Wizards

They could go with the mop-haired, trash-talking forward who left his homeland of the Czech Republic four years ago to play in a basketball-crazed nation and beamed with pride as fans serenaded him after his last game for his team. Or they could choose the shy big man from Lithuania who remains unsure about whether he will even play in the NBA next season as his agent attempts to negotiate a buyout agreement with his current team. They could go with the confident forward from Turkey who is good friends with John Wall.

Every fan of the 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz" should plan to travel to Columbia during the next two months to visit the magical land of Oz at Toby's Dinner Theatre. Toby's production brings the beloved screen characters — Dorothy and friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion — live and up close to us so we feel we are traveling with them along the Yellow Brick Road. Director David James moves this film classic to 2012 with increased magic created by his fabulous cast and by using special effects including swirling tornadoes, fearsome thunderclaps and lightning flashes along with billowing smoke.

Are things so bad for the Wizards that they need coaching help from fans? ESPN.com is carrying a contest that asks readers to submit a diagram of an inbounds play the Web site says the "Wizards will try to use during a game." The deadline for submissions is Dec. 23. • Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Sports and Entertainment Holdings and the development company that owns the Nets announced on Wednesday that they had completed their agreement to create a partnership for owning the NBA team and developing the Atlantic Yards project in New York City.

Everyone who has ever sat before a television or movie screen to enjoy the fantasy of "The Wizard of Oz" should plan to see how magical this family favorite becomes onstage at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia. The production brings the beloved characters live and up-close, so that we feel we are traveling the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her newfound friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Director David James transfers this 1939 film classic — which was based on the book by L. Frank Baum — to 2012, and dazzles us with a fabulous cast and exciting special effects that include swirling tornadoes that whisk us away from Kansas.

Four players are scheduled to work out for the Wizards on Tuesday, the team announced today. Connecticut guard Jerome Dyson, West Virginia forward Devin Ebanks, Louisiana Tech forward-center Magnum Rolle and St. Francis (Pa.) guard Devin Sweetney are scheduled to participate. Dyson, who was born in Potomac, averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior for the Huskies last season. Ebanks averaged 12 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Mountaineers as a sophomore.

Opponent:Cleveland Cavaliers Site:Gund Arena, Cleveland Time:7:30 TV/Radio:Ch. 50/WTEM (980 AM)

— John Wall was dribbling up the court at a frenetic pace, with defenders backpedaling helplessly and teammates gasping to catch up. Wall whirled the ball behind his back to juke Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague and open what appeared to be a clear lane to the basket. But as Wall elevated for a dunk, Hawks forward Josh Smith tracked him down, smashing his shot attempt and sending Wall crashing to the floor. Wall rolled on the ground, holding the back of his head and grimacing.

Maryland's Eric Hayes and Morgan State's Reggie Holmes will take part in pre-draft workouts on Tuesday for the Wizards at the team's practice court at Verizon Center. Hayes, 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, averaged a career-high 11.3 points per game with a career-best .502 field goal percentage as a senior for the Terps in 2009-10. Holmes, 6-4, 180, led the Bears as a senior in 2009-10 with a 21.5 ppg average. Both led their schools to the NCAA Tournament. Maryland's Greivis Vasquez worked out for the Wizards today.

Watching the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz" always makes you feel like you're not in Kansas anymore. The theatrical version of this immortal musical at Toby's Dinner Theatre does a pretty good job of making you feel like you're not in Columbia anymore. This is a challenging musical to adapt for the stage. Let's start with the special effects. There is the twister that spins Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse around and then deposits it in Oz. There is the water-soaked witch who must shrink until she disappears.

Deron Williams scored 19 points and had 13 assists as the New Jersey Nets sent the visiting Washington Wizards to their fifth straight loss. Williams, who didn't play in Wednesday's loss to Portland because of a stomach virus, led five New Jersey players who scored in double figures. The Nets never trailed and built a 15-point lead in the first quarter. New Jersey's biggest advantage was 24 late in the fourth, as it won consecutive home games for the first time this season.

Et cetera Ex-Terp Langhorne stays with Mystics WNBA All-Star forward Crystal Langhorne (Maryland) re-signed with the Washington Mystics. Langhorne led the team with 18.2points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season. NFL: The Ravens hired Chris Hewitt on Thursday to be their assistant special teams coach and promoted Matt Weiss to defensive assistant. Hewitt, 37, a Cincinnati alumnus, spent the past eight years at Rutgers, including the past two as running backs coach.

Jimmer, Rubio look good K.C. Johnson Chicago Tribune Every NBA season presents surprises, but the fact Jimmer Fredette is more than just a shooter has to rank up there for this crazy campaign. Fredette still makes rookie mistakes, but his decision-making process is better than projected and he isn't the statue on defense some had predicted. Another rookie, Ricky Rubio, also has surprised by being better than his considerable hype. Granted, he's a non-traditional rookie, but his ability to keep a live dribble and patiently wait for plays to develop belies his lack of NBA experience.

Upon their arrival on Thursday the Washington Wizards held a team dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. The team-building exercise was intended to break up the monotony and division that naturally comes with being on a losing team. "When you do things like that, go out to eat, do different things together, it builds a bond, and a relationship to make you want to play with each other on the court, and play hard for each other," Rashard Lewis said a day later. Whatever happened over the course of eating prime cuts of beef was lost the moment the Wizards set foot on the floor Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, as they suffered perhaps their most embarrassing defeat of the season, 120-89, at Wells Fargo Center.

Before the Washington Wizards hosted the Boston Celtics on Sunday in the first game of a home-and-home set, coach Flip Saunders said he wanted to see John Wall play with more enthusiasm. Wall sulked through the Wizards' loss in Milwaukee on Friday and Saunders criticized his effort, claiming there would be consequences if he couldn't handle his emotions better. "I told him, if he doesn't play hard and he doesn't have a smile on his face, I'm going to take him out," Saunders said of Wall.

— John Wall was dribbling up the court at a frenetic pace, with defenders backpedaling helplessly and teammates gasping to catch up. Wall whirled the ball behind his back to juke Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague and open what appeared to be a clear lane to the basket. But as Wall elevated for a dunk, Hawks forward Josh Smith tracked him down, smashing his shot attempt and sending Wall crashing to the floor. Wall rolled on the ground, holding the back of his head and grimacing.

Andray Blatche was not made available Tuesday, a day after he expressed his frustrations about the way he was used in the Wizards' opening-night loss to the New Jersey Nets. He sneaked through the back exit after practice, and avoided crossing paths with reporters, but didn't necessarily go quietly. Blatche responded to reaction of his criticism of the coaching staff for not getting him the ball in the low post by going on Twitter to write, "Every body need to shut up I didn't call out my coach or team mates I said I had a bad game need it n the post instead of jump shots.