Sports briefs

Thursday, July 31, 2003 | 10:05 a.m.

UNLV names two to direct program

Owen Hambrook was named Wednesday the men's tennis interim head coach and women's coach Kevin Cory had the title of interim director of tennis added to his role.

They will keep these titles through the 2003-04 season.

"Owen Hambrook has the tennis knowlede and experience to be a head coach and we are confident that our men's program will be in good hands," said Jerry Koloskie, UNLV's senior associate athletics director.

The jobs have been open at UNLV since Larry Easley's contract was not renewed last month.

Hambrook, 36, has been an assistant coach at UNLV the past four years.

Theus to Louisville

Former UNLV All-American and NBA All-Star Reggie Theus, 46, was hired today as an assistant to Louisville coach Rick Pitino. Theus replaces Mick Cronin, who worked for Pitino for two seasons before becoming head coach at Murray State in April.

Shooting conviction

A jury convicted a Minneapolis man of second-degree murder in last year's shooting death of University of Minnesota football player Brandon Hall. Jermaine Stansberry, 28, was on trial for beating and robbing a former Minnesota football player and shooting Hall, the player's friend, after a confrontation Sept. 1 in downtown Minneapolis.

Russian fails test

Russia's Sergei Koudentsov failed a blood test today, preventing him from further competition at the World Track Cycling Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Spaniard loses medal

Spanish gymnast Gervasio Deferr was stripped of his silver medal from last year's world championships because he failed a drug test six weeks earlier. It means Paul Hamm of the United States will receive the bronze medal for the floor event.

Veteran writer dies

John Crittenden, former sports editor of The Miami News and a award-winning sports writer in South Florida for more than four decades, died Wednesday at 69. He authored the book "Hialeah Park: A Racing Legend" in 1989.