Off the wire

BASKETBALL Lue rejoining Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue is expected to return from a medical absence and be back on the bench tonight against Washington, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Lue, who has been away from the team since March 19 so he could focus on his health, has been cleared to resume his duties, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Lue had been experiencing chest pains, insomnia and other symptoms when he agreed to take a leave of absence from the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions. Lue’s illness is among several setbacks this season for the Cavs, who have encountered numerous injuries and revamped their roster with three trades in February. Lue, 40, is coming back with four games left in the regular season and the Cavs clinging to the No. 3 seed in the postseason. After hosting the Wizards, the Cavs will play at Philadelphia and play the New York Knicks twice next week. Lue recently returned in an advisory capacity and has been at home games, but stayed behind the scenes at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. He has been attending the team’s shootarounds for the past week and working his way back into a normal routine.

Newman leaving Kansas

Malik Newman plans to leave Kansas and enter the NBA Draft after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four in his only season playing for them. The sophomore guard said Wednesday he plans to sign with an agent. Newman sat out the 2016-2017 season after transferring from Mississippi State and started 33 of 39 games this season, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. He was at his best in the postseason, averaging 24 points in the Big 12 Tournament and 21.6 in the NCAA Tournament, including a career-high 32 points in the overtime victory over Duke in the Midwest Region final. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of both the conference tournament and the regional.

Auburn’s Heron declares

Auburn guard Mustapha Heron said he will enter the NBA Draft and plans to hire an agent. The sophomore said Wednesday that he hasn’t yet secured an agent but intends to. If he doesn’t sign with an agent, Heron

has until May 30 to return to school. Heron led Auburn in scoring each of the past two seasons and averaged 16.4 points per game as a sophomore. He was the first five-star signee in program history and the fifth Auburn player to score 1,000 points through two seasons. Heron was named second-team All-SEC by The Associated Press as a sophomore. He was Auburn’s first freshman All-SEC performer since DeWayne Reed in 2008-2009. Heron helped lead Auburn to a share of its first SEC regular-season title since 1999 last season.

Rhode Island promotes Cox

The University of Rhode Island has promoted David Cox to men’s basketball coach. Cox served as associate head coach for the last four years under Dan Hurley, who left last month to become head coach at Connecticut. Cox helped lead the Rams to a 26-8 record in 2017-2018

and a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round to Duke. Before coming to Rhode Island, Cox was the associate head coach at Rutgers. He also served as an assistant at Georgetown and was a director of basketball operations at Pittsburgh.

Ole Miss hires coach

Mississippi hired Yolett McPhee- McCuin to be its next women’s basketball coach. McPhee-McCuin has spent the past five seasons at Jacksonville, guiding the Dolphins to a 94-63 record, including a 50-24 mark in the Atlantic Sun. Jacksonville reached the postseason in each of the past three seasons, including the NCAA Tournament in 2016. McPhee-McCuin, 34, is also the national team coach for her native Bahamas and spent time earlier in her career as an assistant at Clemson and Pittsburgh. She is the ninth head coach in Ole Miss women’s basketball history. McPhee-McCuin takes over for Matt Insell, who parted ways with the Rebels in March after five seasons. Insell had a 70-87 record, including an 18-62 record in SEC play. Ole Miss finished with a 12-19 mark last season.

BASEBALL Rockies CF signs deal

Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who was last season’s National League batting champion, agreed to a contract that guarantees him $108 million over six seasons. It’s been in the works for most of spring training — and under the radar. In January, the two-time All-Star had agreed to a $14 million, one-year deal. The new agreement announced in San Diego, where the Rockies are playing a four-game series with the Padres, calls for a $2 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the deal’s approval by the commissioner’s office, a $12 million salary this year and $21 million in each of the next three seasons. Blackmon has player options of $21 million for 2022 and $10 million for 2023, and his 2023 salary can escalate up to $5 million based on plate appearances in 2022: $500,000 each for 400, 425, 450, 475, 500 and 525, and $1 million apiece for 550 and 575. His 2023 salary would increase by $2 million if he is among the top three in MVP voting from 2018-22 and by $1 million if he finishes fourth or fifth. The 2023 salary is capped at $18 million. As part of the deal negotiated by agents Sam and Seth Levinson, Blackmon can list 15 teams each season he can’t be traded to without his consent. Blackmon is coming off one of the best seasons ever for a leadoff hitter.

MMA UFC strips McGregor

Conor McGregor’s run as UFC lightweight champion is set to end. The long-expected move that McGregor would lose his 155-belt was officially announced by UFC President Dana White at a new conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. McGregor has not fought for UFC since he won the 155-pound title at UFC 205 in November 2016. McGregor last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26. White had not announced he would officially strip McGregor of the championship until Wednesday when he discussed the popular Irish fighter’s return to UFC this year.