The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 33

BUSINESS: The House of Representatives hands a victory to credit unions I 10c 0 0 ri Try eiltELJ SPOITS BEST BETS THE NEW'S OBSERVER THURSDAY APRIL 2 1998 Baseball: Orioles have highest payroll 3C Basketball: Tark to get $25 million from NCAA 7C On TV: Baseball Brewers at Braves The '99 Final Four for the time being Ndiaye subject of investigation i I77) -c3v 1 i 0 1 i' I s' '1k 0 1 -''4 4 to i 4 I 4 (i'--'' 1 i 4 t61 0 11 PC 1'411) t'1 1 11 1 'Ar 1 414k al A--4 It 11 LI 'As whether Rick Majerus is committed to Utah or more interested in moving to Texas or Arizona State Washington coach Bob Bender will have offers to weigh Speculation won't go away that the Detroit Pistons andor Chicago Bulls will throw so much money at Duke's Mike Krzyzewsld that he no longer will be able to say no to the NBA But all we have to go on now is what we know today That being the case here's the pre-preseason power picture The Final Four North Carolina (34-4 this season): Obviously the Tar Heels are not going to be a top-10 team if Antawn Antonio when Ndiaye said Utah's Britton Johnsen called him "the nword" during their national semifinals game a 65-59 Utah victory On Monday Ndiaye in a statement issued by the university admitted he had fabricated the story and that Johnsen never used the racial slur Reports of the incident appeared in newspapers and on TV stations throughout the country and cast a cloud over college basketball's showcase the Final Four UNC athletics officials have remained virtually mum responding to media questions with only short written statements "As upset as he was after the loss to Utah lNdiayel is even more disconsolate about the controversy North Carolina's Makhtar Ncliaye is consoled by Utah's Brandon Sluga after the Tar Heels were eliminated by the Utes THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEE TUDOR PAGE 7C Gary Roberts left of the mord-06 9 Aec 1 0" A w- 1 414 -t (:) notoptm is ok i'as -0 1 0 4 i 4 :4 r1111" vAuss 41 'L'- 1 0 4 A 4 i 0 i VI 4 9 --TN-C-rtide- ti Amon oft 1- 3 i til 1 A '1(ky) 0 eS 1 13e NI 104-1 If C4N AP(e)- '11 i ler --7 i- 1- A -0 i'-- e4 'i 1 't--1L c)rif 1 0 '6) )4' i tt-9-- tt) '-)'' --1 -10 1 '0 '111111411''''''1zo 4 1 -rsonsol rI'Vt 10: The most important part of the 1998-99 college basket- ball season is about to be played out For instance between now and 1-- 1110-771011 May 10 which the deadline k4i for underclass- 1 r''' men to declare (-N for the NBA 1'" draft we'll learn whether North Carolina will go off as CAULT9N No 1 or someTUDOR where lower say seventh or maybe even 27th in the preseason rankings We'll find out whether Arizona the '97 NCAA champion is still among the contenders for another title We're about to find out Mudeats' opening act on the road Beasley in new role as Carolina coach BY BILL WOODWARD STAFF WRITER Tony Beasley has been the ultimate utility player for the Carolina Mudcats The former Louisburg College standout spent part or all of five seasons as a Mudcats player mostly as a middle infielder But the versatile performer also has pitched and played every field position except catcher for the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates This season Beasley will take on a new role with the Mudcats: play- er-coach INSIDE That's how he's listed on Modcats play- the roster but ers informa- he will be acti lion 1103C vated as a play schedule: April er only in an games and emergency situ how to hear ation them 103C "I guess I've done it all for the Mudcats" Beasley said from his home in Zebulon on Tuesday "This is something that I knew down the road might be an option "This year is kind of a trial to see if it's something I'm interested in It's going to seem weird not playing but it's something I really need to think about and find out if this is what I want to do another way to stay in the game" Beasley 31 will be on the coaching staff with a couple of familiar faces Jeff Banister a former Mudcats player who managed the team for the second half of the 1997 season will return as manager Dave Rajsich the Mudcats' pitching coach in 1995 will be back with the team after spending 1997 at Triple-A Calgary The Mudcats open the 1998 season today at Orlando at 7 pm the start of a 12-game season-opening road trip The home opener at Five County Stadium is set for April 16 SEE MUDCATS PAGE 3C Carolina's Tony Beasley turning a double-play in 1997 is a player-coach this year STAFF PHOTO BY ROBERT WILLETT 1 141 AP004111'" I I- 1 sf '6 "0" I 4 I cf UNC senior seeks counseling BY AJ CARR STAFF WRITER The University of North Carolina's Student Attorney General will investigate Makhtar Ndiaye's case to see if the Tar Heel basketball player's actions during the Final Four violated the school's code of conduct In the meantime Ndiaye has asked the UNC athletics department to help him enter an anger management counseling program