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Jan. 31 -- Houston Rockets groping for answers to their tumble: HOUSTON (AP) -- The coach is baffled. The players are mystified. The fans are booing.

Jan. 31 -- Rivals dominate 4A all-state football team: BRYAN, Texas (AP) -- District rivals Texas City and La Marque topped the Texas Sports Writers Association's Class 4A All-State Football Team released Thursday.

Jan. 31 -- Katy, Flower Mound Marcus share 5A honors: BRYAN, Texas (AP) -- One month after sharing a state championship, Katy High School and Flower Mound Marcus shared top honors when the 1997 Texas Sports Writers Association's Class 5A All-State football team was released Friday.

Jan. 30 -- Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech win big; Colorado pulls one out: No. 5 Kansas made it two straight poundings of Big 12 South visitors since Raef LaFrentz came off the injured list.

Jan. 30 -- Final Four seen as 'crown jewel' for San Antonio: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Sports boosters have been striving for years to get this South Texas city known as a venue for major athletic events.

Jan. 30 -- TSWA Class 3A team: BRYAN, Texas (AP) -- Linebacker Adam Zapalac and four other players for state champion Sealy were named to the Texas Sports Writers Association's Class 3A All-State Football Team released on Wednesday.

Jan. 30 -- Rompola puts SMU on women's basketball map: DALLAS -- In the six-plus seasons that Rhonda Rompola has been women's basketball coach at SMU, the status of the program has progressed from near-invisible to clearly indelible.

Jan. 29 -- Olajuwon might return next week: HOUSTON (AP) -- Hakeem Olajuwon, sidelined since knee surgery Nov. 24, might return to the Houston Rockets' lineup next week.

Jan. 29 -- Dallas-area player aims for World Cup: DALLAS -- Things are going well in Germany -- where his steadily ascending career seems ready to crest -- for Chad Deering of Plano.

Jan. 28 -- UT-Pan American star almost gave up basketball: EDINBURG, Texas -- Angela Casas found herself at a crossroads four years ago as an 18-year-old college freshman.

Jan. 28 -- Dallas Stars claim center Jarrod Skalde: DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Stars claimed Jarrod Skalde off waivers on Tuesday, marking the fourth time this season the center has changed jerseys.

Jan. 27 -- Danny Darwin and daughter share winning drive: PILOT POINT, Texas - At first the connection seems a stretch at best. He is a proven Major League talent with 163 career wins and 1,861 strikeouts in 19 seasons. She is a high school star with college basketball dreams and a 25-point per game average. What do they have in common? Plenty.

Jan. 27 -- Dickey hoping Missouri doesn't break road jinx in Lubbock: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - It was hope against hope when James Dickey took his Texas Tech team into Kansas on Saturday.

Jan. 26 -- League says Spurs have only this week to use salary cap exception: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The San Antonio Spurs have lost an argument with the NBA over how long the team has to use a $1.9 million salary cap exception for recently released forward Charles Smith.

Jan. 25 -- Astros GM spends off-season navigating mine fields: HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker has spent the off-season building a baseball team on a budget and extinguishing public relations brush fires.

Jan. 25 -- Longhorns' runner faced tough decision to stay in school: DALLAS -- The decision seemed simple to everyone else. Ricky Williams, the nation's leading rusher and scorer, would leave a struggling Texas team to become a first-round NFL draft pick.

Jan. 24 -- All-around cowboy tries for comeback -- again: DENVER (AP) -- Ty Murray is tired of being the perennial comeback cowboy.

Jan. 24 -- Groom appears before magistrate judge on lying charge: HOUSTON (AP) -- A Kentucky groom on watch the night retired racehorse Alydar was fatally injured made his first formal appearance Friday in a Houston federal courtroom.

Jan. 24 -- Pro baseball signings: Astros and catcher Brad Ausmus agree to $7.5 million, three-year contractStevens to get $1.2 million

Jan. 23 -- Rodeo rider beats the odds: BEAUMONT, Texas -- The early morning sun cast a long shadow across the muddy field where Donald Goodman stood.

Jan. 23 -- Rockets players distracted by trade talks: HOUSTON (AP) -- Kevin Willis is taking the stoic approach. Mario Elie already is saying his goodbyes.

Jan. 22 -- Mavericks say Seattle victory not a flop: DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks might seem like fodder to most of the NBA, but they have finally found a team they can consistently beat. Amazingly, it's the Seattle SuperSonics.

Jan. 22 -- Penders says heart transplant could be option in future: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas coach Tom Penders says he could be a candidate for a heart transplant in the future, but he says he doesn't anticipate it happening anytime soon.

Jan. 22 -- Report: Stoudamire traded to Rockets: HOUSTON (AP) -- Toronto Raptors star guard Damon Stoudamire will be traded to the Houston Rockets today in a six-player deal, ESPN reported.

