12:30 - Knicks practice in Greenburgh,  N.Y. Knicks are coming off just their second win of the season last night in Indiana and the Allen Iverson buzz grows stronger every minute.

12:30 – Press conference for Newark Invitational in Newark. Bob and Dan Hurley and players from St. Anthony and St. Ben’s will be on hand to promote this stacked event Jan. 30, which includes a showdown between Duke-bound point guard Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick and Memphis-bound point guard Joe Jackson of Memphis (Tenn.) White Station.

6 p.m. - Iverson due to clear waivers and become a free agent. Is he a Knick by later today or tomorrow?

6 p.m. – Tobias Harris will announce his college choice at the ESPN Zone in midtown. The 6-foot-8 Harris out of Dix Hills Half Hollow Hills West High has already decided and will announce for either Tennessee, Syracuse, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland and Georgia Tech. I’m thinking I may hit this and then hoof it quickly down to the Garden for…

7 p.m. – Syracuse vs. Cal in the Coaches vs. Cancer event at MSG. Will Jim Boeheim be celebrating Harris’ commitment to the Orange or lamenting his commitment to Tennessee or West Virginia?

9:30 p.m. – North Carolina vs. Ohio State at MSG. Second semifinal features former St. Patrick star Dexter Strickland and new-look defending NCAA champs against Evan Turner and the Buckeyes.

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**First off, how about this loaded schedule that North Carolina has in the next couple of weeks? The defending NCAA champion Heels could play five ranked teams in an eight-game span.

They face No. 15 Ohio State Thursday in the Coaches vs. Cancer semis at MSG and could then face either unranked Syracuse or No. 13 Cal in Friday’s title game.

After two tilts against Gardner-Webb and Nevada at home, the Heels host No.2  Michigan State Dec. 1 and visit No. 4 Kentucky Dec. 5. After a home game with Presbyterian, the Heels play at No. 3 Texas Dec. 19.

“Perhaps I took one more game this year than I probably should have for this team,” Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

“You look at the poll and you have Michigan State, Texas, Kentucky 2, 3 or 4 and we’re playing all three of those and only one of them in the Smith Center. It is something that is difficult but the Texas game is the last one I took, but the idea of playing the first college basketball game in the Cowboys Stadium was intriguing to me. And looking back on it and looking at it as we get closer and closer, I said maybe I shouldn’t have done that but we’ll see how it works out.”

The Heels host Marshall, Rutgers and Albany before playing at the College of Charleston to close out the non-confernce. They begin ACC play Jan. 10 against Virginia Tech at home. 

Carolina hosts No. 9 Duke Feb. 10 and plays at Cameron Indoor to end the regular season March 6.

“We have played really good schedules but I think it’s important to be tested before you get into conference play because when you get into conference play I think you have to raise your play another level even over those big-time national games,” Williams said.

**Speaking of Duke and Carolina, I asked Strickland his thoughts on the recent commitments of former teammate Kyrie Irving (Duke) and Irving’s close friend Harrison Barnes (Carolina).

Strickland and Irving teamed up to lead Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions crown in 2009, the program’s third in four years. This year the Celtics are ranked No. 1 in USA Today’s preseason poll and, with Irving, Michael Gilchrist, Derrick Gordon and Kevin Boyle Jr., are favored to win a fourth in five years.

Strickland on Irving’s decision: “I wasn’t surprised really because we’re close friends so we talked about it. I just told him before he picked to make the right decision and if you’re comfortable with it that’s a good school for you.”

He added: “I think it’s a good pick for him I just hope that that system doesn’t change who he is as a player. He’s a good scorer looking to score and I know Coach K is going to want to run the program and make him fit into the system. I told him to just to stay on top of your game and just focus and have a good time at Duke.”

 Strickland on Barnes’ decision to announce for North Carolina via Skype on ESPNU: “Honestly, everybody was surprised. Coach Williams was surprised himself. [Barnes] did a good job of keeping on a straight face and not letting anybody think he was going here or think he was going to another school.

“I was surpsried. When he called us on the Skype I was really surprised and I’m happy also.”

