Akron hires former Illini coach Groce

Akron has hired former Illinois coach John Groce to take over its program.

Groce replaces Keith Dambrot, who surprisingly left his alma mater last week after a successful run to coach at Duquesne.

Groce is familiar with the Mid-American Conference after spending four seasons at Ohio University. He went 85-56 at the school and twice led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio upset Michigan in the 2012 tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Illinois fired Groce last month after five seasons. He finished with a 95-75 record, but the Fighting Illini went just 39-53 in conference play.

Akron’s program was one of the MAC’s strongest under Dambrot, who became increasingly discouraged that the league could only get one NCAA bid.

EWING: ‘IT’S GREAT TO BE

BACK’ >> Patrick Ewing says “it’s great to be back” at Georgetown as its basketball coach in hopes of creating a “new era,” 33 years after leading the school to a national championship as a shot-blocking center.

During an on-campus news conference Wednesday, Ewing recreated the image from when he announced he would attend Georgetown out of high school, raising a pennant with the university’s name overhead just the way he did all those decades ago.

This is Ewing’s first college coaching job and first as a head coach at any level, after 15 years as an assistant in the NBA, most recently with the Charlotte Hornets.

With the Hoyas, he replaces John Thompson III, who was fired after consecutive losing seasons. Thompson’s father, John Jr., was Ewing’s coach at Georgetown.

Golf

STAIR TUMBLE MAY KEEP JOHNSON OUT OF MASTERS >> Dustin Johnson’s manager says the world’s No. 1 player has taken a serious fall on a staircase on the eve of the Masters.

David Winkle of Hambric Sports says in an email that Johnson fell on the stairs of his rental home in Augusta on Wednesday. He says Johnson landed hard on his lower back and is resting with discomfort.

Doctors have advised Johnson to remain stable and start taking anti-inflammatory medication.

Winkle says Johnson hopes to be able to play in the Masters when it starts on Thursday.

NFL

AMAZON TO STREAK THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL >> Amazon will stream NFL Thursday Night games this season, replacing Twitter.

That means that technically, the games won’t be free to stream, but they will be carried by broadcast networks.

The games are available to members of Amazon Prime, which costs $99 per year. Prime, which comes with other perks like free videos, books and shipping, has an estimated 65 million members.

A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it’s a oneyear deal worth close to $50 million.

That would be about five times what Twitter paid for the right to stream the games last year.

Soccer

U.S. WOMEN, SOCCER FEDERATION AGREE TO CONTACT >> The U.S. Soccer Federation and the World Cup champion women’s team have agreed on a labor contract, settling a dispute in which the players sought equitable wages to their male counterparts.

The financial terms and length of the multiyear deal were not disclosed.

The agreement was ratified by the players and the federation’s board Tuesday. The team had been playing under a memorandum of understanding that expired Dec. 31.