College basketball

KU petitions UNC to stifle Williams

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas officials want to stop former coach Roy Williams from engaging in what could be perceived as a subtle attempt to lure away two top prospects.

Kansas is not saying Williams has necessarily tampered under NCAA rules, associate athletic director Janelle Martin explained Wednesday.

Williams, who announced Monday he was leaving the Jayhawks for North Carolina, denied he was trying to coax anyone into seeking relief from a commitment to Kansas.

"That's as far from the truth as it could possibly be," he told Kansas City radio station WHB.

During the early signing period, Williams recruited what many consider one of the finest incoming freshman classes in the nation. Among the players are Omar Wilkes, a 6-foot-4 guard from Los Angeles, and David Padgett, a 7-foot All-American from Reno, Nev.

Padgett had narrowed his choices to Kansas and North Carolina, picking the Jayhawks because he wanted to play for Williams. In interviews since being hired by North Carolina, Williams has repeatedly mentioned Wilkes and Padgett.

"I don't think it's fair to David Padgett to be stuck out there now and yet, in that national letter of intent that they do have to sign, they put in bold print, 'You are signing with the school, not the coach,"' Williams told ESPN. "But that doesn't make it right."

Williams also said he thought there should be "a window of opportunity" for Padgett to seek his release from Kansas.

Pete Padgett has said his son will wait to see who succeeds Williams, but is leaving open the possibility of asking KU for relief.

At this point, Kansas has lodged its complaint with North Carolina -- not the NCAA.

Meantime, Kansas received permission to speak with Illinois coach Bill Self.

A USF PICK?: Western Michigan's rapid ascent the past three seasons has made Robert McCullum a leading candidate to fill South Florida's coaching vacancy.

McCullum, who has elevated the Broncos from 7-21 to 17-13 to 20-11 in his tenure, met with USF athletic director Lee Roy Selmon last weekend. "Right now we're just sort of waiting for the next step, the next phase," he said.

McCullum, 48, has several Florida connections. He spent six years as an assistant at UF and helped the Gators to the 1994 Final Four with a local player he initially began recruiting while at Kansas State, Countryside High's Andrew DeClercq. Another Countryside product, Jeff Bronson, plays for Western Michigan.

"I've recruited the area and had various ties there for a number of years," McCullum said.

GREENBERG SIGNS FLORIDIAN: Former South Florida coach Seth Greenberg said he has signed point guard Zabian Dowdell of Pahokee to play for Virginia Tech. The 6-2 Dowdell averaged 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds last season.

FORD INJURED: All-American guard T.J. Ford of Texas was injured during a pickup basketball game and was released from an Austin hospital after four hours of treatment. Team spokesman Scott McConnell would not elaborate on the injury, citing federal privacy laws. He said Ford was conscious when he arrived and may have collided with another player.

JUCO PLAYER SIGNS: Saint Louis signed 6-9 forward Tom Frericks of Chipola Junior College of Marianna. He averaged 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds last season.

OREGON STAR EYES NBA: Pac-10 player of the year Luke Ridnour will skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft, his mother said. Muriel Ridnour said her son hasn't hired an agent, leaving him the option of withdrawing before the June 19 deadline.

UF WOMEN SIGN GUARD: Kim Dye, a 5-foot-8 guard at Shelbyville (Tenn.) High School, signed a national letter of intent to play for the Gators, coach Carolyn Peck announced. Dye averaged about eight points as Shelbyville finished 37-1 and won its third state title in the past four years.

-- Staff writers Pete Young and Antonya English contributed to this report.

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