The Associated Press

This story did not appear in our print edtion.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Four of the nation’s largest homebuilders have agreed to pay $4.3 million in fines for failing to control runoff at construction sites in 34 states and the District of Columbia, the Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The four companies — Centex Corp. of Dallas, KB Home of Los Angeles, Pulte Homes Inc. of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and M.D.C. Holdings Inc. of Denver — also agreed to take steps above what is required by law to keep 1.2 billion pounds of sediment out of the nation’s waterways.

Seven states that joined in the settlements — Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee and Utah — will receive a portion of the penalties.

Arizona had the fourth most contaminated sites but were not invited to join the federal government in the settlement, said Andrea Esquer, spokeswoman for state Attorney General Terry Goddard.

The three states ahead of Arizona – California, Texas and Florida – were not invited to join the suit either.

The EPA argued that the homebuilders were lax in controlling run off from their subdivisions.

“Dirt can pollute. The bottom line is this: Whatever ends up on the ground at a construction site can be swept into the nearest waterway,” said EPA Assistant Administrator Granta Nakayama.

Rain can carry contaminants such as dirt, stucco, paint and other materials from construction sites into storm drains and nearby waterways, where the silt can clog fish gills, smother fish eggs and block sunlight from plants, Nakayama said.

The settlements are part of a nationwide crackdown by the EPA to find storm water violations at construction sites.

The Clean Water Act requires builders that disturb land to obtain permits and minimize runoff from rain. The companies named in the settlements allegedly failed to obtain permits before clearing land for subdivisions and to prevent silt and debris-laden runoff from leaving 2,202 construction sites from 2001 to 2005.

The states with the most sites covered by the settlements are California, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Nevada.

Centex Corp. agreed to pay the largest fine, at $1.485 million. KB Home was penalized $1.185 million. Pulte Homes Inc., along with a $877,000 fine, will complete a $608,000 project to reduce the amount of sediment entering a northern California stream. Federal prosecutors levied a $795,000 fine on M.D.C. Holdings Inc., the parent company of Richmond American Homes.

The agreements filed Wednesday must be approved by a federal court and undergo a 30-day public comment period before becoming final.

The four companies, in a joint statement, said that they were pleased with the agreements. Together, they build 100,000 homes every year, federal officials said.

“As leaders in the homebuilding industry, we share the government’s goal of protecting and preserving clean waterways,” the statement said.

The National Association of Home Builders said the settlements with some of its larger members were a positive step that will be used as a model for other homebuilders.

“Clear rules — and understanding how to follow them — enable builders to help protect the environment while keeping housing affordable,” said NAHB spokeswoman Donna Reichle.

In February, the agency fined Home Depot Inc. $1.3 million to resolve alleged violations at 30 construction sites for its big box stores in 28 states. But the largest settlement to date was with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which in May 2004 agreed to pay $3.1 million for violations at construction sites across the country.

Citizen staff writer Blake Morlock contributed to this report.

The top 10 states where four of the nation’s largest homebuilding companies failed to control runoff from construction.

State Number of sites

Calif. 381

Fla. 270

Texas 247

Ariz. 180

Nev. 158

Va. 116

Colo. 104

N.C. 97

Md. 79

Ga. 71

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

Gannett News Service

DIANA MARRERO

Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON – Rep. Jeff Flake has built a reputation in Washington as a fiscal conservative by berating his colleagues for wasting taxpayer money.

But he’s not against traveling the globe on the taxpayer’s dime.

Flake, who says the trips are necessary for members of Congress, recently took his wife, Cheryl, on a weeklong trip to Brazil, which included visits to the beach-studded city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush tropical rain forest of the Amazon.

Official travel to foreign countries is one of the many perks of serving in Congress, and the expeditions can be costly. Since 1994, House members have taken more than 5,600 government-sponsored trips at a cost of at least $15.9 million, according to CQ MoneyLine.

Flake, a Mesa Republican, traveled to Brazil on official congressional business along with five other lawmakers to learn more about global warming and ethanol.

