I’m working on a feature story on brothers Ashton and Sterling Gibbs of Scotch Plains, N.J., both of whom are playing for USA Basketball teams this summer.

Check back later for the full story, but I’m posting this college update first.

Sterling, a 6-foot point rising junior guard out of West Orange (NJ) Seton Hall Prep, says Villanova is his leader at this point.

“I would say right now the favorite would be Villanova,” Gibbs said Thursday by phone after he scored 13 points as the U.S. beat Venezuela 102-76 in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mendoza, Argentina.

“I just like the way that they play and how their guards play. They’re just an open offense. There’s not real set plays. They just like to have players who could just make plays.”

Temple Gibbs, the boys’ father, said in an interview that the Villanova assistant coaches had seen Sterling play but that an official offer likely wouldn’t come until head coach Jay Wright sees him in person.

Sterling said he’s also hearing from Oklahoma, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Maryland.

Temple said they would take a visit to Oklahoma’s Elite Camp in August.

As for when he might decide, Sterling said: “I can’t even say right now. I think if the right school offers, that’ll determine my decision.”

Ashton is a rising sophomore at Pittsburgh who on Thursday was named to the U19 team that will compete in the World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.

Could Sterling imagine following his brother to Pitt?

“I’ve been looking into it, I like Pitt a lot,” he said. “Even though me and my brother don’t play alike, I think I can still succeed in that offense. And I like the way Jamie Dixon coaches and the way they took care of my brother, I’d imagine they’d do the same thing for me.”

WESTERN KENTUCKY PICKS UP COMMITMENT

Western Kentuckyi coach Ken McDonald secured a commitment from 6-8 Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward Stephon Drane.

Drane, who averaged six points and six rebounds last season, was a teammate of Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall.

“I just felt really comfortable down there when I visited three weeks ago,” Drane told Highschoolhoop.com. “I just liked everything about the school, and when I committed today they were real excited. They said I could consider myself part of the family.”

FREE THROWS

Jodie Meeks can return to Kentucky if he is not drafted, provided he doesn’t hire an agent, doesn’t sign any contracts and asks for reinstatement…North Carolina will play Texas Dec. 22 in Texas, according to Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com…Roscoe Smith, a 6-8 forward who played at Baltimore (MD) Walbroo, will suit up for Oak Hill Academy next year, according to multiple reports…Former Seton Hall forward Brandon Walters has visited Siena, Manhattan and Hofstra.

]]> http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/06/19/gibbs-says-villanova-is-his-leader/feed/ 0 http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/05/27/baskin-to-quinnipiac/ http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/05/27/baskin-to-quinnipiac/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 22:54:39 +0000 Adam Zagoria http://www.zagsblog.com/?p=17065 Tevin Baskin, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Stamford (Conn.) Trinity Catholic, committed to Quinnipiac on Wednesday, choosing that school over Manhattan and New Orleans.

Baskin said he chose Tom Moore’s program because of its proximity to home and because of the size of the school.

“It’s big, but it’s not huge,” Baskin told his hometown Stamford Times. “It’s small, but it’s not tiny.”

He added: “I’m just happy I got this process out of the way and now I just can just relax.”

Baskin initially drew interest from Big East and other high-major schools, but then said he hadn’t heard back from some of those programs.

Last season, Baskin averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds for Trinity Catholic, which finished 24-2 and was upset by eventual state champ Bulkeley in the Class L quarterfinals.

“For all the right reasons, Kevin deserves this chance,” Rohrssen told The New York Times. “He’s someone who won’t take this for granted.”

Laue is part of a three-man recruiting class that also includes 6-4 guards Rico Pickett and George Beamon.

Laue played varsity as a junior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif. but broke his leg as a senior. He then enrolled as a postgard in Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy’s postgraduate program.

“He was too good of a player not to get a chance at a college scholarship,” Fork Union Coach Fletcher Arritt, who has sent more than 150 players to Division I programs, told The Times. “Kevin has adjusted to having one hand, whether it’s tying a shoe or doing a figure 8 in basketball.”

