Waldon invited to tryout

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2000

TAMPA -- South Florida sophomore B.B. Waldon has been invited to the USA Basketball men's national team trials May 26-28 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Waldon, who averaged 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Bulls (17-14) last season and was a second-team All-Conference USA selection, will join 29 other college and high school players age 20 and younger for tryouts for the World Championship for Young Men team.

The 12-player squad, coached by Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, will compete in the eight-team COPABA World Championship qualifying tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on July 19-23.

The top three teams will play in the FIBA World Championships in Japan in 2001.

"It's a great honor for B.B., and it reflects the type of player that we know he is," coach Seth Greenberg said. "It's gratifying to know that some of the most respected minds in college basketball feel the same way about him."

Waldon, a 6-foot-8 forward who can play inside and outside, will have stiff competition. Other invitees include North Carolina's Carlos Boozer, Duke's Mike Dunleavy and Jason Williams, Arkansas' Joe Johnson, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Cincinnati's Kenny Satterfield and Tennessee's Vincent Yarbrough. DAWSON LEAVES USF: Backup point guard Marlon Dawson, a junior who saw little time behind freshman Reggie Kohn, has decided to leave the basketball program. Dawson played in 26 games and averaged 2.6 points last season. PLAYER DISMISSED: Freshman defensive back Jon Chivas, who played in nine games last season, has been dismissed from the football team for what coach Jim Leavitt called "a series of little things."

Suspended indefinitely during spring practice, Chivas was considered off the team when he was arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal mischief, a felony. Police say Chivas, 21, threw a concrete brick off one of the high floors of a USF dorm room onto a police cruiser, causing more than $1,000 damage.

Chivas, from Sarasota Riverview, had 11 tackles last season.

Around the nation

BASEBALL: South Carolina stayed atop the Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN polls despite losing twice to Arkansas over the weekend. Florida State fell from No. 2 to No. 7 in the Baseball America poll and was at No. 4 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings. Miami is 13th in both polls; Florida is 25th in Baseball America and 24th in Collegiate Baseball. ... North Florida tops the Collegiate Baseball Division II rankings. Tampa is No. 2. SOFTBALL: Florida State's Staci Brandon, Serita Brooks, Leslie Malerich and Brandi Stuart were named to the All-ACC team, and Teresa Edenfield was named ACC Player of the Week. ... Saint Leo received a bid to the NCAA South Region Tournament, the school's first post-season bid

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