Gonzaga among debut teams at new Indy stadium

The Associated Press | • Published September 05, 2008

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Notre Dame and Gonzaga will be among the first basketball teams to play in the new Lucas Oil Stadium in a doubleheader on Dec. 6.

Gonzaga will play Indiana in the opener of the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase, followed by a Notre Dame-Ohio State matchup, organizers said Friday.

The third annual showcase will serve as a fundraiser for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

The retractable-roof stadium is home to the Indianapolis Colts. It will host the 2010 NCAA Final Four and the 2012 Super Bowl. The basketball configuration for the showcase will accommodate about 40,000 fans.

OTTAWA (AP) — The Toronto Raptors are headed to Ottawa for training camp.

The Raptors will hold camp at Carleton University from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.

“We are very excited to hold training camp in our nation’s capital, symbolizing our identity as Canada’s team,” Raptors president and GM Bryan Colangelo said Friday.

The Raptors traveled overseas as part of NBA Europe Live last year, holding their camp in Rome and Madrid.

Toronto will practice at the Ravens’ Nest Gymnasium at Carleton, and end camp with an intrasquad game on Oct. 4.

The Raptors open the preseason Oct. 7 at Cleveland and return home to host to the New York Knicks the next night.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine soccer officials will suspend a top coach if he keeps smoking on the bench during games.

Colon coach Antonio Mohamed has paid a combined $750 in penalties after twice being caught smoking during Argentine league matches. He said the fines are worth it.

But Argentina’s Football Association said Friday it won’t only fine Mohamed, but suspend him for several games the next time he smokes a cigarette on the field.

Mohamed’s Santa Fe-based team trails league-leading Boca Juniors by one point.

The league’s smoking ban took effect in August 2005.

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Coach Dunga and some Brazil players weren’t happy to hear President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva complain about the national team.