(Strickland Photo courtesy UNC Athletics)

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Check back later today on SNY.tv and ZAGSBLOG.com for his decision.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Pankey visited Houston this past weekend and will announce for either Houston or Maryland.

“Making my decision today .. It was tough but I’m ready ; should be in the SNY studio around 1:00,” Pankey wrote on his Twitter page.

Three of Pankey’s St. Anthony teammates have already committed to Division 1 schools: Devon Collier (Oregon State), Derrick Williams (Richmond) and Elijah Carter (St. Bonaventure).

KNIGHT DENIES REPORT HE’S DOWN TO THREE

Brandon Knight, the No. 1 prospect in the nation out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest, denied a report in the Orlando Sentinel saying his top three schools were Kentucky, Kansas and Florida.

“Not right,” Knight wrote Monday morning by text.

The Orlando Sentinel cited an unidentified source in saying that Knight was targeting those three schools.

Knight visited Florida this past weekend for the season opener, an 74-46 victory over Stetson.

Knight declined to offer a list or a timetable on his decision.

He has previously visited UConn, Kansas and Kentucky.

Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman told me he believes Knight will wait until the spring to sign.

If Knight were to pick Florida, it would impact the recruitment of junior guard Austin Rivers, who has verbally committed to Florida but is also considering Duke.

“Duke wanted to recruit me, but they wanted to do it the right way out of respect for Florida. It’s two unbelievable programs and I feel fortunate that they both want me,” Rivers told the Sentinel.

“Both have really good coaches, really good programs, really good recruiting,” Rivers said. “There are a few differences and a lot of similarities.”

LESLIE TAKING HIS TIME

Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward C.J. Leslie is taking his time with his college choice.

The 6-8 Leslie has visited Kentucky, but told Newsobserver.com he is also considering N.C. State, Florida, Oregon, Georgia and UConn. He is the No. 4 power forward in the Class of 2010.

Newsobserver.com reported that Leslie made a surprise appearance Wednesday when Marietta, Ga., point guard Ryan Harrow signed his letter of intent with the Wolfpack. Harrow said he wanted Leslie to join him at N.C. State.

His mother, Leslie, recently told me the family was also trying to schedule a visit to Florida.

“I just wanted to get out and experience this recruiting thing because it’s definitely a one-time thing and make sure I chose the right school that’s best for me,” Leslie told Newsobserver.com.

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The 6-foot-8 Smith told me during a recent interview that he had decided where he wanted to go from among Georgetown, UConn and Duke and he then told Borges he had a frontrunner.

He’s not saying which school is his leader, but Smith has taken officials to Conn and Georgetown and an unofficial to Duke.

He broke down the pros of all three schools in a recent interview with me.

“I liked the history of Duke, the great players that came through Duke, Carlos Boozer, Grant Hill and Elton Brand,” he said.

“UConn, the same thing, the history. I like Jim Calhoun, the head coach, and his experience of sending people to the NBA and the former players Caron Butler, Ray Allen and Rudy Gaye.

“Georgetown, I like them because of the same thing. [David] Wingate, Allen Iverson [went to the pros]. I like the head coach [John Thompson III].

“All three of the head coaches, I felt a great connection.”

Smith put up 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks on Friday as Oak Hill routed Winston Salem Prep 100-69.

As for the 6-4 Lamb, he is on UConn’s campus today (Sunday) and is considering Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona and UConn. He has visited every school but Arizona.

“I’m just looking for a good coaching staff, a winning school, good players that I can work around,” he told Borges. “A school that’s basketball-first.”

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In a press conference at Ames (Iowa) High School, the 6-foot-6 Barnes sat at a table showcasing the insignias of each of his final six schools. He then praised each program before calling his final choice via Skype.

After the connection appeared to briefly drop out, Barnes looked at the computer and said “Coach Roy Williams.”

A picture of Williams and his North Carolina players popped up on an oversized screen in the auditorium.

At that point the crowd at Ames let out a roar of applause. Duke fans probably dropped to the floor wherever they were.

“We’ve got the whole team here,” said Williams, coach of the defending NCAA champion Tar Heels.

