basketball

Sterling Davis, the Glasgow Rocks coach, has hailed the Scotland captain Gareth Murray for turning himself into one of the British Basketball League's most consistent performers, writes Mark Woods. Now, though, the American coach wants others to follow the forward's example when he takes his side to Sheffield Sharks tonight. The return of the captain EJ Harrison from a foot injury should lift Rocks after consecutive defeats which have left the Emirates Arena outfit in the bottom half of the table again.

Davis believes Murray will continue to flourish as his side's focal point, even as gradual adjustments are made. "Gareth is a guy who does not get the credit he deserves in this league," he said. "I would say he is one of the most versatile players in the league for whatever the team needs him to do. We ask a lot of him on our team on both ends of the floor and in minutes played and he has never complained."

Sheffield were 72-71 winners over Rocks in the BBL Cup earlier this season but have struggled ever since. With his own team unable to find any sort of consistency, though, Davis will tread warily. "They have added at least one player and lost one," he said. "So a new look to a team always turns into motivation to improve which I think they have."

n The Euroleague is expected to offer British clubs a route back into European competition next season and end the international exile of BBL clubs since Guildford's ULEB Cup campaign in 2007 drove them towards bankruptcy. No BBL team has entered since but it is understood that talks will be held to facilitate a place at April's Euroleague Final Four in London.

hockey

Scotland's men remain 23rd place in the world rankings, just updated by the International Hockey Federation after the recent Champions Trophy, writes Craig Madden. Whether it accurately reflects their current international form is debatable but it remarkable that coach Derek Forsyth's squad have not fallen further back as they gained no ranking points at all from the Olympic Games or its qualifiers – they are the preserve of Great Britain – while other countries did benefit.

The next chance to move up the ladder will come next year, in the World League – the Scots contest a round 2 tournament with Belgium, Canada, France, Poland and Portugal with the top two moving on to the next round – followed by European Championships in which Forsyth will be aiming for promotion to the top eight.

n Stepps, from Glasgow's northern outskirts, will celebrate their centenary next year with a dinner in the Central Hotel in Glasgow on August 24. Formed on April 15, 1913, the club played its first match against Babcock & Wilcox a fortnight later. They won the West District league several times in their halcyon days in the 1960s and 70s and the Scottish Cup in 1969 and 1972.

Among several international players and umpires, their former players include the goalkeeper George Sime who represented Great Britain in the 1948 Olympics. Perhaps their most remarkable son is another goalkeeper George Black, who amassed 47 caps for Scotland and four for GB several decades ago and, at the ripe age of 86, is still turning out for the club's fourth XI as well as Scottish veterans.

They still boast four men's teams, an ever-expanding youth section, and a recently established women's section.

swimming

Glasgow will host the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships at the Tollcross International Centre, the International Paralympic Committee has announced.

The awarding of the event was originally stated as a European Championships but, with a change to the IPC calendar, the competition was upgraded to a World Championships.

Tollcross, the 2014 Commonwealth Games pool, will play host to more than 650 athletes from more than 50 countries in competition.

David Sparkes, the chief executive of British Swimming, said: "The Paralympics in London introduced the world to the quality of swimming and I hope that audience will embrace this competition in the same way."

The 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships will be staged in Canada next August.

triathlon

Organisers of Edinburgh's New Year's Day competition have appealed for entrants after admitting the Holyrood Park event could be wiped out, writes Mark Woods. The long-established race was put on hold in 2008 when the Commonwealth Pool was closed for refurbishment but it was scheduled to return next month.

Low numbers registered so far have left Edinburgh Triathletes facing a potential shortfall in meeting costs and race directo John Whittaker said: "The club is considering whether or not the race can go ahead as the cost of putting on it on is huge compared to those involved in normal season. "Ambulance cover coming in at more than £1000; usually race costs are measured in hundreds of pounds. That is why the cost for entry is higher than average. If we sell out, we just cover the costs."