Sports Briefs: Wizards say Jamison will be out a while

WASHINGTON -- Antawn Jamison's ailing shoulder will take much longer to heal than expected -- keeping him off the court well into the regular season.

The Washington Wizards revised their estimated recovery time for Jamison's injury yesterday, announcing that he's likely to miss eight to 13 games. He partially dislocated his shoulder trying to block a shot in an exhibition game against Cleveland on Oct. 14. The Wizards originally ruled him out for the rest of the preseason. But team president Ernie Grunfeld said yesterday that Jamison is expected to be out three to five weeks.

The news is another blow for a franchise that has had three straight seasons marred by injuries to marquee players.

Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood barely played last season, and DeShawn Stevenson missed more than half of the games as the team finished 19-63, one of the worst marks in franchise history. Jamison had a healthy year, missing only one game and leading the team in scoring at 22.2 points a game.

Offseason acquistion Fabricio Oberto has been starting at Jamison's power forward spot since the injury.

More basketball

■ Freshman guard John Wall practiced with his Kentucky teammates in front of students yesterday, a day after a report that he might not be eligible to play.

Mike Slive, the SEC commissioner, told ESPN.com on Thursday that the NCAA's agents and amateurism group is looking into the eligibility of Wall, who played at Raleigh's Word of God Academy.

The workout yesterday on campus was open to students, and some of those who attended said Coach John Calipari didn't say anything about Wall's eligibility during his remarks to fans.

■ Police in Los Angeles say that $15,000 in cash, plus watches and jewelry were stolen from 10 members of the Israeli basketball team Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv during an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Lt. Albert Gavin says that the team noticed the theft at halftime Tuesday. Investigators hope to identify a suspect from an arena security video.

■ Philadelphia police say that Dionte Christmas, a former Temple star who was cut by the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, has been arrested on firearms charges.

Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said that Christmas was stopped by Highway Patrol officers about 7:30 p.m. Thursday for erratic driving in North Philadelphia. Vanore says Christmas was found to be driving without a license, and that there was a 9mm semiautomatic pistol under the driver's seat. Christmas was charged with felony firearms offenses.

■ The NBA and its referees union have reached agreement on a two-year contract, ending a lockout of more than a month.

The officials approved the deal that was reached earlier this week in a vote last night. No details of the vote were provided, nor were terms of the agreement.

■ The NBA has not changed the traveling rule.

Stu Jackson, the executive vice president of basketball operations, said recent media reports that the rule had been changed to allow an extra step after the dribble were not true.

"We have not changed the traveling rule, nor how we enforce the rule," Jackson said Friday during the league's annual preseason conference call. "What we did change was some antiquated language in our existing rule as it related to steps."

The section of the NBA rulebook dealing with traveling used to allow players to "use a two-count rhythm in coming to a stop."

■ Private donors are giving $75,000 to Bob Knight to settle a lawsuit he filed against Indiana University claiming it didn't properly defend him when he was sued by a former assistant coach.

A letter signed by attorneys for the university and Knight says that the payment offer from anonymous donors would reimburse Knight for expenses from the lawsuit by former assistant Ron Felling. Knight settled with Felling in 2002 by paying him $25,000 and admitting that in 1999 he shoved Felling in anger after overhearing him criticize his coaching and behavior.

■ The Indiana Pacers say that Mel Daniels is no longer their director of player personnel.

Daniels has a long history with team president Larry Bird. He was an assistant coach for Indiana State in 1979, when Bird led the Sycamores to the national-title game.

Golf

■ Rickie Fowler, in his second tournament since turning pro, was tied with Greg Owen after two rounds of the Frys.com Open yesterday in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Both shot 6-under 64s in the second round in ideal conditions on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club to reach 11-under 129.

Justin Leonard also shot a 64 and was one behind at 10 under. First-round leader Nick O'Hern (68) and Patrick Moore (65) were 9 under.

■ Champions Tour rookies Keith Clearwater and Russ Cochran and shot 5-under 66s to share the first-round lead in the AT&T Championship yesterday in San Antonio.

Tom Kite, looking for his first home-state win as a professional, was a stroke back along with fellow Texan Ben Crenshaw,

Mark O'Meara and Andy Bean.

Clearwater, who won his two PGA Tour titles in 1987, is making his fifth Champions Tour start after turning 50 in August. He eagled the par-15th hole and had five birdies and two bogeys on the Oak Hills Country Club course.

■ Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, has had surgery on his left wrist and expects to return to the PGA Tour next year at full strength.

Immelman missed most of this year with severe tendinitis in his left wrist. He tried to let the injury heal with rest until it was clear that surgery was his best option.

The surgery was Thursday in New York by the same doctor who did similar procedures on Luke Donald and Jim Furyk.

Miscellaneous

■ Christopher Michael Campbell, an assistant football coach at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Fla., has been charged with threatening a player with a pocket knife. The Polk County Sheriff's Office says that Campbell pointed the knife at a player during practice Wednesday. No one was injured. Campbell was arrested the next day.

Authorities say that Campbell later admitted to the school's athletics director that he took a knife to practice and told players, "Don't try me today." Campbell was charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and exhibiting a weapon within 1,000 feet of school property.

■ Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, has been appointed coach of South Africa's national soccer team, returning to the job he left a year ago to be with his ill wife. He will replace another Brazilian, Joel Santana, who left his post Monday after a series of losses in the buildup to next year's World Cup in South Africa.