PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Police in Providence, R.I., say a Brown University basketball player is in critical condition after being punched in the head in what appeared to be an unprovoked assault.

Deputy Police Chief Thomas Oates says 21-year-old sophomore Joseph Sharkey suffered severe head injuries when a man came up to him and hit him early Sunday morning while he was talking to a group of women on Providence's East Side.

Campus and city police responded. Oates says he doesn't know if Sharkey and the assailant knew each other.

A Rhode Island Hospital spokesman says Sharkey is in critical condition.

A Brown spokeswoman had no immediate comment. Brown's basketball team website lists Sharkey as a guard who played in high school at Northfield Mount Hermon. He's from Norwood, Mass.
 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Chattanooga hired VCU assistant Will Wade as the Mocs' new men's head basketball coach on Monday, hoping his experience helping the VCU Rams develop into an NCAA tournament team can get that program back on track.

Wade, who has family connections to the school as the cousin of former Chattanooga offensive lineman and current Middle Tennessee offensive line coach Geep Wade, who was formally introduced Tuesday as Chattanooga's 18th head coach.

Wade, a Tennessee native born and raised in Nashville, says he remembers when Chattanooga regularly competed for NCAA tournament berths. Chattanooga made four NCAA appearances in a five-year span from 1993-97 and reached a regional semifinal in 1997.

But the Mocs have earned only one NCAA bid -- in 2009 -- during the past eight seasons. Wade replaces John Shulman, who was fired last month.

''They've been great in the past,'' Wade said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. ''They've had some great teams and a great program. They have all the makings to be great again.''

Wade, 30, had been on Shaka Smart's VCU staff the past four seasons. Wade helped the Rams make four consecutive postseason appearances, including three consecutive NCAA tournament trips and the 2011 Final Four.

VCU went 27-9 this season and finished with a No. 23 ranking nationally. The Rams are one of only five programs to win 27 or more games each of the past four seasons, along with Duke, Kansas, Syracuse and Ohio State.

''Will Wade distanced himself from a strong group of candidates as the clear choice to lead our men's basketball program,'' Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn said in a statement Monday announcing the hiring. ''He has been a major piece of VCU's success over the last four years and we feel he will bring our program back to a championship level.''

Blackburn hired the 30-year-old Wade just four days after announcing the 64-year-old Jim Foster as the new Chattanooga women's basketball coach. Wade, who will rank among the youngest Division I head coaches nationwide, believes his age could be a help rather than a hindrance.

''I think it's an advantage,'' Wade said. ''I think I've got a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm. I think it helps in terms of being able to relate to the players and having the ability to relate to them and spend time with them and develop really good relationships with them.''

At VCU, Wade worked with the Rams' ''Havoc'' defense, a full-court, pressing style that resulted in a school-record 422 steals in 2012-13 and the 18th-highest single-season total in NCAA history. The Rams led the nation in steals each of the past two years.

Wade expects to bring the same approach to Chattanooga.

''We're going to play a high-octane style very similar to what was done at VCU,'' Wade said.

Smart said in a statement that Chattanooga is hiring an ''absolute star'' in Wade.

''Will is extremely bright, hard-working and diligent,'' Smart said. ''No one will spend more time building relationships with student-athletes than Will. There is no question in my mind that he will be a tremendous success.''

Wade worked at Harvard for two seasons with Tommy Amaker before joining VCU. Wade graduated from Clemson in 2005 and spent six years working with that program between 2001 and '07 as a student manager for four seasons, a graduate assistant for one and director of operations.

Related:
• Chattanooga hires longtime coach Foster to lead women's program

All proposed rules changes by the committees must be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which next convenes via conference call June 18, before becoming effective for the 2013-14 season.

The committee is proposing that a defensive
player is not permitted to move into the path of
an offensive player once he has started his
upward motion with the ball.

NCAA Photos

The men’s committee focused much of its discussions on attempting to open the game.

“We talked a lot about the rules that are currently in place and ultimately believe a focused effort on calling the rules as written will have an immediate and significant impact,” said John Dunne, chair of the committee and head coach at Saint Peter’s.

For what is believed to be the first time, the committee met with the National Association of Basketball Coaches board of directors and Division I Men’s Basketball Committee to share concepts and opinions.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to get some feedback and ultimately, particularly from the coaches, the emphasis was to call the rules that are already in the book,” Dunne said.

In regard to the block/charge call in men’s basketball, the committee is proposing that a defensive player is not permitted to move into the path of an offensive player once he has started his upward motion with the ball to attempt a field goal or pass. If the defensive player is not in legal guarding position by this time, it is a blocking foul.

The current rule calls for a defender to be in legal guarding position before the offensive player lifted off the floor.

Committee members believe this will give officials more time to determine block/charge calls. Committee members also believe the tweak to the block/charge rule will:
• Allow for more offensive freedom;
• Provide clarity for officials in making this difficult call; and
• Enhance the balance between offense and defense.

