Washington State free safety Xavier A. Hicks Jr. has begun serving a 45-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges.
Whitman County assistant prosecutor Bill Druffel said Hicks, who will be a junior next season, reported to the county jail Sunday.
The 21-year-old defensive back from Fullerton, Calif., pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanors third-degree theft and third-degree attempted assault in exchange for the prosecutor dropping two felony counts.
Hicks was accused of using a stolen credit card and of putting rubbing alcohol on the contact lenses of teammate and roommate Grady Maxwell.
Druffel says Hicks could get out in 30 days with good behavior. He must also pay nearly $2,300 in fines and restitution.
Gonzaga gets commitment
Mangisto Arop, a 6-foot-5 guard from Canada, has orally committed to play for the Gonzaga’s basketball team.
Arop, in his junior year at National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, Ontario, will arrive in 2009.
Arop, who was born in Sudan but left the country at age 9, said he picked the Zags over Portland and Montana.
“Their coaching staff was nice. They’re interested in developing players and your character,” Arop told the Spokesman-Review. “They care about that more than basketball. That’s a place I want to go because I want to become a better person to go along with being a better basketball player.”
Arop played for Canada at the Schweitzer Tournament in Germany in March. Canada placed fifth and Arop had 30 points and 17 rebounds in an 80-54 win over Argentina to conclude the tournament.
Elsewhere
West Virginia officials say men’s basketball coach
Bob Huggins has been taken to a hospital in Charlotte, N.C., for precautionary reasons after tripping on an airport tarmac and hitting his head on the pavement. … Notre Dame and Arizona State will play in the new $1 billion home of the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 5, 2013, with the Irish being the home team. … The NCAA has accused Alabama State University of 24 rules violations, charging the school with lack of institutional control.