Dunn signs with Utah State

BY DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Sports Writer

Kayla Dunn, former Douglas High and Feather River College softball star, has signed a national letter of intent to play softball at Utah State.

Dunn played two years at Feather River. She was an all-conference selection this season, playing mostly infield after injuring her labrum. She is one of four new players Candi Letts has signed for the upcoming season.

Dunn is expected to be used as a pitcher and corner infielder with the Aggies.

"Kayla brings experience to the plate and mound," Letts said. "She is a program maker in that she will make her teammates better."

HINES HONORED

Nevada senior nose tackle Matt Hines has been named to pre-season watch lists for the Bronco Nagurski and Outland Trophy awards.

Hines, a 6-foot-1 285-pounder, is one of 50 players on the Nagurski list which is awarded to the top defensive player in the country. A selection committee will pick the winner from that committee's 11-man first team.

Hines is one of 41 lineman nominated for the Outland Trophy which is awarded to the best interior linemen. The award can only go to a center, guard and tackle. Additional players can be added during the season.

Hines is a preseason all-conference selection by several publications. He finished the 2006 season with 33 tackles, including 4 1/2 behind the line.

GOVERNOR'S DINNER

Tickets for the 38th annual Governor's Dinner scheduled for July 21 in Carson City are currently on sale.

Roy Williams, the highly successful men's basketball coach at North Carolina, will be the guest speaker.

Individual tickets are $300 each, while tables of eight cost $2,200. A Silver Circle table of eight can be purchased for $7,500 or a Blue Circle table of eight costs $3,500.

Silver Circle guests get limousine transportation from the Peppermill Hotel & Casino and will be escorted to the VIP reception where they will get their picture taken with Williams, who has been named the national coach of the year six times. Silver Circle guests also get to sit in an exclusive area in front of the head table.

Blue Circle guests get a table in a preferred seating area and four tickets to the VIP reception and have a photo taken with Williams.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30.

For more information, call 682-6902.

NEW HOOP ASSISTANT FOR NEVADA WOMEN

Darryl Smith, a veteran college coach, has been added to coach Kim Gervasoni's staff, and will assume his new duties July 1.

Smith coached at Butler Community College in Kansas the last two years. His team was 23-10 last year and reached the region semifinals. Prior to that, Smith spent five years as head coach at Wichita State where he led the Shockers to back-to-back NIT tournaments in 1999 and 2000. He also coached at Metro State in Denver for eight seasons, and won 20 or more games six times while he was there.

"The Nevada program is very fortunate to have such a tremendous basketball coach and quality person join our staff," Gervasoni said in a press release. "He has had a high level of success at many different collegiate levels."

FSU STAR TO PLAY FOR MEXICO

Fresno State's Hector Hernandez will represent Mexico this summer in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament with the Mexican National Team.

"It's a great honor to be able to represent my country at such a high level," Hernandez said returning from his tryout in a story on the WAC web-site. "I'm looking forward to this summer, being able to learn more about international basketball and being able to compete against such great competition."

Hernandez has started 63 games and has played in all but one game in three years. He averaged 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He shot 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

AGGIES WILL PLAY DUKE

New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus announced last week that the Aggies have added national power Duke to their 2007-08 non-conference schedule.

The game is scheduled for Nov. 12 and is the Aggies' first meeting with the Blue Devils in basketball. The game is set to be televised on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and marks the fourth time the Aggies have been on ESPN2 since Theus' arrival in Las Cruces.

NMSU won two of its three TV games a year ago.

"Getting to play a team like Duke and a Hall of Fame head coach in coach K is a real honor for our entire team," Theus said in a press release. "When I first got to NMSU I said that I wanted to play a more national schedule because it helps us increase the Aggie brand and I believe that playing at Duke is another step in that direction. I also believe that if you are going to play a team like Duke on the road, it is best to play them with a team full of seniors and that is what we have."

Duke's addition to the schedule means that NMSU now faces two of college basketball's best next season as the Aggies also play at Louisville in non-conference action.