UC Riverside hires TCU aide
David Patrick, an assistant coach at Texas Christian, has been hired as head coach at UC Riverside, the school announced Wednesday.
“He knows Division I business,” Riverside athletic director Tamica Smith-Jones said in a statement. “David can relate to the game both from an amateur and a professional perspective. He has a long history of success, and he will bring to UCR men’s basketball the winning attitude that can take us to the top of the Big West Conference.”
Patrick played one season at Syracuse, with his team reaching the 1996 NCAA championship game, and was a point guard at Louisiana Lafayette from 1997 to 2000. He played four years professionally in Australia, England and Spain, was an assistant coach at Nicholls State for one season and St. Mary’s College for four years, and then was a scout with the Houston Rockets.
He was hired by Louisiana State in 2012 and helped the Tigers register the nation’s fifthand third-ranked recruiting classes, in 2013 and 2015. Patrick is in his second year at Texas Christian, which opens play Friday in the NCAA tournament.
“I am extremely humbled, honored, and privileged to be named the head coach at UC Riverside,” Patrick said in a statement. “I cannot wait to get to Riverside to start developing our student-athletes on and off the court and for our program to be competing for Big West championships in short order.”
Tubby Smith has been fired as Memphis men’s basketball coach after two seasons amid dropping attendance and donations to the athletic department.
Former Ohio State coach Thad Matta has withdrawn from the Georgia coach search after becoming the first known candidate to interview for the job.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who broke a bone in his left hand Jan. 30, told cleveland.com that he hopes to return for a game against the Phoenix Suns on March 23.
Lauri Markkanen said his sore back “feels better,” but the Chicago Bulls planned to keep him sidelined for Thursday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“He still has some pain. Most of it is when he’s sitting,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We just felt that two flights and a 30-minute bus ride probably isn’t the best thing to do. So he’ll stay back and get treatments here.”
It will be the fifth game Markkanen will miss because of back issues this season.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon will miss a minimum of four weeks because of a partial tear of his right hamstring, a big blow to a team trying to maintain control of a playoff spot.
Ernie Els and Jim Furyk have received special exemptiond to play in the U.S. Open this year at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York.
Els is a two-time U.S. Open champion who would have faced qualifying because his five-year exemption from winning the 2012 British Open ran out last year.
Els won the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1994 and at Congressional in 1997. This will be his 29th consecutive U.S. Open.
Lowe’s will end its sponsorship of seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson at the end of the season and leave NASCAR. Johnson made his Cup debut in 2001 with Lowe’s and has never had any other company as his primary sponsor.