In Division I games last season, the average amount of points scored in games was 67.5. This is the lowest scoring average since the 1981-82 season when teams averaged 67.6 points per game. The points-per-game average has also dipped in each of the past four seasons at the Division I level.

To curtail the impeding progress of a player, it will be stressed to officials that they must address these rules throughout the game.

The committee wants the following types of personal fouls be called consistently throughout the game:
• When a defensive player keeps a hand or forearm on an opponent;
• When a defensive player puts two hands on an opponent;
• When a defensive player continually jabs by extending his arm(s) and placing a hand or forearm on the opponent;
• When a player uses an arm bar to impede the progress of an opponent.

Women’s 10-second backcourt rule

In women’s basketball, committee members added the 10-second rule in the backcourt for the first time since the NCAA began administering women’s championships in 1981-82.

Previously, teams could take as much time off the 30-second shot clock as they wanted before crossing the mid-court line.

Officials will use the shot clock to determine if a 10-second violation has occurred.

Committee members believe adding the 10-second rule will increase the tempo of the game and create more offensive scoring opportunities.

Women’s intercollegiate basketball is the only level in the sport throughout the world that does not have a backcourt rule in place.

If this rule is adopted by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, the committee is also recommending that the closely guarded rule in the backcourt be eliminated from the rules book.

The closely guarded rule in the frontcourt would read that a player holding the ball for five seconds with a defender not exceeding six feet will be a violation. Previously, the defender had to be within three feet of the offensive player with the ball to force a 5-second violation.

“Given feedback from stakeholders through the years, this is the right time to approve the rule,” said Barbara Burke, Women’s Basketball Rules Committee chair and director of athletics at Eastern Illinois. “Overall, we discussed pace of play, creating scoring opportunities and flow of the game. Adding the 10-second backcourt rule adds another element of strategy, and this rule fits into the concepts of growing the game.”

Monitor reviews

In men’s and women’s basketball, the committee recommended that in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime officials can go to the monitor to review a shot clock violation and to determine who caused the ball to go out of bounds on a deflection involving two or more players.

Additionally, it was recommended that when officials have a question to whether a shot was 2-point or a 3-point field goal, they will be allowed to signal to the scorer’s table that the play will be reviewed during the next media timeout. The Big Ten Conference successfully experimented with this rule during the season in 2012-13.

In the last 4 minutes of the game and the entire overtime, officials will go to the monitor immediately to look for indisputable evidence as to how many points should be awarded for a field goal.

Both committees approved the use of the monitor to determine the fouler when there is uncertainty after a call has been made. Currently, officials have only been permitted to determine the free throw shooter using the monitor.

Elbow rules

In men’s and women’s basketball, if a foul was called for elbow contact above the shoulders, the monitor may be used to determine if a flagrant foul has been committed.

In this scenario, the official may determine if the contact was a flagrant 2, flagrant 1, common foul or no call. When the officials use the monitor to review a situation that is not called on the floor, the only options are flagrant 2, flagrant 1 or no foul.

“The intent of the elbow rule has always been to protect the student-athletes and eliminate the rip move in men’s basketball,” Dunne said. “There was a strong feeling in the men’s community that some other types of elbow contact didn’t deserve a flagrant 1, so we are allowing the limited use of the monitor to appropriately manage this play.”

In a flagrant 1 situation, the player who was struck is awarded two free throws and his team gets possession of the ball.

In a flagrant 2 situation, free throws and possession are awarded and the player who threw the elbow is ejected from the game.

Women’s media timeouts

When a team-called timeout occurs within 30 seconds prior to the scheduled media timeout (first dead ball under the 16-, 12-, 8-, and 4-minute marks), it will become that media timeout with the exception of the first called team timeout in the second half.

For example, when Team A calls a timeout at 16:02 in the first half, there will not be another timeout at the first dead ball under the 16-minute mark.

Committee members want to eliminate consecutive timeout stoppages in play.

Lower-defensive box added to the restricted-area rule

In women’s basketball, the committee revised the restricted area rule in the lower defensive box (the area on the court that starts at the second free-throw lane space to the three-foot area outside the lane to the baseline).

When a player with the ball starts outside the lower defensive box area, a secondary defender must be outside the restricted area to draw a charge.

When a player with the ball starts her move from inside the lower defensive box area, a secondary defender can draw a charge and the restricted area is not in effect.

The conferences announced the matchups Wednesday for the 12-game schedule to be played Dec. 3-4. Fourteen of the teams played in the NCAA tournament last season.

This marks the first Challenge for the three new ACC schools -- Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame. Pitt plays host to Penn State, Syracuse is home against Indiana and Notre Dame visits Iowa.