“I can see that,” Barnes replied.

“I need to get going signing my Letter of Intent here but I just wanted to let you know I’ll be joining you guys next year on the squad and I can’t wait to play with all you guys,” Barnes added.

“All right,” Williams exclaimed.

Barnes joins a powerhouse class that includes Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall.

“You’re talking about getting to a national championship game next year for the North Carolina Tar Heels,” ESPN’s Paul Biancardi said.

Barnes, No. 2  in the Class of 2010 according to Rivals, chose Carolina over Duke, UCLA, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State.

“Not only is Coach Williams so good at instructing the game but I felt that I had developed a great relationship with the players and I’m just so anxious to play with them,” Barnes told ESPNU.

In choosing Carolina over Duke, Barnes opted not to join his good friend Kyrie Irving, the point guard from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick who referred to Barnes as an “big brother” when he announced.

What will it feel like when Barnes makes that first trip to Cameron Indoor with the Heels in 2010?

“I think it will be one of the greateset feelings to be able play in front of the Cameron Crazies because I’ve been and I’ve seen the North Carolina rivalry and I think it will be absolutely great and I think it will be a great game,” he said.

How does Barnes fit in with Carolina’s program and what will his role be?

“They play a very up and down tempo and that’s something I like to do,” he said. ”I hope that I can just come in there and add my contributions to hopefully help us win a national championship.”

Barnes’ mom works at Iowa State and his father played  there, but Barnes said, “It was so  close to home and I would’ve done so much there. But at the same time I will take Iowa wherever I decide to go.”

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We don’t know which program because Barnes is keeping his cards very close to the vest.

Barnes, ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2010 by Rivals and out of Ames (Iowa) High, will announce from among Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and hometown Iowa State.

The smart money says it’s either Duke or North Carolina.

“I would say I’ve just scratched the surface of how deep that lies,” Barnes told the Des Moines Register in reference to the hatred between those two Tobacco Road programs. “I kind of expected it would be that way, because they’re two of the top programs in the country and they’re only miles apart.”

The 6-foot-6 Barnes has connections to both schools, He and Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick guard Kyrie Irving are very tight, with Irving referring to Barnes as his “big brother” when he recently announced for Duke.

“I’ll let the Duke coaching staff handle that,” Irving told ESPNU. “Harrison’s like a big brother to me. We talk all the time, but mainly it’s not about Duke. He’s his own man and he’s going to make his own decision and whatever decision he makes I’m going to be happy for him.”

Barnes also has a friendship with North Carolina commit Kendall Marshall and visited the Carolina campus the weekend they had their alumni game featuring none other than Michael Jordan.

Fun,” the 6-foot-6 Barnes wrote in a text after that visit. “The atmosphere. The past and present were all together and it was fun to think of being part of a tradition like that.”

Brian McLawhorn, publisher of Devils Illustrated.com, told the Des Moines Register there might be an epic meltdown if Barnes picks North Carolina over Duke.

“That would be an end-of-the-world scenario,” McLawhorn said.

The potential end-of-the-world is only a few hours away now… 

BIG VISITS ON TAP

Several of the highest profile players in the Class of 2010 will take visits this weekend as a prelude to likely signing n the spring:

**Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton guard Josh Selby visits Indiana. He is also looking at Kentucky, Kansas, Miami and Syracuse.

“We’re going to sign late, because it’s only fair to give every school that he’s interested in an opportunity,” Selby’s mother, Maeshon Witherspooon, told USA Today. “We’re going to visit Indiana this week, and we’re working on setting a date to visit Kentucky and Syracuse.”

**Oak Hill (Va.) shooting guard Doron Lamb will visit UConn this weekend (Saturday-Monday) and will likely sign late. He has visited Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma and may still visit Arizona.

**Brandon Knight, the nation’s No. 1 prospect out of Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest, will visit Florida this  weekend. He has been to Kentucky, Kansas and UConn and appears to be signing late.

**Dix Hills (NY) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris heads to Maryland today and Georgia Tech next week. He has already seen Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville and West Virginia. His father says he will sign Nov. 18 and announce Nov. 19.

