DALLAS -- The wait is over for Tim Jankovich to be SMUs head coach.SMU formally named Jankovich as head coach Monday, three days after Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown abruptly resigned.Im still sad and a little bit emotional about it, but at the same time, incredibly excited about the opportunity here for me and my staff, Jankovich said Monday night. That part is awfully exciting, and (Im) feeling all those emotions that you expect.Jankovich had been associate coach and head-coach-in-waiting for the Mustangs since he came to SMU with Brown in 2012. Jankovich was head coach at Illinois State the five seasons before that, and previously head coach at North Texas.At the same time, the dynamics are different because I just worked alongside a guy for four years that throughout my coaching career I put at the very top of coaches of our time, he said. Ive formed a very good relationship with him.Browns initial five-year deal went through next season, but he resigned Friday after turning down an offer from SMU to extend his contract through 2020.The Mustangs made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 under Brown, and won at least 25 games each of the past three seasons. They were 25-5 last season, but banned from postseason play because of NCAA sanctions.While the 75-year-old Brown had made occasional comments that he might leave, Jankovich said he honestly didnt think it would happen so soon.It was a little surprise to me. I dont want to say a great shock, Jankovich said. I guess when it was final, it was surprising to me.The 57-year-old Jankovich was 104-64 at Illinois State from 2007-12 after serving as an assistant coach for Bill Self, at Illinois (2002-03) and Kansas (2003-07). He was 53-57 as head coach at North Texas from 1993-97, and has also been an assistant at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas and Kansas State.Were thankful for Coach Browns efforts here at SMU to rebuild our mens basketball program and bring the magic back to Moody, SMU President R. Gerald Turner said. That said, I believe Coach Jankovich can continue to build upon that success and keep us on that upward trajectory. His experience at SMU has allowed him to build trust and relationships with our student-athletes as well as our campus and local communities, which will give him a head start as he takes over our program.While Nic Moore, Markus Kennedy and Jordan Tolbert were seniors last season, eight players are returning. There are also three incoming freshmen and a transfer from Arkansas who will have to sit out this season.When Brown was suspended for the first nine games last season because of NCAA sanctions, Jankovich filled in as head coach and the Mustangs won all of those games. Jankovich believes that stretch will help now, especially with the current players who had a chance to play with him in control for just more than a month.Not that Im glad that that happened, but it is a little bit of a blessing because I think it just makes in their mind, theres a lot less doubt of whats to come, Jankovich said. So I think that actually helps the transition, gives them a much better idea.Jankovich has also told the players that he knows they care about Brown, just like he does, and that its not something that you get over in five minutes. ... So were talking about that. I dont want to ignore that like you just flipped a page and nothing happened. Jason Verrett Super Bowl Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Deion Sanders Super Bowl Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.authenticsf49erspro.com/Laken-tomlinson-49ers-jersey/ . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Jalen Hurd Super Bowl Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Adrian Colbert Super Bowl Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. ATLANTA -- At first, Russell Westbrook couldnt get the shots to fall. No problem. He crashed the boards and kept looking for his teammates.Then, he found his shooting touch.The result: another triple-double for the Oklahoma City star.Westbrook scored 32 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 12 assists, extending his streak of triple-doubles to six games as the Thunder held off the Atlanta Hawks 102-99 on Monday night.It is the NBAs longest such run since Michael Jordan had seven in a row in 1989.I just read the game, Westbrook said. The game will tell you what to do.Westbrook has sparked a six-game winning streak by the Thunder and reached double figures in all three categories in half of their 22 games.By contrast, Jordan had 15 triple-doubles for the entire 1988-89 season.Obviously, the league hasnt seen something like this in a long, long time, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.Westbrook kept his streak alive with plenty of time to spare. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds when he picked up his 10th assist with 6:20 left in the third quarter. Scooping up a loose ball after a turnover by the Hawks, Westbrook led a 2-on-1 that ended with a pass to Victor Oladipo for a layup that gave the Thunder a 69-59 lead.My job is to find those guys, Westbrook said.He found his range in the third quarter after missing eight of his first nine shots. Westbrook knocked down five of seven, three of them beyond the arc, and finished with 16 points in the period as the Thunder stretched a one-point halftime lead to 83-69 heading to the fourth.Atlanta rallied down the stretch, but Westbrook closed it out for the Thunder. He finished with 27 second-half points to send the Hawks to their seventh straight loss and 10th defeat in the last 11 games.Its the longest losing streak for the Hawks since they dropped eight in a row in February 2014.Coach Mike Budenholzer decided to shake things up, sending Kyle Korver to the bench and putting Thabo Sefolosha in the starting lineup. The Hawks also were bolstered by the return of Paul Millsap, who had missed three straight games with a sore hip. He led five players in double figures with 24 points.It didnt matter. Westbrook made suure of that.ddddddddddddHe can do so many different things, said Sefolosha, who was often matched on Westbrook. Its definitely mind-blowing. And the way he does it. Hes everywhere.Atlanta had a shot to send the game to overtime after Korver forced a jump ball.Westbrook and the Thunder clamped down defensively off the inbounds play, and Tim Hardaway Jr.s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer failed to hit the rim.Cant dwell on it, Hardaway said. Ive got to move on to the next play, the next game.KORVERS NEW ROLEKorver played more than 31 minutes and seemed to thrive in his new role as a backup.He finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, knocking down three of them beyond the arc. It was his most points in a game since Nov. 22.Korver had averaged 6.6 points over his last seven games, which led to his benching.MONSTER JAMOladipo wasnt afraid to take on Dwight Howard in the lane.During the second quarter, the 6-foot-4 Thunder guard drove the baseline and slammed one over Atlantas 6-11 center, rocking the rim and drawing gasps from the crowd.Oladipo savored the moment, pumping his fists, stomping his feet and posing briefly in the lane even as the Hawks took off the other way.RECRUITING DWIGHTDonovan made a recruiting pitch to Howard while coaching at Florida.During his pregame chat with the media, the Oklahoma City coach recounted a visit to Howard and his father at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.Donovan quickly gave up any hope of getting Howard to attend college.All I had to do was watch one AAU game and then I stopped recruiting him immediately, he quipped.Howard, of course, went straight from high school to the NBA in the days before the rules required at least one year of college. He was the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2004.UP NEXTThunder: Off until Friday, when they host the Houston Rockets.Hawks: Back in action Wednesday when the Miami Heat visit Philips Arena.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '