NEW YORK – Patrick McEnroe resigned as U.S. Davis Cup captain Monday, saying his 10-year tenure will end after the Americans’ playoff against Colombia this month.
McEnroe led the United States to a Davis Cup title in 2007.
This year, though, the Americans must win in the playoffs to secure a spot in the top tier of the Davis Cup, the first time they have found themselves in that position since 2005.
The younger brother of seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said he wanted to dedicate his time to his family and his other jobs.
Already a TV analyst, he was hired two years ago to run the U.S. Tennis Association’s program to develop elite players.
“Player development is really a consuming job,” McEnroe said. “An exciting job, a job that I love, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort.”
McEnroe mentioned Jim Courier and Todd Martin as obvious candidates for the position. Courier, a four-time major champion, said while calling the U.S. Open for CBS on Monday that he’d be interested.
The 2007 title was the Americans’ first since 1995, ending the longest drought in U.S. Davis Cup history.
BASKETBALL
Purdue lands North Carolinian
Purdue added an athletic big man to the class of 2011 when North Carolina forward Jacob Lawson gave an oral commitment Monday, according to goldandblack.com. Lawson is a 6-foot-8, 220-pounder who attends Oak Ridge Military Academy and visited Purdue last weekend, the site said. Lawson’s AAU coach Tony Edwards told goldandblack.com that Lawson “might be the best athlete in the country” for his size. Lawson joins Donnie Hale, who is in prep school, as part of the 2011 class.
Dream turnaround nearly complete
The Atlanta Dream made WNBA history for the most losses in a season only two years ago. Now comes a shot at a record to brag about: The Dream its one win away from becoming the first expansion team to reach the WNBA finals in its third season. The Dream will try to complete a two-game sweep of the New York Liberty in the best-of-three Eastern Conference finals tonight. Seattle awaits the Atlanta-New York winner in the WNBA finals. Atlanta finished 4-30 in its inaugural 2008 season.
FOOTBALL
3 area players up for Army honor
Three Fort Wayne and area high school players have been nominated for the Army Iron Man of the Week Award that goes to two-way players. New Haven’s Jacob Cordell played offensive tackle and had 12 tackles on defense; South Adams’ Taylor LaFever had 133 yards rushing and kicked a 34-yard field goal; and Churubusco’s Kyle Monk returned two punts for touchdowns and had a 46-yard TD run. High school football fans can vote on the weekly winner at www.TheSportsFlash.com
Texas state champ scores 80 points
The No. 1 high school team in Texas scored 80 points at Cowboys Stadium – again. Euless Trinity routed six-time Arkansas state champion Shiloh Christian 80-26. Both schools are among the nation’s top high school teams. Last November at Cowboys Stadium, Trinity beat Flower Mound 80-27 in a first-round playoff game and went on to capture its third state title in five years. That was the most points by an 11-man team in the Texas prep playoffs since 1941. The record is 124 by Waco in a 1927 game.
Wyoming player killed in crash
A University of Wyoming player was killed and three teammates were injured when a pickup drifted off a Colorado highway and crashed Monday, authorities said. Ruben Narcisse, 19, of Miami was killed, the Colorado State Patrol said. Trey Fox, 19, of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Christian Morgan, 18, of Aurora, Colo., and J.J. Quinlan, 19, of Everett, Wash., were injured and were taken to hospitals in Laramie, Wyo., and Loveland, Colo. Morgan’s injuries were serious but were not believed to be life-threatening, troopers said. Fox had moderate injuries. The nature and extent of Quinlan’s injuries weren’t known.
Conference honors Trine quarterback
Trine quarterback Eric Watt earned MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping his team to a 55-7 victory over Manchester. Watt completed 14 of 18 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for two TDs.
OLYMPICS
Snowboardcross most dangerous
Snowboardcross was the most hazardous sport at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, with nearly 75 percent of female athletes suffering injuries during the rough-and-tumble races. According to a medical study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, at least 11 percent of all athletes at the Games in February sustained injuries – including 20 concussions. The study reported a total of 287 injuries among the 2,567 athletes, including the “catastrophic injury” which caused the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training crash a few hours before the opening ceremony on Feb. 12. .
