YSU
YSU
"Game of Hope & quot;is Jan. 22
YOUNGSTOWN -- Prior to the men's basketball game with Cleveland State at Beeghly Center on Jan. 22, the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity will stage the "Game of Hope & quot; with all monies collected earmarked for their national philanthropy, actor Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang and locally, the Children's Museum of the Valley.
The game is set for 4:30 p.m. and the cost of tickets is $6, with half going to the charities.
The game will pit current members of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity against a team of area all-stars. Legendary YSU men's coach Dom Rosselli and former women's basketball coach Ed DiGregorio will serve as guest coaches for the game.
Area celebrities who have committed to play or attend for the All-Stars are Maureen Midgley, general manager, and Jim Graham, UAW 1112, GM Lordstown; Congressman Marc Dann, 32nd District; radio personalities Jerry Mac and Mark Martin of 95.9 KISS-FM and Big 106.1 FM; Ron Strollo, YSU Executive Director of Athletics; John Reardon, Mahoning County Treasurer; Tiffany Bogda, ClearChannel representative; Anthony Vivo, Clerk of Courts; Councilman John Swierz; Shelley Murray of the Youngstown Board of Education, and Terry Stephens, Dan Poklemba, Mark Farragher, John Casey, Dan Holcomb and Chris Weaver of the Youngstown Fire Department, Local 312.
LOCAL
Area teams ingirls poll
Six area girls basketball teams made the top 10 of the first Ohio poll of the season.
Boardman was ranked ninth in the Division I, West Branch and Salem were fifth and six, respectively, in Div. II, while Ursuline was sixth and Girard ninth in Div. III, and Lowellville was sixth in Div. IV.
Prep football roundup
*YOUNGSTOWN -- Ursuline High seniors Alex Allen and Derrick Stewart announced their choices of college.
Allen, a running back, will play at the University of Akron.
Stewart, a wide receiver, will sign a national letter of intent with Cincinnati.
*LIBERTY -- Liberty High senior Keith Forestal, a tight end, indicated he will sign a national letter of intent with the University of Toledo.
*CAMPBELL -- A search committee will recommend that John Protopapa be named varsity football coach at Campbell Memorial High.
Abby Mooseleads USA team
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Grove City College senior Abby Moose scored nine points and had three assists Wednesday, helping the United States women's basketball team to an 83-57 victory over Ukraine in a semifinal game at the 2005 Deaflympics.
The United States will play Sweden in the gold medal game Saturday at 3 p.m. in Melbourne (11 p.m. Friday night EST).
Moose went 3-for-6 from the floor and made a 3-pointer. Her three assists led the team. In four games for the U.S. (4-0), Moose is averaging 10 points and 2.3 assists per game. She is 16-of-35 (46 percent) from the floor and has made 6-of-16 3-pointers. She also has nine steals.
REGION
Surgery ends seasonfor Luke Jackson
CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers rookie guard Luke Jackson will have back surgery Thursday and miss the rest of the season.
Jackson, the 10th overall pick in this year's NBA draft, has had back problems since the summer, but the pain worsened recently. He was diagnosed earlier this week with a herniated disc.
"I feel like I have a great chance to come back and be 100 percent," he said.
Jackson was expected to give the Cavaliers help with their outside shooting, but he played only 43 minutes this season.
NATION/WORLD
Jayson Williamsplays in CBA game
BOISE, Idaho -- Jayson Williams made his return to professional basketball, scoring two points in limited action hours after signing a contract with the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Association.
Agassi out
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andre Agassi's status for the Australian Open next week was in doubt today after a hip injury forced him to retire during the first set of his Kooyong Classic match against Andy Roddick.
The four-time Australian Open winner said he felt tightness in the muscle at the front of his right hip and would have an MRI to determine the damage.
Miles gets millions
BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU coach Les Miles will receive a seven-year contract worth $1.25 million annually, a deal similar to the one the Tigers gave Nick Saban when he was first hired.
Franchitti signs
INDIANAPOLIS -- Dario Franchitti will be back with Andretti Green Racing this year, hoping to make a run at the IRL championship.
The Scotsman, coming off a season in which he won two races and finished sixth in the IndyCar Series standings, signed a one-year contract extension with the team co-owned by former driving star Michael Andretti, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree.
Vindicator staff/wire reports