“The schools I will visit are Providence, Seton Hall, Oregon State, St. John’s and probably Maryland,” the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Collier said Tuesday by phone from St. Anthony.

“I don’t have any favorite. I’m still open,” he added.

Collier, the No. 25 power forward and No. 134 senior prospect according to Rivals, confirmed that Rutgers was no longer on his list. He has yet to set any dates for taking officials.

Gonzalez and his staff met with Collier, his father, Red, and New Heights coach Adam Berkowitz for about 45 minutes Monday night.

“It went good,” Collier said. “They were telling us about the academics, about the system and the style they play. How I would best fit their program. They gave us some game DVD highlights to see how they play.

“They were there for like 45 minutes. We had a good conversation. My father seemed to like them.”

Next up for Collier is a Friday meeting with Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson, the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama.

“Oregon State is coming on Friday,” Collier said. “They’re coming to the open gym to see me play. The assistants said they liked the way I play.”

Collier said he feels fine physically and has been working out daily at St. Anthony for the upoming season.

“Everything’s OK,” he said. “I’m getting stronger.”

SETON HALL NOTES

**According to sources on the Seton Hall staff, Gonzalez will meet next Monday with Collier’s New Heights teammate JayVaughn Pinkston of Bishop Loughlin. The visit was postponed from this week.

**Gonzalez will fly to North Carolina for an in-home visit Wednesday with C.J. Leslie (pictured), the No. 4 PF in the nation out of Raleigh Word of God. Kentucky and North Carolina are also involved with Leslie.

**Gonzo also went to see Seton Hall Prep junior PG Sterling Gibbs on Tuesday and St. Peter’s Prep F Ronald Roberts last Friday.

ST. ANTHONY NOTES

Senior guard Elijah Carter has an in-home with Robert Morris coach Mike Rice on Wednesday and will take an unofficial to La Salle on Friday. Rutgers has expressed interest in 6-7 senior forward Derrick Williams, who is also considering Richmond, Temple, George Mason and St. Bonaventure.

(Photo courtesy Daily News)

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“I’m just trying to weigh everything,” Willard told the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram Monday night after meeting with his players. “I’m trying to make the best decision for Holy Cross, for our kids, for the University of Louisville, and for Rick Pitino.

“I think that every one of those considerations will provide a very invigorating and challenging outcome for Ralph Willard. I’m trying to weigh all those things.”

Willard is due to decide this week.

Willard and Pitino attended St. Dominic’s High School on Long Island and Willard later coached under Pitino with the Knicks and at Kentucky.

“The fire is still burning,” said the 63-year-old Willard, a 1967 Holy Cross graduate. “Having the opportunity to coach with someone who’s my best friend and obviously get energized that way would be very appealing at this point in my career.

“But it’s never easy to leave your alma mater or the kids we have in this program. I love them all.”

WILLIAMS SAYS VIRGINIA TOPS LIST

Derrick Williams visited Virginia over the weekend and now says it ranks at the top of his list.

“It was incredible,” said the 6-foot-7, 250-pound rising senior forward out of St. Anthony in Jersey City. “I like the whole thing, everything about that school. The coaching staff, the location of the school.”

He added: “As of right now, they are [my leader].”

Richmond, Penn State, Maryland, Providence, Fordham, George Mason and VCU are also involved.

Williams transferred into St. Anthony last season where he joined legendary coach Bob Hurley’s program.

“Derrick is just a physical presence around the basket,” Hurley said. “He can score inside against an individual player. He can score in double-teams. He’s very hard to keep off the offensive boards. And he’s a willing passer, so when he draws double-teams, he willingly kicks to people for shots…He’s the physically strongest kid I’ve ever coached.”

BARTON TO BREWSTER

Memphis commit Will Barton will attend Brewster (N.H.) Academy next year and play for coach Jason Smith. His brother, Antonio Barton, who also committed to Memphis, could play for Notre Dame Prep. The news was first reported by FoxSports.com

USC-bound big man Renardo Sidney scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the White Team.

In the Regional Game, Russell Smith of Archbishop Molloy poured in 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting to earn Co-MVP honors and lead the City team to a 129-120 victory over the Suburban team.

Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche had a game-high 33 points for the Suburban team and was the other Co-MVP.

