NEW YORK — Count Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski among those who think the NBA and the NCAA have opened up a Pandora’s Box by allowing the Knicks to hire Isiah Thomas as a consultant.

“It’s a conflict [of interest] either way, from college or from the NBA, I just don’t understand why it wouldn’t be,” Boeheim, the head coach at Syracuse and an assistant with Team USA, said after Tuesday’s practice at John Jay College. “You know, you’re a college coach involved with kids and the NBA wants your players or evaluations of your players.

“It seems like it’s kind of a conflict a little bit that you’re coaching kids and then recommending them to pro guys.”

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Josiah Turner of the Drew Gooden Soldiers is in high demand as the No. 3 point guard in the nation.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Turner is currently considering seven schools as options for 2011.

“I’m at seven schools,” he said by phone from the Nike Global Challenge in Portland, Ore., where Team USA lost to France Friday night.

“Kansas, UConn, Louisville, Oregon, Oklahoma, UCLA and Arizona.”

Turner has just one official visit set.

“I’m going to Louisville on Sept. 4,” he said. “I don’t have any others planned.” (more…)

Rakeem Christmas, the No. 1 center in the Class of 2011, is now a free agent.

As first reported here Tuesday, Christmas and his aunt, Amira Hamid, visited Rutgers earlier this week.

Now it appears that the 6-foot-8 Christmas, who had earlier cut his list to five schools, is wide open in his recruitment.

“His recruiting is open again. No list,” said Kevin Givens, head coach at Academy of the New Church. (more…)

Another day, another group of stud recruits at Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights hosted Rakeem Christmas, a 6-8 center ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2011 at his position; Jermaine Sanders,  a 6-5 wing from Manhattan Rice; Greg Lewis, a 6-9 center from Baltimore St. Frances ranked No. 10 at his position; Kevin Smith, a 6-1 point guard from Baltimore Huntington Prep; and Aaron Brown, a 6-5 wing from Penn Wood (Pa.) High.

Christmas, out of Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa., visited with his aunt, Amira Hamid, from 11-2 p.m, but did not run with the team.

Christmas had cut his list to Georgetown, Florida, Florida International, Texas and Oklahoma, but Rutgers is now trying to break into the mix. (more…)

If the Seton Hall basketball team has a distinctly European feel to it next year, don’t be surprised.

The Pirates are involved with Torgrim Sommerfeldt, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Norway, and Ozan Dilik, a 6-4 point guard from Turkey.

Sommerfeldt visited the South Orange, N.J. campus last weekend and will likely choose from among Seton Hall, Rutgers, FDU and Florida International in the coming weeks.

“It looks like Rutgers or Seton Hall,” said Matt Fisher, Sommerfeldt’s Baltimore-based mentor. “He had a great visit at Seton Hall. They blew him away. Those guys are pretty impressive.” (more…)

NEWARK – Seton Hall had three of the top juniors in the New York metropolitan area on hand Saturday when it beat Cincinnati, 83-76, for its first Big East win of the season.

Sterling Gibbs, a point guard out of Seton Hall Prep pictured at left, Myles Mack of Paterson (N.J.) Catholic and Tyler Harris of Half Hollow (N.Y.) Hills West were all behind the Pirates bench at the Prudential Center.

“It was a good game,” Mack said. “Seton Hall pulled it out. I love the atmosphere but when the student body gets back it’s going to be better.”

The 5-10 Mack has not officially been offered yet by Seton Hall, but sources said head coach Bobby Gonzalez planned to offer him. He has led Paterson Catholic to a Top 10 ranking nationally.

Asked if he had any favorites, Mack said, “Not really, no favorites.” (more…)

Fordham interim coach Jared Grasso continues to reel in recruits.

Grasso landed a double-dip of guards Monday night when Jayon James, a 6-foot-5 guard from Paterson (N.J.) Catholic, and 6-2 guard Sean Armand, a Brooklyn native spending a postgrad year at Central Jersey Each One Teach One (CJEOTO) in Jersey, both orally committed to the Rams.

“I feel I had the best relationship wth Coach Grasso and the players that’s already there,” said James, who comes off the bench for the No. 9 team in the PrepNation.com poll. “I’ve been keeping in contact with them the most out of any other schools that I had.”

Grasso has been recruiting James since he was in the eighth grade and it paid off. A regular at the Reebok All-American Camp every July in Philadelphia, James said he chose Fordham over interest from La Salle, Rice, Canisius and Ivy League schools Columbia, Brown and Harvard. (more…)

John Calipari has sent back-to-back guards to the NBA lottery and is working on a third.

Is Brandon Knight next in line at Kentucky?

The 6-foot-3 Knight, the top prospect in the Class of 2010, has narrowed his list to four schools — Kentucky, Kansas, UConn and Florida — and will sign in the spring.

Considering Kentucky freshman John Wall will likely be the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, does it make sense that Knight will end up following in Wall’s foosteps? (more…)

Rakeem Christmas has cut his list to five schools from eight.

Florida International, Florida, Georgetown, Oklahoma and Texas are still in the running for the No. 1 center and No. 4 overall prospect in the Class of 2011.

Baylor, Villanova, Indiana and Ohio State were cut from the old list, and Florida International, coached by Isiah Thomas, was added.

“Since our last announcement, certain schools have made a valiant effort regarding Rakeem’s recruitment. Stronger bonds have been established with a few programs and their staff. Our current list reflects that,” said Amira Hamid, Christmas’ aunt and legal guardian. “Once we know it’s right for Rakeem and once he feels 100 percent confident about the situation, everyone else will know. This process has been lengthy but we are in no rush to meet a timeline. We’re pleased with the current schools we are considering and looking forward to watching them play this season.” (more…)

By BILLY DIAMOND
Special Contributor to ZAGSBLOG.com
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. —  On the same night his former team set a franchise record for ineptitude, Isiah Thomas dropped his first game in the metropolitan area as a college coach.

Facing a raucous anti-Isiah crowd, Florida International dropped to 0-2 after falling, 99-70, Friday at Monmouth’s new Multipurpose Activity Center.

Thomas, the former coach and president of the Knicks, was loudly booed as he walked onto the court to take his seat on the bench and one fan held up a sign that read “FIU: Fire Isiah University.”

“I’m used to being in hostile arenas,” Thomas said, according to The Associated Press. “As an athlete and as a former ‘Bad Boy,’ every place we went to was kind of this kind of environment. So I’m used to dealing with tough environments.” (more…)