Wildcats' A.D. set to retire, remain coach

MARQUETTE (AP) - Northern Michigan athletic director Rick Comley is leaving the post of athletic director, but will remain as hockey coach, the school announced yesterday.

He has been athletic director for 13 years and hockey coach for 24 years. Comley will end his athletic director role July 1 to concentrate on running the Division I hockey program he established at Northern in 1976.

''This is what I want to do. I wouldn't trade the experience, but the truth is, holding down both jobs has become too much for one person,'' Comley said in a news release. ''It's time to return to coaching and do the best job I can with the sport I love the most.''

He has been the only head coach in the 24-year history of Northern Michigan hockey and has compiled a 553-451-62 career record.

During Comley's tenure, the Wildcats won national championships in hockey (1991) and volleyball (1993, 1994).

A national search for a full-time athletic director will begin immediately, said president Judi Bailey.

Jordan speaks out on NBA so-called stars

CHICAGO (AP) -- Michael Jordan says the NBA is trying to create stars who haven't earned that status.

"When I was playing it was never done," Jordan, now part owner of the Washington Wizards, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "You didn't create Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. They created themselves."

Players like LA Lakers' Kobe Bryant are given success before they surprise anybody, Jordan said.

He is impressed by some players in the league, including the Detroit Pistons' Grant Hill, but said the NBA is making a mistake by pushing Hill and others as the next Michael Jordan.

Jordan said players such as Bryant and Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors still have much work to do on the court.

"Kobe, he's got to continue to grow," Jordan said. "But Vince doesn't play defense."

Jordan said the Wizards' Juwan Howard, another who entered the league amid extremely high expectations, works hard and can be a winner. But Jordan insists Howard makes too much money.

"He's not a franchise player, although he's paid like one," Jordan said.

Iowa State coach nabs Coach of the Year

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Larry Eustachy, who led Iowa State to the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships, was selected Coach of the Year yesterday by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Under Eustachy, in his second year, the Cyclones are 31-4 heading into yesterday's NCAA regional semifinal game. He is 46-19 in two seasons at Iowa State and 205-105 for his career.

The Cyclones were picked last in the Big 12 in some preseason polls. The 31 wins is a school record.

Gophers' grades rise under Monson reign

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The grades of Minnesota men's basketball players have risen significantly in the first semester under coach Dan Monson.

The team earned a collective 2.50 grade-point average for the spring semester, improving upon the 1.71 GPA - or D-minus - turned in after spring quarter last year, when the team was involved in academic scandal.

Monson replaced Clem Haskins, who was bought out of his contract for $1.5 million last year before investigators implicated him as knowing about academic cheating in the program.