Also for the City team, St. John’s-bound wing Omari Lawrence tallied 25 points and five rebounds;  James Stukes of Rice had 24 points; and Sean Johnson of Christ the King had 23 points.

Smith and Stukes, both of whom play for the Gauchos AAU program, will prep next year at South Kent (Conn.), as will Keith Spellman of Thomas Jefferson, who currently has no major offers.

“I thought the City guys played together and we had a 14-point run in the second half and they never recovered,” City assistant coach Lawrence Pollard of Thomas Jefferson said.

In addition to Triche, several other players reached double-figures for the Suburban squad. Rice-bound guard Tamir Jackson had 18 points, Fordham-bound wing Lance Brown scored 17 points; Robert Morris-bound guard Karon Abraham had 15 points; Rutgers commit Austin Johnson had 13 points and six rebounds; and George Mason-bound wing Sherrod Wright and uncommited forward Tevin Baskin scored 10 points apiece.

As first reported here, Rutgers-bound wing Dane Miller did not play for the Suburban Team due to a rotator cuff injury.

Maryland-bound big man James Padgett did not compete for the City team because he had already played in two all-star games.

Sherrod Wright

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior wing picked that school over Central Florida, Kansas State and South Carolina. He completes George Mason’s six-man recruiting class.

Wright is an athletic, strong wing player who comes from the storied Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High School program that also produced Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls and Rutgers players Jonathan Mitchell and Mike Coburn. Wright should have an impact immediately at George Mason, where he visited a couple of weeks ago.

“It was good,” he said recently. “I really enjoyed it. I played a couple fullcourts with the team. I met the team. I met the academic adviser, the head of the Engineering department. I’m thinking about majoring in that or Communications.”

Wright said he also likes Mason’s style of play.

“I like how they play,” he said. “They have a run and gun offense. They play three guards. They get up and down. I”ll most likely play the two.”

Wright was the MVP of the SNY Invitational in January, scoring a combined 60 points in wins over Thomas Jefferson of Brooklyn and St. Raymond’s of The Bronx.

He scored 25 points in his final high school game, a 71-70 loss to Newburgh Free Academy in the Class AA state regional final.

Wright will play Saturday in the Jordan Brand Regional Game at Madison Square Garden.

(Photo courtesy Daily News)

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound center from Oklahoma City (OK) Bishop McGuinness said Thursday at the Jordan Brand Classic practice that he would remain at Kentucky despite the recent coaching change.

“I’m still at Kentucky, I’m still at Kentucky,” said Orton, the No. 4 center in the Class of 2009. “I’m going to stay here.”

When asked if he ever considered leaving after John Calipari took over for the fired Billy Gillispie, Orton said, “There was that time that from when Coach G got fired, I was little frustrated with everything. There was a thought of having to go back through the recruiting process, which is a little stressful. But I just kind of dealt with it all.”

In the end, he opted to stay with Calipari: “Coach Cal’s a great guy and he just seems like a great coach,” Orton said.

In related news, Calipari announced that he had added former Kentucky stars Tony Delk and Scott Padgett to the staff, according to reports.

At Kentucky Orton will play alongside DeMarcus Cousins, the 6-10, 270-pound Kentucky signee from LeFlore (Ala.) High.  Cousins initially verballed to Memphis and then picked Kentucky after Calipari changed jobs.

Calipari will have no shortage of quality big men, especially if Patrick Patterson does not leave for the NBA. He is testing the waters but has not signed with an agent. Somehow the coach will have to find minutes for all these big guys, but Orton says he’s not worried.

“I figure you can’t go wrong, two good players,” Orton said. “I am [excited about playing with DeMarcus]. It’s going to be fun, especially if Patrick Patterson stays, which I think he will.”

Cousins is actively working on both Xavier Henry and John Wall to join them at Kentucky. Both players are among the top five in the nation and have yet to settle on a final school.

“Theyr’e just laughing at everything we say, not taking anything too serious,” Orton said of Wall and Henry.

“It’s stressful,” Orton said of the recruiting process. “I’ve been through the process before. Going through it again, I couldn’t imagine. For Xavier and John Wall, they’ve been through it all, I wouldn’t’ even want to be in [their] shoes right now.”

How good can Kentucky be with Orton and Cousins, and potentially Patterson, Jodie Meeks and maybe even Henry or Wall?

