Preeminent sports sociologist Harry Edwards, basketball coach Mike Montgomery, soccer star Alex Morgan, ex-A’s outfielder Joe Rudi, and ex-49ers cornerback Eric Wright are this year’s inductees to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

That quintet, spanning this region’s vast accomplishments between the 1960s and this current decade, will be honored May 15 in San Francisco.

“The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 represents a wide array of Bay Area sports history, and we are thrilled to welcome these legendary individuals,” said Mario Alioto, who chairs the BASHOF board.

Edwards, 82, became a human and civil rights icon after excelling in basketball and track and field at San Jose State. He did much more than key the 1968 Olympic protests by San Jose State sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos. A professor emeritus at Cal, Edwards began consulting for the 49ers in the early 1980s. Edwards, who’s also a Warriors consultant, revealed two years ago he is facing bone cancer.

Montgomery, 77, coached nearly 30 seasons in the Bay Area, starting with a legacy-defining tenure at Stanford (1986-2004) before moving on to the Warriors (2004-06) and then Cal (2008-14). He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Morgan, 35, played for Cal (2007-10) before becoming one of the most accomplished players in U.S. Women’s National Team history with wins in the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups and the 2012 Olympics.

Rudi, 78, played on the A’s 1972-74 World Series-winning teams and was MVP runner-up in both 1972 and ’74d Glove Awards.

Wright, a cornerback, played on the 49ers’ first four Super Bowl-winning teams during his 10-year tenure.

Tickets are on sale at bashof.org for the May 15 enshrinement dinner at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

— Cam Inman

College basketball

Saint Mary’s men back in Top 25 poll >> Winners of 15 of their last 16, and recently crowned West Coast Conference regular-season champs, Saint Mary’s entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season, checking in at No. 23, while rising to No. 20 in the USA Today coaches’ poll.

In the coaches’ poll, the Gaels cracked the Top 25 following their victory over Gonzaga on Feb. 1, but fell out the following week after a narrow one-point loss to San Francisco. The Gaels have now been ranked in the Top 20, according to coaches, for the first time since last season’s final poll.

At 25-4, the Gaels currently are tied for the most wins this season in Division I college basketball, alongside Auburn, Drake and High Point.

Auburn remains No. 1 in men’s poll >> Auburn remained atop the AP Top 25 for the seventh straight week, while preseason No. 1 Kansas dropped out of the poll for the first time in nearly four years, ending the Jayhawks’ ranked run at 80 consecutive weeks.

The Tigers earned all 60 votes from the national media panel after beating Arkansas and Georgia last week. They were followed by Duke and Florida, with Houston and Tennessee rounding out the top five.

Texas the new No. 1 in women’s poll >> Texas is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll for the first time in 21 years and the third different team to hold the top spot in the past three weeks.

The Longhorns moved atop the poll after previous No. 1 Notre Dame lost in double overtime to North Carolina State. UCLA had been No. 1 the 12 prior weeks to the Irish.

Texas, which last held the top spot in the poll on Feb. 16, 2004, received 19 first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel.

Notre Dame fell to third after its 19-game winning streak was snapped while UCLA moved up a spot to second.

Utah fires coach Smith >> The University of Utah fired men’s coach Craig Smith, a day after a 76-72 loss at Central Florida that dropped the Utes to 15-12 this season. Smith was in his fourth season in charge of the program. He was 65-62.

NHL

Commissioner reduces Hartman’s ban >> NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the suspension of Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman for slamming an opponent’s head to the ice, while making the unusual decision to reduce the penalty from 10 games to the union-recommended eight after hearing Hartman’s in-person appeal.

Hartman was punished for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle on Feb. 1, after which Stutzle had two cuts and bruising above his left eye and needed five stitches.

Golf

Nordqvist named Europe’s Solheim Cup captain >> Anna Nordqvist was appointed as the captain of the European team for next year’s Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, and described the role as “the greatest honor you can get as a golfer.”

Europe will look to reclaim the cup after losing 15½-12½ on U.S. soil last year. That was the Americans’ first win since 2017.

Tennis

Andreeva first 17-year-old in Top 10 in nearly 20 years >> Mirra Andreeva rose to a career-best No. 9 in the tennis rankings, making the Russian the first 17-year-old in the WTA’s Top 10 since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.

Andreeva moved up five spots thanks to her title Saturday in Dubai, where she beat past Grand Slam champs Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova en route to becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 tournament.

Broadcasting

Longtime broadcaster Trautwig dies >> Al Trautwig, one of the most recognizable sports broadcasters in New York and a fixture at numerous international sporting events for more than three decades, has died from complications of cancer. He was 68.

Trautwig was part of MSG pre- and postgame broadcasts of the NBA’s Knicks, NHL’s Rangers and MLB’s Yankees. He also worked 16 Olympics, the Indianapolis 500, Tour de France and U.S. Open tennis tournament, and won four national Emmy Awards.