BRIEFLY : BIBBY, HUGHES MAKE LEAP TO NBA CAREERS.

Byline: - Daily News staff and wire services

Some NBA officials think guards Mike Bibby and Larry Hughes would be first-round picks in the June draft. They'll soon find out.

Bibby will leave Arizona after his sophomore year while Hughes will depart Saint Louis after his freshman year, the two All-Americans announced in separate press conferences Thursday.

``It's just been a dream of mine since I was a little boy, and now that that chance is here, I don't want to let it pass me up,'' Bibby said at an Arizona campus news conference.

``Mike is very ready to play in the NBA,'' said Wildcats coach Lute Olson, who was told by Bibby of his decision to turn pro last weekend.

``I'm totally confident I can excel,'' Hughes said at his news conference. ``I've been blessed with a lot of ability, and I have the passion to be the best I can be. I'm not afraid to take on a new challenge.''

Most of the season, Hughes indicated he would probably play his sophomore season at Saint Louis and then head for the NBA. He changed his mind this week.

``I woke up one morning and I just felt it was time to go,'' Hughes said.

Ventura College forward Lynda Amari signed a letter of intent with Cal State Northridge's women's basketball team. The 6-1 native of Paris averaged 18 points and six rebounds last season and helped Ventura win the state championship in 1996 and reach the finals last season.

Kevin Pendergast pleaded guilty to sports bribery charges and agreed to testify against others charged in a point-shaving scheme at Northwestern. Three people, including two former Northwestern athletes, have pleaded innocent in a betting scandal that has embarrassed the Big Ten's most academically prestigious school. Another former athlete also charged in the scheme is cooperating with the investigation. Pendergast admitted conspiring to fix three Big Ten basketball games in the winter of 1995 by bribing players.

The NCAA placed the Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball program on three years' probation for numerous violations, including providing cash payments to players for apartments and furniture.

Roderick Barnes, 32, became the youngest head coach in the Southeastern Conference when he was appointed to succeed Rob Evans. North Carolina Charlotte assistant Bobby Lutz was chosen to succeed Melvin Watkins as the school's head coach.

NHL: Ducks goaltender Guy Hebert, out since straining his right shoulder on March 8, had arthroscopic reconstructive surgery and will need three-to-four months to rehab.

NFL: The league's Management Council ruled that former New England Patriots running back Curtis Martin's contract with the New York Jets is valid. New England agreed to take first- and third-round picks from the Jets in the April 18-19 draft as compensation for signing Martin, who was a free agent.

ABL: Nashville, Tenn., has been given an expansion team for the 1998-99 season, raising the number of teams in the women's pro league to 10.