BEYOND THE X’S AND O’S CLINIC

The Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, N.J. will host a clinic called “Beyond the X’s and O’s” on Nov. 20 from 8:30-noon. The speakers include former Nets coach Butch Beard, Rutgers men’s coach Fred Hill, Montclair State coach Ted Fiore and Seton Hall women’s coach Phyllis Mangina. All coaches will receive four hours of professional in-service credit. For more info contact David Kaplan at david.yogi@montclair.edu

(Photo courtesy AP)

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JayVaughn Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 forward from Bishop Loughlin considered the top prospect in the Big Apple, hasn’t picked a school yet and may or may not sign late.

“We cannot say definitively,” New Heights athletic director Kimani Young said Wednesday morning. “There’s still a possibility that he commits early.

“He’s still going through the recruiting process even as of this week to figure out if he’s decided 100 percent where he wants to go to.”

Pinkston, who recently led New Heights to the is8 championship by scoring a combined 59 points in the semis and finals, will choose from among Villanova, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Tennessee and Marquette.

Villanova appears to be the leader for his services.

“He’s thinking about it,” Young said of the recruiting process. “He’s not taking any more visits.”

***Doron Lamb, a 6-4 shooting guard from Queens who plays for Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, appears as if he will wait until the spring signing period. He has visited Oklahoma, Kansas and Kentucky and will visit UConn Nov. 15-16. He may also visit Arizona, but likely not until after the early signing period ends Nov. 18.

Pinkston and Lamb are among a group of elite 2010 prospects who may not sign until the spring. Guards Josh Selby and Brandon Knight and forwards Roscoe Smith, C.J. Leslie and Terrence Jones also may sign in the spring.

Selby will visit Indiana Nov. 14, while Knight will hit Florida Nov. 13. Leslie is also planning a visit to Florida, but no date has yet been set.

While that group may wait, several elite area players are poised to sign early.

***Tobias Harris, a 6-8 forward from Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West, says he will announce on Nov. 19.

Harris has visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville and West Virginia and will visit Maryland (Nov. 13-14) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 16-17) due up in the next week.

“When we finish all the visits, Tobias will decide,” Torrel Harris, his father, said recently. “Right now all of them are equal. Every one is better and better.”

***J.J. Moore, a 6-5 wing from Brentwood, N.Y., who plays at South Kent (Conn.), could announce at any time. He will choose from among Pittsburgh, Louisville and St. John’s.

**Russell Smith, a 6-2 shooting guard from The Bronx who also plays at South Kent, will visit Louisville this weekend and is expected to sign with the Cardinals once he receives a formal scholarship offer.

“They love him,” Russell Smith Sr. said. “That’s a good thing. Rick [Pitino's] been following him for a while, watching him play. They said they definitely want him.”

***Rod Odom, a 6-8 wing from Long Island who plays at Concord (Mass.) Middlesex, will sign with Vanderbilt Wednesday. He initially committed to Arizona and then changed his plans.

***Fuquan Edwin, a 6-6 wing from Paterson (N.J.) Catholic, signed with Seton Hall Tuesday night and faxed in his papers Wednesday morning.

**Rutgers recruit Austin Carroll says he will sign Thursday. Was too busy Wednesday with classes and road game 3 hours away.

**Ashton Pankey, a 6-9, 225-pound forward from New York who plays at St. Anthony, will visit Houston this weekend and will then decide between Houston and Maryland, which he visited last weekend.

“He really liked Maryland and I know he wants to be able to compare Maryland to another school,” St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley said.

“He’ll make a decision right after his visit,” Young added.

**Three other St. Anthony players have already committed and are expected to sign early: Devon Collier (Oregon State), Derrick Williams (Richmond) and Eli Carter (St. Bonaventure).

Hurley said the school likely will host a signing event for all four players next Tuesday.

**St. Patrick senior guard Kyrie Irving  signed Wednesday with Duke and his teammate, Derrick Gordon, chose Western Kentucky.

**St. Benedict’s senior guard Aaron Brown will sign with Temple Wednesday, while his 6-8 teammate Gil Biruta will visit Rutgers this weekend.