Jan. 21 -- Duncan, Van Horn spur each other on: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- There was none of the hoopla of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley meeting in a game of aging greats, or the emotion of Larry Bird returning to Boston as the Indiana Pacers coach.

Jan. 21 -- Unlikely Bears tied with No. 3 Kansas for Big 12 lead: WACO, Texas -- Harry Miller figures that if Baylor finishes second in the Big 12 basketball race, they'll schedule a ticker tape parade down Franklin Avenue "with confetti and everything."

Jan. 21 -- Successful high school coach joins Slocum's staff: HOUSTON -- So far, Alan Weddell hasn't been accused of deserting his roots, but he fully expects it.

Jan. 20 - Sele makes first appearance at The Ballpark: ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Aaron Sele hopes his trade to the Texas Rangers means a new start. The Rangers hope only that he can solidify their pitching rotation.

Jan. 20 -- Rangers, Witt agree to terms: ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Righthander Bobby Witt has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers for the 1998 season, the team announced Monday.

Jan. 20 -- Big 12 coaches: Letting athletes work sounds good in principle: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Everybody agrees college athletes deserve a little spending money. After all, the young athletes generate hundreds of millions every year through their skill and hustle, but the schools and the NCAA keep every nickel, minus the cost of a scholarship which the NCAA admits does not cover the full cost of attendance.

Jan. 20 -- Dies of Kansas State, Texas freshman Axtell win weekly honors: DALLAS (AP) - Kansas State's Manny Dies, who outshone everybody but Wilt Chamberlain in Saturday's loss to Kansas, has been named Big 12 basketball player of the week. Luke Axtell of Texas was named top rookie for the second time this season.

Jan. 19 -- Designing for new Dallas arena could start today: DALLAS - Planners say they'll start work as early as Monday designing a $230 million arena for the city's hockey and basketball teams now that voters have barely approved a tax measure to help pay for it.

Jan. 18 -- Barkley won't face charges until season is over: ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Charles Barkley won't have to face trial on charges that he threw a man through a bar window until after the basketball season.

Jan. 18 -- Robinson shining this season after recovering from injuries: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- David Robinson insisted he would overcome his injuries and return to top form this season.

Jan. 18 -- Dallas voters narrowly approve arena measure: DALLAS (AP) -- Voters on Saturday narrowly approved a ballot measure raising taxes to pay for a $230 million downtown arena for Dallas' professional hockey and basketball teams.

Jan. 17 -- Dallas arena proposal finally goes to the voters: DALLAS (AP) -- Weeks of heated debate and ardent campaigning ends Saturday with Dallas voters deciding whether to approve a financing scheme for a proposed downtown arena for the city's pro basketball and hockey teams.

Jan. 17 -- Brown leaves hospital after remarkable recovery: HOUSTON (AP) -- Reggie Brown appreciates the little things now.

Jan. 17 -- Nolan Ryan, son leading effort to get pro baseball in Austin area: AUSTIN (AP) -- Major-league strikeout king Nolan Ryan may be headed for a new job in baseball -- team owner.

Jan. 16 -- Aggies seek fans, improved team to play in new arena: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- The "Holler House on the Brazos" has been reduced to a whisper in its final season.

Jan. 16 -- Texas' Gabe Muoneke getting unwanted attention: AUSTIN -- Get Gabe Muoneke in a social setting and prepare to be charmed. He's witty and intelligent, armed with a wide smile and a refreshing consequences-be-damned honest that is disarming in a Charles Barkley sort of way.

Jan. 16 -- TCU suspends NCAA's fourth-leading scorer suspended for one game: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Texas Christian University center Lee Nailon, the NCAA's fourth-leading scorer, has been suspended for one game after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a fight with his girlfriend

Jan. 15 -- Frenzy over SMU hoops reminiscent of good old days: DALLAS (AP) -- The scene was reminiscent of the good times, back when E.O. "Doc" Hayes was churning out Southwest Conference basketball champions at Southern Methodist.

Jan. 15 -- Rockets looking for recovery: HOUSTON (AP) -- The injured and grumbling Houston Rockets are so starved for any positive sign of a turnaround, they'll even take a victory over lowly Dallas as a signal of better times.

Jan. 15 -- Parents concerned about daughters' safety: LA MARQUE, Texas (AP) -- Some parents of La Marque Middle School basketball players are having second thoughts about letting their daughters play this weekend in Santa Fe, where team members were threatened with racial slurs and a rope last month.

Jan. 14 -- Texas struggling with injuries, youth: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas coach Tom Penders is being tested.

Jan. 14 -- Survey: majority of private schools responding against joining UIL: AUSTIN (AP) -- A survey of private and parochial schools found that most responding would rather not join the University Interscholastic League, at least not under conditions set out by the organization.

