The college basketball season isn’t over yet, but the coaching carousel is already in motion — three weeks after being fired from Tulsa, coach Doug Wojcik has found a new job at the College of Charleston, according to Andy Katz of ESPN. He will be officially introduced on Wednesday.

Wojcik was fired after seven seasons at Tulsa on March 11. He led the Golden Hurricane to a 17-14 overall record, 10-6 in Conference USA, but missed the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row.

In Charleston, Wojcik replaces the retiring Bobby Cremins. Cremins coached the Charleston squad for six seasons; they went 19-12 this past season, 10-8 in the Southern Conference. Cremins made three postseason appearances, but no NCAA Tournament berths.

Wojcik, who will receive a five-year contract in Charleston, has already been replaced at Tulsa by Kansas Jayhawks legend Danny Manning.

Linsanity is screeching to a halt — Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. He will need surgery and will be missing for six weeks, meaning he won’t be back unless the Knicks make a deep playoff run.

Lin averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for the Knicks this season before his injury. He became the team’s full-time starter at point guard on Feb. 6, instantly leading the team to seven straight wins.

The Knicks, currently 26-26 on the season and eighth in the Eastern Conference, have just 14 games to go. Their regular season ends on April 26.

After missing 40 games with a concussion, center Nicklas Backstrom returns to the Washington Capitals tonight, according to the Associated Press.

Backstrom suffered the injury when he was elbowed in the head by Rene Bourque in a Jan. 4 win over the Calgary Flames. He returns tonight to led the Caps against the Montreal Canadiens.

With 13 goals and 29 assists this season, Backstrom still ranks fifth on his team with 42 points despite the long absence.

The Caps are 39-31-8 on the season, second in Southeast Division and tied with the Buffalo Sabres for the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The St. Louis Rams have already traded down in this spring’s NFL draft once, moving the No. 2 pick to the Washington Redskins for a boatload of later selections. Now there’s a chance the Rams move down again, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We would move down because we’d expect there to be a number of good players there,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher told Thomas. “Not because our guy wouldn’t be there [at No. 6]. Clearly, we have a number of needs.”

The Rams dealt the No. 2 selection to the Redskins three weeks ago — in exchange, they got the No. 6 this year, plus the Redskins’ first-round picks in 2013 and 2014. The teams also swapped second-rounders in the deal.

With the No. 6, the Rams are eyeing either the top offensive tackle in the draft (Matt Kalil), the top cornerback (Morris Claiborne), the top wide receiver (Justin Blackmon) or the top running back (Trent Richardson). But if the player they want isn’t there sixth, the Rams may make a move.

“I don’t see it happening until the draft,” Fisher said.

Jason Kidd is still unsure what the future holds after his contract with the Dallas Mavericks expires this summer, but he did reveal one interesting little tidbit today — after his playing days are done for good, he’d like to be a general manager.

“I would like to go upstairs,” Kidd told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “I’d like to be the person who puts all of the pieces together. We’ll see if that works out.”

Kidd turned 39 last month, and while he’s currently the starting point guard for the defending champions, he’s clearly on the decline. His 18th NBA season has been his least productive one by far, as the veteran has averaged just 5.9 points and 5.2 assists per game. He’s a free agent this summer, and all of his three options — stay in Dallas, go elsewhere, or end his playing days — are on the table.

“We’ll see what happens,” Kidd said. “[I’ll go to] whatever team wants me. I would love to end my career in Dallas, but we’ll see what happens this offseason.

“I want to keep playing until I can’t play anymore, which could be very soon. The big thing for me is I love playing the game. I love doing whatever I can to help my team win. Until that point comes – the end – I’ll keep trying to do that.”

Terrence Williams has made a solid first impression in Sacramento — the Kings have signed the young swingman for the rest of the season, the team announced today.

Williams, who was a lottery pick in the 2009 draft at No. 11 overall, played previously for the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets. He signed a 10-day contract with the Kings on March 21 after the Rockets waived him at the trade deadline earlier this month.

