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College Football

Georgia's Davis decides to go pro

Georgia junior Thomas Davis has decided to leave school early to enter the NFL Draft, his high school coach told two newspapers.

The Macon Telegraph and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution re­ported Wednesday that Davis told former Randolph-Clay High School coach Jim McFather he will enter the draft.

"The first thing he said was, ‘Coach, I'm gone. I'm going to go pro,' " said McFather, who now coaches at Schley County.

McFather said a knee injury Davis suffered this season influenced his decision.

"The knee injury he had, I think that probably weighed into it," McFather told the Macon paper. "He didn't say that, but I think it probably had to. That could've been a season- or career-ending injury. This way, he's going to be guaranteed to make some money."

Todd McShay, a draft analyst for the NFL scouting service Scouts Inc., said Davis could be the top safety picked in April's draft.

Davis is a two-time All-South­eastern Conference pick.

More Georgia juniors could follow Davis and enter the draft. Linebacker Odell Thurman, defensive tackle Gerald Anderson and offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles are considering their draft options.

- Clemson cornerback Justin Miller announced that he will forego his senior year and enter the NFL Draft.

Miller, is a three-year starter and the Atlantic Coast Con­ference's career leader in kickoff return average.

Miller played in all 37 games during his three years at Clemson. He started in the secondary in all but the first six games.

This season, he returned three kicks for touchdowns, including a kickoff return against Florida State and a punt return against Wake Forest.

- Former Richmond Academy player Jason Anthony has committed to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., for the 2005 season.

Anthony, a 2002 graduate of Richmond Academy, played line­backer at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., the past two seasons. He had 67 tackles as a freshman and 115 as a sophomore.

As a sophomore, he made All-State and was selected to the Mississippi All-Star Junior College game.

- Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger is retiring after a decade featuring some of the Buckeyes' greatest victories and biggest embarrassments.

From the time Maurice Clarett led the Buckeyes to a football national championship in 2002, the school's athletic department has been beset by NCAA investigations of its football and basketball programs.

"I find my work is no longer fun and I no longer look forward with enthusiasm to each day," Geiger said at a news conference.

Geiger, who held the post since 1994, has 17 months left on his contract.

After leading Ohio State to the national title as a freshman, Clarett was suspended for lying to investigators during an NCAA probe of allegations that he received improper benefits from a family friend.

In December, the school imposed a one-year postseason tournament ban on its men's basketball team over an alleged $6,000 payment to a recruit by former coach Jim O'Brien.

Hockey

Lynx rookie makes ECHL All-Star team

The ECHL announced that forward Ken Magowan will represent the Augusta Lynx at its All-Star Game on Jan. 26 in Reading, Pa.

The rookie leads the Lynx with 11 goals and a plus-5 rating.

Magowan was a seventh-round pick of New Jersey in 2000 and was assigned to the Lynx by the AHL's Albany River Rats.

Tennis

Top-ranked Federer advances in Qatar

In Doha, Qatar, Roger Federer beat Greg Rusedski 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.

The top-ranked Federer needed less than an hour to eliminate the 1997 U.S. Open runner-up.

Federer, who won three Grand Slam titles last year, next plays seventh-seeded Feliciano Lopez.