Roundup: UCLA's Kris Wilkes, Utah's Sedrick Barefield returning to school

Kris Wilkes has decided to return to UCLA men’s basketball for his sophomore season, the Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon (linked by ESPN). Wilkes averaged 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2017-18.

Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Sedrick Barefield will return to Utah men’s basketball for his senior season next year. Barefield had declared for the NBA Draft but did not hire an agent, which allowed him to return to school if he so chose (which he did, according to Jones).

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN reports that Washington State wide receiver Robert Lewis was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA on Tuesday. Good news for the Cougs, who lost wide receivers Tavares Martin and Isaiah Johnson-Mack.

Cal women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb claimed that a Southwest Airlines employee stopped her from boarding a flight from Denver to Oakland on Sunday because the worker didn’t believe her 1-year-old son, who is biracial, was hers (Associated Press, linked here by ESPN). Southwest Airlines apologized on Tuesday, per the report.

Arizona State Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson announced that baseball coach Tracy Smith will return for the 2019 season (The Arizona Republic). The Sun Devils have posted losing seasons in back-to-back years for the first time since 1959.

Fresh off winning a national championship, USC women’s water polo goalkeeper Amanda Longan was named ACWPC National Player of the Year. Head coach Jovan Vavic was named ACWPC National Coach of the Year as well.

Stanford women’s basketball incoming freshman Jenna Brown was named to the USA Basketball U18 National Team on Tuesday. The U18 squad will play at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in August.

We missed this with all the softball news, but Oregon linebacker Fotu Leiato was dismissed from the team last Thursday. He was arrested about a month ago on charges of theft, criminal trespassing and criminal mischief.

This is pretty schweet – Arizona women’s tennis is taking off for Japan on Wednesday as part of an athletic and academic tour that will allow the Wildcats the opportunity to compete against Japanese teams three times and work with campus partners in the UA Study Abroad program. Need a Pac-12.com blogger to document the journey, ‘Cats?

Colorado AD Rick George is concerned about the possibility of legalized sports gambling in Colorado, Pat Rooney reports. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act, a rule that prohibited state-sanctioned sports gambling outside of Nevada (it had been in place since 1992).

Adam Jude writes that a speech from Washington softball freshman Noelle Hee after it was announced that star catcher Morganne Flores tore a ligament in her knee in January was a key turning point for the Huskies this year. Another year, another trip to the Women's College World Series for the Dawgs.

Jesse Sowa of the Corvallis Gazette-Times writes that Oregon State men’s basketball will have to deal with a lot of player turnover again in the 2018-19 season.