Sports in Brief: Report: Wooden is gravely ill

Legendary UCLA basketball coach

John Wooden,

99, is in grave condition at a Los Angeles hospital, according to multiple reports Wednesday night.

According to a report on Los Angeles television station KCAL, Wooden, who is in UCLA Medical Center, has not eaten in the last couple of days and is very ill.

Wooden, nicknamed "The Wizard of Westwood," won an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships in his final 12 seasons, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973.

The first football game in 20 years between Penn State and defending national champion Alabama will be shown on Sept. 11 in prime time on ESPN.

Officials announced Thursday the game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., will start at 7 p.m., Philadelphia time.

Alabama quarterback Star Jackson has transferred to Georgia State, which will begin play with a new program this fall in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA).

Jackson, who will be eligible to play right away, got in five games last season for the Crimson Tide as a redshirt freshman.

After daylong discussions in Kansas City, Mo., regarding the possible breakup of the Big 12, a scheduled news conference was abruptly canceled, fueling speculation that member schools are far from agreement.

Rutgers announced the signing of guard Tyree Graham, who averaged 17 points last season at Brunswick (N.C.) Community College, to its men's basketball recruiting class of 2010. The 6-foot-1 Graham, of Durham, N.C., played at Texas Tech as a freshman, and will have junior eligibility with the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers-Camden announced the hiring of two new head basketball coaches - Jason Curbison for the men's program and Gail Gilchrest for the women's program.

Villanova teammates Matt Szczur and Brian Streilein were named player of the year and pitcher of the year, respectively, in the Philadelphia Big Five.

Pitchers Pat Christensen of La Salle and Kevin MacLachlan of Villanova shared rookie of the year honors. Explorers third baseman Brendan Norton was named student-athlete of the year.

Cycling: Lance Armstrong finished third in the first stage of the Tour of Luxembourg, and said he was satisfied that he is riding stronger before the Tour de France.

NHL: New York Islanders forward John Tavares says he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot at last month's world hockey championships. He said he expects to be fine for training camp.

-Staff and wire reports