Luke Recker Injured In Car Accident In Colorado

Luke Recker, former Indiana University basketball standout, is hospitalized with a broken arm, facial cuts and a partially severed ear after a head-on collision in rural southwestern Colorado.

Recker, 21, was listed in fair condition today at Mercy Hospital in Durango. He spent much of yesterday undergoing plastic surgery to his face and left ear.

The driver of the vehicle in which Recker was a passenger was killed in Saturday night's three-car crash on a county road near Durango. He was identified as John Hollbert, 23, of Senoia, Ga.

Four other passengers riding with Recker also were injured. Among them was Jason Craig, 17, a Jasper (Ind.) High School football player who suffered head and spleen injuries. He was listed in critical condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, N.M.

Recker reportedly was part of a group of 17 people driving to a carnival in Durango when a truck driven by Bob Hardwick, 21, of Durango, drifted across the center line at about 70 mph, State Trooper Mike McGuire said.

The truck sideswiped a pickup carrying 11 people in Recker's group and then collided head-on with the car that Recker was riding in.

The Colorado State Patrol said Hardwick was being held under $500,000 bond on charges of vehicular homicide drunken driving.

Recker, a Mr. Basketball in Indiana, transferred to Arizona this year. He averaged 16.2 points and four rebounds a game last season as a sophomore forward for the Hoosiers.

Recker plans to sit out the 1999-2000 season and then will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

COLLEGES

The Atlantic Coast Conference is contemplating expansion, a move that could trigger many changes among several conferences.

ACC athletic directors will discuss the issue later this week during meetings in Greensboro, N.C. Several sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, outlined a debate that focuses on these three options:

X Adding Miami, presently a Big East institution, as a 10th ACC member.

X Adding Miami with a plan to expand to 12 schools, split into divisions and stage a football championship game. Other potential targets would include Virginia Tech, Kentucky and South Carolina. Or, making a play for northern markets, Syracuse, Rutgers and Boston College.

X Remaining at nine and continuing as the only Division I-A conference in which each member plays the others in football and twice in basketball each year.

-- Howard Schnellenberger, who built the Miami Hurricanes' football program into a national powerhouse in the early 1980s, was appointed coach of Florida Atlantic's new program today. The Owl's are scheduled to begin play in 2001.

UNIVERSITY GAMES

Spain upset the U.S. 57-48 today in the women's basketball final in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands.

Spain, which won its first gold medal at the event, beat an American squad that shot just 27 percent from the field, including 1-for-12 from three-point range.

In men's basketball yesterday, the U.S. moved one victory away from its sixth consecutive gold medal with an 88-80 semifinal win over Spain. Yugoslavia defeated Mexico 85-60 in the other semifinal.

On the track, John Capel, a Florida sprinter and football player, was late out of the blocks and unable to catch Brazil's Andre Domingos Da Silva in the 100-meter final. Da Silva won in 10.34 seconds. Capel finished second in 10.35.

In men's volleyball, Germany defeated Japan for the gold.

TENNIS

Doubles specialist Todd Woodbridge withdrew from Australia's Davis Cup quarterfinal against the United States.

Captain John Newcombe said Woodbridge, who forms one of the world's top doubles teams with Mark Woodforde, decided to withdraw because of a minor arm injury and a loss of form. Woodbridge was replaced by Sandon Stolle, who is ranked No. 3 in the world in doubles, but Patrick Rafter might be called in to partner Woodforde or Stolle.

-- Albert Costa won the Swiss Open for the second time, defeating Nicolas Lapentti 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4 for his 10th career title and maintaining Spain's hold on the tournament. Spaniards have won the clay-court event seven of the past eight years.

-- Juan Antonio Marin got his first ATP title, beating Andreas Vinciguerra 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to win the Swedish Open in Bastad.

-- Chris Woodruff capped a comeback from a serious knee injury by defeating Denmark's Kenneth Carlsen 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 to win the Hall of Fame championship in Newport, R.I.

SOCCER

Roy Myers scored the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute, and the Los Angeles Galaxy earned a 5-2 victory over the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

-- Brazil defeated Argentina 2-1, advancing to the semifinals of the America Cup, South America's soccer championship.

NBA

The Orlando Magic named Johnny Davis, former Philadelphia 76er coach, an assistant on Doc Rivers' staff.

Davis, 43, has spent the past 21 years in the NBA, either in the front office or as a player.

- Seattle Times news services