Jan. 14 -- Fans have endless stats to compare: but which really matter?: FORT WORTH, Texas -- Ken Hitchcock believes in statistics. Stats are his friends. They are tools that help him coach his hockey team.

Jan. 13 -- Personality conflicts work against Rockets: HOUSTON - Lost amid all of the Rockets' injuries is the cold reality that they are not one of the Western Conference's elite teams this season.

Jan. 13 -- Engle joins Astros staff: HOUSTON (AP) - Dave Engle, a minor league hitting coordinator for the Houston Astros last season, was named Astros bullpen coach on Monday, replacing Alan Ashby.

Jan. 12 -- Bam Morris plea bargains, begins jail sentence: ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) - With tears in his eyes, Bam Morris was taken from a courtroom in handcuffs Monday to begin a 120-day jail sentence for violating his probation on a 1996 marijuana possession conviction.

Jan. 11 -- Voters consider Dallas arena for Mavericks, Stars: DALLAS (AP) -- Ross Perot Jr. and Tom Hicks have a vision. Where others see an old utility plant near a contaminated patch of land, the multimillionaire owners of the NBA Dallas Mavericks and NHL Dallas Stars see a $230 million sports complex.

Jan. 11 -- Oklahoma 76, Texas A&M 66: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- The Texas A&M Aggies were tougher than Oklahoma expected, but they weren't tough enough for the Sooners.

Jan. 11 -- No. 4 Kansas 102, Texas 72: AUSTIN (AP) -- Fourth-ranked Kansas may have to wait another month for All-America center Raef LaFrentz to return from a broken finger on his right hand.

Jan. 10 -- Texas Rangers agree to terms with outfielder: ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Outfielder Tom Goodwin more than doubled his pay with a new contract with the Texas Rangers worth $2,312,500, it was announced Friday.

Jan. 10 -- Superintendents vote to add playoff teams in 2A and 3A: AUSTIN (AP) -- If high schools in Classes 5A and 4A can have three teams in the playoffs, then superintendents from 3A and 2A want it, too.

Jan. 9 -- Texas' Ricky Williams returning for senior season: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas running back Ricky Williams, the nation's leading rusher and scorer, said today he'll be back for his senior year to play for new coach Mack Brown.

Jan. 9 -- Proposed Morris plea bargain would land running back behind bars: ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) -- Bam Morris is willing to spend time behind bars as part of the punishment for violating his probation, the running back's attorney said Thursday.

Jan. 9 -- Gaston sisters are Lumberton's first family of volleyball: LUMBERTON, Texas -- Six years ago, a yellow moving van slowly backed into the driveway beside a new mobile home.

Jan. 8 -- Tippett needs only two years to bring Aeros to top of IHL: HOUSTON -- One little win. When Dave Tippett took over as coach of the Aeros two years ago, one win was a noble goal, all things considered.

Jan. 8 -- Billionaire Tom Hicks buys Texas Rangers: ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Billionaire businessman Tom Hicks, who already owns the NHL Dallas Stars, is leading a group buying the Texas Rangers for a reported $230 million to $250 million.

Jan. 8 -- Analysts, owners question whether Rangers sale will impact arena vote: DALLAS (AP) -- If Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks can spend more than $230 million to buy the Texas Rangers, why can't he and Dallas Mavericks owner Ross Perot Jr. build themselves a downtown arena?

Jan. 8 -- NCAA upholds findings against UTEP: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- The NCAA on Wednesday upheld a five-year probation and other sanctions imposed on Texas-El Paso for rampant violations within the athletic department.

Jan. 7 -- Everman ranked nationally; stand No. 1 in Southwest: EVERMAN, Texas -- Everman point guard Melvin Miller answered the phone then handed it off to Tim Lightfoot. "You've got to tell him, he doesn't believe me," Miller said into the phone.

Jan. 7 -- Billionaire Stars owner Hicks trying to buy Rangers: ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Two years after buying the Dallas Stars, billionaire Tom Hicks may be adding the Texas Rangers to his ever-growing portfolio.

Jan. 7 -- Clack knee injury not season-ending, Texas says: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas junior guard Kris Clack will miss up to a month of action due to a knee injury that Texas officials feared would end his season.

Jan. 6 -- Rockets suffer pain of Hakeem's absence: HOUSTON - To say the Rockets are going through turbulent times is like saying exuberant Christmas shoppers are having a little trouble with January credit-card statements.

Jan. 6 -- UT fears Kris Clack lost for the season: AUSTIN (AP) - Injuries to the Texas Longhorns' top two scorers and 7-foot center have left coach Tom Penders saying that this season will be nothing more than a rebuilding year.

Jan. 6 -- AFCA winners announced in Dallas: DALLAS (AP) - Alan Gooch, who learned sign language so he could communicate with a deaf player, was named Monday the Division 1-A assistant coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association.

