Williams, Jazz to face Bulls in Champaign
Deron Williams is having a homecoming celebration and the Bulls are invited.
Williams, the former University of Illinois standout and now an All-Star with Utah, will lead his Jazz against the Bulls in an NBA exhibition on Oct. 17 at Assembly Hall in Champaign.
The game will mark Williams’ first return to Champaign as a player since he led the Fightin’ Illini to the 2005 Final Four.
It was the first of a seven- or eight-game preseason schedule announced by the Bulls on Monday.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. tipoff go on sale Saturday, Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets.
It’s been a good summer for Williams. He was chosen to the U.S. Olympic basketball team last month when he turned 24, and last week he signed a contract extension with the Jazz that will pay him nearly $50 million over three years.
— Tribune
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Pappa to join Fire on loan from Guatemala
At first, Marco Pablo Pappa’s family was sad when they learned he may be leaving Guatemala to play for the Fire. They knew his move to another country meant they would see less of him.
The sadness then turned to excitement for Pappa’s next career move.
“For me, this is a better opportunity,” Pappa said. “I want to do what’s best for my career.”
As long as he passed his physical on Monday, Pappa is expected to join the Fire on loan from Guatemala’s CSD Municipal for the rest of this season and the 2009 season. The Fire would have an option to purchase Pappa’s contract at the end of the loan period.
At 20, the midfielder would become the youngest player on the Fire roster.
“He’s fast, defends well — a young player that’s been in a good soccer atmosphere,” Fire technical director Frank Klopas said.
— Luis Arroyave
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Collins’ new 3-year deal ups pay to $299,000
Illinois-Chicago basketball coach Jimmy Collins is not only getting a three-year contract extension that will keep him on the job through the 2011-12 season, he’s also getting a raise.
When the university’s Board of Trustees meets Thursday it is expected to increase Collins’ salary from $280,706 to $299,027.
After missing much of the 2006-07 season because of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, the 60-year-old coach returned last season to make the Flames one of the Horizon League’s most surprising success stories. After being picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, they wound up fourth.
— Neil Milbert
