Basketball notebook: Haston makes 3rd-team All-American squad

SAN DIEGO -- Junior forward Kirk Haston was named to the third team All-American squad Tuesday by the Associated Press.\nThe first-team All-Big Ten player averaged 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in all games. During the Big Ten season he led the league in scoring (20.3 points per game), and finished second in rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game).\nFirst team All-Americans include Shane Battier (Duke), Jason Williams (Duke) Joseph Forte (North Carolina) Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) Casey Jacobsen (Stanford).\nWar of words\nFormer assistant basketball coach Pat Knight made antagonistic remarks about former colleague Mike Davis on a radio show Tuesday night.\n"Mike Davis backstabbed my father and I," Knight said. "(Davis) never came and talked to my dad about taking the job. Since he took the job, he won't speak to me or my father."\nDavis responded Wednesday, "I try to stay above that. The timing is ... I just try to stay above it. I can't control what people say. If that's the way he feels ... I know the truth.\n"I've been called a lot worse things than that. I know who I am, and being head basketball coach does not define Mike Davis. I'm not going to be distracted by anything people say because this is America and you can say anything you want to say."\nBut while discussing his team's toughness, Davis might have fueled the fire with comment that could be a reference to Bob Knight.\n"You don't have to go around hitting people or doing things to show that you're tough," Davis said. "You don't have to speak loud. Toughness can mean refusing to lose and playing relentless. That's what I want our guys to do."\nAching ankle\nSophomore guard Kyle Hornsby sat out the entire Big Ten tournament with a sprained ankle he suffered March 3 at Purdue. Davis said Hornsby would start in IU's first tournament game against Wisconsin, but Hornsby never removed his warmups.\nHornsby's status was listed as day-to-day during the tournament. Davis said Hornsby will play against Kent State.\nOpen mouth, insert...\nCBS analyst Billy Packer has taken heat for comments he made during the Big Ten championship game between IU and Iowa.\n"In the history of Indiana basketball, the next 3:50 will be the most significant thing in the next 30 years of Indiana basketball," Packer said to play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz.\nWhen Nantz asked for an explanation, Packer said, "Take it any way you want to, but there will be a lot of pressure if Iowa were to win this game."\nPacker said a few days later that his words were taken out of context and that he was not suggesting that Alford should be IU's next coach.\n"I heard what Billy Packer said today, and I'm just happy he's not on the board of trustees," Davis said. "I know Billy Packer is not a Mike Davis fan."\nTournament tidbit\nThe St. Joseph's mascot might be the only mascot in the NCAA that works up more of a sweat than starters for the basketball team. St. Joseph's Hawk is required to flap its wings continuously while in uniform and perform figure eights during timeouts.\nFor the first time in history, a female flaps the hawk's wings.\nSenior Sarah Brennan was a manager for the basketball team for three years before donning the mascot uniform. She has been the subject of jokes and posters in opposing stadiums\nYet Brennan keeps flapping.\n"I look at the Hawk as the biggest fan," Brennan said. "It's unconditional support for the team."\nQuote of the day:\n"My mama wouldn't let me." Answer given by Georgia Tech's Alvin Jones when asked why he didn't play football in high school. He's 6-foot-11 and weighs 265 pounds