The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 20

1 1 IV i V- FRIDAY JULY 2 2010 4 THE KANSAS CITY STAR WWWKANSASCTTYCOM Kangaroos jump back to campus Spencer Johnson a UMHC forward who will be a senior this season have a real home-court the plan This season sidewalks instead of buses and cars will take the players cheerleaders and the student cheering section to games just like on most campuses I was hired one of the primary objectives was to enhance the student UMKC athletic director Tim Hall said way to do that is to bring the signature sport to Kangaroos basketball coach Matt Brown looks around the Summit League and sees other teams in small buildings IU-PUI plays in a 1215-seat on-campus gym where we are this is the best situation for be used by the and women's basketball and volleyball teams will be as nice as anything in our league" Brown said us having that is as important as where we But where a team plays can impact how a team plays and UMKC is counting on the packed-gym bounce To me it raises Hall said saying this is what a program our size is supposed to look like playing in a building with more fen amenities chair-back seating a new practice facility It gives us an opportunity to say pretty far along and we can start to reap some benefits from To reach Blair Kerkhoff call 816-234-4730 or sand email to Brown said want to do the things that will maximhe Creating more of a hone floor will do that The program has had memorable moments in Mu-1 nidpaL UMHC fell in a buzzer-beater to Rice in its major-college debut it went 14-1 there in the 21-7 campaign of 1991-92 and the 41-point triumph over Kansas State in 2003 But without many highlight! in recent years Municipal crowds dwindled and the atmosphere suffered always like to play in large Johnson said UMKC beaketbell team will call Swlimay Recreation Center home for upcoming season By BLAIR KERKHOFF The Kansas City Star Hy shrinking its seating capacity UMKC looks to expand its basketball horizons The Kangaroos are moving out of their downtown home since debuting as a Division I program in 19K7 Municipal Auditorium and into their campus gymnasium UMKC will play 14 of its IS home games at Swinney Recreation Center this season The seating downshift will take the Kangaoos out of one of basketball's most historic venues that seats 10000 and into a 1700-scat structure I like the said A NEWS Some as free-agcncy frenzy tips off PM Jackson will return there were a lot of empty That won't be the case in Swinney located in the heart of campus The Kangaroos began the transition process over die last two years playing a handful of games on campus Last season UMKC finished 12-18 overall but won three of its five regular-season games and its exhibition game played at Swinney Season-ticket holder Kevin Kiekbusch of Raymore remembers the charged atmosphere of the campus game two years aga was talking to somebody at the concession stand that night about playing all the games Kiekbusch said is cool with all the history but 1 love a packed OTHER NBA NEW I PITCHES NADE ID WADE: After the Nets' contingent met with James they left Clevelend for Chicego to meet with Miemi Heet free-egent Dweyne Wede Earlier in the day WRde end Iks representatives spent about two hours with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center Dwyane Wade grew up in Chicago and still makes his offseason home there Wede did not comment to reporters as he left the United Center He Is set to meat with the Knicks today I BOSH MEETS WITH HEAT: Raptors freeragent Chris Bosh met with the Miami Heat in Chicago each side gauging the chance of him Joining Wbde in Miami contingent on Wade staying with Miami "It was good It was good real Bosh said outside his agent's office in downtown Chicago 1 0JW SIGNS WITH MEMPHIS: Rudy Gay agreed to a ager Maverick Carter It went Johnson yelled at reporters as the group left the atreporte building Hie New York Knicks then got their chance The crew included owner James' Dolan president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike DAntanL This was New Yorirt moment one the franchise has been building toward for more than two yean JASON MILLER I THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Cavaliers tans triad to sand a massage to fraa agant LoBron James on Thursday In Cleveland James mat with tha nicks and tha Nats but still could remain with Clavaland In pursuit of LeBron The Kangaroos will play one of their games at Municipal this season UMKC has installed chair-back seating for all seats Campus parking will be free and season-ticket holders who will sdon get to select their new seats will receive parking privileges for the lot east of Swinney The school also is rami up its concessions which it will control instead of die city which did for games at Municipal has been a