The February trip was one of at least a dozen he has taken at taxpayer expense in the past five years – more than any of the state’s seven other House members, according to House public records – including trips to China, Cuba and Fiji.

Flake, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, defends his foreign travel, saying congressional trips can help members of Congress ensure the foreign aid they approve is being used wisely and see the impact of U.S. policies on other countries.

“If you’re on the relevant committees with jurisdiction over foreign policy and foreign spending, you’d better take trips,” he said. “You’d better go over and see what you’re spending money on.”

Critics say the trips raise red flags, especially when they involve travel to warmer climates during winter, Paris and other European vacation spots and exotic locales such as China. Taking spouses along also can raise suspicions, some say.

Some trips can be more worthwhile than others, says Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

“Obviously, a (trip) to Iraq is never fun,” she said. “But there often seem to be these fact-finding trips to Europe. There’s a lot of time set aside for shopping and tennis games.

“These are things that really start seeming like vacations at taxpayer expense.”

Flake is perhaps the most vocal politician against earmarks, those spending projects inserted into bills by lawmakers intent on bringing home the bacon.

He is one of three Arizona lawmakers in Washington who refuse to ask for federal money for local projects. Republican Rep. John Shadegg and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., say they shun earmarks because they waste taxpayer money.

Shadegg has taken eight federally funded trips in that same time frame to places such as Japan, Greece and Iraq.

“I’ve found all of the trips to be educational, particularly the trips to Iraq and Afghanistan,” Shadegg said. “There’s nothing like being on the ground and seeing what goes on there.”

McCain, who is running for president, has taken at least 17 federally funded trips in the past five years, more than three times as many as Sen. Jon Kyl, according to Senate public records.

McCain, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently returned from a five-day trip through five countries: England, France, Iraq, Israel and Jordan. Democrats criticized his trip as a campaign tour at taxpayer expense – a charge McCain denied.

“I wish every senator would take the same trip that we have taken,” he told reporters. “They would be better informed, and they would be better able to make decisions as to how we can defend the national interests of the United States of America in these times of great challenge.”

Aides said McCain’s campaign reimbursed the government for the London portion of the trip because it included a fundraiser there.

Other Arizona House members have traveled far less. Only Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., has taken no government-sponsored trips.

The figure does not include transportation costs for members who travel on military aircraft because those numbers don’t have to be disclosed in House records. Those flights can cost taxpayers about $10,000 per flight hour.

The general lack of disclosure is what irks Craig Holman of the advocacy group Public Citizen.

“The more they travel the better, especially to Baghdad or Cuba for that matter,” he said. “But it should be an open book to make sure they’re not just going to vacation areas and taking their spouses with them.”

The Associated Press
IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department on Monday approved Sirius
Satellite Radio Inc.’s proposed $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite
Radio Holdings Inc., saying the deal was unlikely to hurt competition
or consumers.

The transaction was approved without conditions, despite opposition
from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the land-based
radio industry.

The combination still requires approval from the Federal
Communications Commission, which prohibited a merger when it first
granted satellite radio operating licenses in 1997.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – An unhappy Gilbert Arenas learned Sunday night that he had not been cleared to play by Washington Wizards team doctors, dashing his hopes of returning in the nationally televised game against the Detroit Pistons or anytime soon.

The former Arizona Wildcat took part in the shootaround Sunday morning and was so confident that he would be in uniform against the Pistons that he didn’t bring proper attire to sit on the bench as an injured player.

As he left the locker room about an hour before the game, Arenas told reporters: “Y’all don’t have to write any more. I’m not coming back this year.”

He reappeared during the first half of the game, wearing a tan sport coat as he took his seat on the bench.

Coach Eddie Jordan said the three-time All-Star point guard’s return probably won’t come for another week at the earliest.

“He wants to test his whole body in an NBA game, and the doctors said he’s not ready and it’s good for all parties to wait and see once another week has gone by to see where he is,” Jordan said.

Asked if Arenas will play again this season, Jordan said: “There’s always a chance. There’s always been a chance. He’s getting better.”

Arenas had surgery on his left knee in April, rushed his rehabilitation and needed surgery again in November after playing in the first eight games of the season.

