Sports Briefs

Homer netters down Bulldogs

The Homer High School volleyball team defeated Nikiski in three games in a non-region match Tuesday in Homer.

The Mariners took the first game 15-3, needed extra points to win the second game 16-14, and finished off the match with a 15-10 win in the third game.

Cowboy Roundup crowns champs

Mike V'lore was named all-around cowboy and Shirley Scholenberg was named all-around cowgirl at the Soldotna Equestrian Association and Peninsula Horseman's Association Cowboy Roundup Buckle Series Rodeo.

Soldotna Equestrian Association-Peninsula Horseman's Association Cowboy Roundup Buckle Series Rodeo Standings

Barrels -- Ages 0-10: Lindsey Schnabl; Ages 11-16: Jackie Rainwater; Ages 17-and-up: Shirley Scholenberg.

Poles -- Ages 0-10: Teresa Bitterich; Ages 11-16: Jackie Rainwater; Ages 17-and-up: Chelsey Fowler.

Team penning -- Mike Anderson, Beth Fowler, Chelsey Fowler.

Double mugging -- Mike V'lore, Justin Rainwater.

Team roping -- Justin Rainwater, Mike V'lore.

Breakaway roping -- Mike Rainwater.

Wild cowmilking -- Mike V'lore, Shirley Scholenberg.

Fresno State dismisses Maddox from team

FRESNO, Calif. -- Tito Maddox, the Western Athletic Conference freshman of the year last season, was dismissed from the Fresno State basketball team Tuesday for violating NCAA rules.

Fresno State interim athletics director Scott Johnson said Maddox violated rules governing receipt of benefits from a sports agent.

The school said it had worked over the last several weeks with the NCAA to investigate claims that Maddox had received additional benefits last spring when he was considering whether to enter the NBA draft. Maddox entered, then withdrew from the draft.

''It's regrettable that this action had to be taken, but this is the second time there has been a problem related to receiving benefits from sports agents,'' Johnson said. ''This is a clear violation of the NCAA rules and the university's student athlete code of conduct.''

Maddox led the WAC in assists last season and was fourth nationally at 8.0 per game. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in his first season, leading the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Mavs reach tentative agreement to get Hardaway

DALLAS -- The Dallas Mavericks reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday to acquire Tim Hardaway from the Miami Heat for a second-round draft pick.

''It's an agreement between the teams,'' Mavericks spokesman Gregg Elkin told the Associated Press late Tuesday. ''We'll make it official tomorrow (Wednesday).''

The sign-and-trade deal will total about $10 million over three years for Hardaway once it is finalized.

Hardaway has averaged 18.6 points and 8.6 assists per game over his 11-year career. Last season with Miami, Hardaway averaged 14.9 points and 6.3 assists.

Hardaway played for Mavericks head coach Don Nelson for six seasons when the two were at Golden State in the early 90s.

Hardaway, who played college basketball at Texas-El Paso, has been plagued by foot and knee injuries the last two seasons. He has said doctors expect him to be fully recovered by next season.

Coyotes re-sign Doan to multiyear deal

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed right wing Shane Doan to a three-year, $7.2 million contract on Tuesday.

With the depature of Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick, the 24-year-old Doan, who scored a career-high 26 goals in 76 games, will be more heavily relied upon as an offensive leader.

''He's emerging in the league as one of the top-notch young players,'' general manager Cliff Fletcher said. ''Hopefully, this year and in years ahead, he'll take his game to a higher plateau.''

Lemieux expects to sit out one-quarter of season

PITTSBURGH -- Mario Lemieux, already working out for what would be his first full NHL season in five years, plans to sit out nearly one-quarter of the Pittsburgh Penguins' games to stay healthy for the playoffs.

Lemieux, who is also the owner of the Penguins, missed only a handful of games after ending a 44-month retirement in January, but said Tuesday he expects to miss all road games when the team plays on consecutive nights.

Because the NHL schedule is more compressed than usual due to the two-week Olympic shutdown in February, the Penguins play on consecutive nights 17 times during their 82-game schedule. Lemieux doesn't foresee any situation in which he would play two nights in a row.

If the Penguins are on the road on a Friday and at home on a Saturday, for example, he will play only in the home game.

Lemieux, who was long troubled by back problems, hasn't had any back pain since January -- ''My back feels great,'' he said -- but he wants to be well rested when the playoffs begin in April.

''I've got to do what's best for myself and team and fans here,'' he said. ''If I go to Nashville and get injured and can't play here the next night before the people who support us, it's not very smart.''

The Penguins sold out every home game after Lemieux returned last season but, without five-time scoring champion Jaromir Jagr to help push ticket sales, they obviously want Lemieux to play every home game possible.

Lemieux, who once did little off-season conditioning, began working out with conditioning expert Jay Caufield, a former Penguins defenseman, about 10 days ago and will stay in training until camp opens early next month.

''I know what it takes to get back in shape and I know what I have to do,'' said Lemieux, who will turn 36 the week the season opens. ''That's what I've been doing with Jay over the last 10 days. I've been skating all week now, and (Flyers forward) Mark Recchi and a couple of more guys are coming in this week, just getting back to the routine of getting into shape and getting ready for training camp.''

Lemieux also will attend the Canadian Olympic team's minicamp Sept. 4-7 in Calgary, but doubts if the workouts will be very strenuous. He expects the session with executive director Wayne Gretzky and coach Pat Quinn to be mostly informal, with little on-ice work.

''I don't know if it's going to be a camp,'' Lemieux said. ''I don't know what it's going to be. We'll probably be on the ice for an hour, and then it's golf.''

Although the Olympics could be two weeks of intense, playoff-caliber hockey that will divide the Penguins among six national teams, Lemieux isn't re-rethinking his Olympic participation.

Lemieux has never played in the Olympics -- he was retired in 1998 when the NHL shut down for the Nagano Olympics -- and thus will be one of the most watched players in Salt Lake City.

''I'm delighted to be going and have a chance to win the gold,'' he said.

Lemieux, meanwhile, has decided how much he will make next season, but has not disclosed the figure. He played last season for $1.4 million, but doubled that with incentives cleared by the NHL and the Players Association before he came out of retirement.

Lemieux will make more than that during the coming season, but not enough to cause the Penguins to go over their projected payroll of $34 million to $35 million.

''Yeah, it was a pretty easy negotiation. I picked a nice number,'' Lemieux said.