Tennessee hoops coach takes Cal job

CALIFORNIA HIRED Tennessee's Cuonzo Martin as its coach yesterday, charging him with taking over another program after a successful run by his predecessor.

Martin replaces Mike Montgomery, who retired last month after six seasons in Berkeley. Martin went 63-41 in three seasons at Tennessee, including a 24-13 mark and an appearance in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament this season. He also was previously the coach at Missouri State.

He takes over for one of the most successful college coaches in the history of the San Francisco Bay Area. Montgomery finished his career with a 677-317 record, having also spent 18 years at Stanford and eight at Montana. Montgomery also had two disappointing seasons as head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors between his stints at Stanford and Cal.

Replacing a revered coach is nothing new for Martin.

Martin, 42, took over a Tennessee program under NCAA investigation in 2011 and has averaged 21 wins per year. But, at times, he struggled to escape the shadow of former coach Bruce Pearl, who led the Volunteers to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his 6 years on the job.

In other college news:

* Mollie Marcoux was hired as Princeton's athletic director, leaving her job as a sports management executive and returning to the school where she starred in two sports. She succeeds Gary Walters, who said last fall he would be retiring after 20 years. Marcoux is Princeton's first female athletic director since the position was first held in 1941. For the past 19 years, Marcoux worked at Chelsea Piers Management, which owns sports complexes in New York and Connecticut. Marcoux graduated in 1991 from Princeton, where she was All-Ivy in soccer and ice hockey.

* The NCAA's Legislative Council approved a proposal to expand the meal allowance for all athletes. The move occurred 8 days after Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier complained during the Final Four that he sometimes went to bed "starving" because he couldn't afford food. The proposal would allow Division I schools to provide unlimited meals and snacks to all athletes, including walk-ons. The measure still must be approved by the board of directors, which meets April 24.

* Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon and junior Nick Johnson announced they are entering the NBA draft. Chester High's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will return for his sophomore season . . . Other underclassmen declaring for the draft: Michigan sophomores Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III; Syracuse sophomore forward Jerami Grant.

* A Virginia State player pleaded guilty to assaulting Winston-Salem State's starting quarterback during a November luncheon, the day before the teams were going to play for the league championship. Forsyth County Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin said Lamont Britt pleaded guilty to a charge of simple assault. Britt had been charged with misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury.

* Temple's football game at Houston has been changed to Friday, Oct. 17. It had been scheduled for Oct. 18. The game will kick off at 9 p.m. and will be shown on ESPNU.

* Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh was named AFL offensive player of the week. He completed 20 of 22 passes for 254 yards in the Soul's 69-56 win over Orlando.

* Puerto Rico boxing star Felix Trinidad has reached a debt deal with a local bank following alleged losses of $63 million that he blames on a former financial adviser. The deal temporarily halts a $2.9 million payment that Banco Popular had sought from Trinidad.

* Tickets for nearly two-thirds of the World Cup matches were sold out within hours of FIFA opening the final online sales phase.