He has practiced with the team for nearly three weeks.

“Gil’s been anxious to play ever since he got on the court and started doing some basketball rehab instead of just training room rehab,” Jordan said. “We’ve all heard it now for three weeks that he’s been anxious to play, he’s been predicting to play, and he’s close.”

Citizen Staff Writer

STEVE RIVERA

srivera@tucsoncitizen.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When Jerryd Bayless first learned to talk, he uttered the usual “mom” and “dad” before saying one day, “I the boss of myself.”

His mother, Denise Bowman, gasped with amazement, then worried whether the headstrong toddler might give her trouble.

“Does that tell you anything?” she said of her son.

It says plenty about Arizona’s star freshman guard. He’s taken charge many times this season, averaging 20 points a game going into No. 10 seed UA’s first-round NCAA Tournament tilt Thursday night against No. 7 West Virginia.

Bayless, 19, has been “very independent” since he was a child, so Denise made sure he knew that “I’m the boss of this house.” But at the same time, she didn’t want to suppress her son’s drive to win and his no-fear attitude.

“You want the players to be that way,” said UA interim coach Kevin O’Neill.

Said Bayless: “Some of the best players have that; they have to have that. I’m not trying to put myself on that level but . . . some people got it and some people don’t.”

You can see “it” on the court when the 6-foot-3 Phoenix St. Mary’s High graduate is trying to will UA to victory. You also can see frustration in his eyes when he or the Wildcats (19-14) struggle.

“He’s as tough a competitor and as hard-nosed a guy as I’ve ever been around,” O’Neill said. “The only time that Jerryd has let himself get in trouble is when he gets too emotional. He’s competing all the time. But he can let his emotions get carried away. He might try to force things a bit. That’s all going to (be less of a problem) with maturity.”

Bayless tried to force things in UA’s last regular-season game, at Oregon, when he went 6 for 16 from the field in a 78-69 loss.

After the defeat, O’Neill pulled Bayless aside to remind him that, no matter what, he wasn’t alone out on the court.

“He’s done that a couple of times,” said Bayless, who earlier this week said he’s still undecided on whether he’ll declare for the NBA draft.

“I’ve got to take (the advice). He’s the coach,” Bayless said. “Yes, it’s tough. The whole year has been tough. . . . The whole situation. We’ve just had to deal with it. I think I’ve had a pretty successful year. I can’t complain too much.”

Hardly.

He was named a second team All-American by Sports Illustrated and a second team All-Pacific 10 Conference guard, becoming the first freshman to lead UA in scoring since Sean Elliott.

With 19 points Thursday, Bayless would become the 11th Arizona player and the first freshman to score 600 or more points in a season. And that after missing four games with a knee injury.

He has the same ability as Elliott did to take over games. And like Elliott, it started early in life.

“I think I just got it playing in the backyard battles with my brother (Justin),” Bayless said.

Many times Jerryd was defeated – but never deflated. It helped him get better.

“He never backed down to anything,” Justin said.

Jerryd, 4 1/2 years younger than his brother, competed in pickup games as an eighth-grader with Justin’s Phoenix St. Mary’s High teammates, including ex-UA star Channing Frye.

“He played with us every single day,” Justin said, “and he played like it was the last game of his life.”

He added: “Everybody always had Jerryd’s back, even though we always beat up on him. Everybody knew this kid was advanced.”

So advanced that Justin often picked Jerryd first to be on his team during pickup games at a Phoenix area gym.

“People would wonder and laugh,” Justin said. “And then the next thing you’d see was him dunking on my friends.”

His mom – a community college counselor who is divorced from Jerryd’s father, Brad Bayless – was more cautious.

“My biggest thing with him was that he was not afraid of anything,” Denise said. “I had to really watch him because he wasn’t fearful (as a child).

“The youngest one wanted to keep up with the older one. He’s just more daring. Jerryd has always wanted to try new things; wanted to try new challenges.”

Added Justin: “Everything he’s done – I can’t think of one sport where he quit or said he couldn’t do it.”

