Sports Briefs

■ BASKETBALL

Coaching legend dies

Will Robinson, the first black coach of a major US college basketball program and a long-time scout for the Detroit Pistons, died on Monday at age 96. Robinson, who had been ill for more than a year, died at an area hospital. In 1970, Robinson was hired to coach Illinois State, becoming the first black coach at any US Division I school. He served in the job for five seasons before joining the Pistons in 1976. Robinson, who spent 26 years as a high school coach in Detroit area schools, served as a scout for the Pistons for almost 30 years and helped assemble to squad that won NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He left the team in 2003.



■ GOLF

Event to see record prize

A record prize fund of 4.5 million euros (US$7.05 million) will be at stake in next month’s PGA Championship at Wentworth. The prize fund, which represents an increase of 150,000 euros from last year, will be biggest this year outside the four majors and the individual World Golf Championship events. The winner of the European Tour’s flagship tournament will receive 750,000 euros, a rise of 25,000 euros on the first prize claimed last year by Dane Anders Hansen after he beat Britain’s Justin Rose in a playoff, organizers said in a news release on Monday. Hansen also won the trophy in 2002. The PGA Championship starts on May 22.



■ TENNIS

Once ousted player returns

Former banned player Sesil Karatantcheva won her first WTA Tour match in nearly two-and-a-half years at the Grand Prix Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem on Monday. Karatantcheva beat Elena Baltacha of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in her first tour match since November 2005 at Philadelphia. After reaching the French Open quarterfinals at 15 in 2005, the Bulgarian tested positive twice for the steroid nandrolone. The International Tennis Federation banned her for two years in January 2006, and as soon as the ban this year she resumed playing, starting on the satellite circuit without a ranking.



■ GOLF

Masters announcer dies

Phil Harison, who introduced everyone from Ben Hogan to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods during his 60 years as the starter on the first tee of the Masters, has died. He was 82. He died on Sunday of natural causes, Augusta National Golf Club said. Harison was one of two people to attend every Masters since it began in 1934, and he became a familiar voice to the many fans who grew accustomed to his American Southern drawl and understated manner of announcing each player. “Fore please, Jack Nicklaus now driving,” he would say. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Phil Harison,” Masters chairman Billy Payne said on Monday.



■ BASKETBALL

Brown reaches deal: report

Larry Brown, a Hall of Fame coach who guided Detroit to a NBA title, has reached a deal to coach the Charlotte Bobcats, the Charlotte Observer reported. Citing an unnamed NBA executive source, the newspaper reported early yesterday that Brown, who resigned last Thursday as executive vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers, agreed Monday to replace Sam Vincent as the Bobcats coach. Vincent was fired on Saturday and said he thought the availability of Brown was a factor in his being dumped. Brown said when he departed the 76ers that he was seeking a coaching position. The Bobcats were to make a major announcement yesterday afternoon, likely the confirmation that Brown, 67, would take charge of the team.