Williams has averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals off the bench for the Kings so far, despite playing only 16.0 minutes per game.

The Kings are 18-33 this season, second to last in the Western Conference leading only the New Orleans Hornets. They’re heading to the draft lottery for the sixth consecutive season.

Tom Thibodeau has been one of the best head coaches in the NBA the last two seasons — if not the best. And apparently now his players are taking notice, as ESPN Chicago reports that the Bulls are pushing hard for Thibs to get a contract extension in the Windy City.

“He doesn’t talk about that stuff, but we need to get him an extension ASAP,” Carlos Boozer said. “He wouldn’t talk about that stuff, but we know how great he’s done for us and what he’s meant for our team and the system he’s putting us in and the way he’s been able to manage [the season].”

Thibodeau publicly has insisted that he’s fine with his current contract status despite his uncertain future after this season. But sources have told ESPN’s Marc Stein that the coach is “dismayed” he hasn’t been granted more job security than his current two-year deal.

“I think that Thibs really changed a lot, the philosophy around here,” said Joakim Noah, echoing Boozer’s support for the coach. “I know that without Thibs, we wouldn’t be in this position right now. As a player, control what you can control, but if you ask me, I’ll go to bat for Thibs any day.”

Thibodeau, a longtime assistant most recently with the Boston Celtics, took over as the Bulls’ head coach in 2010. He’s promptly led the Bulls to the NBA’s best record two years running — 62-20 last season and 42-11 so far this year — and won one Coach of the Year award. He’s a leading contender to win it again.

Former NBA guard Stephon Marbury led the Beijing Ducks to their first ever championship Friday, according to multiple reports.

Marbury scored 41 points in the game, which the Ducks won, 124-121.

“This has been incredible, it has been an incredible experience,” a reportedly tearful Marbury said. ”This shows what this team is made up of, everyone stepped up and everyone played their role. We have been blessed as a team.”

Marbury, a two-time NBA all-star, last played in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.

Former second overall draft pick Ryan Leaf was arrested and charged with felony burglary charges, in addition to misdemeanor theft and possession of dangerous drugs, according to multiple reports.

Leaf has reportedly posted the $76,ooo bond as of Friday night and has been released.

Further details of the arrest report were not immediately available.

New York Jets newly-acquired quarterback Tim Tebow told a radio station Friday that he wasn’t certain if he’d ever start at quarterback for the team, according to ESPNNewYork.com.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds my future,” Tebow said, referring to his faith, according to the report. “That’s something that has always given me peace and comfort. That’s why I don’t have to worry about the future. I can just worry about today and worry about becoming better as a football player and a person.”

The Jets have said that Sanchez will be the starter.

The nephew of Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade was one of 13 people shot Thursday, according to multiple reports. Two of the men died in the six-hour shootout.

“I don’t have all of the details at this time,” Wade said in a written statement released early Friday evening. “My thoughts and prayers are with all involved, including my nephew and sister. Having grown up in the inner-city, I am aware of the difficult realities that exist on the streets. One of the goals of my foundation, the Wade’s World Foundation, is to continue to spread the message that the violence needs to stop.”

Wade was in Toronto Friday night for a game with the Raptors.

Florida Gators point guard Erving Walker was arrested Friday morning for petty theft and resisting arrest without violence, according to the Palm Beach Post. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Walker allegedly ordered a $3 taco from a vendor and ran away without paying. The police report states that an officer yelled for Walker to stop, but he kept running. He was eventually caught and said that “he was just playing around”, according to the report. He also recognized that he was stealing food.

The starting point guard for the last three seasons, Walker averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists per game while helping Florida reach the Elite Eight where they lost to Louisville.

The Kansas City Royals and former first-round draft pick Alex Gordon have agreed to a deal that will keep Gordon with the team through 2015, with a player option for 2016, the team announced Friday.

The report states that the deal is worth $37.5 million, but the option could raise the value to $50 million.