Such as track and field, where as a 9- or 10-year-old, Jerryd won a gold medal in the 100 meters at the junior Olympics in Seattle. Or in table tennis, where Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said Bayless was amazingly good, having played against him two summers ago during a youth basketball tournament.

“If Jerryd doesn’t go pro in basketball, that’s what he’ll go pro in,” Justin said of table tennis. “I’m not kidding. He’ll act like he’s not good, but. . . . That’s what he does (when he’s not playing basketball). It’s amazing how good he is.

“I used to beat up on him in that, and now I don’t want to play him anymore.”

Bayless is being mentioned as a top 10 pick in the NBA draft, so pingpong likely will have to wait.

Dave Lopez, his coach at St. Mary’s, said Bayless never wanted to lose in practice, either.

“We’d make competitive drills and even in those things when nobody was around it was amazing how much he wanted to win,” Lopez said. “I’d say, ‘Take it easy Jerryd, it’s just a drill.’ And he’d know. He’d catch himself.

“When a kid has that and has everything else going for him – you see it in the great athletes – you know he’ll be great. He has that extra edge most athletes don’t have.”

Added Lopez: “Nothing else mattered to Jerryd. He’d always ask, ‘Am I better and what do I have to do to get better?’ ”

He gets carried away sometimes, including when he was 13 or 14 playing a 5- or 6-year-old cousin in a game of Go Fish.

“I wouldn’t let her win,” Bayless jokes. “It’s just something people are born with, I guess.”

His mom knows.

“He doesn’t like to lose,” she said. “But we’re all like that. We’re all competitive. He doesn’t throw a tantrum or anything, but it doesn’t sit well with him. Some people lose, and it’s OK. He loses and tries to figure out why he lost.”

That’s why UA’s season has been so difficult. Losing 14 games was 14 too many for Bayless.

“It was tough,” he said. “I never thought coming to UA that we’d be a bubble team. But we made it, so . . . ”

So, Bayless knows there’s more work to be done.

YOUNG PHENOMS

Freshmen who rank in the nation’s top 50 in scoring average:

No. Player, school Avg.

3. Michael Beasley, Kansas St. 26.5

18. Eric Gordon, Indiana 21.3

26. O.J. Mayo, USC 20.8

37. Jerryd Bayless, UA 20.0

TOP ATHLETES

UA’s “most athletic” basketball players in the Lute Olson era, according to Citizen Sportswriter Steve Rivera:

1. Kenny Lofton (1985-89): Speedy guard who had 200 steals and became an All-Star outfielder in Major League Baseball.

2. Brian Williams (1988-91): The late big man ran the floor, energized fans with his blocks and shot 59.1 percent from the field.

3. Jerryd Bayless (2007-current): Averaged 20 points and 4.1 assists his freshman year. He’s explosive to the basket, with a sweet outside shot.

4. Andre Iguodala (2002-04): Current 76ers star capable of double figures in points, rebounds, assists.

5. Reggie Geary (1992-96): Quick, defensive stopper and assist man for UA’s 1994 Final Four team.

6. Bennett Davison (1996-98): Standout jumper who helped Cats win first NCAA title in 1997.

7 (tie). Jud Buechler (1986-90) and Chase Budinger (2006-current): Standout volleyball players with nice outside shots.

8. Richard Jefferson (1998-2001): Outstanding leaper and one of 12 UA NBA first-round draft choices.

9. Gilbert Arenas (1999-2001): Scorer, steals artist who went on to light up the scoreboard in NBA.

10. Sean Elliott (1985-89): Aggressive scorer who could drive to basket, hit outside shot and rebound.

• Who did we miss? How would you rank them? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com

Citizen Staff Writer
NCAA EXTRA

STEVE RIVERA and ANTHONY GIMINO

sports@tucsoncitizen.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Has anyone been watching Arizona this season?

It doesn’t appear the West Virginia players have. Apparently the squad thinks head coach Lute Olson, on leave, is running the show and still running a free-wheeling offense.

“They do a very good job of transition and offense and scoring,” Da’Sean Butler said. “They keep coming at you.”

Under interim head coach Kevin O’Neill, Arizona emphasizes set plays, particularly for Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger.