“Final Four contenders,” Cousins said emphatically. “We’ll beat Duke and North Carolina.”

“There’s no telling right now,” Orton added. “Just wait and see.”

ST. JOHN’S LOSING WAIT, YOUNG

St. John’s coach Norm Roberts announced that first-year center Phil Wait plans to transfer and that head team manager/video coordinator Kimani Young has resigned from his position for family reasons.

“We wish Phil the best as he continues his collegiate career,” said Roberts. “We support him in his decision to find a situation where he can attain more minutes on the court.”

Wait played in 11 games as a rookie big man in 2008-09, averaging 1.3 rebounds in 5.1 minutes. Though a first-year player and considered a freshman academically this past season, Wait will have two years of eligibility remaining following his transfer. Prior to 2008-09, the NCAA granted him three years of eligibility because of his participation in organized competition at Gran Canaria Academy (Spain) in 2007-08, after reaching 21 years of age.

Young, the father of three children between the ages of two and six years of age, resigned his post after one season following a family tragedy. Young’s wife, Sharette Dixon, passed away on March 23 at the age of 38.

“I never thought I would ever leave such a great University and historic basketball program as St. John’s,” said Young. “As a result of the tragic events my family has endured this past month, I have to take a step back professionally to evaluate my goals, with the care of my children being the primary focus and deciding factors.”

“I’d like to thank Coach Roberts, the staff and the entire St. John’s family for allowing me the opportunity of pursuing my dream, and for the unprecedented love and support that has been extended to me and my family during this difficult time,” Young continued.

Young will return to his old position as the athletic director of the New Heights AAU program.

SYRACUSE’S FLYNN SIGNS WITH AGENT

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said sophomore guard Jonny Flynn has signed with an agent and won’t return for his junior year. Flynn signed with Leon Rose, also LeBron James’ agent.

“Jonny Flynn has signed with an agent and will enter the NBA Draft,” Boeheim said. “He had a tremendous two years at Syracuse. Jonny helped to elevate our program as much as any player we have ever had. We wish him the best of luck as he pursues a career in professional basketball. I expect Jonny will be an outstanding pro player.”

Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris have already said they will leave Syracuse for the pros.

Draftexpress.com and NBAdraft.net both have Flynn going No. 15 to the Detroit Pistons.

That leaves Andy Rautins, Mookie Jones and Scoop Jardine as the lone returning guards at Syracuse. Those three, along with Brandon Triche, the Co-Mr. New York Basketball with Lance Stephenson, will lead the backcourt.

ODDS & ENDS

Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon (N.Y.) will decide this week from among George Mason, UCF, Kansas State and Hofstra, a source said….Memphis coach Josh Pastner reached out to Jarrid Famous, but Famous will not visit or consider Memphis.  New Florida International coach Isiah Thomas also called, but it was a no go. The 6-11 Famous is set to visit Arizona this weekend and then announce his choice next Wednesday at Westchester (N.Y.) Community College. Seton Hall, South Florida, UConn, Missouri and Villanova are also in the mix…Former Rice head coach Willis Wilson and former Kentucky assistant Glynn Cyprien were on the Memphis campus interviewing Tuesday, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports…Oak Hill point guard Lamont “Momo” Jones said he enjoyed his visit to USC this past weekend but has no timetable for announcing. Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said Arizona is the only other possibility for Jones, but no visit has been planned…Oklahoma freshman guard Willie Warren will return for his sophomore year, according to multiple reports. Warren averaged 14.6 points and 3.1 assists.

Josh Pastner, an assistant to former Memphis coach John Calipari, will be introduced as the Tigers new coach at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

It remains unclear what Pastner will be paid, but the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported that he earned a base salary of $200,000 last season as an assistant.

After Calipari accepted an eight-year, $32 million deal at Kentucky, Memphis reached out to a number of other candidates, reportedly  including Tim Floyd, Mike Anderson, Reggie Theus, Avery Johnson, Sean Miller and Leonard Hamilton.

Pastner has no head coaching experience. He was a walk-on on Arizona’s 1997 national championship team and then spent six years as an assistant under Lute Olson with the Wildcats. He came to Memphis last summer and spent a year under Calipari.

In his one year in Memphis, Pastner helped lead the Tigers to a 33-4 overall record, a sweep of the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.

