Sports briefs for July 14, 2005

Friday, July 15, 2005 | 10:51 a.m.

Rookie shoots 9-under at B.C. Open

At Endicott, N.Y., rookie Matt Hendrix shot a 9-under 63 and was tied with Glen Day for the first-round lead at the B.C. Open.

Mike Springer, Jason Bohn, Ben Crane and Brenden Pappas were all a stroke back at the old En-Joie Golf Club course.

Bastel aced the par-3 13th at the Glen Arbour course in her career-best 67.

Chun had a five-hole lead over Hannah Jun, a junior at UCLA, after seven holes. Jun stormed back to pull within one after 16 holes, but Chun won the third-round match 1-up.

Dolphins pick Wright in supplemental draft

University of Southern California defensive tackle Manuel Wright was the only player selected in the NFL supplemental draft, taken by the Miami Dolphins with a fifth-round pick.

A 6-foot-6, 300-pounder, Wright applied for the supplemental draft after losing his college eligibility because of academic problems. Wright was projected to be a starter for the Trojans next season after spending the past two years as a backup for USC's national championship teams.

The Dolphins lose a fifth-round pick in the 2006 NFL draft for taking Manuel.

Hunter was drafted by Dallas in the fifth round in 2002 out of Virginia Union. A 6-foot-2 defensive back, Hunter has played in 30 NFL games, including five starts, with 43 tackles, three interceptions and one sack.

Devils bring back former coach Robinson

Larry Robinson, who led the New Jersey Devils to a Stanley Cup title in 2000 but was fired less than two years later, returned as coach of the team.

Robinson replaces Pat Burns, who has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in a little more than a year.

Babcock was 69-76-19 in two years with Anaheim.

Football player sentenced to 15 years

Darion Conner asked for forgiveness, calling himself "a child of God," but the Tampa Bay Storm linebacker found no mercy Thursday in a Hillsborough County, Fla., court.

Not from Judge Ronald Ficarrotta, who sentenced him to the maximum 15 years in prison for getting drunk and running down Carrollwood bicyclist Jonathan Michael Conklin in September 2004.

And not from the victim's mother, Istra Ra, who repeatedly called Conner a "disgrace."

"I don't care how sorry you are, sir," a visibly angry Ra said as she looked Conner in the face at his sentencing hearing. "I cannot kiss and make this better. He's dead. Gone forever. I cannot rock him. I cannot hold him. I never will."

A jury last week found Conner guilty of DUI-manslaughter and vehicular homicide in Conklin's death.

-- Sun wire services