Former Rutgers forward Jonathan Mitchell has started strong in his professional career, leading CB Tarragona of Spain in scoring and rebounding through three games.

“It is a great experience playing over here, in a different country and being a professional basketball player,” said Mitchell, according to ScarletKnights.com. “Coach Rice prepared me for this, and although I couldn’t see it while I was there, I am grateful for everything he did for me last season. I wish I could have learned more from him.”

“In one season, Jonathan Mitchell’s mental and physical toughness developed incredibly,” said head coach Mike Rice. “J-Mitch learned he was too perimeter-oriented during his junior season, and he worked at not being a one-dimensional player. Not only was he more versatile for us last year, but he was a leader on this team and I think that will help him succeed on the next level.”  (more…)

Kobe is headed back to Italy.

According to reports, Bryant has agreed to play the first 10 games — or 40 days — of the Italian league season with Virtus Bologna. The Associated Press reports the deal is worth $3 million. He can return to the NBA as soon as the lockout ends.

“We have reached an economic deal,” Virtus president Claudio Sabatini told a Rome radio station, according to The AP. “There’s still some things to arrange but at this point I’m very optimistic. I would say it’s 95 percent done.”

The AP said Bryant is expected to get a work visa and return to Italy next week.

“Kobe should be in Bologna by Wednesday or Thursday with his visa in hand for medical visits and then we can deposit the contract with the league,” Sabatini said. “I want to make clear that right now there are still no signatures. We’ve got to write the contract, which will then be read over and over again.”

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

And like ZAGS on Facebook

DeAndre Daniels visited Kentucky this weekend and according to Dinos Trigonis, Daniels’ former AAU coach with the Belmont Shore, the visit went well.

“DeAndre did go to Kentucky and was there for the Indiana-Kentucky basketball game,” Trigonis said. “The kid went to Kentucky alone this weekend. From what he told me today [Sunday], he had a nice visit.”

Trigonis said Laron Daniels, DeAndre’s father, did not attend the visit and an Internet quote attributed to Laron (and briefly used on this site) was inaccurate.

Trigonis said he believes two or three schools lead for the 6-foot-9, 197-pound Daniels, who transferred from Woodland Hills (Calif) Taft to IMG Academies before this season. (more…)

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James and Chris Bosh headed for South Beach, while Amar’e Stoudemire decided to star on Broadway.

Allen Iverson? He’s headed for Turkey.

“My whole thing was being wanted, being accepted by a ballclub. That was the most important thing,” the former NBA MVP said Friday, after signing a $4 million, two-year contract with Turkish club Besiktas during a news conference at the upscale St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.

“I had a great time playing in the NBA. Who knows if I ever will again?” Iverson said. “But I wanted to show everybody I can play at a high level, not just the NBA.” (more…)

Greedy Peterson is headed to Greece.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Brooklyn native and former Providence forward has inked a one-year, six-figure deal to play for the Rhodes Club of the Greek League.

Gerard Jones, Peterson’s advisor and the older brother of West Virginia sophomore forward Kevin Jones, said Peterson planned to return to the U.S. in 2011 with hopes of entering the NBA Draft.

“My game is multifaceted — scoring, rebounding and defending – whatever I am called on to do for my team,” Peterson, 21, said in a statement. “I welcome the challenge the international league brings and The Rhodes Club will see a player focused, determined and ready to step in and contribute right away. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my family and  advisors for their support.”

Peterson leaves for Greece Aug. 23. He also had interest from clubs in Israel, Italy, Spain and Turkey, Jones said. (more…)

Amar’e Stoudemire won’t travel to Turkey with Team USA because of insurance issues related to his left knee.

But he is enjoying an overseas adventure just the same.

The new Knicks forward, who signed a five-year, $100 million deal with New York but was kept out of the World Championships because of insurance concerns, is currently visiting Israel after coming to believe that his mother has Jewish roots.

“I know there are some reports that he is Jewish, but he is not,” Happy Walters, Stoudemire’s agent, told TMZ.com.  “He thinks there may be some Jewish blood on his mother’s side and he is researching it.”

Still, Stoudemire says he’s learning Hebrew on the trip.

“Jerusalem is a beautiful city, I’m at a cafe eating a late lunch,” Stoudemire wrote on his Twitter feed. “I’m learning Hebrew by the min. Keep up !! Shalom.”

Stoudemire also Tweeted before he left Tuesday: “On the flight to Israel. This is going to be a great trip. The holy land. Learn about it. This ze ha’halom sheli. Shalom.” (more…)

Jamine “Greedy” Peterson, who was dismissed from the Providence basketball team in May for a “violation of team rules,” is headed overseas.

“He’s actually got offers from France, Turkey and Spain,” said Gerard Jones, the brother of West Virginia standout Kevin Jones and an advisor to Peterson.

He also has interest from clubs in Israel and Germany.

Jones said Peterson, 21, wants to make a decision “by the middle of July” before leaving for overseas in August.

Read the full story at SNY.

(Photo courtesy Providence Athletics)

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

Despite a completely bogus Internet “story” to the contrary, Kentucky recruit Brandon Knight will not play in Europe next season.

“That’s not true,” Efrem Knight, Brandon’s father, said Thursday morning by phone. “All that is is people trying to mess up Kentucky’s recruiting.”

The bogus story quoted Knight saying he would spend next season in Italy, following in Brandon Jennings’s footsteps, instead of going to Kentucky. Jennings skipped college at Arizona and played a year of pro ball in Italy before getting drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, whom he helped lead into a Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. (more…)

The No. 1 high school prospect in the nation could be close to announcing his college choice, setting the dominoes falling for the top prep point guards.

Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest on Wednesday told the Orlando Sentinel he plans to announce “sometime soon.”

The 6-foot-4 Knight lists Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, and Miami as his final five.

“I’m pretty ready. I want to make sure I make the right decision,” Knight told the Sentinel after scoring 25 points in a 77-63 victory over Williston in a Florida Class 3A semifinal. (more…)

NEW YORK — Three years ago, I wrote a cover story for Slam magazine on four of the best high school guards in the nation — Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Lance Stephenson.

The cover read, “Final 4 – Jennings, Holiday, Evans & Stephenson. Who’s the best guard in the country?”

Three years later, three of those four guys are in the NBA and the fourth, Stephenson, likely soon will be.

Before Jennings torched the Knicks for 22 points and 8 assists in a 114-107  Bucks’ victory at Madison Square Garden, he spoke about the NBA prospects of Stephenson, a freshman at Cincinnati, and Kentucky frosh John Wall.

“I haven’t heard much about [Stephenson] so in that case probably when you don’t hear a lot about somebody, they probably need to stay another year or so,” Jennings said. (more…)