Turner an All-American; UM's Harris going pro

3/31/2010

Having a couple of freshmen on the Associated Press' All-America team is nothing new. This year, however, they are from the same school.

Kentucky's John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were on the All-America team announced yesterday. Joining them were Ohio State junior Evan Turner, who received all but one first-team vote, Syracuse junior Wes Johnson, and Villanova senior Scottie Reynolds.

After a year without any freshmen being honored, Wall and Cousins moved in as the ninth set of teammates to be selected and the first since Duke's J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams in 2006.

Turner, the 6-7 point guard considered one of the best all-around players in recent years, received all but one first-team vote from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

Turner missed six games after breaking bones in his back when he fell after a dunk in December. The Buckeyes went .500 without him and then went on to the Big Ten title when he returned.

"I'm definitely honored to be a part of a team like that and to be recognized. It's really cool," said Turner, an honorable mention selection last year."

•ANN ARBOR - Manny Harris is ready for a new challenge.

The former Michigan Mr. Basketball and three-time all-Big Ten selection announced that he will pass up his final season at Michigan to apply for the NBA draft.

"I thought long and hard about this very difficult decision and after meeting with my parents, my coaches, and a couple other people, I've decided to pursue my dream of playing professional basketball," Harris said at a press conference at Crisler Arena.

This past season, Harris averaged a career-best 18.1 points per game and scored in double figures in 29 of the 31 games he played. He had 16 games with 20 points or more.

Coach John Beilein, who sat next to Harris during the press conference, said that he supported his guard's decision.

"Manny and I have been talking about his future since the day we first met about three years ago," Beilein said. "We've discussed in private some of the options. He realizes there are difficult challenges ahead of him. He wants to tackle those challenges and we'll do nothing but support him."

Harris has been projected as a late second-round selection in the NBA draft on June 24, but that didn't influence his decision.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - An unusually inconsistent Roger Federer beat Florent Serra 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

The top-ranked Federer lost serve three times, each time when he led. He committed 35 unforced errors to 32 for Serra.

But Federer won eight consecutive service points in the tiebreakers and closed out the victory with a service winner.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - A redshirt freshman football player at Tarleton State has died after sustaining a head injury during spring practice.

Tarleton spokesman Liza Benedict says 18-year-old Zach Shaver died at a Fort Worth hospital yesterday, two days after he was injured at the Division II school in Stephenville.

Benedict says Shaver, a defensive lineman from Wichita Falls, was being blocked by an offensive lineman when both players went to the ground. Shaver started to get up but collapsed and was later airlifted to the hospital.

Benedict says a cause of death hasn't been determined. Stephenville is about 80 miles southwest of Fort Worth.