BRIEFLY : FISHER FRONT-RUNNER FOR S. ALABAMA JOB.

Former University of Michigan basketball coach Steve Fisher is the front-runner to fill the coaching vacancy at the University of South Alabama, the school said Monday.

``The job is Fisher's to either accept or turn down,'' said South Alabama sports information director Mike Nicholson.

The NCAA is continuing to review the University of Massachusetts' investigation into whether Marcus Camby received gifts from an agent during his sophomore year.

Camby, now with the Toronto Raptors, is refusing to cooperate and the NCAA lacks the legal authority to compel him to talk.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Ron Powlus remains the starter, but his days of being Notre Dame's only quarterback are over.

A day after saying he needed to reevaluate the quarterback job, coach Bob Davie said that junior backup Jarious Jackson will get more playing time, starting with Saturday's home game against Boston College.

SWIMMING: Refuting accusations that China's swimmers use drugs, a leading Chinese sports official attributes his country's excellent performances to government swim programs and expanded facilities.

Guo Qinglong, president of the Chinese Swimming Association, defended world records set by swimmers at China's National Games on Sunday, hours after Australian coach Don Talbot said he had no doubt the Chinese were using drugs.

BASEBALL: An entrepreneur trying to bring a minor-league baseball team to Dayton, Ohio, claimed that the Cincinnati Reds sunk the deal when they learned he is African-American.

The supportive attitude of the Reds - who have veto power over minor-league clubs in their territory - changed when Reds owner Marge Schott became involved, said Rock Newman, a boxing promoter and would-be baseball owner.

Asked what evidence he had of racism involving the Reds, Newman said his conclusion was ``a pretty fair deduction'' because his race was the only new factor added to the mix last spring.

The Reds denied any racism in the selection process.

JURISPRUDENCE: Richard Gnida, the chauffeur of the limousine that crashed while carrying a party of Detroit Red Wings, pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license.

A tentative sentencing date was set for Nov. 3. The charge carries a penalty of up to a year in prison and or a $500 fine.

Former San Francisco Giants pitcher John Montefusco, charged last week with beating and raping his ex-wife, remained jailed Monday in Freehold, N.J., - unable to raise $6,000 bail.

A jury ruled against Alvis Kent Waldrep Jr., a paralyzed former college football player who had hoped to prove he was an employee of Texas Christian University and eligible for workers' compensation coverage when he was hurt during a game.

Jockey Richard Pfau, who admitted fixing a horse race at Los Alamitos two years ago, was ordered to pay $1,340 restitution to the owner of the horse he reined in, and to serve four months of home confinement.

BOXING: Clarence Vinson, a 19-year-old flyweight from Washington, D.C., edged Japan's Shinya Hotta 8-7 in Budapest, Hungary, while five other Americans dropped preliminary bouts in the World Amateur Championships.