great partner fin Hall said we don't control parking and concessions We see this as a way to control our costs and grow UMKC also is putting the finishing touches on an adjoining practice facility that will five-year contract that will pay him more than $80 million to stay with the Grizzlies The deal wiM pay Gay a guard more than $13 million starting next season with annuel raises of 10S percent a definite upgrade over the five-year4S0 million offer he turned down last season The deal can't be signed until July a I C000EN MGNS WITH BUCKS: The Milwaukee Bucks made an early splash In tha Itoe-agency period agreeing in principle to a five-year $32 million dal with free-egent forward Drew Gooden Gooden the Na 4 overall pick oubof Kansas in the 2002 draft has played for eight teams including the Clippers and Mavericks last season He has averaged 119 points and 79 rebounds per game in his career He wants a home said Ns agent Stu Lash Lash noted that Gooden has a good relationship with Bucks coach Scott Skiles dating back to his time with the Chicago Buffs The Knicks have endured a franchise-record nine straight losing seasons but gutted their roster with the hope of signing James think it went well" D'Antoni tokl The Associated Press after the Knicks completed their two-hours-phis session with James "But obviously everyone that gets the chance to talk to him will probably say the same seems to be a step ahead "We think Kansas City is a great market a great market fin sponsors and for drivers and teams and fens who love the race that they have Santiago said area has become a true vacation destination We think the addition of the casino will continue to draw more people and be able to support two full Sprint Cup weekends" coaches settle in Coach Is coming back to coach tha Los Angelas Lakars and a chance at another throe-peat The Associated Press LOS ANGELES I After just one relaxing week in Montana Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson decided he can handle'1' another season of the NBA grind The two-time defending champions locked up their most important free agent of the summer Thursday when Jackson announced return next season putting off retirement for at least anotlier year to cliase his 12th NBA title Jackson said last week he was worn out and leaning toward retirement after the third straight long season culminating in the NBA finals He changed his mind after a week of rest and health evaluation at his offseason home signing up for the unprecedented chance to win three consecutive NBA championships for the fourth time in his career me Jackson said a couple weeks of deliberation it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season It'll be the last stand for me and I hope a grand Jackson who will turn 65 later this year has the most coaching wins in playoff history and the most successful coach in NBA history by almost any measure He ha a league-best 705 regular-season winning percentage a record 225 postseason victories and two more titles than Red Auerbach winning five champion- ships with the Lakers and six with the Chicago Bulls His 1098 regular-season victories are fifth-most in league history The Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in game seven of the NBA finals last month to claim their second straight title Los Angeles has made the finals in seven of Jackson's 10 seasons with the chib and they'll be among the early favorites to win it all again in 2011 extremely pleased that Phil has decided to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said NHL NEWS DofcitMiiMit tod Hi way as teams started snapping up top talant as tha signing bag an The Associated Press It was a great day to be a free-agent defenseman in the NHL While basketball free agents wheeled and dealed from coast to coast their NHL counterparts just needed to sit by the phone Thursday and wait for the big-money offers to come through Once they started at 12-01 pm Eastern time they stop for the greater part of the day Forget long-term negotiations these hockey deals got done fester than a soaring ship shot surprise 1 had was how quickly everything New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said almost looked like 1205 and then there were decisions made More quickly than Sergei Gonchar got things kicked off less than an hour after teams could begin talking to free agents from other clubs The defenseman quickly heard what he wanted to from the Ottawa Senators and left the Pittsburgh Penguins for a three-year $165 million deal made a call right at 12:01 and basically made a Senators general manager Bryan Murray said Tm very happy It adds a great deal to our OTHER SIGNINGS I TWO FOR PENGUINS: If the Pittsburgh Penguins were disappointed to see Gonchar go they didn't let show They shook off his departure and dipped right Into