Gordon, 28, finished 2011 with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs in 157 games with the Royals. He also compiled 20 outfield assists and picked up his first Gold Glove Award. Last season was his first as a full time outfielder, after he started his career as a third baseman.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to MLB.com.

Igarashi, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in December. He pitched 9+ innings in spring training, with a 8.68 ERA.

In two seasons with the New York Mets, Igarashi made 79 appearances out of the bullpen with a career record of 5-2 and an ERA of 5.74.

New York Giants running back Andre Brown will be suspended for the first four games of the 2012 season, according to the Associated Press.

The league announced the suspension Friday after Brown violated the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The Giants signed Brown to their practice squad prior to the 2011 season, and he did not appear in a game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Lester Hudson to a 10-day contract, according to the Associated Press.

Hudson had been playing in the developmental league. He will be available for Friday’s game with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Cavs need backcourt help, since guard Daniel Gibson will likely miss the remainder of the season with a torn tendon in his foot.  Cleveland has lost five straight games.

Hudson was drafted in 2009 by the Boston Celtics.

Phoenix Suns guard Grant Hill has undergone successful surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus, according to the Associated Press.

The team announced Friday that Hill is expected to return before the end of the season. In the meantime, Shannon Brown will start in Hill’s place.

Hill, 39, is the second-oldest player in the NBA. He is averaging 10.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose said Friday he believes Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is the front-runner for this year’s award, according to ESPN.com.

“KD is playing great,” Rose said. “I’m hearing about what he’s doing, hearing about how he’s playing. The numbers speak for itself, how he’s working out this summer, and he’s playing great basketball.”

This season, Durant is averaging 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Thunder, who lead the Western Conference. According to ESPN, the race is between Durant and LeBron James, who is averaging 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

The Carolina Panthers have traded running back Mike Goodson to the Oakland Raiders for offensive tackle/guard Bruce Campbell, according to Adam Caplan of TheSidelineReview.com.

#Panthers announced they traded RB Mike Goodson to the Raiders for G/T Bruce Campbell.

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Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 30, 2012

Goodson can help on special teams returns, should compete for #2 RB job with the Raiders. More of a change up RB.

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Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 30, 2012

According to Caplan, the Panthers will play Bruce Campbell at tackle this season. The former fourth-round pick (106^th overall) in 2010 has played in 14 games in his career.

Goodson, 24, has rushed 125 times for 501 yards and three touchdowns in his career.

Former Vikings, Redskins and Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb already raised some eyebrows this week when he said that Robert Griffin III would not fit with Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s offense. On Friday, he drew some more attention by saying that he was the most criticized quarterback in history, according to Pro Football Talk.

The discussion began by ESPN’s Skip Bayless said Tim Tebow is “the most unfairly, over-criticized quarterback in the history of this league,” according to Pro Football Talk.

McNabb responded by saying, “Negative – I am. I am. Nobody has been criticized as much as I have,” according to Pro Football Talk.

McNabb has faced plenty of criticism in his 13-year career, from when he was booed on draft day to his tumultuous season in Washington. The 35-year-old quarterback, however, has also been named to six Pro Bowls and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2004.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said Friday that he wants the NFL to prove “direct evidence” that players participated in the bounty program, according to USA Today.

“As of yet, they haven’t turned over anything that we would consider to be direct evidence of player involvement in a ‘pay to injure’ scheme that we could consider for discipline,” Smith said. “It’s very hard to have a productive discussion about punishment when one side has kept, to itself, all the information.

“What I would expect is to have a conversation soon and certainly it would be our expectation that the request for all information, as it relates to particular players, will be provided before any discipline takes place.”

Smith added that the media speculation around player punishment is a “very unfair situation,” according to USA Today.

“Whether it comes down to Roger or myself, I don’t think either of us would prefer to have a disciplinary system that is being played out in public with people relying on less than full information,” Smith said. “That does nothing to benefit the integrity of the men who play the game. It certainly does nothing to champion the disciplinary system. It does call into question issues of fairness and what’s appropriate.”

The Atlanta Braves will sign pitcher Livan Hernandez, who was just released by the Astros earlier on Friday, according to CBS Sports.

