Coaches pick UMaine softball team fourth in preseason league poll
ORONO — The University of Maine softball team has been selected fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Friday. The Black Bears finished fifth in the America East last season, going 8-9 in conference action.
Stony Brook, the 2014 regular season league champions, was selected first in the poll as the Seawolves received 34 points and five first-place votes. UAlbany, the league’s tournament champions and NCAA Tournament representative a year ago, was selected second in the poll with 31 tallies and a pair of first-place votes. Binghamton was picked third with 28 votes followed by the Black Bears who received 21 points. UMBC was selected fifth with 17 votes while UMass Lowell (10) and Hartford (7) rounded out the seven-team field.
Lawrence standout to play golf at Husson
BANGOR — Husson University women’s golf, set to begin play this fall, has announced its first commit in Kelsie Dessent of Fairfield. A four-year member of the varsity golf team at Lawrence High School, Dessent has been a standout golfer who has won the Maine Junior Amateur Championship and the Women’s Janet Drouin Memorial Championship.
She has played competitively since the age of 10 and has played in the Maine State Golf Association, Women’s Maine State Golf Association, New England PGA, American Junior Golf Association, and the Future Collegiate World Tour.
Dessent plans to major in health sciences at Husson.
“Kelsie has been a solid player for her entire high school career. She is one of the top female prospects from Maine and has competed at the highest levels in the northeast, which has prepared her for a strong college career,” Husson coach Mike Dugas said in a news release.
Spurs star Duncan sues financial adviser for fraud in Texas court
SAN ANTONIO — NBA superstar Tim Duncan has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $1 million in damages against a longtime friend and financial adviser the basketball player says cheated him in his investments.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in a Texas court against Atlanta businessman Charles Banks, who Duncan said he met during his 1997-98 rookie season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
A source close to the case told Reuters that Duncan’s total investment with Banks was in excess of $20 million.
“Banks breached these duties by placing his own interests above those of Duncan, by failing to fully, fairly, and honestly disclose the nature of the various investments that he encouraged and advised Duncan to make and by otherwise engaging in self-dealing to his benefit and Duncan’s detriment,” the lawsuit said.
Banks was not immediately available for comment.
Blount’s marijuana charge dropped
New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount will not face a marijuana possession charge while he was in Pittsburgh.
Prosecutors on Friday dropped the charge that stemmed from an Aug. 20 arrest when he was a playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Blount and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell were pulled over after police said they found about three-fourths of an ounce of marijuana in Bell’s car during a traffic stop in Ross Township, a Pittsburgh suburb.
Blount, who is preparing for Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, satisfied his penalty by working community service in Boston. He will not have to appear in court in Pittsburgh next week.
West View District Judge Richard Opiela told Blount, 28, at a court appearance last month that the misdemeanor marijuana possession charge would go away if he completed 50 hours of community service by Feb. 4.
Blount’s attorney, Casey White, notified the court Friday that Blount had satisfied the requirement by working with a group called Urban Achievers in Boston.