Hill: UA won’t be tired

Arizona center Jordan Hill said he didn’t think traveling across three times zones would be a big deal for the Wildcats.

“I just want to go out and play,” he said.

The 6-foot-10 sophomore is grateful that the team flew to Washington, D.C., on a charter plane, giving the big guy more of what he needs: leg room.

It beats flying coach on a commercial flight.

“Especially when you’re behind somebody who doesn’t care and they put the seat back, and you’re knees are all the way up,” Hill said.

You’re healed

WVU coach Bob Huggins was asked what kind of challenges UA presents now that the squad is healthy with Nic Wise back.

Huggins said, “I told one of your radio stations today we’re like Ernest Angley (a preacher on TV). We just heal everybody. Obviously, Wise makes them a lot better because he can make shots and he runs. He gets those other guys the ball.”

Practice, practice

UA spent 40 minutes in front of about 200 fans Wednesday night in its only public workout before Thursday’s game.

There wasn’t much excitement outside of a few dunks. Earlier in the day, UA spent about an hour working out at Georgetown.

Long time coming

It has been 14 years since O’Neill coached a team in the NCAA Tournament. Back then, he led Marquette to a Sweet 16 appearance, losing to Duke. He spent the last seven years in the NBA.

O’Neill said he likened the tournament to an NBA playoff atmosphere. “I’m assuming the crowds will be the same,” he said. “I’m not really sure. If it’s as exciting as NBA playoff basketball, then it will be really exciting, so I’m looking forward to it.”

No. 24 with style

Kudos to Arizona basketball media relations director Richard Paige, who created a simple, attractive and striking cover for the team’s postseason guide.

Usually, a postseason cover features a collage of action shots. The guides all begin to look alike.

Paige had an idea for something more distinctive, filling the UA cover with a photo of a white Arizona jersey with No. 24 – Fendi Onobun’s number – emblematic of the team’s streak of NCAA Tournament appearances.

And, yes, the cover was created BEFORE the team officially became an at-large pick Sunday. Good calls by Paige all around.

Citizen Staff Writer
Wildcat blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Duke is Duke, but the young Blue Devils aren’t particularly tournament tested. If you’re already peeking to a potential second-round matchup of UA-Duke, consider this:

Only two of Duke’s top eight players – senior DeMarcus Nelson and junior Greg Paulus – have won an NCAA Tournament game. The rest of the rotation is made up of freshmen or sophomores, who lost to VCU in last season’s first round.

“We have a lot of young guys and they should just try to figure out their own identity,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I have to just coach this team for what this team is, not for what other teams have been.”

No. 2-seeded Duke plays Belmont in the first round.

Citizen Staff Writer

ANTHONY GIMINO

Sports Columnist

WASHINGTON D.C. – Kevin O’Neill and Bob Huggins, friends and now foes in the NCAA Tournament, stood in the hallway at the Verizon Center and talked for about 30 minutes.

Old buddies talking about the old days.

“That was the first time I had seen him in a while,” O’Neill said. “We were laughing very hard about some of the nights we’ve had together.”

What a strange, strange place for both of them to be.

A year ago at this time, what would have been the odds that O’Neill would be Arizona’s head coach, even as an interim? Let’s put the number at something slightly above hitting the Powerball.

“I don’t think you could say it was fate, because fate wouldn’t dare do this,” O’Neill said with a laugh, referring to this season’s trying circumstances.

“I think this profession in particular, you never know where you’re going to be or what you’re going to be doing or who you’re going to be coaching.

“Yeah, it is kind of odd.”

Huggins, meanwhile, was completing his first year at Kansas State, resurrecting his career after being run out of Cincinnati after the 2004-05 season.

He had reasons to stay – one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, including Michael Beasley – and, besides, who leaves a place after being head coach after one season?

Not many, unless your alma mater comes calling. That’s what West Virginia did when coach John Beilein bolted for Michigan.

“Even when Bob was at Cincinnati, he always talked about being at West Virginia,” O’Neill said.

