La Salle

St. Maria Goretti coach Cokie Robertson's idea turned into reality and a huge success yesterday in the first Baltimore Catholic League Preseason Basketball Showcase. Nearly 70 college coaches were among the crowd that nearly filled Archbishop Spalding's capacity of 850 to watch the BCL's top players participate in an exhibition doubleheader. "It was not the greatest game to watch, but something like this can help kids get opportunities," said Loyola's Jerry Savage, the dean and only coach still in the BCL since it began 31 years ago. Team scores and individual statistics were secondary to what amounted to player auditions in front of such schools as Penn State, Holy Cross, Providence, West Virginia, Wake Forest, South Carolina, La Salle, Princeton, Wake Forest, Loyola, Towson and UMBC.

Towson University and Morgan State both made quarterback changes during their season openers. What will the second weekend bring? Towson sophomore Jay Amer, who replaced senior Val Troiani in the third quarter of a 14-10 loss at Albany, will get his first collegiate start when the Tigers play host to Lafayette on Saturday. As for Morgan State's visit to Florida A&M, coach Stanley Mitchell said he'll go back to original starter Jorge Pena, who was replaced by Gustavious Patterson in the Bears' 35-24 defeat against Bethune-Cookman.

The 67th Maryland Horse Breeders Association yearling show will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at the state fairgrounds in Timonium. Six classes - four for Maryland-sired and two for out-of-state sired horses - total 152 state-bred yearlings that will compete for nearly $10,000 in cash prizes. In addition, the yearlings that win the most money as 2- and 3-year-old racehorses will divide an additional $40,000 in prize money. New York trainer Linda Rice will judge the show. She follows a long line of well-known trainers, including 19 in the Hall of Fame, who have served as judges since the show's inception in 1932.

The Maryland Terrapins began to pay the price for success yesterday, when they lost longtime assistant men's basketball coach Billy Hahn, who became the new head coach at La Salle University. Hahn, who has been an assistant throughout the 12-year tenure of head coach Gary Williams at Maryland, including the past four seasons as the associate head coach, signed a five-year contract that made him the 17th head coach in La Salle's 71-year history. Hahn was one of the primary recruiters for the Terps, who have made eight consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament and went to the Final Four for the first time in school history this year.

Arundel senior Jill Marano, Anne Arundel's Player of the Year in girls basketball last winter, has made a verbal commitment to play at Division I La Salle University in Philadelphia. The first-team All-Metro guard averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 steals as a junior last season to lead the Wildcats (25-2) to the Class 4A state championship. Fast to the basket as well as with good outside range, Marano shot 50.6 percent from the field and 81 percent from the line, coming up with the big play at either end. In two state tournament games, she had 36 points, 17 assists and nine steals with a 15-point, eight-assist effort in a 61-55 win in the final.

Arundel senior Jill Marano, Anne Arundel's Player of the Year in girls basketball last winter, has made a verbal commitment to play at Division I La Salle University in Philadelphia. The first-team, All-Metro guard averaged 15.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 steals as a junior last season to lead the Wildcats (25-2) to the Class 4A state title. Fast to the basket as well as having good outside range, Marano shot 50.6 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line, coming up with the big play at either end in the Wildcats' championship run. In the two state tournament games, she had 36 points, 17 assists and nine steals with a 15-point, eight-assist effort in a 61-55 win over Oxon Hill in the final.

Donnie Carr scored 28 points, including 17 in the second half, as La Salle defeated Mount St. Mary's, 73-64, last night in the season opener for both teams.Terrence Wilson had 20 points and Reggie Harris 18 for the Mountaineers.Mount St. Mary's trailed 62-60 with 2: 04 left, but Carr's three-pointer kept La Salle in front.Xavier 96, UMES 52: Darnell Williams scored 20, including four three-pointers, as the host Musketeers (1-0) overwhelmed the Hawks (0-1).Demetric Reese led the Hawks with 15 points.

Gregory Harris scored 27 points, including 10 in overtime, as Mount St. Mary's posted a 92-88 victory over La Salle last night in the men's college basketball opener for both teams at Knott Arena.The Mountaineers led 74-71 after Konata Springer's layup, but LaSalle forced overtime when Julian Blanks banked in a three-pointer as time expired.The Mount never trailed in the extra period, making seven of nine free throws to give coach Jim Phelan his 786th career win.The Mount led by one at halftime before pulling ahead 53-45 with 11: 55 left in the second half.

PORT O'CONNOR, Texas -- Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, charted the Great Lakes, discovered the mouth of the Mississippi and claimed half the continent for France.But he was not well-liked.His own men -- those who didn't desert him -- sank his ships, poisoned his food and, eventually, shot him in the head.Three hundred years after La Salle's final voyage, however, archaeologists love him.And Texans are suddenly enthralled with the story of the explorer's failed attempt to establish an ocean route to the Mississippi and a French colony on its bank.