BASKETBALL

This year, you know who's No. 1

Athlon Sports' College Basketball annual hits the newsstands this weekend, and we'll give you three guesses who's on the cover. Hint: he looks good in light blue.

Also no surprise: Athlon ranks North Carolina No. 1 in its preseason top 25 and predicts the Tar Heels will win the national title. Senior forward Tyler Hansbrough (yeah, he's on the cover) earns first-team All-America honors, while junior guard Ty Lawson is named to the second team, and junior guard Wayne Ellington is an honorable mention selection. Hansbrough and Lawson are first-team All-ACC picks, Ellington a second-team choice, and senior swingman Danny Green earns third-team honors.

Duke is No. 12 in Athlon's preseason top 25 and predicts the Blue Devils to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore forward Kyle Singler earns first-team All-ACC honors and is named an honorable mention All-American. In addition, guards Gerald (Fist of the North) Henderson and Greg Paulus are named third-team All-ACC.

Athlon ranks Wake Forest No. 18 and rates the Deacons' recruiting class as No. 1 in the ACC.

Davidson is the magazine's favorite to repeat as the champions of the Southern Conference and names Stephen Curry first-team All-America. Senior Andrew Lovedale joins Curry on the five-member All-SoCon team.

Doherty et al. in charity event

Several familiar faces will be on hand to coach Sunday when 16 teams compete in the inaugural "Chairmen of the Boards" 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament in New York City.

UNC alum and former head coach Matt Doherty, now at Southern Methodist, is among the several guest coaches for the round-robin event. The coaches also include Paul Hewitt of Georgia Tech, Bob McKillop (Davidson), Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston), Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech) and Jim Larranaga (George Mason). Former St. John's Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca, Maryland's Len Elmore and Wake Forest's Billy Packer are also expected to make special guest appearances.

The tournament will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Hunter College, benefiting Tuesday's Children, a non-profit organization that provides mentoring and leadership training for 9/11 families and rescue workers.



RUNNING

Events rescheduled

To avoid any threats posed by Hurricane Hanna, the annual Run For The Kids 5K and fun runs have been pushed back one week. The event, held on the UNC cross-country course off Old Mason Farm Road near Finley Golf Club, is now scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13. The 5K starts at 10 a.m. and 1-mile at 11 a.m.

The schedule change provides a chance to see the UNC men's and women's cross-country teams' Challenge Meet, which starts at 8:30 a.m. and features several ACC teams. UNC's first meet of the season, this weekend's Campbell Invitational, likewise was put off by the storm.

Run For the Kids entry fees remain $25 for the 5K and $25 for the 1-mile run and walk. Kids 12 and under can participate in the 1-miler free with a registered adult. For a $75 fee, all members of one family can enter together. All entrants receive a commemorative T-shirt.

All proceeds from the event go directly to the Children's Fund grant program.

Child care for those 2 and younger will still be available. (Call Christine Cotton at 812-3949 for details.) However, due to an updated course layout, jogging strollers will not be permitted on the course.

More information and course maps are on line at www.childrensfundnc.org/funrun/chapelhill.html or available Sept. 12 at Fleet Feet in Carrboro.


FIELD HOCKEY

Kasold helps Deacs down No. 1 UNC

Former East Chapel Hill star Michelle Kasold assisted on Wake Forest's only goal Friday, but it was enough to force overtime and eventually penalty strokes in the ACC field hockey showdown between No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Wake Forest. After 100 minutes of play on a rainy evening at Kentner Stadium, the host Demon Deacons came out on top to earn a 2-1 win. The top-ranked Tar Heels fell to 1-2 on the season, while No. 3 Wake Forest improved to 3-0.

Through a quirk of scheduling, Carolina has played all three of its games this season at Kentner Stadium. UNC beat Michigan Aug. 30 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, hosted by Wake Forest. Carolina lost 3-2 to Iowa the following day, ending a 25-game winning streak that extended back to the start of the 2007 season.

Next up for the Tar Heels is today's home opener on against Georgetown. Action at Francis E. Henry Stadium begins at 1 p.m. The annual Field Hockey Field Day will take place prior to the game, with inflatable games, cotton candy and snow cones for fans.

Cullen's semester off to a great start

Rhodes College goalkeeper Meghan Cullen, a junior who played at East Chapel Hill, has been selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for field hockey matches played Aug. 25-31. Cullen was in goal for Lynx shutouts of Bellarmine and Earlham to start the season 2-0. She recorded 13 saves in 105 minutes of play, including 10 saves in the 1-0 win over Division II rival Bellarmine.


BALCO

Jones out of prison

Sprinter Marion Jones is expected to remain in Austin as she completes her probation after her release from federal prison. She completed most of her six-month sentence for lying about her steroid use before her release Friday.

After years of denials, Jones admitted last October that she used a designer steroid known as "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. The drug has been linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative; BALCO is ground zero of a steroids scandal that touched numerous professional athletes, including baseball star Barry Bonds.

Jones, who never tested positive for steroids, gave back the three gold medals and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The International Olympic Committee officially wiped her name from the record books in December.


BRIEFLY ...
North Carolina ranked No. 12 on the League of American Bicyclists' inaugural ranking of "bicycle friendly states." The states were scored on responses to a questionnaire (sent to whom is not clear) evaluating their commitment to bicycling in legislation, policies, programs, infrastructure, education and enforcement. Washington state ranked highest ranked and West Virginia the lowest. ... A raccoon killed last Tuesday between Carrboro and Hillsborough has tested positive for rabies. A dog that confronted the raccoon is scheduled to receive a rabies booster shot. N.C. law requires that any currently vaccinated dog or cat with "a reasonable suspicion of exposure," must receive a booster shot within 72 hours. An unvaccinated cat or dog must either be destroyed or quarantined for a period of six months. ... Junior forward Eddie Ababio scored the tying and go-ahead goals in a 10-minute span in the second half Friday to lead No. 15 North Carolina to a 3-1 win over South Carolina at Wake Forest's Deacon Fall Classic at Spry Stadium. The Tar Heels (3-0-0) extended their current winning streak to seven straight over the Gamecocks (1-1-1) with the victory. ... A goal by Brittany Bock in the 51st minute was all the scoring in the match as No. 5 Notre Dame held off No. 3 North Carolina Friday night at the Nike Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill before a crowd of 2,085 fans on a rain-soaked night.