Other sports

College basketball

One accuser to drop lawsuit against fired Syracuse assistant

The attorney for a Maine man who accused fired Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine of molesting him said he is dropping a civil lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh.

Jeffrey R. Anderson, attorney for Zach Tomaselli, said in a statement Friday he "will be dismissing his case" against Fine and will no longer represent Tomaselli.

"We are sad and disappointed that we cannot pursue justice for Zach, but we will continue to support him in his recovery," Anderson said.

Anderson dropped the lawsuit after Tomaselli, 23, told The Post-Standard of Syracuse in an interview he altered emails from Syracuse police before forwarding them to the paper in an attempt to bolster his account.

But Tomaselli insisted he didn't make up the allegations about Fine molesting him when he was 13 in a Pittsburgh hotel room.

"I did not fabricate the story," Tomaselli told The Associated Press. "The investigation is still ongoing."

Two former ball boys for the Syracuse team also accused Fine of molesting them. Fine has denied the allegations.

Only Tomaselli's case falls within the statute of limitations.

North Carolina's Strickland to miss remainder of season

North Carolina guard Dexter Strickland will miss the remainder of the season. The junior tore a ligament in his right knee Thursday during the Tar Heels' 82-68 victory at Virginia Tech.

Strickland had started all 19 games for No. 8 North Carolina. He was injured while driving to the basket in the second half.

Strickland, who was considered the team's best perimeter defender, averaged 7.5 points and shot a team-high 57 percent from the field.

USC's Fuller to have surgery

Forward Aaron Fuller, set to have shoulder surgery Thursday, is lost for the season, leaving USC with seven scholarship players.

Fuller, a junior who transferred from Iowa, leads the Trojans in rebounding with 5.9 per game.

Oklahoma State coach gets raise

Oklahoma State regents have approved a raise of nearly $100,000 for Jim Littell, who became the women's coach after Kurt Budke died in a plane crash last fall.

Littell, who had been Budke's top assistant for six years, is set to make about $300,000 annually over the course of a four-year contract.

The Cowgirls have won nine of 13 games since Littell took over after Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a Nov. 17 plane crash while recruiting in Arkansas.

Hockey

Beauchemin receives extension

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Francois Beauchemin, 31, to a three-year contract extension worth $10.5 million. The deal keeps Beauchemin off the NHL free-agent market this summer.

Ukrainian coach detained

A Ukrainian coach accused of fondling a teen attending clinics in the United States frequently traveled with his charges, transporting them from city to city for camps and tournaments, according to court documents.

Ivan Pravilov, a mentor to several NHL and college players, will spend a week in detention before a Jan. 27 bail hearing, a federal magistrate ruled. Pravilov, 48, voiced concerns for the 20 or so players visiting the United States this month to train with him and asked for an earlier hearing date.

"It's urgent. Because now my team is beheaded," he told the judge, speaking through an interpreter.

Pravilov was charged Tuesday with fondling a boy at his Philadelphia apartment as the 14-year-old slept near a teammate. The teammate, also 14, was slapped and threatened by Pravilov for later publicizing the Jan. 3 incident, according to court documents.

Less than a month ago, Maxim Starchenko, 33, one of Pravilov's former players, published a book alleging the coach regularly abused team members physically, mentally and sexually.

Auto racing

NASCAR Hall welcomes class

The NASCAR Hall of Fame welcomed its third class in Charlotte, N.C.

Three-time champions Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough are joined in the class by crew chief Dale Inman, team owner Glen Wood and modified driver Richie Evans. Evans was killed in a 1985 accident in Martinsville, Va.

Elsewhere

• Soccer icon Pele of Brazil compares himself favorably to 24-year-old Lionel Messi, who has won three consecutive FIFA player of the year awards.

"When Messi's scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it," the 71-year-old Pele told Le Monde. "Football changes. Records are there to be broken, but it will be hard to break mine. People always ask me: 'When is the new Pele going to be born?' Never. My father and mother have closed the factory."

Pele noted Messi's comparatively modest record of 19 goals in 67 international matches for Argentina.

• Olympic distance-running great Kenenisa Bekele has been suspended by the Ethiopian federation for not reporting to a training camp in a move that could affect whether he competes at this year's London Olympics.

Bekele, winner of the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics, was among 35 Ethiopian athletes who were originally suspended through the London Games.

The group of suspended athletes also includes Tirunesh Dibaba, winner of the 5,000 and 10,000 women's titles at the 2008 Games. Bisrat Gashawtena, Ethiopian federation president, said the suspensions will be lifted if the athletes report for a future camp.

Seattle Times news services