Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 13

Section Scoreboard 2 Baseball 3 Golf 3 1 Argus Leader Business back page K-B Toys to close its Empire Mall store after 10-year lease runs out. 6C argusleader.com Acting Sports Editor: Wade Merry 331-2265 or 800-634263 Tuesday March 11, 2003 Gasparini remains as GM, but assistant Ted Belisle becomes interim coach Belisle bio Belisle played NCAA Division I hockey at Bemidji State following a three-year stint in theUSHLwith Thunder Bay. A native of "BO- I Ted Belisle programs in the country," said Gasparini. "I take full responsibility for where we're at right now. But I'm still the GM, and I'm going to get on the road and do something that I'm very good at, which is evaluating players and building up talent for next season." The rest of this season will be a challenge for Belisle, a former Bemidji State University hockey standout who served as that team's captain as a senior in 20004)1.

Before playing in See STAMPEDE, page 3C organizations in the USHL, and we feel we have taken a step backward and that just not right With this move, we're sending a message to everyone that we mean business." The Stampede, which resumes action Friday at the Arena against Waterloo, currently has 48 points and is tied with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot though the Steel has a game in hand. Only Tri-City (47 points) and Green Bay (35) are below Sioux Falls in the overall standings. "I've been here since the beginning, and this is one of the finest junior A After a pair of lopsided weekend road losses, the Stampede (21-25-6) has dropped sue straight games and 1 1 of its last 12. For a brash young franchise that won nearly 70 percent of its games in its first three years, falling under .500 for the first time in team history was too much to take. "The situation that we're facing is unacceptable," said Stampede chief executive officer Gary Weckwerth, who spoke with his fellow owners Sunday night and delivered the news to Gasparini Monday morning.

"We believe we're one of the top BY STU WHITNEY Argus Leader Saddled with a late-season skid that has damaged its USHL playoff hopes, the Stampede changed coaches Monday in a desperate attempt to salvage its season. Tony Gasparini was stripped of his head coaching duties but will remain indefinitely in a lesser role as general manager. Taking over as interim coach is former assistant Ted Belisle, whose mission is to steer a troubled team into the playoffs with eight games left in the regular season. Tony Gasparini compiled a 56-46-11 record In almost two full years as Stampede coach. Nipigon, Ontario, he became a Stampede assistant coach in May 2002 after a season as a scout for Sioux City.

Szczerbiak MAJOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL leads Wolves by IViavericks Garnett scores 31 for Minnesota i A i 9 I 111 JJIJL BY JAIME A RON Associated Press DALLAS Kevin Garnett had 31 Doints and 18 rebounds, and Wally Szczer Kt 11 vy. 1 LM.OTMO AP Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki (41) loses the ball Monday to Minnesota Timber-wolves' Wally Szczerbiak In the first quarter In Dallas. k3 -kvm- Inside jason eenAP biak scored eight straight points during a tight stretch in the fourth quarter, leading the MinnesotaTimberwolves past the Dallas Mavericks 92-83 Monday night The Wolves capped a rough road trip with an impressive victory. Dallas, the league's highest-scoring team at 102.6 points per game, had a season-low 55 points after three quarters, then finally got hot in the fourth. Consecutive 3-pointers by Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley finished an 18-point comeback and tied the game at 71 with 5:19 left But Szczerbiak never let the Mavericks go ahead.

Szczerbiak, who won the previous meeting last month with a buzzer-beating shot scored 14 of his 27 points in the final 5:28. The first three jumpers were the key, though, the first coming between crowd-provoking 3s by Nowitzki and Finley. The next two were 3-pointers, one after Finley's tying shot and another after a nice layup by Finley kept Dallas within one. Troy Hudson had nine points and 11 assists and Rasho Nesterovic had 11 points and a career-best nine blocks for Minnesota, which was playing its fifth game in seven nights against a possible Western Conference playoff team. The Timber-wolves lost the first three, then won the last two.

Nowitzki had 37 points and 13 rebounds his third straight 30-point game against Minnesota. Finley overcame a l-for-12 start to score 17 points and grab 13 rebounds. He finished 7-for-27 and 2-for-ll on 3-pointers. The Mavericks shot a season-low 32 percent and took a season-high 103 shots. They tied their lowest first Alabama, Indiana, Texas Tech among those who may miss tourney The teams meet again Thursday in the Big 10 tournament in Chicago, and coach Mike Davis figures a win or two should convince the NCAA selection committee.

"We'd be six games over .500 if we lose Thursday," Davis said, "but I don't think we're going to lose Thursday." Knight and Co. will need a huge run at the Big 12 tournament to make the NCAA field. It won't be the same without him: No Knight-coached team has had to play in the NIT since 1985. Three of his teams won NCAA national ence made the field. Now, with an expanded, 65-team field, the Southeastern Conference alone has three available teams considered locks and as many bubble teams, with Alabama trying not to fall all the way from No.

1 to the NIT. Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are hoping to erase doubt with strong league tournament performances this weekend in New rhamoionshios. JORDAN: Angry with his teammates, 3C ROUNDUP: Monday's NBA games, 3C quarter (11) and set a low for a half with 33. The only reason they hung in the game was 60 rebounds, half on the offensive end. Dallas, which had won four straight and 10 of 12, was on its third game in four days, but was more rested than the Timberwolves because it had Sunday off.