“Then, when he went to Kansas State, I said, ‘So much for that, Bob.’ Then, all of a sudden, John left and went to Michigan. I think Bob is a perfect fit for West Virginia.”

Tenth-seeded Arizona and seventh-seeded West Virginia play Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The coaches share long odds of being here at their respective schools at this place in time, but the similarities might stop there.

For West Virginia, Huggins is Mr. Right.

For Arizona, O’Neill is Mr. Right Now.

Huggins, 54 and survivor of a massive heart attack in September 2002, could be a lifer at West Virginia. Starting the makeover from Beilein’s system – that means more freestyle on offense and aggressive man-to-man defense – Huggins has guided the Mountaineers to a 24-10 mark.

They defied preseason expectations of a 10th-place finish in the Big East by going 11-7, tied for fifth. That moved Huggins’ career mark to 614-221.

“If he lives long enough, he has a chance to get another 200, 250, 275 wins,” O’Neill said. “It looks like he has found his home.”

As for O’Neill, he might not be at Arizona much longer than Thursday night’s game. That’s a story for another time, but it’s here where his story diverges from Huggins.

Their story starts back in the Great Midwest Conference in the early 1990s, when O’Neill was the head coach at Marquette and Huggins was at Cincinnati. In three seasons of conference games, plus the postseason, tournament, O’Neill was 1-7 against Huggins.

They didn’t recruit much against each other, but they tried to sync their recruiting schedule for the big summer events in order to hang out afterward.

“I think we could both handle it now,” O’Neill said, referring to their wilder days, “but it would be best if we stayed away from them, that’s for sure.”

More than friends, O’Neill and Huggins are mostly cut from the same coaching cloth. The hard man-to-man defense. The intensity. The yelling.

“There are times when he just stands on the sideline just to yell at us and try to motivate us,” said West Virginia guard Joe Mazzula. “And there are other times when he knows that he has to be a teacher and just walk us through things.”

Said UA senior Jawann McClellan about O’Neill: “As advertised with the yelling. But one thing I noticed, he’s fair to everyone. And he’s a comedian off the court. He knows when to yell and he knows when to have fun.”

Neither O’Neill nor Huggins has ever been considered an angel, perhaps explaining their friendship.

Each has a history of butting head with administrators. Huggins’ Cincinnati program lost three scholarships and was put on probation in 1998 for NCAA violations.

They have had actual problems and perception problems. Hey, it’s a coaching matchup Bobby Knight could love.

“The problem for both of us is that we probably didn’t care as much as we should have about how people perceived us,” said O’Neill, 51.

“As you get older, you probably mellow out a little bit, worry a little bit more about how people look at you and what’s good for the team . . . rather than tell people to kiss my whatever all the time.”

Perception? Thursday night’s result won’t matter for Huggins in terms of perception. He’ll have more years to shape that.

The perception about O’Neill at UA, especially if he doesn’t return under Lute Olson, will more directly rise and fall with how the Wildcats do at the NCAAs.

Could there be something of a run left in Arizona?

If the unlikely intersection of these two coaches has taught us anything, it’s this:

You never know.

Anthony Gimino’s e-mail: agimino@tucsoncitizen.com

Citizen Staff Writer
NCAA EXTRA

STEVE RIVERA

srivera@tucsoncitizen.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill often uses “airspace” when talking about his team’s need to get into the opponent’s comfort zone.

He’s used it a time or two this week as UA prepares for its NCAA Tournament first-round game with West Virginia (24-10), which has lived and died with the perimeter shot.

“That’s the thing Kevin O’Neill stresses, that we get in their airspace and make them earn everything,” UA senior Jawann McClellan said. “They’re going to hit shots, but we have to make sure we make it tough for them.”

That’s job No. 1 for a team WVU coach Bob Huggins concedes doesn’t have a legitimate center and relies on jump shots.

“And (when you) rely almost solely on jump shots, you’d better make them,” Huggins said. “When we don’t make jump shots, we’re not very good.”

Often, WVU has been plenty good behind the shooting of starters Alex Ruoff, Joe Alexander, Da’ Sean Butler, Darris Nichols and Joe Mazzulla.

