IN BRIEF

COLLEGES

Ex-player to coach Princeton basketball

Georgetown basketball assistant Sydney Johnson was hired to coach at Princeton on Friday, taking over a once-dominant program that finished last in the Ivy League for the first time.

The only three-time basketball captain at Princeton, Johnson, 32, replaces Joe Scott, who resigned to take the head coaching job at the University of Denver.

Johnson has spent the past three seasons at Georgetown, helping the Hoyas reach the Final Four this past season.

A four-year starter, Johnson was twice selected to the All-Ivy first team. In 1997, he was the league’s player of the year and finished as the school’s all-time steals leader.

Also: UCLA forward Josh Shipp underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, the same procedure the sophomore had on his right hip in 2005.

Rehabilitation is expected to take eight to 12 weeks, with Shipp spending the first month on crutches, according to Dr. Carlos A. Guanche.

Shipp had the same surgery in September 2005, causing him to miss all but four games of the 2005-06 season. He returned this past season and was the Bruins’ second-leading scorer at 13.2 points.

Baylor junior guard Aaron Bruce will make himself available for the NBA Draft but won’t hire an agent and is expected to return to the Bears.

Bruce came to Baylor from Australia, where he played on several national teams. He has averaged 14.3 points and 3.5 assists in three seasons.

Teenage hip-hop star Lil’ Romeo has committed to play basketball for Southern California in 2008.

Romeo Miller, a 6-foot-1-inch junior guard at Beverly Hills (Calif.) High School, is the son of rapper Master P, who had tryouts with two NBA teams in the 1990s.

Stanford suspended men’s swimming coach Skip Kenney for two months without pay after an investigation into allegations that he erased the names and records of five former swimmers from team publications.

Kenney, 64, has coached the Cardinal for 28 years and won seven NCAA titles.

One of the swimmers, Michael McLean, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his times in the 500-, 200-, 1,650- and 1,000-yard freestyles were removed because he gave a summer internship priority over training in 2005. MISCELLANEOUS

Federer reaches semis with 500th career win

Roger Federer won his 500th career match in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco, and Rafael Nadal extended his clay-court winning streak to 65.

Nadal, who beat Federer in the Monte Carlo final last year, beat Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-2, 6-3. Federer defeated David Ferrer, 6-4, 6-0.

Also: Racey Dreamer broke down and was euthanized as Mixed Up won the $150,000 Royal Chase at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Racey Dreamer, an 8-year-old son of A.P. Indy, stumbled while trying to clear the 10th fence during the 2-mile turf race. Track officials said he fractured his leg.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly jumped all eight obstacles without a fault in 28.38 seconds to win the second stage of the Equestrian World Cup Final at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The victory, coupled with an eighth-place finish Thursday, made Michaels-Beerbaum the co-leader with Steve Guerdat going into Sunday’s final.

Receiver Ernest Wilford and reserve quarterback Quinn Gray signed their contract tenders, ensuring the two restricted free agents will be with the Jacksonville Jaguars at least one more year.