Sports Briefs: Thunder signs last free agent

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The Las Vegas Thunder signed its lone remaining free agent by coming to terms with winger Sasha Lakovic on a one-year deal, the team announced Monday.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

A fan favorite because of his no-holds-barred style of play, Lakovic's signing became even more crucial Friday when defenseman Greg Hawgood snubbed the Thunder. Instead of returning to Las Vegas, Hawgood signed a two-way deal with the NHL's San Jose Sharks the IHL's Utah Grizzlies.

"He keeps everyone on the opposition looking over their shoulders and is very good for the confidence of all his teammates around him," Thunder head coach Chris McSorley said.

"We certainly plan on upgrading Sasha's ice time this season and giving him more of a chance to contribute as well."

In the regular season last year, the "Pit Bull" scored just one goal and added two assists in 49 games, but recorded 416 penalty minutes.

In 13 playoff games, he had a goal, an assist and 67 more penalty minutes.

U.S. takes on Canada

If there's an advantage to being the favorite in the championship round of the World Cup of Hockey, neither Canada nor the United States wants to claim it. Both teams spent Monday naming the other team as the team to beat in the best-of-3 series beginning tonight in Philadelphia. "We're the underdogs," Canada's Wayne Gretzky said. "They've got great leadership, and that's the one thing they didn't have in the past." Countered the Americans' Brett Hull: "Canada is still the best team in the world. With Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros, they're the team to beat."

In other hockey news:

* Mario Lemieux showed up at training camp and plans to play with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Lemieux, 31, won his fifth NHL scoring title last season with 69 goals and 92 assists, as the Penguins advanced within one game of the Stanley Cup finals.

Phoenix angler triumphs

John Murray of Phoenix bested a field of 242 anglers at Lake Mead in the first day of the WON BASS Pro Circuit season for 1996-97. The leading tournament pro in the circuit's history weighed in a total of 18.33 pounds for six bass Saturday to take a commanding lead, and cruised to victory with another 14.16 pounds on Sunday to win the $23,000 Ranger boat as top prize in the tournament. His big catch also propelled his first-day AAA angler, Billy Nelson of West Hills, Calif., to the championship in that division. The two also picked up big bucks in the big bass prize pool. Nelson got Saturday's big bass, a 4.40-pounder, for $1,000. Top Las Vegas anglers were Pat Donoho, third with 24.90 pounds ion the pro division; and Terry Barnson, fourth with 24.03 pounds in the AAA division.

LV's Jackson wins decision

Julian Jackson, a former two-time WBC middleweight champion coming off a 13-month layoff, outpointed Leonardo Aguilar in a 10-round unanimous decision at Inglewood, Calif. Jackson, 35, of Las Vegas, improved to 52-4, sweeping the judges' cards 96-94, 99-91 and 98-92. Aguilar, 28, a former Mexican heavyweight champion who now lives in Montebello, Calif., dropped to 15-2. Jackson weighed 156 1/2 pounds. Aguilar weighed 157 3/4 , dropping down from 198 two fights ago, a heavyweight victory in April.

Bailey in no hurry

The world's fastest man said not-so-fast to the idea of racing against Michael Johnson. Canadian Donovan Bailey said today he hopes to eventually run against Johnson, but said such a race won't take place before next year. Bailey said it takes time -- and the right sponsors -- to properly present such an event. Speaking from New York on CTV's Canada AM, he also said he would "easily win." On Monday, a California promotions company said it had a $1 million Bailey-Johnson match race set to go except for one detail. "We have to get Donovan Bailey signed," Jim Butler of Loon Promotions in Santa Clara, Calif., said after announcing an Oct. 6 date at SkyDome for the 150-meter race between the world record-holders at 100 and 200 meters.

Chancellor's daughter: I lied

The daughter of the Arkansas chancellor has resigned as academic coordinator for Razorbacks basketball after admitting she knowingly violated an NCAA rule and lied about it to investigators, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported today. Kim Wood, daughter of Dan Ferritor, said Monday that she typed correspondence course papers for former Arkansas guard Jesse Pate. She said she never did Pate's lessons for him, only typed them. Typing the work violated the NCAA's rule on extra benefits. The NCAA could consider Wood's action a secondary violation. But Wood compounded the problem when she lied, said Robin Green, administrator for the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

In other college basketball news:

* A federal judge in Chicago ruled Northwestern must give 6-foot-5 guard Nick Knapp a chance to play college basketball, even though his heart once stopped during a pickup game. U.S. District Judge James Zagel said Knapp's risk of injury or death related to his cardiac arrest in Peoria two years ago wasn't great enough to bar him from playing.

Camby gets $2 million

The Toronto Raptors have come to terms with Marcus Camby, the second overall pick in this year's NBA draft. Under the NBA's rookie salary cap, Camby will make a minimum of $2.028 million in the first year of a maximum three-year deal, after which he can become a free agent. His salary will increase to $2.3 million and $2.6 million in the second and third years respectively. Camby, the 1995-96 consensus college basketball player of the year, averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocks last season, while leading Massachusetts (35-2) to the NCAA Final Four.

Lakovic