He is a tremendous recruiter who helped bring in a stacked Memphis class that included Xavier Henry, Will Coleman, Darnell Dodson and DeMarcus Cousins.

It remains to be seen how many of these players will remain. The 6-foot-6 Henry has expressed a desire to go to Kansas, but his older brother, C.J., is a walk-on at Memphis and would have to sit another year if he transferred.

The 6-10 Cousins is the only unsigned member of the class and is considering Kentucky, Alabama, Memphis, Kansas State, N.C. State and Washington.

BLAIR TO THE NBA

DeJuan Blair will enter the NBA Draft after his sophomore season, CBSSports.com reported.

Blair, the Big East Co-Player of the year and a first-team All-America selection, averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds for the Panthers, who lost to Villanova in the Elite 8 in Boston.

Blair told me at the Big East Tournament in March that his goal was to play in the NBA.

“Of course,” he said. “Of course that’s my goal, to play in the NBA and hopefully one day that will happen. I’m just going to keep playing in college as long as possible.”

Pitt will also lose seniors Sam Young and Levance Fields, leaving a major rebuilding project for head coach Jamie Dixon.

UCF PICKS UP TWO COMMITS

Central Florida picked up commitments from Marcus Jordan and Nik Garcia of Chicago Whitney Young on Monday.

Jordan is a 6-2, 180-pound shooting guard who is the son of newly minted Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. Garcia is a 6-5 SG ranked No. 34 at his position by Rivals.

“They were interested in both of us,” Garcia told the Chicago Sun Times. “We’re really good friends. It was the right fit at the right time. This makes it all better.”

Garcia chose Central Florida over Nebraska, Providence and Rhode Island and Jordan picked UCF over Stanford and Iowa, according to the Sun Times.

Former Whitney Young guard AJ Rompza played for UCF last season and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.

UCF has one scholarship to give and is still courting Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon (N.Y.). He is slated to make an official visit beginning Friday.

The 6-4 Wright previously visited George Mason officially and was uncertain whether he would take any additional visits.

Sherrod Wright

“Central Florida and George Mason are showing me the most,” said Wright, the 6-foot-4 wing from Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High.

Wright said he wasn’t certain whether he would take a visit to Central Florida April 9, or if he would visit any other schools.

“I should be planning one but I’m not sure,” he said. “We didn’t set one yet.”

Wright said he also hears from Seton Hall and Hofstra, but not as much.

“I’m just hearing them out basically,” he said.

As for the Mason visit, it went well.

“It was good,” he said. “I really enjoyed it. I played a couple fullcourts with the team. I met the team. I met the academic adviser, the head of the Engineering department. I’m thinking about majoring in that or Communications.”

Wright said he also likes Mason’s style of play.

“I like how they play,” he said. “They have a run and gun offense. They play three guards. They get up and down. I”ll most likely play the two.”

He said he plans to pick a school “where I feel comfortable, where I trust the coaches, where I’m sure they’re going to push me to my limit.”

He hopes to make that decision by the late signing period beginning April 15.

“I’ll probably decide by April 15th,” he said.

HARRIS NAMED MVP

Tobias Harris scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds to earn MVP honors as Long Island Lutheran routed Jamesville-DeWitt 68-51 in the Class A final Saturday at the New York State Boys Basketball Federation Tournament of Champions.

Achraf Yocoubou added 16 points for Long Island Lutheran (19-8), and  Alshwan Hymes scored 17 points for Jamesville-DeWitt (27-2).

It was the fifth Federation title for Lutheran (19-8) and the first since 1997. Jamesville-DeWitt finished at 27-2.

Syracuse-bound guard Brandon Triche scored just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting with ‘Cuse head coach Jim Boeheim looking on.

Long Island Lutheran led 37-23 at halftime. Jamesville-DeWitt used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to cut the lead to eight, but Lutheran countered with a 10-0 run, including a three-point play by Harris that put the game out of reach.

Jamesville-DeWitt’s only lead came with the score 2-0 nine seconds into the game.

“I was surprised to see him,” Stephenson told the New York Post.

James Stukes, an uncommitted 6-5 small forward, had 22 points and Miami-bound guard Durand Scott added 16 as Rice crushed two-time defending State Federation champion Lincoln 77-50 in a Class AA boys semifinal in Glens Falls, N.Y. Rice will meet Newburgh Free Academy on Sunday for the state championship.

