Hoop success helps 'heal' Auburn sports

Auburn's troubles began last fall with the mid-season firing of football coach Terry Bowden. They didn't get any better when the Tigers reneged on a commitment to play Florida State on ESPN to open the 1999 football season, thus avoiding the wrath of Terry's father, Bobby.

The controversy combined to bring some unwanted national attention. Until the basketball team won its way into Thursday's NCAA South Regional semifinal against fourth-seeded Ohio State.

"This basketball team has allowed the Auburn family to heal. It has pushed the controversy to the side," Cliff Ellis said of his top-seeded Tigers.

AP PHOTO Cliff Ellis said Auburn's success in basketball this year has helped heal the entire athletic department at the University. Auburn has been in turmoil for several years, and problems climaxed this fall when football coach Terry Bowden was fired.

Sore Foot: St. John's leading scorer, Ron Artest, was limping noticeably in practice Wednesday but said he'll be fine.

Artest said he got sick to his stomach Tuesday night and whacked his foot on his roommate's bed while making a desperate dash toward the bathroom in the dark.

He said the tape job he got before practice was too tight and that caused the limp.

Holiday time: Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien, of the Brooklyn O'Briens, St. Francis Prep and Boston College, had post-practice plans for St. Patrick's Day.

"I'll have corned beef and cabbage and a green beer," he said. "How traditional is that?"

This way to NCAA: Their records and seedings make it no surprise that Auburn and Ohio State are in the round of 16, but that's recent history. Before the season started, it would have been a highly unlikely matchup.

Ohio State is the bigger surprise. The Buckeyes were 8-22 last year and finished last in the Big Ten at 1-15.

The Buckeyes added Scoonie Penn, who followed O'Brien from Boston College and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

But the remarkable about-face took more than one player.

Three freshmen have contributed, as well as junior college transfer George Reese.

"I just wanted to be better than we were a year ago," O'Brien said. "Scoonie's mentality is that when March rolls around, you play in the NCAA tournament.

"I was the one who thought he was crazy, but he obviously knew more about it than me."

Sweet pressure: Maryland has been in the round of 16 in four of the last six years, including the last two. But the Terps haven't advanced past the Sweet 16 since 1975.

03-18-99