The Mountaineers best player, Alexander, was the worst 3-point shooter (26.3) of the bunch, but was the second-best shooter (47.4) overall.

McClellan likens the Mountaineers to Oregon, which is not good because UA had no answer for the Ducks, losing to them twice.

McClellan said Alexander is a lot like Oregon’s Maarty Leunan, an inside-outside threat.

“Alexander is the focal point of their (team),” said UA’s Chase Budinger. “Most of the players will run (plays) for him. He’s a great passer as well. So, even when we try to double him or focus on him, he’s a very good passer and he’s able to find (open) people.

“That’s what I think is the most dangerous about him.”

Alexander is the hottest of the Mountaineers, averaging 26.8 points over the last six games. WVU has gone 4-2 in that span.

“He’s playing so well, (so) they’re going to go to him,” O’Neill said. “We know that. We need to be prepared to do our best to slow him down.”

UA believes it is capable and perhaps as ready as ever. It is healthy and well rested.

And, despite the numbers, it’s playing well defensively. The Wildcats have allowed opponents to shoot 43.9 percent for the year.

“Some of our numbers are a little bit deceiving because we didn’t play a real soft, nonconference schedule,” O’Neill said. “We got (43.9) for the year, which isn’t bad in your first year playing man-to-man.

“We played so many good people in nonconference, we didn’t get a chance to hold X school to 28 percent or X school to 31 percent. . . . We’re not a good defensive team by any stretch yet, but eventually if your guys keep playing (man-to-man) they’ll get there.”

There’s no time like the present to prove it.

The Associated Press
CAMPAIGN 2008

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton won’t catch Barack Obama in the race for Democratic delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses, even if she wins every remaining contest.

But Obama cannot win the nomination with just his pledged delegates either, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

That sets the stage for a pitched battle for support among “superdelegates,” the party and elected officials who can support whomever they choose.

Obama can claim the most delegates chosen by voters.

Clinton can claim victories in most of the big states.

“It is very difficult to see any scenario that Hillary Clinton would get the nomination in a way that doesn’t rip the party apart,” said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, an Obama supporter. “I think that it would be a terrible mistake for the Democrats to not accept the will of the people who have turned out in primaries and caucuses.”

Clinton spokesman Doug Hattaway said: “Some superdelegates will go with (the) pledged delegate count, but many will go with the candidate they think can win. We have a very compelling case to make on that front, given that we’re winning general election swing states, must-win states and must-win constituencies.”

Clinton won three out of four primaries this week, but she picked up only 12 more delegates than Obama. There are only 614 delegates available in the remaining contests, meaning Clinton would have to win about 62 percent of the them to overtake Obama, according to the AP analysis.

“In order to have a plausible path to the nomination, they needed to score huge delegate victories and cut into our lead,” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in an e-mail to supporters.

Clinton’s campaign pointed to her earlier victories in states such as New Jersey, New York and California, and questioned why Obama couldn’t win in Texas and Ohio on Tuesday.

“We think she can bring Ohio in a general election,” said Harold Ickes, a chief strategist for Clinton. “We are not sure (Obama) can do that.”

The biggest remaining primary is in Pennsylvania, which will have 158 delegates at stake on April 22.

AT A GLANCE

According to the AP’s tally:

• Barack Obama leads in pledged delegates, 1,360 to 1,220. With only 614 delegates remaining, Obama cannot reach the 2,025 needed.

• Hillary Rodham Clinton leads in endorsements from superdelegates, 242 to 208. But since an AP survey the week of Super Tuesday, Obama has added 52 superdelegates.

• Overall, Obama leads 1,568 to 1,462.

The Associated Press
RealFAST SCORES AND MORE

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – All seemed to go well for Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas on Tuesday in his first full-contact practice in 3 1/2 months.

“It felt good. I was surprised about my wind – I wasn’t as tired as I thought I was going to be,” the three-time All-Star and ex-Arizona Wildcat said. “I was just excited to get out there and play basketball. My knee is fine so far. We’ll see how it acts tomorrow after a day of rest.”

