Hall of Fame coach Guy Lewis dead at 93
Hall of Fame basketball coach Guy Lewis, who won 592 games in 30 seasons at the University of Houston, died Thursday. He was 93.
Lewis led the Cougars to 14 NCAA tournaments and five Final Fours. Houston lost to North Carolina State in the 1983 national championship game in one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history and fell to Georgetown in the 1984 final. He retired in 1986.
Lewis coached three Hall of Famers including Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, who were part of the “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980s.
He also mentored Elvin Hayes, who led the No. 2 Cougars to a 71-69 victory over top-ranked UCLA in 1968, snapping the Bruins’ 47-game winning streak.
It was the first nationally televised game in college basketball history and also witnessed by a crowd of 52,693 at the Houston Astrodome.
Dena, his wife of 72 years, died in June.
Washington signs Petersen to two-year extension
The University of Washington on Thursday signed football coach Chris Petersen to a two-year extension through 2020.
“Coach Petersen has demonstrated tremendous integrity and is building a program that Husky fans can be proud of, both on and off the field,” athletic director Scott Woodward said in a statement. “This extension is well-deserved and we hope Coach Petersen is a Husky for a long time to come.”
Petersen is in his second season with Washington and is 13-12 after going 92-12 in eight seasons at Boise State. He will make $4 million in 2019 and 2020 — the same he’ll earn in 2018.
Washington (5-6) needs a victory over No. 20 Washington State on Friday to become eligible to play in its sixth consecutive bowl.
Lynch’s surgery related to sports hernia
RENTON, Wash. — Running back Marshawn Lynch had surgery Wednesday morning for an injury related to a sports hernia, according to Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Lynch will remain in Philadelphia for the next several days until he is able to return to Seattle.
“The doctor was very optimistic about a quick recovery,” Carroll said. “That could mean within three to four weeks or something like that, there’s a chance. Other than that, everything went very well.”
Lynch will remain on the roster with the hope he will be able to return in December. Carroll said there is still a chance Lynch won’t make it back this season, but the team doesn’t expect that to be the case.
“The doctor projected that he could get back pretty quickly,” Carroll said. “They fixed everything that was wrong, and the doctor was very optimistic about his return.”
Lynch has been inactive three times this season due to injuries. He never was inactive for a game before this season, though he did not play against Cleveland in 2011 after his back seized up prior to kickoff.
Pistons to retire Wallace, Billups jerseys
The Detroit Pistons announced that the franchise will honor and retire jerseys for Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups.
Wallace will be honored during a halftime ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 16, when the Pistons host the Golden State Warriors at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Billups will be honored during a halftime ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 10, when Detroit plays the Denver Nuggets at The Palace.
Texans QB returns to practice after concussion
Texans starting quarterback Brian Hoyer returned to practice Wednesday with a clear mind, saying the concussion symptoms that kept him out of Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets are completely gone.
Hoyer is set to start Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He experienced memory loss when he got sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko the previous week.
“Getting back out there with the guys, to be a part of the team again, was exciting,” Hoyer said. “It felt good.”
Hoyer admitted he didn’t remember a lot about the Monday night game in Cincinnati when he got hurt, and he still isn’t sure when or how he got concussed.
“People were pretty aware that I wasn’t all there,” Hoyer said. “It’s definitely a scary thing.”
Hoyer was around the team all last week while he went through the NFL’s extension concussion protocol, but the medical staff advised him to stay home Sunday and watch the Jets game on TV as a precaution “because of the stimulus” the stadium environment brings to the mix.
And he readily agreed.