COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Source: Pitt hires Narduzzi
Pittsburgh is hoping Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi can bring some stability to a program trying to find its footing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. A person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Narduzzi has reached an agreement with the Panthers to replace Paul Chryst. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school had not yet made an announcement. A news conference is scheduled for Friday. The 48-year-old Narduzzi has spent the last eight seasons building the Spartans into one of the nation's top defenses. The hiring is a homecoming of sorts for Narduzzi. His father Bill Narduzzi coached at Youngstown State from 1975-85. Narduzzi inherits a program coming off a fourth straight 6-6 regular season. The job came open when Chryst left for Wisconsin last week.
• Florida has hired former Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to the same position. The Gators announced the move Wednesday, nearly three weeks after new coach Jim McElwain accepted the job. McElwain hired former Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins to the same position last week. Nussmeier's announcement will draw significantly more interest at Florida, where fans have been starved for offense since Tim Tebow left school after the 2009 season. The Gators ranked 82nd in the nation in total offense in 2010 and have been mostly inept in the four seasons since, ranking 105th (2011), 103rd (2012), 113th (2013) and 91st (currently).
BASKETBALL
Varejao out for season
A person familiar with the situation says Cavaliers starting center Anderson Varejao tore his Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season. Varejao was injured in Wednesday night's victory over Minnesota, and an MRI confirmed the tear, said the person who spoke Wednesday to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not released information on the injury. Varejao was positioning under the basket for a rebound in the third quarter when he crumpled to the floor in pain. He was assisted off the floor and left Quicken Loans Arena following the game on crutches with his leg in an immobilizing air cast. With Varejao out, Tristan Thompson will likely move into a starting role and the Cavs will sharpen their pursuit of another big man. Varejao, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension in October, averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26 starts.
• Coach Kevin McHale has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Houston Rockets. McHale is in his fourth season in Houston, where he has compiled a 153-104 record. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander says: "He embodies the leadership, passion, knowledge, and team-first qualities we need as we continue our pursuit of bringing another NBA championship to the city of Houston." The 57-year-old McHale led the Rockets to the playoffs in the last two seasons before they were eliminated in the first round. McHale won three NBA championships in a 13-year Hall of Fame playing career with the Celtics. He worked with the Timberwolves for 16 seasons, including two stints as the team's coach, before joining the Rockets in 2011. The Rockets are 20-7 and in second place in the Southwest Division. In other Rockets news, a person with knowledge of the decision says Josh Smith will join the Rockets following his release by the Detroit Pistons. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because Smith hasn't yet cleared waivers. Smith was let go by the Pistons this week after signing a four-year, $54 million contract with them in July 2013. The small forward has averaged 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds during his 11-year career. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28 games this season. The move will reunite him with AAU teammate and longtime friend Dwight Howard, who is in his second season in Houston.
• The Phoenix Suns have traded forward Anthony Tolliver to the Detroit Pistons for forward Tony Mitchell. The Suns are expected to release Mitchell to create an additional $2.2 million in salary cap space, giving the team a total of $6.2 million available and an open roster spot. Phoenix signed Tolliver to a two-year, $6 million contract in the offseason, with the idea it would help make up for the loss of Channing Frye. But Tolliver played sparingly and was not part of the regular rotation as the season went on. He played in 24 games for the Suns, averaging 3.3 points per game. Mitchell, a second-round draft pick of Detroit last season, was playing for Grand Rapids of the NBA Developmental League.
GOLF
Stricker has surgery
Steve Stricker has had surgery on a bulging disk in his lower back to alleviate recurring issues in his hip area. Mario Tiziani, Stricker's brother-in-law and agent, says the one-hour surgery Tuesday was successful and that Stricker will be away from golf for at least eight weeks. The 12-time tour winner won't be missing much. Stricker already plays a reduced schedule, and he was not likely to play in 2015 until the Florida swing. The 47-year-old Stricker rested for nearly four months before playing the Hero World Challenge and Franklin Templeton Shootout. While he felt good, tests showed Stricker would continue to have problems with his hip and quadriceps without surgery.
PRO FOOTBALL
Dalton has flu
Andy Dalton has been sent home from practice because he came down with the flu, the latest Bengals player to miss time with an illness going through the team. The Bengals (10-4-1) said Wednesday they expect him to be fully recovered by the time they go to Pittsburgh (10-5) for a Sunday night game that will decide the AFC North title. The loser gets a wild card berth. They also expect to have receiver A.J. Green back. He bruised his upper right arm during a win over Denver on Monday night and failed to make a catch. Cincinnati has run for 200 yards in each of the last two games, an indication of where their offense is headed as the playoffs approach.
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TCU’s Patterson AP Coach of the Year
TCU Coach Gary Patterson embraced change and joined an exclusive club.
Patterson was voted college football coach of the year by The Associated Press on Wednesday, joining Nick Saban as the only two-time winners.
The AP coach of the year has been awarded since 1998. Patterson, in his 14th season at TCU, was coach of the year in 2009. Saban was coach of the year in 2003 when he was with LSU and in 2008 at Alabama.
Patterson received 27 of 54 votes from the AP Top 25 media panel. Urban Meyer of Ohio State was the runner-up with 14 votes. Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen received six votes. Alabama’s Saban and Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez drew two votes each. Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Baylor’s Art Briles and Memphis’ Justin Fuente had one.
Patterson guided the Horned Frogs to an 11-1 record and a share of the Big 12 title after going 4-8 in 2013. Only a last-second loss at Baylor kept the Frogs from a perfect season.
“The head coaches get too much attention,” Patterson said. “That means really that you had a good team. Good players and really a great coaching staff.”
After his worst season at TCU, Patterson overhauled his offense, knowing he needed more production to keep up in the high-scoring Big 12. He brought in Doug Meacham to be offensive coordinator and Sonny Cumbie to assist and coach quarterbacks. They installed an up-tempo, spread offense similar to the one used by Big 12 rivals Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
What resulted was one of the biggest turnarounds of the season. TCU went from being ranked 105th in the nation in yards per play and 106th in yards per game in 2013 to ranking ninth and fourth, respectively, in those categories in 2014.
“It was a big jump for us. Thirty-two years of my 33 years [in coaching] I’ve been part of run, play action, play good defense. Special teams. This was outside of my comfort zone,” Patterson said.
Sports on 12/25/2014