1.   Among his friends are Wayne Gretzky, the hockey legend who retired last season, and Scott Gomez, the star rookie whom Lemieux mentors.

2.   At wide receiver, two veterans and a star rookie have been told the same thing.

3.   Colorado got two home runs from third baseman Vinny Castilla and a pair of doubles from its star rookie first baseman, Todd Helton.

4.   It was a thrilling look into the future for the Nets, who saw their star rookie forward raise his game and carry his teammates.

5.   Jackson believes he can eventually build a winning team around the star rookie forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim and center Bryant Reeves.

6.   The former Georgia star set rookie record with three picks in one game but seemed to fade late in the season.

7.   Washington came into the game off a loss Wednesday night at Indiana and with star rookie Juwan Howard and guard Scott Skiles sidelined by injuries.

8.   Dallas played without star rookie Jason Kidd, who was out with a sprained ankle.

9.   On Thursday, the star rookie will play with Sorenstam in the season-ending tournament.

10.   Star rookie Yoshinobu Takahashi batted in the first run for the Giants with a sacrifice fly in the second inning.