Hernandez had a 5.63 ERA in five spring starts for Houston, but the Braves have struggled to fill their fifth starter role, with top prospect Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado failing to step up in Spring Training.

Last season, Hernandez posted a 4.47 ERA in 175 1/3 innings for Washington.

Update (2:56 p.m.): According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hernandez received a major-league contract and his signing has no effect on the fifth starting pitcher spot.

#Braves signed Livan Hernandez to major league contract, will use as long reliever/spot starter. Doesn't affect 5th starter battle.

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David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) March 30, 2012

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his semifinal match at the Sony Ericsson Open because of a left knee injury, according to Chris Fowler of ESPN.

Nadal has pulled out of today's semi in Miami vs Murray because of left knee pain. We plan to hear from him shortly. Bummer.

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Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) March 30, 2012

Andy Murray, who won the tournament in 2009, will advance to the final on Sunday because of Nadal’s withdrawal. He will play the winner of Novak Djokovic and Juan Monaco.

According to the Washington Post, Nadal’s knee has bothered him in recent matches; he took a medical timeout during a fourth-round match at Key Miscayne and said afterward he was not at 100%.

St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will not appeal his indefinite suspension for his role in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty system when he was coaching there, according to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com.

As I just reported on NFL Network, after much deliberation, Gregg Williams will not appeal his suspension. More on NFL.com

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Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 30, 2012

Rams owner Stan Kroenke said that he doesn’t think Williams’ suspension will hurt the team’s rebuilding process, and that it is new head coach Jeff Fisher’s call as to if Williams will return to the team when he is reinstated.

“Jeff Fisher is one of the sharpest defensive minds in professional football,” Kroenke said. “I think Jeff hired Gregg because he thought he was good at the job. Gregg is certainly remorseful. I think he is taking steps to openly show his remorse. But what we have to do is take care of the Rams, and we believe that Jeff is the right guy to do that. So I’m not worried about it.”

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton will file an appeal of his year-long suspension for his role in the team’s bounty program, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Saints HC Sean Payton will file appeal today. Appeal will also ask for Commissioner's guidance on suspension parameters.

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Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2012

Payton will also use the appeal to clear up some parameters of the suspension and a ruling from commissioner Roger Goodell would come in “days, not weeks,” according to Schefter.

In addition to Payton’s suspension, the team was fined $500,000 and lost two draft picks. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was also suspended eight games and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely.

Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters has a ruptured Achilles tendon and may miss the entire 2012 season, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.

Eagles announce LT Jason Peters has a ruptured Achilles tendon ... Pretty horrible news for Philly.

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Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 30, 2012

According to Pro Football Talk, Peters suffered the injury during a running session on Tuesday in Texas and will have surgery next week in Philadelphia.

New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin will miss his third straight game with a sore left knee, according to ESPN New York. Baron Davis is expected to start in his place.

Lin suffered the injury in last Saturday’s win against the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN, and said last week he’d been experiencing pain in his knee because of overuse. The second-year guard saw his playing time skyrocket in February and March, when he averaged over 30 minutes per game in both months.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson gave an update on Lin’s condition, saying that he’s still day-to-day but that he has “no idea” when he’ll return.

“He’s out,’’ Woodson told the New York Post. “Still day to day. Amare’s out. Had his epidural shot yesterday. He’s day to day with Lin. I have no idea when these guys are going to return, if they’re going to return. I just don’t know.’’

The 23-year-old is averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for New York this season.

Major universities like North Carolina and Oklahoma pay companies thousands of dollars to track the online activity of their athletes, according to Pete Thamel of The New York Times.

One such company, Varsity Monitor, provides – among other services – a computer application that searches social media outlets their athletes are on for keywords, according to Thamel.

“Every school, we work to customize their keyword list,” Sam Carnahan, the chief executive of Varsity Monitor, told Thamel. “We look for things that could damage the school’s brand and anything related to their eligibility.”