Former Yankees and Angels pitcher Jim Abbott excelled in the Major Leagues for 10 years, throwing a no-hitter with the Yanks in 1993, despite not having a right hand.

“Years later, here I was in a position to help someone achieve their goal of getting a college scholarship and realize their dreams of playing Division I basketball,” Rohrssen told The Times. “In some way, in doing this, it gives Kevin the opportunity to inspire many others.”

(Photo courtesy New York Times)

John Wall,

Authorities said Wall, 18, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering in connection with an April 27 break-in at an unoccupied home in Raleigh.

An officer saw Wall leaving from the rear of the house and detained him, police said. There was no forced entry and nothing was taken from the house, police said.

The home in question is vacant and for sale, meaning Wall and his friends could have just been guilty of hanging out in a spot where they were not allowed.

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Dave Telep of Scout told WRAL. “It’s a misdemeanor. It could be nothing more than a mistake.

“I think John is a good kid. It doesn’t feel right,” Telep added.

The 6-foot-4 Wall is due to cut his list any day. He currently lists Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami and N.C. State.

It remains unclear how this latest  charge will impact Wall’s recruitment, Will Duke or Kentucky back off? Will Coach K decide he can’t get such a player, no matter how talented, into Duke? Will John Calipari have a hard time explaining to his boosters and administration why he went so hard after a young man who has been charged with a crime? Or will the whole thing prove to be much ado about nothing?

BASKIN VISITING MANHATTAN

Tevin Baskin, 6-foot-7 senior forward from Trinity (Conn.) Catholic, says he will visit Manhattan in the next week and is also planning several other visits.

“I’m still hearing from Providence. Missouri and Georgia Southern are showing interest,” he wrote in a text. “I’m going to wait it out and see what happens and what offers come in and I’ll make a decision based on where and who I feel comfortable with.”

Last season, Baskin averaged 20.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for Trinity Catholic, which finished 24-4 and lost to Crosby, 82-79, in the state championship game despite 35 points and 12 rebounds from Baskin.

Last summer, Baskin averaged about 15 points and eight rebounds for the New York Gauchos. They captured two tournaments in New York and made the final of the national AAU 17-and-under championship, losing to Team Breakdown of Florida, 77-60. That squad features Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight.

John Calipari

Kentucky on Thursday signed Miami-Dade College wing Darnell Dodson, who was recently let  out of his letter of intent at Memphis.

The 6-foot-7 Dodson, originally from Greenbelt, Md., initially signed with Pittsburgh and was taking classes there in the fall of 2007 before he ran into NCAA Clearinghouse issues.

He attended Miami-Dade College last season where he helped guide the Sharks to a Southern Conference Championship and a 26-2 regular season record. He averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 76.7 percent from free throw line en route to First Team All-Southern Conference honors.

Dodson joins DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, Ala.), Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jon Hood (Madisonville) and Daniel Orton (Oklahoma City, Okla.) as members of UK’s 2009 signing class. The 6-10 Cousins initially made a verbal commitment to Memphis but did not sign.

Kentucky still desperately needs a point guard and is involved with both John Wall, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2009, and Eric Bledsoe, the No. 3 point guard.

Calipari and several assistants visited Wall on Wednesday at Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy, trying to persuade the 6-4 guard to become their floor general.

“It went good,” Wall said by text.

Florida coach Billy Donovan also visited Wall Tuesday, per Jerry Meyer of Rivals.

Wall is now at Miami this weekend on an official visit and said he would cut his list to “three or four” sometime next week.

Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami and N.C. State are in the mix.

SMITH TO LOUISVILLE

Earl Smith says his son Chris Smith will transfer to Louisville and sit out a season before suiting up in 2010.

Smith spent this past season at Manhattan.

“He’s definitely going to Lousiville,” Earl said Friday by phone. “After he finishes school, he’ll probably go to a summer semester there. He’ll  just get acclimated with the team and go from there.

“He has to sit out next year and then he’ll have two years left.”