N.C. State plays host to Northwestern and new coach Chris Collins, a former Duke assistant. And Maryland visits Ohio State in its final Challenge as an ACC school before joining the Big Ten.

Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are the three schools from the 15-team ACC that are left out.
 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Scott Barnes, the vice president and director of athletics at Utah State, has been named chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2014-15 season. Barnes will first serve as vice chair to Ron Wellman, the director of athletics at Wake Forest, who will chair the committee for the 2013-14 academic year.

“It is certainly an honor to have been chosen by my peers to chair this prestigious committee” said Barnes, who began his five-year term in September 2010. “When I think of the colleagues who have served in this capacity, both prior to and during my tenure, I am truly humbled to have this opportunity.

“I learned so much by watching previous chairs Mike Bobinski, Jeff Hathaway and Gene Smith, and I look forward to working with Ron Wellman and the rest of the committee in the coming year to be fully prepared for this tremendous responsibility.”

Barnes earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fresno State, where he played basketball for the Bulldogs. He would later play professionally in Germany before coaching at the high school and club levels and serving as a general manager of the Fresno Flames of the World Basketball League. From there, he began a career in athletic administration that includes stops at San Diego, Pacific, Iowa State, Humboldt State, Eastern Washington and Washington.

He has been in his current role at Utah State for five years. Under Barnes’ leadership, the athletic department has seen improvements in development and facilities while winning 17 Western Athletic Conference championships. The school will join the Mountain West Conference July 1.

Additionally, beginning in 2014 through 2024, coverage of the Regional Semifinals and Regional Finals games will be split by TBS and CBS.  Earlier round coverage of the tournament will continue to be televised across four national television networks -- CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV with the First Four airing exclusively on truTV.

In 2010, Turner Sports and CBS Sports entered into a 14-year exclusive media rights partnership with the NCAA to present the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from 2011-2024. As part of that agreement, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will alternate coverage of the Final Four national semi-final games and National Championship game between TBS and CBS. The rotation begins on TBS with the network televising the Final Four and National Championship in 2016 with CBS broadcasting the games in 2017.

“Since the inception of our partnership, I don’t think we could have envisioned such a seamless collaboration between our two companies both in front of and behind the cameras,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “Coming off another incredible year of strong ratings and exciting games, the popularity of the NCAA Tournament and Final Four continues to resonate with fans across the country. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to televise the Final Four national semifinal games and two of the Elite Eight games on TBS beginning next year, and for the network to televise its first National Championship game in 2016.”

“From the beginning, our partnership with Turner Sports has exceeded every one of our expectations,” said Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports.  “Today’s news represents another win-win arrangement that continues to help us extend the reach of this marquee property by combining the resources of our two organizations. As we have done since 1982, CBS is pleased to showcase the National Championship game in 2014 and 2015.”

Turner Sports and CBS Sports recently concluded their third year of exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 2013 tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV was the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, averaging 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen. 
 

The 17th head coach in the program's history, Brennan replaced Jeff Jones, who left for the same position at Old Dominion earlier this month after 13 seasons with the Eagles.

A four-year starter at Princeton under Pete Carril, Brennan spent 13 years as an assistant including two at American from 2007-2009. In both seasons, the Eagles won the Patriot League Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament.

The last four seasons Brennan served cross-town on the coaching staff of John Thompson III. The Hoyas head coach was in attendance for Brennan's introduction on the American University campus.

The Eagles finished 10-20 last season.
 

NEW YORK -- The NBA on Tuesday announced that 44 players from NCAA schools have filed as early entry candidates for the 2013 NBA Draft.

Players wishing to enter the 2013 NBA Draft were required to submit a letter to the NBA to be received no later than April 28. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET June 17.

The 2013 NBA Draft will be held June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami (Fla.) guard Shane Larkin says he will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft.

Larkin averaged 14.5 points and 4.6 assists this season for the Hurricanes, who won 29 games, climbed as high as No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.

Larkin's decision means Miami will be without its top six scorers from this season when it takes the court next fall. Larkin led the Hurricanes in scoring. The next five highest scorers for Miami were all seniors.

Larkin is the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, and had until the end of Sunday to officially enter the draft.

The Hurricanes were 48-20 with Larkin in their lineup.
 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- UNC Asheville has promoted assistant coach Nicholas McDevitt to head coach of the Bulldogs' men's basketball program.

Athletic director Janet Cone announced Friday that McDevitt is the permanent replacement for Eddie Biedenbach.

McDevitt had been running the program since Biedenbach stepped down earlier this month to take a job on UNC Wilmington's coaching staff.

He spent 12 seasons on the staff and was promoted to associate head coach before the 2011-12 season.

McDevitt played for the Bulldogs from 1997-2001 before becoming part of a coaching staff that under Biedenbach won three Big South tournament titles and reached three NCAA tournaments, including two consecutive from 2011-12.