According to Thamel, some believe this is an invasion of privacy, and Maryland state senator Ronald Young has sponsored a bill aimed at stopping schools from monitoring athletes digitally.

“I think it’s violating the Constitution to have someone give up their password or user name,” Young told Thamel. “It’s like reading their mail or listening to their phone calls.”

The Houston Astros have released starting pitcher Livan Hernandez from his minor league contract, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.

Astros have released Livan Hernandez.

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Zachary Levine (@zacharylevine) March 30, 2012

Hernandez was 1-2 with a 5.63 ERA in five starts this spring for Houston. The 37-year-old pitcher has pitched for Washington, San Francisco, Florida, Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado and the New York Mets, winning 174 games with a 4.39 career ERA.

University of Kentucky forward Anthony Davis has been named the Associated Press’ College Basketball Player of the Year, according to Kentucky’s Twitter account. Davis received 43 votes from the 65-member panel.

You can add another award to Anthony Davis' resume. He was just named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year.

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Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthleticsNews) March 30, 2012

Davis averaged 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game in his freshman season for the Wildcats. He joins Kevin Durant as the only two freshmen to win the award.

Missouri head coach Frank Haith has been named the Associated Press’ Coach of the Year after receiving 21 votes from the 65-member panel.

Haith, 46, finished his first year at Missouri with a 30-5 record, a Big 12 Tournament championship and a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were upset by 15-seed Norfolk State, 86-84, in their first game.

Haith came to Missouri after seven years as the head coach at Miami, where he compiled a 129-101 overall record.

John Calipari (Kentucky) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State) tied for second place with 10 votes each.

Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill needs surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee and could be out for the rest of the season, according to the Arizona Republic.

Hill is the oldest player in the league at age 39 and said his right knee began bothering him two weeks ago. The injury worsened last week after taking a charge against Cleveland, according to the Republic.

More will be known after the surgery, but Hill is expected to be out until at least mid-April, according to the Republic.

This season, Hill is averaging 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Suns, who are 25-26 overall.

Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will join Major League Baseball as a special advisor, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. La Russa will earn around $2.5 million a year.

Typo correction: La Russa's deal with major league baseball not yet announced, will pay him about $2.5 million annually. Special advisor.

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Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 30, 2012

La Russa, 67, retired from managing after he led the Cardinals to a World Series championship in 2011. In 33 years of managing, he won three World Series titles and 6 pennants and had an overall record of 2728-2365 (.536).

Aston Villa announced on Friday that captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukemia, according to BBC Sport. The condition was diagnosed following tests after Saturday’s match.

“We expect to learn more about the situation in due course,” the club announced. “Stiliyan is cherished by many and he will get from Villa every ounce of love and support that we have to help bring this to a positive conclusion. During this time we ask that Stiliyan’s privacy is placed ahead of all inquiries and trust that we will share information as we receive it.”

Neil Lennon, Celtic FC manager, tweeted his support for Petrov, as did former Villa midfielder Ian Taylor.

Petrov joined Villa from Celtic in 2006, and has 13 goals in 219 appearances.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Friday that he would like new contracts for Robin van Persie, Alex Song and Theo Walcott as soon as the season ends, according to the team’s website.

“[We will try to arrange new contracts] very early,” he told the website. “Yes I am [confident that these players will commit]. To say that I am always confident, yes I am. Of course we want to keep our best players. These players want to win things and they want to be in a team that has a chance. Our end of season will help that to help me convince them that they can [here]. It depends now how well we finish.

“Newspapers open talks now. They should inform me how much they offer and for how long because I would like to know!”

Van Persie, 28, has 33 goals in 37 appearances for Arsenal this season. Song, 24, is one of the key midfielders on the club, playing a more defensive role than the other two midfielders. Walcott, 23, has 9 goals in 36 appearances for Arsenal this year, and has impressed Wenger with his development.

“We are in the situation [with him] as we are in with Van Persie – it will be sorted out at the end of the season,” he said. “He is playing very well. I think he has improved his technical level a lot, his links with other players and his calmness in front of goal. For me he is developing very well.”