James Madison fires Matthews as coach

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Mickey Matthews has been fired after 15 seasons as head football coach at James Madison.

Athletic Director Jeff Bourne announced the move Monday.

Matthews led the Dukes to the 2004 FCS national championship, but James Madison has missed the playoffs four times in five years since reaching the national semifinals in 2008.

The Dukes lost four of their last five games this season to finish 6-6.

Matthews’ record at James Madison was 109-71. During his tenure the school expanded Bridgeforth Stadium to hold 24,877. The expansion came six years after the school built a new football locker room and state-of-the-art weight-training and academic support facility in one of Bridgeforth’s end zones.

Bourne says he is beginning “an immediate, national search to identify the ideal person to lead our program.”

 

Rose out for season after knee surgery

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose is out for the season.

The team said Monday that Rose had successful surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.

Rose was hurt Friday night at Portland.

The 2011 NBA MVP missed all of last season after tearing a ligament in his left knee in Chicago’s 2012 playoff opener against Philadelphia. He has played in just 50 NBA games — 49 in the regular season and that lone playoff game — since the Bulls’ run to the Eastern Conference finals during his MVP season.

 

Lakers sign Bryant to 2-year extension

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have signed All-Star guard Kobe Bryant to a 2-year contract extension.

General manager Mitch Kupchak made the announcement Monday, ending speculation that Bryant could end up with another team after this season. Kupchak said the team’s priority was to have Bryant finish his career as a Laker.

Terms of the deal were not released.

Bryant hasn’t played this season as he recovers from surgery on his torn Achilles tendon in April. He’s the Lakers all-time leading scorer and currently ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

 

2 arrested in EMU player’s shooting death

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Eastern Michigan University says police have arrested two people in the fatal shooting of football player Demarius Reed at an off-campus apartment complex.

The university said on its website Monday that one suspect was arraigned Sunday and the other was being arraigned Monday.

The Ypsilanti school didn’t release details on the suspects, but court records obtained by MLive.com (http://bit.ly/18BZJZI) show that two 20-year-old Detroit men are charged with open counts of murder. It says Ed J. Thomas and Kristopher K. Pratt also face armed robbery and other charges.

The Associated Press left a phone message Monday with prosecutors seeking information on the charges and on the suspects’ legal representation.

Reed was a 20-year-old communications major from Chicago and played six games this season. He was shot Oct. 18.

 

Stoops suspends Sanders for rule violation

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has suspended leading rusher Raymond Sanders for Saturday’s game against Tennessee for violating a team rule.

Sanders, who has a team-best 464 yards on 107 carries with three touchdowns, sat out most of the first half of last week’s 59-17 loss at Georgia in what the coach said afterward was for disciplinary reasons. Stoops says he received more information Monday morning leading to the latest punishment, though he didn’t say what rules the running back broke.

The running back’s participation in Saturday’s senior day activities will be determined on Tuesday.

Sanders’ absence will likely mean more carries for freshman Jojo Kemp, just behind Sanders with 460 yards rushing on 95 attempts with three TDs for Kentucky (2-9, 0-7 Southeastern Conference).