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College basketball stories from newspapers around the country, compiled daily on InsideHoops.com. This is page three. See today's college stories here.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: APRIL 19-26, 2005

The AP reports: Shelden Williams will skip this year's NBA draft and return for his senior year at Duke. Williams, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season and a rugged inside presence who earned third-team all-America honors from The Associated Press, was considered a potential candidate for the draft. Williams said in a statement Monday that he has decided to pursue his goal of earning a degree.

The AP reports: The news also comes just days after rival North Carolina lost juniors Sean May and Raymond Felton, as well as freshman Marvin Williams, to the NBA draft. Another junior, Rashad McCants, has also announced that he would not return to help the Tar Heels defend their NCAA title. The loss of the quartet alongside seniors Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott means the Tar Heels will have to replace their top seven scorers from this year's team.

The AP reports: Freshman guard Justin Cerasoli has permission to leave the Seton Hall basketball program and transfer to another school, coach Louis Orr said Monday. ``I regret that things didn't work out, but I respect Justin's decision and wish him nothing but the best,'' Orr said in a written statement.

The AP reports: University of Washington assistant Ken Bone was hired as the new basketball coach at Portland State on Monday, taking over a program that won 19 games and the Big Sky Conference regular-season title last season. He succeeds Heath Schroyer, who left the Vikings after three seasons to become associate head coach at Fresno State. Bone spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Washington and was head coach at Seattle Pacific University for the 12 seasons.

Ticker reports: Seton Hall guard Justin Cerasoli has decided to play basketball elsewhere. Cerasoli has been granted permission to transfer after his freshman season, Pirates coach Louis Orr announced Monday.

Ticker reports: Forward Linas Kleiza is interested in exploring his professional options. Kleiza, the Missouri Tigers' leading scorer and rebounder, announced Saturday that he will enter the NBA draft but will not hire an agent. As a sophomore, Kleiza averaged 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in 33 games for the Tigers, who went 16-17 with an appearance in the NIT. A native of Lithuania, he was named to the All-Big 12 team as an honorable mention.

The AP reports: Sean May, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams came to North Carolina with hopes of winning the national championship. Once they got the title, they really had no reason to hang around. ``To me, it's the perfect way to end a season and a career,'' May said. As expected, all three are joining teammate Rashad McCants in the NBA draft and leaving the Tar Heels without their top seven scorers for next season. The announcement came Friday during a news conference on the court at the Dean Smith Center. Coach Roy Williams sat at the podium with the players, and when he began speaking about them, he briefly had tears in his eyes.

Ticker reports: North Carolina coach Roy Williams captured his elusive national championship. Now he will undertake a major rebuilding project. Sean May, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams, who all were integral parts of the Tar Heels' national championship team, announced Friday that they are entering the NBA draft. With the trio leaving, the Tar Heels have lost their top seven scorers from this past season. Guard Rashad McCants already declared for the NBA draft, and Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott completed their eligibility.

The AP reports: Tom Penders has signed a new five-year contract that will keep him as Houston's basketball coach through 2010, school officials said Thursday. Penders will receive $350,000 per season plus incentives, Houston sports information director Rick Poulter said. It is $50,000 more per year than the original five-year deal Penders signed when he arrived at Houston last season.

The AP reports: Sophomore forward Melvin Tyler-Jones will transfer from St. John's at the end of the semester. The school said Thursday that Tyler-Jones requested to be released from his scholarship and will transfer to another 4-year college.

Ticker reports: Wanting to play exclusively point guard, Kansas State sophomore guard Fred Peete has elected to transfer, coach Jim Wooldridge announced Thursday. Peete, one of just two players to start all 29 games, averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season.

The AP reports: Former Kansas standout and Valparaiso assistant Rex Walters joined Matt Doherty's coaching staff at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. ``I was very fortunate to have coached someone like him at Kansas,'' Doherty said. ``He's a hard-worker, a team player ... He'll be a tremendous role model for our players.''

The AP reports: Pat Ewing Jr. is transferring to Georgetown, his father told a Houston TV station Wednesday night. Houston Rockets assistant coach Patrick Ewing told KRIV television that his son will transfer from Indiana to Georgetown.

Ticker reports: Jacksonville went to the Atlantic Coast Conference for its next coach in hopes of snapping an 18-year postseason drought. Cliff Warren, an assistant to Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech for the last five years, was hired by the Dolphins, athletic director Alan Verlander announced Wednesday. The 37-year-old Warren replaces legendary coach Hugh Durham, who announced his retirement after a 37-year coaching career. Durham was 106-119 in eight seasons with Jacksonville and has won 633 games in his career, including 17 seasons at Georgia and 12 with Florida State.

Ticker reports: With teammate Chris Paul going pro, Wake Forest junior Eric Williams has decided to test his options. According to an article by The News and Observer on Wednesday, Williams has submitted his name for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent. Confirmed by his mother, Debra Williams, the second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference center mailed a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern last Friday, officially placing himself among the pool of eligible underclassmen.

The AP reports: Saint Joseph's junior center Dwayne Jones has declared for the NBA draft, but will not hire an agent. Jones is awaiting an invitation to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Chicago. Because he has no agent, Jones will have until June 21 to withdraw from the draft and retain his final season of eligibility. ``It's been a dream of mine to play basketball in the NBA and to be able to provide for my family,'' he said Wednesday. ``I feel I've put myself in position to have the chance to play at that level. I'd like to take full advantage of this opportunity now since I am graduating in May.

The AP reports: Jacksonville hired Georgia Tech assistant Cliff Warren as basketball coach Wednesday to succeed the retiring Hugh Durham, the school's winningest coach. Warren spent the last five years as an assistant to Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech, whom he helped lead to three NCAA tournaments and one NIT berth. That included the Yellow Jackets' run to the national title game in 2004. Warren hopes to lead Jacksonville back to the success the program enjoyed in the 1970s and '80s. The Dolphins haven't earned a postseason berth since making the NIT in 1986-87, one year after the school's last NCAA tournament appearance.

The AP reports: Junior guard Deron Williams will skip his senior season at Illinois and enter the NBA draft. Williams said Tuesday night that he has signed with an agent, which prevents him from returning to the Illini next season. ``It has been my lifelong dream to play in the NBA,'' Williams said. ``I felt this was an opportunity I could not pass up.''

Ticker reports: Point guard Deron Williams, who helped Illinois reach the national title game, announced Tuesday night he will forego his senior season and enter the NBA draft. One of the nation's best players at his position, Williams earned second-team All-America honors as a junior, averaging 12.5 points. He averaged 14.7 points and 8.3 assists in the NCAA Tournament as Illinois reached the Final Four for the first time since 1989. "It has been my lifelong dream to play in the NBA," said Williams, who has hired an agent. "Having looked at my situation and through talks with many people I'm close to, I felt the timing was right, and this was an opportunity I could not pass up."

The AP reports: Dominic McGuire, a forward who started 23 games for California last season, has been given permission to transfer from the school. McGuire, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from San Diego, was the fourth-leading scorer last season for the Bears (13-16), averaging 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. He was Cal's top reserve as a freshman, averaging 4.3 points.