Jan. 5 -- UTEP coach gets his 700th victory: EL PASO (AP) - Texas-El Paso gave coach Don Haskins his 700th career victory, a 66-64 victory Saturday night over previously undefeated Southern Methodist on Jonathan Bomba's tip-in at the buzzer.

Jan. 5 -- No. 6 Texas Tech 79, Missouri 65: COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Alicia Thompson, who was held scoreless for the first 11 minutes, scored a season-high 39 points Sunday as No. 6 Texas Tech held off Missouri 79-65.

Jan. 5 -- Big 12 Basketball Roundup: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas State's Manny Dies just took the early lead in the Big 12 Understatement of the Year race ... A&M loses; Baylor upsets Texas, Tech wins.

Jan. 4 -- Big 12 Basketball Roundup -- Oklahoma State 100, Texas A&M 65 ... Oklahoma 69, Colorado 68 ... Kansas St. 111, Missouri 56

Jan. 3 -- Early voting begins on downtown arena proposal: DALLAS (AP) -- Officials in Irving are closely watching to see whether Dallas residents are willing to raise taxes on tourists to raise $125 million for the city's share in a new sports arena.

Jan. 3 -- UCLA and Texas A&M have big stars and solid teams back for 1998: DALLAS (AP) -- UCLA quarterback Cade McNown and Texas A&M linebacker Dat Nguyen return for their senior seasons next year as the biggest stars on what should be two high-powered teams.

Jan. 3 -- Texas A & M's Dat Nguyen gets sack, 20 tackles: DALLAS -- Like the rest of the Texas Aggies, linebacker Dat Nguyen didn't get the finish he had hoped for, but he ended his junior season with an MVP performance.

Jan. 3 -- Without big man, fan support, Big 12 run uncertain for Texas Tech: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- After posting decidedly mixed results in non-conference play, you'd think Texas Tech coach James Dickey would be preoccupied with his team's performance as the Big 12 opener loomed.

Jan. 2 -- No. 5 UCLA 29, No. 20 Texas A&M 23: DALLAS (AP) -- The last time the Cotton Bowl had a rally like this, Joe Montana pulled it off. No. 5 UCLA had to overcome a 16-point deficit Thursday, beating No. 20 Texas A&M 29-23 in the Cotton Bowl behind the brilliance of quarterback Cade McNown and the first rushing touchdown of the year for tight end Ryan Neufeld.

Jan. 2 -- Alief Elsik senior center could be next NBA teen star: HOUSTON -- In the first quarter of a recent game, Rashard Lewis played some decent "high school" basketball. He threw down a mighty two-handed jam, swatted an attempted layup into the seats and made two steals. But he also missed six of his first seven shots -- including a dunk -- and had a short baseline jumper stuffed back into his face by a smaller opponent.

Jan. 2 -- Texas still adjusting as Big 12 play begins: AUSTIN (AP) -- As Texas heads into Big 12 play, coach Tom Penders says his Longhorns have flashed signs that they're going to be good. They just have little to show for it so far.

Jan. 1 -- Not much at stake in Cotton Bowl: DALLAS (AP) - UCLA can win a 10th consecutive game for the first time since 1946 and possibly improve its No. 5 national ranking.

Jan. 1 -- Texas A&M hopes it doesn't relive its beginning: There is a very good chance that Texas A&M's season will end the way it began, with one difference.

Jan. 1 -- Nelson agrees to coach Mavericks through 1999-2000: DALLAS (AP) - Dallas Mavericks general manager Don Nelson has agreed to remain as coach through the 1999-2000 season.

Jan. 1 -- The Texans gave Dallas a brief introduction to hockey in 1941: DALLAS - There was plenty else to do in Dallas that day. "Citizen Kane" was in its last day at the Palace Theater. The Century Room featured a floor show and the Herman Waldman Orchestra. The Glenn Miller Orchestra played on KRLD radio, Kate Smith sang on WRR, and a show called "America's Town Meeting" on KGKO debated this important topic: "Must we fight Japan?"

Jan. 1 -- Winder returns to Texas Tech staff: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Embattled former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Dick Winder returned Wednesday as an assistant to Texas Tech, where he served on the staff for 12 years.

Jan. 1 -- Skinner leads Baylor, but he can't carry Bears alone: WACO, Texas (AP) - With a big man like Brian Skinner drawing a great deal of attention from defenses, the rest of the Baylor Bears often get some pretty wide-open shots at the basket.

Jan. 1 -- Sun Bowl: No. 16 Arizona St. 17, Iowa 7: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Mike Martin rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown and No. 16 Arizona State's defense thwarted one of the nation's best offenses as the Sun Devils defeated Iowa 17-7 Wednesday in the Sun Bowl.