Morning State Sports Briefs: WIAA State Team Tennis Tourney this weekend

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MADISON - Milwaukee Marquette and the Milwaukee University School will try to maintain their superiority at the boys’ state high school team tennis tournament.

The Division-One quarter-finals will be played tonight in Madison. Marquette is going for its fifth straight championship in Division-One. And the University School is trying to its sixth consecutive title in Division-Two. Marquette will open tonight’s proceedings against Madison East. Kenosha Tremper faces Brookfield East. Mequon Homestead plays Green Bay Preble. And Eau Claire Memorial takes on Middleton. Tonight’s winners advance to the D-1 semis tomorrow morning. The Division 2 tournament begins tomorrow with the semi-finals. La Crosse Aquinas plays Madison Edgewood. And unbeaten Green Bay Notre Dame takes on Milwaukee University. Title matches in both divisions will be played tomorrow afternoon at UW- Madison’s Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

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Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant Kelvin Sampson will interview for the head coaching vacancy at Detroit. Media reports said the Bucks gave their permission for the Pistons to interview Sampson, who has spent the last three years on the Milwaukee bench under head coach Scott Skiles. Among the other candidates for the Detroit job are former Pistons’ star Bill Laimbeer, Boston assistant Lawrence Frank, and former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson. Sampson recently interviewed for the head coaching job at Houston – but the Rockets hired former Minnesota coach and GM Kevin McHale.

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The Dallas Mavericks are one win away from their first NBA championship. The Mavs took a three-games-to-two lead in the Finals last night with a 112-103 home victory. Former Milwaukee Bucks’ draft choice Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 29 points. Former Marquette guard Dwayne Wade led Miami with 23 points, despite going in-and-out of the game with a bruised left hip suffered in a first-quarter collision with Brian Cardinal. The Finals will close out in Miami, and the Heat will have to win two games in order for Wade to get his second championship ring. Game-Six is Sunday night.

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University of Wisconsin sophomore Dorcas Akinniyi is in third place midway through the heptathlon at the NCAA outdoor track finals in Des Moines Iowa. Fellow Badger Jessica Flax is in 11th. Also, Wisconsin junior Monika Jakutyte tied for 11th in the high jump with a career-high leap of five-feet, 10-and-three-quarter inches.

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Three Wisconsin Badger wrestlers and an assistant coach are competing for spots on Team USA this weekend. Juniors Andrew Howe and Travis Ruff, sophomore Tyler Graff, and Badgers’ volunteer assistant Kyle Ruschell are in the World Team Trials today and tomorrow in Oklahoma City. They hope to make the American squad that will wrestle in the World Championships in September in Istanbul, Turkey. Howe recovered from a hamstring injury in January win at the University Nationals in April. He said the international spot involves a somewhat different style than what he’s used to in college, with different rules.

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UW-Stevens Point will have a new athletic director on July first. Daron Montgomery has been named to replace Frank O’Brien, who retired after 20 years with the Pointers. Montgomery has spent the last 13 years at Division I Detroit in the Horizon League. He rose to the Number-two spot with the Titans, overseeing 250 athletes in 19 varsity sports. At Stevens Point, the 38-year-old Montgomery will run a program with almost 500 athletes – and he calls it an exciting opportunity.

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