WASHINGTON (AP) Highly touted prospect Makur Maker verbally committed to Howard University on Friday, picking the Bison over college basketball powerhouses UCLA, Kentucky and Memphis.

The five-star recruit is the highest-ranked player to commit to a Historically Black College or University since ESPN began tracking rankings in 2007. Maker is a 6-foot-11, 235-pound center who declared for the NBA draft in April before opting to consider college basketball.

Maker, ranked No. 16 by ESPN, announced Friday on Twitter he was committing to Howard and coach Kenneth Blakeney. He hopes his decision opens the door for other prospects to go the HBCU route.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) Most new athletic directors who take over in July have the luxury of getting acclimated to their new school before things really ramp up in two months. That isn't going to be the case for the start of Martin Jarmond's tenure at UCLA.

"You would like have something resembling normalcy, but I have to come in and embrace the challenges," said Jarmond, who officially took the helm on Wednesday. "I'm not the only one going through what is an uncertain time."

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The NCAA's infractions case against the University of Kansas men's basketball program has been accepted into a newly created independent investigation process that was created to handle especially complex cases.

The Infractions Referral Committee said Wednesday that the case against the Jayhawks and coach Bill Self would go through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. The approval is the first significant step in a process that was created in August 2018 to deal with select cases and minimize perceived conflicts of interest.

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey told a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday there needs to be a uniform federal law to regulate the compensation of college athletes instead of a series of state versions with differing requirements.

Sankey was part of a panel discussing the potential impact of allowing athletes to profit from the use of their name, image or likeness (NIL), one of the more controversial issues in college athletics.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) Workers wearing black masks and white gloves move through the corridors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, pushing a cart loaded with high-top sneakers from some of the sport’s biggest stars.

The gloves are to protect the collection; the masks are to protect each other.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Michigan high school basketball standout Emoni Bates has committed to play at Michigan State for the class of 2022.

Bates announced his decision Monday on ESPN to play for the Spartans and coach Tom Izzo.

When John Swofford became commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1997, the league was basketball-centric and North Carolina-focused.

In the 23 years since, the conference has grown into a 15-school behemoth spanning 10 states. Swofford brought stability and unity to the ACC at a time when it seemed vulnerable, creating a conference that could flourish in a football-dominated college sports landscape.

SEATTLE (AP) Washington is reducing its overall athletic department operating budget by 15% for the 2020-21 fiscal year and all the school’s head coaches have agreed to minimum 5% pay reductions.

Athletic director Jennifer Cohen announced the moves Friday and said they will save the school around $13 million. She reiterated that the school intends to continue offering all 22 of its athletic programs.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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