Coach Eddie Jordan did change the rules somewhat for his star point guard, who hasn’t played since having knee surgery Nov. 21. During 4-on-4 scrimmages, teammates were not allowed to set picks and screens on Arenas.

There remains no timetable for Arenas’ return to the lineup, although he said he is targeting the West Coast road trip that begins March 25.

Citizen Staff and Wire Report
IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON – Sales of existing homes fell in 45 states, including Arizona, during the October-December quarter, with metropolitan areas showing increasing weakness, a real estate trade group said Thursday.

The fourth-quarter data from the National Association of Realtors underscore the breadth of the housing market’s slump.

South Dakota was the lone state to show a sales increase.

Arizona was among the states with the biggest drop, with sales down 37.6 percent. In southern Arizona, sales were down about 28 percent, according to a Bright Future Business Consultants’ report.

Staff and Wire Report

The Associated Press
IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON – A growing share of home sales are from foreclosures, especially in states hardest hit by the housing bust. In some parts of California lately, nearly 50 percent of home sales come from foreclosed houses.

The trend, which is putting additional downward pressure on home prices, is most notable there and in Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee and Michigan, but is also evident in Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Arizona, according to an Associated Press comparison of 2007 sales and foreclosure data. In Nevada, for example, 17.5 percent of home sales were from foreclosures, more than quadruple the number in 2006.

The Associated Press

The Associated Press
IN BRIEF

WASHINGTON – Homeowners threatened with foreclosure would in some instances get a 30-day reprieve under an initiative the Bush administration announced Tuesday.

Critics attacked the proposal as far short of what is needed to resolve a serious financial crisis that is threatening millions of families with the loss of their homes.

Under the new program, six of the nation’s largest financial institutions said they will begin contacting homeowners who are 90 or more days overdue on their monthly mortgage payments.

The new program will be available to the holders of all types of mortgages from prime to subprime and represents a widening of an initiative announced by President Bush in December that offers a freeze on subprime mortgage rates that are scheduled to reset to sharply higher rates for borrowers who qualify for the assistance.

The Associated Press

Dow Jones News Service

DAVID MCLAUGHLIN

Dow Jones Newswires

WASHINGTON – Copper-mining company Asarco LLC, which has been in bankruptcy for two and a half years, said Monday it will sell all of its assets and has established a process for interested buyers to submit offers.

Asarco revealed its plans in papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is overseeing its bankruptcy case. It said it decided to sell following discussions with creditors.

Asarco didn’t identify interested buyers in court papers, but it said it has held discussions with six bidders who have expressed interest in funding the company’s exit from bankruptcy.

An Asarco attorney couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

Asarco, which is based in Tucson, filed for bankruptcy in August 2005, weighed down by labor disruptions and billions of dollars in environmental and asbestos-related liabilities. It owns three copper mines in Arizona as well as refining and smelting operations.

Asarco has seen its prospects improve during the bankruptcy case. It negotiated a new labor agreement with the United Steelworkers, restoring production capacity, and has been able to take advantage of rising copper prices fueled by a global commodities boom.

A unit of Mexican mining company Grupo Mexico SA owns Asarco, though it lost control of the company early in the bankruptcy case when the court established an independent board to run Asarco.

A Grupo Mexico spokesman couldn’t immediately comment Monday about Asarco’s plan to sell its assets.

Asarco and its parent have clashed repeatedly during the bankruptcy case. The parent has complained that it has been sidelined in the case and that Asarco has ignored its proposal to invest $300 million to fund the company’s exit from bankruptcy.

Asarco has asked the bankruptcy court to approve a process for selling the assets. It wants interested buyers to submit bids three weeks after the court approves the bidding procedures. Asarco wants the power to reject a bid for any reason.

Companies in bankruptcy that sell assets often choose a lead bidder first and then allow others buyers to submit bids through an auction. But Asarco told the bankruptcy court that it does not want to conduct a secondary auction because its adviser, Lehman Brothers Inc., has been reaching out to investors since April 2007.

“Armed with the knowledge of a second chance, bidders would resist either participating in or submitting their highest offers in the first round,” Asarco said.