Earl said he spoke to several Louisville assistants, although former Manhattan assistant Steve Masiello was not one of them.

The younger brother of Denver Nuggets guard JR Smith, Smith attended St. Benedict’s with current Louisville big man Samardo Samuels.

Smith averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds this past year at Manhattan. He scored in double-figures 20 times, including a 35-point outburst against Princeton.

Smith initially committed to Seton Hall but the schools parted ways and he began playing at Manhattan the second semester of 2007-08. He can suit up for another Big East school because he was never eligible at Seton Hall.

(Photos courtesy Miami-Dade, Manhattan)

Hall, 6-8, 210-pound forward from Memphis White Station High School , will announce his decision on Friday at his school. Jerry Meyer of Rivals says Hall will select either Baylor, Seton Hall or UAB.

Dixon, a 6-9, 210-pound forward out of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College pictured above, visited Seton Hall last weekend with Hall.

He is headed to Western Kentucky for an official visit Friday and also plans to visit Missouri and Memphis.

“I gotta keep my options open,” he told me last week. “I’m going to make a decision after my last visit.”

Manhattan coach Barry “Slice” Rohrssen scored a major coup when he landed point guard Rico Pickett, who spent a year at Alabama before playing at Miami-Dade.

“I wanted to go to a school where it would be based around me as the point guard,” Pickett told the Times Daily.

The 6-4, 170-pound Pickett was ranked as the No. 12 point guard in the Class of 2007 by Rivals.

Florida and UConn were also recruiting Pickett and he had been scheduled to visit UConn this weekend.

“Louisville is probably the main one,” said Earl Smith, Chris’ father. “He’s still got classes at Manhattan. He’s going to wait till he finishes up there. [He'll probably] visit in the middle of May as soon as he gets out.”

Earl said “a lot of schools” were interested in Smith, a 6-3 shooting guard out of St. Benedict’s Prep.

“There’s a school in Houston, a lot of schools,” he said. “But Louisville’s the main one.”

The younger brother of Denver Nuggets guard JR Smith, Smith attended St. Benedict’s with current Louisville big man Samardo Samuels.

Smith averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds this past year at Manhattan. He scored in double-figures 20 times, including a 35-point outburst against Princeton.

Smith initially committed to Seton Hall but the schools parted ways and he began playing at Manhattan the second semester of 2007-08. He can suit up for another Big East school because he was never eligible at Seton Hall.

“This is what I want to do,” Tyler, a 6-foot-10 17-year-old from San Diego told The New York Times. “It will help me get better and grow up.”

Projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Tyler had initially committed to Louisville but instead will play in Europe for the next two years to improve his level of play and maturity.

He is working with grassroots sneaker czar Sonny Vaccaro to find the right spot for him in Europe, likely Spain. Vaccaro helped broker the $1.2 million deal that sent Brandon Jennings to Italy instead of college. Jennings is likely to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Vaccaro said he’s uncertain how much Tyler will make but it’s more likely to be in the six-figure range.

“It’s significant because it shows the curiosity for the American player just refusing to accept what he’s told he has to do,” Vaccaro told The Times. “We’re getting closer to the European reality of a professional at a young age. Basically, Jeremy Tyler is saying, ‘Why do I have to go to high school?’ ”

Garnett’s move more than a decade ago paved the way for players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight Howard to go straight from the preps to the pros. But when the NBA instituted an age limit of 19 in 2006, high schoolers could no longer go that route.

The Tyler family will hire a professional sports agent and a financial planner, according to Yahoo! Sports. Tyler’s father, James, and his uncle will live with him so that he’s never alone.

“It may not be the best way to get to the NBA, but it’s the best way to get ready for the NBA,” Jeremy Tyler told Yahoo! Sports this week.

DENNIS TO BAYLOR

Former Memphis commit Nolan Dennis won’t need to visit UConn this weekend because he committed to Baylor Wednesday night after Baylor coach Scott Drew visited the 6-5 shooting guard at his North Richland Hills, Texas school.

