“Yeah, I think so,” Calvin Lamb said by phone. “He’ll commit soon but he’ll sign in the spring.”

The 6-foot-4 Lamb has visited UConn, Kentucky, Kansas and Oklahoma and may still get out to see Arizona.

“Arizona, if it fits into the schedule I don’t see why not,” Calvin said. “He’s so busy with his games and Arizona’s busy, too.”

Lamb visited UConn over the weekend and Calvin said it went well.

“That was a really good visit. I can’t complain, really nice,” Calvin said.

Coach Jim Calhoun pitched the proximity of the campus to Queens, where the Lambs live.

“He said it’s close to home,” Calvin said. “He’ll be home but not too close to home. It’s easier for his parents to get to the games.”

Doron will return home on Saturday for the Thanksgiving break and Calvin said they will talk things over then.

“He comes home this weekend we’ll sit down and we can discuss everything when he gets home,” he said.

PITTSBURGH SIGNS THREE

Pitt continues to do well in the New York/New Jersey area.

The Panthers announced the signing of three players, guard Isaiah Epps (Plainfield, N.J./Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield H.S.), forward J.J. Moore (Brentwood, N.Y./South Kent Academy, Conn.) and guard Cameron Wright (Cleveland, Ohio/Benedictine H.S.).

Epps, Moore and Wright will enroll at Pitt in August, 2010 as freshmen. Moore committed to the Panthers last Wednesday.

“We are extremely excited about Isaiah, J.J. and Cameron,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “All three are good players from winning programs and all three have an outstanding work ethic.”

WEST VIRGINIA ADDS 7-FOOTER

West Virginia signed David Nyarsuk, a 7-foot-1, 230-pound center currently attending MountainState Academy in Beckley, W.Va.

I saw him play last year for Chris Chaney at The Patterson (N.C.) and he was raw but very athletic. He averaged 10.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

Nyarsuk came to the United States as part of the African Hoop Opportunities Providing an Education (A-HOPE) Foundation in 2008. A-HOPEis a non-profit charity that helps student-athletes from Africa, who donot have the means to advance their education in their home countries,with educational opportunities in the United States.

Nyarsuk is ranked No. 19 at his position by ESPN.com/Scouts Inc., and is rated as a 3-star by Rivals.com.

“We’re excited about David’s ability to be a game changer at thedefensive end of the floor,” Mounties coach Bob Huggins said. “His ability to changeshots around the basket, as well as run the floor, will fit well intowhat we want to do at both ends of the floor. David is an extremely hardworker which is what we have prided ourselves on.”

Nyarsuk joins Noah Cottrill, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from Logan,W.Va., in this year’s recruiting class.

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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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“It’s kind of 50-50 [whether he will sign early or late],” Linda Mashia-Jones said of her son’s plans. “He’s just undecided.”

A 6-foot-8 forward from Portland (Ore.) Jefferson, Jones and his mother visited UCLA this past weekend. He is considering the Bruins, along with Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington and Kentucky.

The early signing period runs Nov. 11-18.

“Hopefully [we will meet] by Wednesday,” Linda said.

Asked if there was a favorite, she said: “They’re all equal at this point.”

As for the UCLA visit, Linda said it went very well and she’s a fan of the nice weather in L.A.

“It was beautiful weather,” she said. “That definitely was a plus for me. It was nice to see some sunshine and get out of the rain.”

Terrence and Linda went to a Lakers game on their own Friday night and on Saturday Terrence watched a two-and-a-half-hour practice while Linda had dinner with head coach Ben Howland and his wife.

Forward Mike Moser, a fellow Portland native, and fellow freshman Tyler Honeycutt hosted Jones.

Linda said she liked how the UCLA campus is set up, with the dorms, athletic facilities and classrooms all near one another.

“I thought the UCLA campus was very student friendly,” Linda said.

Jones has one official visit remaining and could potentially go to Kansas or Arizona, but Linda said there were no plans for that at this point.

“That was our last official visit,” she said. “We have one more we could take but we haven’t scheduled anything and as far as I know there’s nothing in the works.”

JUST’IN-LOVE SMITH MAKES GOD SHAMMGOD PRESEASON LIST

Sources said Siena looked very strong in its scrimmage this weekend against Rutgers. Junior forward Ryan Rossiter of Staten Island had 23 points in 25 minutes and senior forward Alex Franklin scored 19. Mike Rosario (ankle) and Hamady N’Diaye (knee) did not play for Rutgers. Rosario will try to practice today (Monday), sources said. Rutgers opens the season Saturday against Marist at the RAC.

Speaking of Siena, the Saints have a player on their roster whose name is Just’in-love Smith.

Here’s his official bio if you don’t believe me.

“My mother said that she was `just in love’ with me, so that’s what she named me …. Just’in-love,” Smith, who is from East Greenbush, N.Y., reportedly said.

“I knew that kid for a whole year and didn’t realize that’s how you spelled his name,” said a source close to the program. “I thought his name was ‘Justin Love.’”

No, Justin Love is an artist in Brooklyn.

Smith has already made the Preseason Watch List for the 2009-10 God Shammgod Award.

PANKEY TO ANNOUNCE NEXT WEEK

Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony forward Ashton Pankey visited Maryland this past weekend and will visit Houston this coming weekend.

“He will decide and sign next week,” New Heights coach Jeff Rivera said.

(Photo courtesy Rivals, Siena Athletics)

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Brandon Knight

“Looks that way,” Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman wrote in a text.

The early signing period runs Nov. 11-18.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight took an official to Kansas last weekend and Beckerman confirmed that Knight will visit Florida Nov. 13-15.

“It is my understanding that he will visit Florida,” he said.

Knight has previously visited Kentucky and UConn and has also considered Miami and Syracuse.

UCONN AWAITING WORD ON PLAYERS

UConn sophomore point guard Kemba Walker of the Bronx scored 28 points and senior forward Stanley Robinson added 25 points as undermanned UConn defeated American International College, 106-67, Wednesday.

Freshman big man Alex Oriakhi added 16 points and 16 boards.

The No. 12 Huskies played without senior Jerome Dyson, junior Donnell Beverly and freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel due to pending evaluation of recently submitted paperwork pertaining to their eligibility certification.

FREE THROWS

6-8 forward Gil Biruta of Lithuania and St. Benedict’s Prep visits Rutgers Saturday after taking the SAT. Speaking of Rutgers, see the men’s basketball preview in the Video Player in the right corner of the blog...Latavious Williams has made himself eligible for tonight’s NBDL Draft. Williams initially committed to Memphis and then opted to play overseas…Neumann-Goretti guard Mustafaa Jones committed to Hartford. The 5-foot-11 guard chose Hartford over Hampton, New Hampshire, Columbia and Brown, according to Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer. Jones is the fourth Neumann-Goretti senior to commit, following Tony Chennault (Wake Forest), Daniel Stewart (Rider) and Tyreek Duren (La Salle).

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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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