A different kind of court

EAGLE, Colo. -- NBA superstar Kobe Bryant made his first appearance in court Wednesday on a charge of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel worker.\nFlanked by his attorneys, the 24-year-old Bryant stood quietly as his attorneys waived his right to be formally advised of the felony assault charge. Judge Frederick Gannett set a preliminary hearing for Oct. 9.\nBryant has said he had consensual sex with the woman but is innocent of assault.\nBryant, who is free on $25,000 bond, said virtually nothing during the seven-minute hearing. He left the courthouse immediately and was expected to leave Colorado soon after the court appearance.\nThe hearing was held amid a media frenzy akin to the NBA finals. Hundreds of reporters and photographers swamped this quiet mountain town and the brief hearing involving the five-time All Star was carried live on national cable networks.\nBryant took a private jet to a nearby airport and was driven to the Eagle County courthouse in a sport-utility vehicle. There were scattered cheers and a shout of "Kobe is innocent!" from the crowd after he arrived.\nBryant and defense attorney Pamela Mackey both went through a metal detector before they entered the courtroom.\nOutside the courthouse, a small city of television satellite trucks was set up next to a dozen or so platforms for live TV shots, precisely the type of coverage Bryant hoped to avoid when his attorneys asked Gannett to allow the Los Angeles Lakers star to skip the procedural hearing.\nThe judge denied the request, setting the stage for the circus-like event.\nAt times, preparation for Bryant's arrival looked more like something for a head of state. A media tent was erected outside the courthouse, authorities brought out the county's only metal detector, and sheriff's deputies were called in on overtime to keep order.\nAlong with the journalists came Bryant's fans, people like Eric Tison, 30, who drove three hours from Castle Rock, south of Denver.\n"I hope he's innocent. I'm here to support him as a basketball player," said Tison, wearing a Los Angeles Lakers No. 8 jersey and hoping for an autograph. "What goes on in his personal life now is taking away from the game"