Maryland men's basketball assistant Billy Hahn is expected again to be a top candidate for the head coaching job at the University of Rhode Island, said Rams assistant athletic director Mike Ballweg yesterday.

"Billy has strong backing from a lot of the boosters and he was a popular guy here in the late '70s when he was an assistant," Ballweg said. "And he was one of a handful of finalists two years ago when Jim Harrick got the job here."

Ballweg said a search committee began yesterday putting together a list of names to be interviewed and Hahn would most likely be among them.

Harrick changed his mind twice last week before leaving Rhode Island to become coach at Georgia.

MORGAN STATE: Sophomores Curtis King, an All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference first-team selection for the 1998-99 season, and Michael Canady were suspended indefinitely by coach Chris Fuller from all team activities because of their lack of participation in the team's off-season weight training program.

King averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Canady averaged 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds.

Both attended Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High.