Stukes, who decommitted twice from Robert Morris, will prep next year at South Kent (Conn.) and said he could still wind up at Robert Morris.

Stephenson, New York State’s all-time scoring leader, had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists for Lincoln and the 6-8 Maryland-bound Padgett posted 12 points and 10 boards.

“You gotta lose some games,” Stephenson told the Post. “I thought it would be closer. We gave up. I was surprised, but it happens.”

As first reported here, the 6-5 Stephenson is expected to announce next week that he will play at Kansas, which lost to Michigan State Friday night in the Sweet 16. Maryland and St. John’s also made Stephenson’s final list.

Speaking of Kansas, guard Sherron Collins told the Topeka Capital-Journal that he plans to come back to campus for his senior season.

“What I’m saying right now is I’m coming back,” said Collins, who added that he is in fine shape financially and has the blessing of his family to return. “Coach [Bill Self] has to tell me something, if coach doesn’t tell me nothing, I’m coming back. Whatever he decides is what I’m gonna do.”

Collins said the addition of Stephenson could help Kansas win the NCAA championship.

“We could be a contender for a national championship next year,” Collins said. “Possibly win it.”

Stephenson shared the co-Mr. New York Basketball award with  Syracuse-bound senior guard Brandon Triche of Jamesville-Dewitt. Stephenson broke Sebastian Telfair’s state career scoring record in February and has helped Lincoln win a record four straight PSAL championships.

“I’m sad because I don’t really want to leave high school,” Stephenson said. “But I’m ready for the next step. I’m ready to have a career, go to the NBA and go to college. I have no regrets.”

WRIGHT ON THE GEORGE MASON VISIT

Sherrod Wright just finished up his official visit to George Mason and said he enjoyed it.

“It was good, I liked it,” the 6-foot-4 wing from Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High wrote in a text.

Wright spent Thursday-Saturday on the campus of the Virginia school.

Several other schools are also in the mix for Wright, including Hofstra, Seton Hall, South Florida and Central Florida.

He said he’s not sure what his schedule is going forward.

“I’m not sure yet,” he said.

The NCAA late signing period begins April 15.

(Photos courtesy New York Post & Daily News)

“I am very excited,” Gonzalez told the Star-Ledger at last night’s Tournament of Champions final, won by St. Patrick over Newark Science 73-57. “We finished strong this year and won seven of our last 12. I think we will be in the top six or eight teams in the Big East and a factor for the NCAA tournament. I’m excited, the sky’s the limit.”

Gonzalez, Rutgers head coach Fred Hill and Iona assistant Shaheen Holloway attended the game in part to recruit St. Patrick’s star underclassmen, junior guard Kyrie Irving and sophomore wing Michael Gilchrist.

They did not disappoint. Irving tallied 26 points, Gilchrist, who shook off an ankle injury to return recently, added 16 points and 15 boards and North Carolina-bound guard Dexter Strickland scored 14 points. George Mason-bound forward Paris Bennett scored nine points despite playing with a broken nose.

It was the fifth T of C title for coach Kevin Boyle and the Celtics and the third in the last four years.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams was also there to watch Strickland.

“The first think we look for in a recruit is if he’s going to be a great teammate, and Dexter is right there,” said Williams, whose team faces Gonzaga on Friday night in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Memphis, Tenn.

“He’s a tremendous prospect. I noticed he turned the ball over a couple times in the first half, but he shares the ball and he’s a great shooter.’”

(Photo courtesy Star-Ledger)

George Mason, Seton Hall, South Florida, Central Florida, Manhattan, Fordham, Hofstra and Duquesne are all possibilities, according to Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino.

“Those are the main players for him now,” Cimmino said Thursday. “I think he wants to sign in the April signing period.”

Wright had a home visit Wednesday with George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga and assistant Chris Caputo and by all accounts it went well.

Cimmino said he and Wright’s family were “in the process” of deciding which schools he would visit and hoped to have a schedule “done by Monday.”

Wright won’t visit any schools this weekend.

Wright scored 25 points last week in his final high school game, a 71-70 loss to Newburgh Free Academy in the Class AA state regional final.

He is expected to play in the Jordan Brand Regional Game April 18 at Madison Square Garden.

(Photo courtesy Christina Santucci / SNY)