on the SIDELINES

Kathi Bennett to coach for Pan American Games\nIU women's basketball coach Kathi Bennett has been selected as an assistant coach for the United States during the USA Basketball Pan American Games. Bennett is one of two assistants under head coach Debbie Ryan of Virginia.\n"I am so excited. It is such an honor, and I am going to try my best," Bennett said in a statement. "This is a special honor, and I am very thankful for the opportunity. This is a great chance to learn under coach Ryan, and the experience is going to be wonderful."\nBennett will become the second coach in IU history to coach a USA basketball team. Former men's basketball coach Bob Knight coached the 1984 USA Olympic Team.\nThe tournament will feature six countries. The roster will be determined later this month at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.\nGolden State's Arenas wins award as most improved\nOAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors guard Gilbert Arenas won the NBA's Most Improved Player award Thursday.\nArenas is a high-scoring point guard who's among the league's fastest players -- and just finished his second pro season. He got 41 of 118 first-place votes, finishing with 288 points.\nUtah's Matt Harpring was second with 234 points, followed by Arenas' Warriors teammate Troy Murphy with 144. San Antonio's Tony Parker was fourth with 143 points.\nArenas left college at Arizona after his sophomore year in 2001, and he spent the first two months of his rookie season on the bench or the injured list.\nHe started all 82 games for the Warriors this season under first-year coach Eric Musselman, who placed extraordinary responsibility in his hands. Arenas responded with career bests of 18.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds as Golden State made the NBA's biggest single-season improvement in its win total, from 21 to 38.\nSadly for the Warriors, Arenas may have improved too much. Because he was a second-round pick, he is a free agent this summer -- and due to a series of salary-cap quirks, Golden State can't offer him nearly as much money as several other teams can.\nDenver is known to be interested in Arenas, but he has said he will entertain every offer, perhaps going to play for an immediate championship contender.