**As first reported here, Rice senior guard Shane Southwell has committed to Kansas State and will sign Wednesday.

“I just received my papers,” he wrote by text.

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Harrison Barnes,

The 6-foot-6 Barnes has reportedly not ruled out any of the six schools he is considering — UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State.

“I have enjoyed all of the officials, but it’s going to be good to make a decision next week,” Barnes told highschoolhoop.com in his diary.

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“We’re still working out the details,” Judge Johnston, the Ames (Iowa) High School activities director, said Thursday morning by phone. “There’s a lot of stuff going on out there in the Internet world.”

Barnes is considering defending NCAA champion North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma and Iowa State.

Various reports have had the 6-foot-6 Barnes announcing Nov. 12 or 13, and Johnston said Nov. 13 was the target date.

“We’re shooting for that date [Nov. 13] but still that’s not even confirmed,” Johnston said.

“He’s going to take his last unofficial visit to Iowa State [this weekend] and then we’re going to finalize the details after that,” he added. “There’s still some moving parts working into the decision of the exact announcement and timing and ESPN all that.”

ESPNU has hosted announcements for various high school stars.

Johnston said he hopes to know when the announcement will take place by Monday.

“I’m hoping the first thing Monday morning we’ve got a final decision,” he said.

(Photo courtesy Justin Hayworth/Des Moines Register)

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Le Moyne College?

Never heard of it. Turns out it’s a Division 2 school also in Syracuse.

Well, a whole lot of people will know about Le Moyne now after the Dolphins — yes, that’s their nickname — downed the No. 25 Orange 82-79 thanks  to sophomore guard Chris Johnson’s sixth 3-pointer of the night with 8.3 seconds left. (Johnson is pictured courtesy the Le Moyne website.)

Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson, who had hit a 3 from the left wing to put Syracuse up 79-78 with 22 seconds left, misfired on a 3-point attempt the other way. Can Ozkaner of Le Moyne then made 1-of-2 foul shots to send the Lemoyne fans into a celebration worthy of winning the national championship.

Wesley Johnson, the Iowa State transfer who sat out last season, poured in 34 points for Syracuse and certainly looks to be an NBA player in waiting. Read more about him in my recent feature.

“We executed and it came down to Chris Johnson making a huge 3 at the end. The play to Chris was a broken play and sometimes that’s the best way to get 3’s, when plays break down,” Le Moyne coach Steve Evans told SNY.

Chris Johnson scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half

Syracuse had beaten Le Moyne by 34 in its season opener last year.

This year’s win may be the biggest in program history.

“I’ve never had a bigger win at all. It’s an exhibition but I’m speechless. I’m glad we could win, especially in the Dome,” said 6-7 senior forward Laurence Ekperigin, who had 13 points and seven boards in the second half and finished with 20 and 11. (Note: Ekperigin grew up a stone’s throw from my parents house in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. and attended Walter Panas High School.)

Evans, whose father, Stan “Buddy” Evans, and best friend, Gallagher Driscoll, are also on his staff, talked about what the win means for his program.

“We’ve talked a lot about Le Moyne College,” he told SNY. “People in this community know about Le Moyne. We’re talking about branding our athletic program. We have a new athletic director, a new president. There’s a lot of nice new things happening at Le Moyne College and we’ve got a great basketball team. And if people want to come watch us play they’ll see some great talent at the Division 2 level…We play good basketball.”

He added: “It’s a real special time to be at Le Moyne College.”

On this night it certainly was.

FREE THROWS

Duke guard Nolan Smith was suspended two games for his participation in an unsanctioned summer league…Siena picked up a commitment from 6-7 power forward Melsahn Basabe of the St. Mark’s (Mass.) School.

Basabe chose Siena over Virginia Commonwealth and Drexe, according to Pete Iorizzo of the Albany Times Union, and also received offers from Big East schools Seton Hall and St. John’s.

“It was a hard decision,” St. Mark’s coach David Lubick told Iorizzo.

“One of the things was that Siena was in it right from the beginning. And it wasn’t just that they were first, but it also was how strong their interest was throughout.”

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