The Mavs' top players got time off during a lopsided win over Utah on Saturday night Yet it was Minnesota that came out playing tough, energetic defense, and Dallas got rattled. The Mavs missed their first nine shots and their first 11 3-pointers. The Timberwolves led 12-2 and stretched it to 51-33 early in the third quarter, with Garnett rarely missing. Minnesota was still up by 10 going into the fourth, then it went cold. He said Tech (16-11, 6-10) will probably need to win the league tournament to make the NCAA field for the second straight year.

1 See BASKETBALL, page 4C 1 BY JOHN ZENOR Associated Press TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Alabama was ranked No. 1 briefly, Indiana reached last year's national title game, and Texas Tech coach Bob Knight always has his teams ready when it matters. It matters now. Those three schools are among 10 or so prominent programs that might not even make the NCAA tournament field unless they impress during this week's conference tourneys.

In a bit of good news for those "bubble teams," one NCAA berth suddenly opened up Monday when Georgia ranked 21st and a lock to make the field withdrew from the SEC and NCAA tournaments after an internal investigation uncovered academic fraud involving three players. "I think every basketball player and coach in America is looking at the NCAA tournament and what needs to happen or how it will play out," said Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, presumably looking harder than most No team has failed to get an NCAA invitation after rising to No. 1 since North Carolina State in 1974-75, when only one team from each confer Orleans. Indiana can relate. So can Texas Tech and former head Hoosier Bob Knight, North Carolina State, Seton Hall, Minnesota.

DePaul and Oregon, among others. Already no sure bet the I ASSOCIATED I. I PRESS Hoosiers (18-11, 8-8 Big 10) closed the regular season with a 74-66 loss to Penn State, a team that finished 2-14 in the league. Oops. ji rwulo nolle tn hla nla'vars during the closing minutes of a loss to Kentucky In December.

Indiana Is one of this year's bubble teams. A -i SDSU gets No. 4 seed in regional Georgia withdraws from postseason snsnpnsinns of 12 Dlavers for using tournament in New Orleans. Instead, the SEC altered its brackets, giving Tennessee a first-round bye and scheduling only three games instead of four on the opening day. NCAA president Myles Brand commended Georgia president Michael Adams for addressing the allegations less than two weeks after they were made public.

"I want to compli North Central Regional In Kearney, Neb. Friday's first round (times TBA) No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney (27-2) vs. No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth (19-11) No.

2 St. Cloud State (25-4) vs. No. 7 North Dakota (20-8) No. 3 Metro State (26-4) vs.

No. 6 Fort Lewis (19-11) No. 4 South Dakota State (23-6) vs. No. 5 Fort Hays State (24-7) Inside THE ASSOCIATED PRESS South Dakota State will head south later this week for the NCAA Division II North Central Region men's basketball tournament The tourney will be played in Kearney, home of the top-seeded Nebraska-Kearney squad.

South Dakota State (23-6) is seeded No. 4 and will play fifth-seeded Fort Hays State of Kansas in the last game Friday night The other games find Kearney battling eight-seed Minnesota-Duluth, No. 2 St Cloud State meeting No. 7 North Dakota, and Metro State, seeded third, against No. 6 Fort Lewis.

The first round is Friday, the semifinals are Saturday and the title game is Monday night Last season, SDSU beat a school access code to make phone calls at Villanova; -forfeits of six wins and boycotts of two other games at St. Bonaventure; -claims by a former student that he wrote papers for players for payment at Fresno State. "I think we are starting to see a very important trend. I think the system is working," Brand said. "The appropriate actions were taken." Adams said a decision on Harrick's fate would be made after the investigation is complete.

"Sports is really a very nice usually sideline to our main function here," he said. "The main issue to me is to ensure you deal with the academic integrity of the place. Deal with the one course where there is questionable activity, correct it and move forward." Reached at his home Monday night See GEORGIA, page 4C BY PAUL NEWBERRY Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. Georgia suspended coach Jim Harrick with pay and withdrew from the SEC and NCAA tournaments Monday after an internal investigation showed three players took a bogus class taught by his son. Harrick's future is unclear while the school and NCAAlook into allegations brought two weeks ago by a former player.

"The evidence and the findings presented to us indicated there was academic fraud," athletic director Vuice Dooley said. "There's no evidence at all that coach Harrick. knew about what took place." Georgia, ranked 21st in Monday's AP Top 25, was a lock to receive a third straight invitation to the NCAA tourney, which would have been the longest such streak in school history. The Bulldogs (19-8, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) were to play Arkansas on Thursday in the league Texas Tech coach Bob Knight says he won't accept his salary. Paqe4C I I- JOHN SAZEMORE AP ment president Mike Adams for his leadership and his rapid, strong response to the situation in the face of tremendous pressure," Brand said.

The news caps a spate of scandals in men's college basketball, including: Nebraska-Omaha 96-76 in the first round of the regional, but lost 87-86 to Metro State in the semifinals. Georgia head coach Jim Har-rlck yells at offlcals during a December loss to Georgia State In Atlanta..