Details were not available The latest furor involving the UNC senior started Saturday night in San period Wednesday night six games including road wins over the Devils and Philadelphia Flyers The Devils entered the game 14-3-4 in their previous 21 games and boasted a league-high 99 points They are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup And they're the team that the Hurricanes would play in the first round of the playoffs if they can rally to qualify That seems much more likely after Wednesday night The Canes (30-35-8) were one point out of the playoffs on Jan 1 That's exactly where they were at the end of April 1 and this is no practical joke It almost seemed like one a cruel prank pulled by Kidd who successfully made the puck appear in his glove in the most unexpected ways "At the end of the hockey game when Kidder makes his last dramatic save lying on his butt Jay Pandolfo just looked at me and said 'Who is this defense-man Adam Burt said "That pretty much summed up the way he played He was awesome" He had 22 saves in the first two SEE HURRICANES PAGE 6C SEE NDIAYE PAGE 7C Deacons' recruits touted Class bolstered by 6-9 center BY TIM STEVENS STAFF WRITER While ACC basketball fans marvel over the three McDonald's All-Americas who committed to North Carolina one of its neighbors has assembled another strong group of recruits Wake Forest's class became one of the ACC's best on Wednesday when it received an oral commitment from Darius Songaila a 6-foot9 Lithuanian who ranks INSIDE among the Coaching nation's top high change: Tim school centers Welsh will Recruiting leave lona to analyst Bob Gib- replace Pete bons of All-Star Gillen at Sports said Providence Wake Forest's College I87C class is rivaled in the league only by that of UNC "I don't know how you would pick one group over the other" Gibbons said "Wake Forest has five outstanding players and UNC has three McDonald's All-Americas All I can say at this point is that both programs are bringing in classes that rank among the best in the country" Wake Forest has signed 6-1 point guard Broderick Hicks of Houston Strake Jesuit 6-9 Antwan Scott of New Bern and Mouth of Wilson (Va) Oak Hill Academy and 6-6 Craig Dawson of Kinston Last week 6-6 Ervin Murray of Wallace-Rose Hill also committed to the Deacons UNC has signed 6-10 Kris Lang of Gastonia Huss and 6-8 Jason Capel of Frederick (Md) St John's Ron Curry a 6-2 guard from Hampton Va committed to the Tar Heels last week Songaila was virtually unknown before the season but he outplayed some highly recruited players throughout the season He helped lead New Hampton NH to the prep school national championship game Dawson Hicks and Scott are ranked among Gibbons' top 100 prospects in the country Songaila ranks in the top 150 and Gibbons said he probably would be in the top 100 when the final rankings come out in May Dawson's situation at Wake Forest will depend on the status of his legal problems He faces three felony charges as a result of his arrest in early February in connection with a July theft at the Goodys Family Clothing store in Kinston A trial date has not been set When Dawson was charged in February Wake coach David Odom said he planned to wait for the case to be resolved before deciding if he wanted Dawson to join the Deacons Tim Stevens can be reached at 829-8910 or tstevensnandocom Hurricanes beats Devils goalie Martin Brodeur to score in the third PHOTOS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Hurricanes deck Devils ji 1 41PM7) 1 11 Y7 00 earth ---'7 777747 tev Wwid A 4' 41: 6' 1' 0 Ri4wakame114114i-v is f-' 1 'i (7N :4 'i 4 i Vv10 caweecoomw 1 'Ll' TN 0(001M on 4644404g Trevor Kidd gets his first shutout of the season as Carolina pulls within one point of Ottawa for the eighth playoff spot BY STEVE POLITI STAFF WRITER EAST RUTHERFORD NJ Memo to the people in Ottawa: That heavy breathing you're feeling on the back of your necks? It's Hurricanese4 the Carolina Hurricanes You've got a playoff race on your hands folks Big time The Hurricanes led by the spectacular goaltending of Trevor Kidd who stopped 37 shots for his first shutout in Carolina pulled off a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena on Wednesday night They fought off fatigue and the league's best team in the process In one evening the Canes' playoff chances went from "maybe" to "why not?" The win pulls them New Jersey's Scott Stevenstumbles to the ice as Carolina's Ray Sheppard who scored a goal looks on within one point of the Senators for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference "This should get Ottawa thinking I hope" winger Robert Kron said Thinking and looking over its shoulder The Canes have nine games left The Senators who play host to San Jose tonight have 10 The Canes hold the top two tiebreaker advantages (total wins and head-to-head record) and it seems all the momentum They are now 4-1-1 in their past.