UCLA’s Ball draft-bound
LOS ANGELES — Lonzo Ball is leaving. The expectations for UCLA men’s basketball remain the same. After the Bruins’ NCAA tournament run ended with an 86-75 loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, Ball said he plans to enter the NBA draft. “That was my final game for UCLA. I appreciate all the fans and all the support,” the point guard said in the locker room. The freshman phenom helped UCLA to a 31-5 record while averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds this season. In his final game, he had 10 points, eight assists and three rebounds; he also committed four of the Bruins’ 13 turnovers, though coach Steve Alford said one off night doesn’t change his belief Ball will be the No. 1 pick in June. Seniors Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton, two of six players who averaged double figures this season, also are headed out the door. Freshman T.J. Leaf, who averaged a team-leading 16.3 points, could join Ball in the draft. Said Coach Alford: “We’ve got some special kids that are coming to join us.” Among them is Li’Angelo Ball, a younger brother to Lonzo and a 6-foot-6 guard. Yet another Ball brother, LaMelo, has verbally committed to the Bruins, although he just finished his sophomore year at nearby Chino Hills High.
› New York Knicks center Joakim Noah was suspended 20 games without pay for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. He tested positive for a substance found in some over-the-counter supplements, the league said Saturday. Noah has not played since Feb. 4 and was likely to miss the Knicks’ final 10 games this season because of a left knee injury. The NBA said Noah’s suspension will begin with the first regular-season or playoff game for which he is “eligible and physically able to play.” The players’ union believes Noah made an unintentional mistake. “Joakim was completely forthcoming and cooperative throughout the investigation, and we believe that this isolated occurrence was a regrettable mistake,” the union said in a release. “Joakim has offered his deepest apologies for this infraction, and neither he nor the NBPA will pursue an appeal.”
› CINCINNATI — The Bengals released veteran linebacker Rey Maualuga on Saturday, saying they were moving to a younger group at the position. This past Monday they signed free-agent linebacker Kevin Minter to a one-year deal, an indication they were going in a different direction. Maualuga was Cincinnati’s second-round pick in 2009 and has played in 114 games, starting 104 of them. He and quarterback Andy Dalton were named team captains in 2012. Second-year linebacker Nick Vigil is expected to take on an expanded role next season for a defense that slipped in 2016, finishing 17th in yards allowed.
› HARTFORD, Conn. — A state ethics office is questioning whether the son of UConn football coach Randy Edsall should be hired as an assistant coach for the team. Emails and letters provided to the Hartford Courant show an advisory board to the Office of State Ethics is questioning whether it was permissible for the elder Edsall to negotiate a job for his son Corey under the state ethics code. UConn is working to finalize a one-year, $95,000 contract so he can work on his father’s staff. UConn has said it sees nothing wrong with the younger Edsall’s employment.
BASEBALL
› Atlanta knuckleballer R.A. Dickey went six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk as the Braves lost 3-0 to the New York Mets in a Grapefruit League game Saturday in Kissimmee, Fla. Brandon Phillips went 2-for-3 as the only Atlanta player with multiple hits. Dickey dropped to 0-4 and Atlanta to 7-20 this spring.