the free agent pool to come up with a pair of blue-linen Paul Martin and Zbynak Michalak Pittsburgh signed both players to five-year dead giving Martin a $25 mWon deal and a $20 million contract to Michalak I WILD LANDS CULLER Veteran center Matt CuNan signed a three year contract with the-- Minnesota WlktCuflea a Minnesota native finished last season with Ottawa I HAMHWS TOCANUCKSt' Dan Hamhul whose negotiating rights were traded to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in recaftt day found a home with the -Vancouver Cenocks Hamhuis left the NashvHIa Predators for a six-year $27 million deal DEAL8 WITH THE DEVUfr New Jersey signed defenseman Henrik Tallinder away from the Buffalo Sabres with a fouryaar $13J million deal and grabbed Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov by agreeing toe six-year $255 mltton pact I Mora transactions BT2 IHb ASSOCIATED PRESS Byron Scott OTHER NBA COACHING NEWS I BYRON SCOTT TAKES CAVS JOB: With LeBron or without him Byron Scott has decided to get back on an NBA sideline Scott accepted coaching job just as LeBron James officially became a free agent and no longer property of the Cavaliers who are hoping that landing the best coach available will convince James to stay home and try to win a title Scott's agent Brian Mclnemey said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that he and the Cavs are working through some final details but doesn't expect any problems and that Scott has agreed to become Cleveland's next coach Scott has previously coached in the NBA for New Jersey and New Orleans The Cavs have been looking for a coach s'rir Mike Brown was fired May 24 ending a five-year run with the club Brown guided James and the Cavs through the most successful run in franchise history but fell short of winning a championship SIXERS HIRE QUIN SNYDER AS ASSISTANT: The Philadelphia 76ers announced Thursday that recently hired head coach Doug Collins has named his coaching staff Included In the hiring according to the team's website is Quin Snyder as an assistant coach Snyder coached Missouri during 1999 to 2006 Coljins was named head coach of the Sixers on May 21 I Star news services NASCAR: FROM B1 been working with NASCAR and recently made our formal request to them We're not discussing the details of where the date may come from or anything like that but we have made the request and well wait fin their Santiago echoed Warren's sentiments saying Kansas Speedway hi strong candidate because of the history of Tha Nats and tha Knlcka gat first cracks at speaking to Jamas as NBA fraa agency begins Star News Services CLEVELAND Thursday was the first day of the NBA free-apent signing period and LeBron James became the most celebrated free agent of our time In the next few days at least six teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers will have audiences with James to try to convince him to sign Cleveland can offer James $30 million more than any other team thanks to the NBA collective bargaining agreement Money though is not all the 6-fiwt-K 260-pound player wants He's after titles While James has led the Cavs through their most successful stretch in team history over the last few seasons he has come up short in his pursuit of a championship to solidify his legacy Cleveland was bounced in the second round of the playoffs this season by the Boston CelticsThe New Jersey Nets were the first team to be granted an audience with James on Thursday Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov brought an entourage that included team president Rod Thom coach Avery Johnson and music mogul Jay-Z (who owns 1 percent of the Nets) to meet with James at the office iff his business man- other race Considering potential weather issues the second race date probably wouldn't be in February or March And since the speedway's current race happens in early October dining the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship a second djte would need to be early in the season perhaps in ApriL The track also plays host to an IndyCar Series race in early May Casino project and crowds help cause Because NASCAR has no expand its 36-race schedule ISCS includes taking a of its other Sto ex Cup likely date from one tracks Those tracks are Daytona Talladega Auto Club Speedway (Fontana Calif) Martinsville Richmond Michigan Phoenix Watkins Glen Darlington Chicagoland and Homestead-MiamL No matter what Kansas well-attended events and the construction of the $521 million hotel and casino overlooking turn two It also could help that primary sponsor Sprint is headquartered in Overland Park a great facility and a great market" Santiago said an important market for our sponsors and our drivers" unclear how the Sprint Cup schedule would shake out if NASCAR gnntt Kansas an rr-i 4rJab -a I iGT tiUifgfi I 1.