“When I was there, I felt good chemistry with the team,” Dennis told Jerry Meyer of Rivals. “The coaching staff is great and the school is nice. From the gym to the locker rooms, it has the feel of a NBA team. I just had a really good feel about the situation there.”

Dennis, who was released from his Letter of Intent, is the second former John Calipari recruit to switch allegiances since Calipari left for Kentucky. 6-10 center DeMarcus Cousins recently signed with Kentucky after making an oral commitment to Memphis. And 6-6 shooting guard Xavier Henry is expected to announce this morning that he will commit to Kansas after first signing with Memphis. Meyer also reports that Darnell Dodson, another Memphis commit, could end up on the wing at Kentucky now that Xavier Henry is headed to Kansas.

FREE THROWS

Calipari, Kansas coach Bill Self and Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel all attended an open gym Monday in Ames, Iowa to watch 2010 small forward Harrison Barnes, Meyer reported…Speaking of Calipari, check out this nice little $2.3 million house he’ll be living in at Kentucky…When he’s not at his new digs, Calipari is also going hard after uncommitted point guard John Wall, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2009. Wall will visit Miami this weekend and told me he would try to cut his list next week.

ROHRSSEN TO KENTUCKY?

Sources say Manhattan coach Barry “Slice” Rohrssen is mulling a lucrative offer to become an assistant on Calipari’s staff at Kentucky, but Rohrssen said he’s happy at Manhattan.

“I’m the head coach at Manhattan College and I”m very happy to be here,” Rohrssen said Thursday in a phone interview. “This is a very good place for me because it has excellent leadership, a great AD and it’s my hometown.”

Rohrssen is a tremendous recruiter who helped bring many players to Pitt, including Chris Taft (Xaverian), Levance Fields (Xaverian), Carl Krauser (Notre Dame Academy), Ronald Ramon (All Hallows), Keith Benjamin (Mt. Vernon), Mark McCarroll (Christ the King), and Tyrell Biggs (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.).

If Rohrssen does leave, look for Manhattan to make a major push for Louisville assistant Steve Masiello, who worked on Bobby Gonzalez’s staff at Manhattan. If Masiello doesn’t take it, Seton Hall assistant Dermon Player also knows the New York landscape as well as anyone.

(Photo courtesy New York Times and Kelly Kline and Manhattan College)

Chris Smith

The 6-foot-3 former St. Benedict’s Prep guard and younger brother of Denver Nuggets guard JR Smith will end up somewhere else and will have to sit a year.

“Chris has asked for his release and our athletic department has granted this request,” Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen said. “We appreciate his contributions to this program and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Smith averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds. He scored in double-figures 20 times, including a 35-point outburst against Princeton.

Smith initially committed to Seton Hall but the schools parted ways and he began playing at Manhattan the second semester of 2007-08.

**Speaking of St. Benedict’s, Dan Hurley’s club is playing for a national championship this weekend. Read about it here.

]]> http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/04/02/chris-smith-leaving-manhattan/feed/ 0 http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/03/27/wright-to-visit-ucf-calhoun-to-cent-conn/ http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/03/27/wright-to-visit-ucf-calhoun-to-cent-conn/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:34:13 +0000 Adam Zagoria http://www.zagsblog.com/?p=13979 Sherrod Wright, the 6-foot-4 wing out of Mount Vernon (N.Y.), will visit Central Florida the weekend of April 9, according to a source.

Marcus Jordan, the son of Michael Jordan, will also visit UCF this weekend.

Wright is headed on an official visit this weekend to George Mason. He is also considering Seton Hall, South Florida, Manhattan, Hofstra and Duquesne.

In other news, Tevin Calhoun, a 6-5 small forward from Linden (N.J.) High, has verbally committed to Central Connecticut. He’s waiting for his SAT score to come in on April 6 to sign.

Elsewhere, onetime Seton Hall commit DeAndre Kane is working on setting up a visit to Marquette. He has been to Marshall and is also considering Rhode Island.