Sports briefs

Basketball

SPURS SIGN OBERTO: Part-time starter Fabricio Oberto re-signed with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Terms were not disclosed.

The 6-foot-10 native of Argentina spent the past two seasons with the Spurs. He started 33 of his 79 games last season, averaging 4.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17 minutes. He started 12 of 20 playoff games for the Spurs, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers last month for their fourth NBA title in nine seasons.

Oberto set a franchise record by making all 11 field-goal attempts — for a career-high 22 points — in November against Phoenix.

Soccer

MSL RETURNING TO SAN JOSE: Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday that professional soccer will return to Silicon Valley for the 2008 season with the approval of the San Jose Earthquakes as an expansion team.

The ownership group is led by Lew Wolff and John Fisher, who also own the Oakland Athletics.

The Earthquakes will join the Western Conference, Garber said during his state of the league address in Colorado ahead of Thursday's All-Star game.

The Earthquakes still need approval from the San Jose City Council for plans to build a privately financed soccer stadium near Mineta San Jose International Airport. The stadium is scheduled to seat as many as 20,000 and open in 2010.

The Earthquakes won two MLS Cup titles before relocating to Houston in 2005 after plans for financing a new stadium in San Jose fell through.

College football

4 GOPHERS DISMISSED: Four University of Minnesota football players being investigated in a sexual assault were kicked off the team Wednesday.

Dominic Jones, a cornerback charged Monday with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the alleged rape of an 18-year-old woman in April, and three teammates — running back E.J. Jones, defensive end Alex Daniels and defensive back Keith Massey were dismissed from the team Wednesday, coach Tim Brewster said.

BADGER RB SUSPENDED: Sophomore running back Lance Smith has been suspended from the Wisconsin football team.

Athletic director Barry Alvarez said Smith violated the athletic department's student-athlete discipline policy. The school did not offer any details, citing privacy laws.

College hoops

WILLIAMS BATTLING VERTIGO: North Carolina coach Roy Williams announced Wednesday that he has vertigo.

During his annual summer news conference, Williams said he started feeling sick earlier this week. The 56-year-old coach spoke in a low voice during the 30-minute session and answered questions about his health and next year's team.

Williams said this was his first bout with vertigo, which is a sensation of dizziness or tilting, in two years.

PEARL GETS EXTENSION: Coach Bruce Pearl has agreed in principle to a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Tennessee through 2013 and increase his compensation package to $1.3 million this year.