TOP OF THE LINEUP : COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

LAMBRIGHT OUT: Jim Lambright, who spent 35 years as a player, assistant and coach at Washington, was fired Wednesday after the Huskies failed to post a winning record for the first time in 22 years.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL 

RUSHING BACK: UCLA freshman forward JaRon Rush returned to campus Wednesday after a bout of homesickness extended his Christmas break by three days. He missed two practices and the Loyola Marymount game. A Kansas City native, Rush met with coach Steve Lavin on Wednesday to discuss the matter. Rush may lose his starting position and be held out of Saturday's Pac-10 opener against Arizona game.

- Jon Wilner

WOMEN`S BASKETBALL

NEVER SAY DIE: Even though it has folded, the American Basketball League still hopes its players get to take part in an all-star game next month. ``It would be a final tribute, a salute, and a final chance for the public to see these great players one more time,'' said Anne Cribbs, one of the founders of the woman's league. Cribbs said she was cautiously optimistic the San Jose Sports Authority would decide by Monday to go ahead with the Jan. 24 game.

OLYMPICS

A FIN MESS: Get ready for mermaids at the Olympics. Well, not quite mermaids, but swimmers with fins that make them look like mermaids. The obscure sport of fin swimming is being proposed to become part of the 2004 Athens Olympics, organizers said. The final decision will be made by the International Olympic Committee.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO (Color) Lambright