, UAB, Marquette and Memphis.

Carroll is a Birmingham, Ala., native, but The Tennessean reported that he was expected to transfer to Missouri, where his uncle Mike Anderson was recently named head coach.

* Springfield police continue to investigate a brutal attack outside a nightclub last week, in which witnesses say several Southwest Baptist University students drove over a man and then jumped up and down on the car.

Four people -- all of them football players at Southwest Baptist -- have been arrested but no charges have been filed.

Joshua M. Mincks, 22, of Bolivar, Mo., was taken to a Springfield hospital early Thursday morning, after he was found lying in the parking lot of Cowboys 2000. His condition Tuesday was not known.

* Penn State fined women's basketball coach Rene Portland $10,000 after concluding she violated university policy in her treatment of a player who was perceived to be a lesbian.

The university said Portland would be dismissed for any future violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy. She was also ordered to take professional development "devoted to diversity and inclusiveness."

Reading from a statement at a news conference, Portland said she disagreed with the ruling and that the conclusions were flawed. She said would return as Penn State coach next season, but declined to answer any questions.

The school began the investigation after a former player, Jennifer Harris, alleged that Portland had harassed her and told her she needed to look "more feminine."

Hockey

• President and general manager Dave Taylor was among those dismissed by the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday during a major housecleaning.

The moves came after the Kings stumbled down the stretch of the season and failed to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

The entire coaching staff, including interim head coach John Torchetti, will not have their contracts renewed. But Torchetti, who took over when Andy Murray was fired last month, was told he can interview for the job when the new president and GM is named.

Kevin Gilmore, assistant GM, and Bill O'Flaherty, director of player personnel, also were relieved of their duties.

Even Tim Leiweke said he is stepping aside as CEO to allow the incoming president/GM to have full control of the hockey operations, although Leiweke will remain the team's governor.

The Kings finished with a 42-37-5 record to finish 10th in the Western Conference, two spots out of the playoffs.

Miscellaneous

• The late Joe McGuff, former columnist and sports editor at The Kansas City Star, has been honored as the 26th winner of the Red Smith Award.

The award was announced Tuesday by the Associated Press Sports Editors, an organization McGuff helped found more than three decades ago.

The Red Smith is APSE's highest honor and is bestowed on a person who has made major contributions to sports journalism.

McGuff, a member of the writers' wing at baseball Hall of Fame, died in February at 79.

-- The Associated Press