GREENBURGH, N.Y.

And Steve Novak will be the first to give Linsanity its just due.

“Everyone’s been able to see how valuable [he is], the way he gets in the paint on offense and finds guys, how valuable that is,” Novak, whose team meets Kobe Bryant and the Lakers tonight at Madison Square Garden, said earlier this week at the Knicks training facility.

Novak, perhaps more than any other Knick, has benefitted from Lin’s passing.

The former Marquette standout has scored 19 points in each of his last two games — wins over Utah and at Washington — and is 10-for-17 from beyond the arc in those games. Of Lin’s 18 assists in the last two games, 10 have gone to Novak.

“I think you’re really starting to see our offense come together when we have that kind of penetration and that kind of finding guys,” Novak said in crediting Lin, the second-year sensation from Harvard.

“And it’s contagious because other guys know, ‘I’m going to get the ball from him or I’m going to make the next pass because the next time down he’s going to find me again.”

The Knicks picked up the 6-foot-10 Novak — a 41.7 percent career 3-point shooter — in late December after he was released by the San Antonio Spurs

But he never scored more than nine points in a game for the Knicks until this month, when both Amar’e Stoudemire (brother’s death) and Carmelo Anthony (groin) have been absent from the lineup. Both of those players will miss at least two more games.

“At this point, I think we all know, you’re in the NBA for a reason,” Novak, 27, said of his back-to-back 19-point games. “Everybody can play. Anybody can have a huge game.”

Novak played four years at Marquette for former coach Tom Crean and was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets.

Even after bouncing around the NBA and the D-League, Novak remains close to his Marquette roots and current coach Buzz Williams.

“I work out there all summer,” he said. “I live five minutes from Marquette and play five-on-five with those guys and stay in touch. It’s definitely still my family.”

During those summer workouts, Novak sometimes goes up against the famous Marquette product of all time, Dwyane Wade, as well as fellow NBA players Jimmy Butler, Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward. 

“Whenever you go to a school and you have those bonds with your teammates, it’s special,” he said. “But then to carry it over to another league it’s pretty fun.

“And obviously, Dwyane has kind of paved the way for everybody and he’s done a great job and made a great name for Marquette. And there’s been quite a few guys after.”

One of them is Novak, who appears to have been swallowed up by Linsanity.

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Current stars Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder are both junior college products excelling for the No. 11 Golden Eagles (8-0).

With both players set to graduate this year, the next junior college star in the making at Marquette could be T.J. Taylor, a 6-4, 215-pound guard who will have three years of eligibility remaining after he arrives from Paris Junior College in Texas.

“He’s a big guard that can shoot the ball, can play multiple positions,” Paris coach Chuck Taylor told FiveStarBasketball.com. “He’s really athletic. He’s got a great frame.”

Click here to read the full story at FiveStarBasketball.com.

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NEW YORK -

Maybe it is Marquette’s history of success with junior college players.

Maybe it is coach Buzz Williams’ own background as a JUCO coach.

Or maybe it’s some combination of all those factors that has inextricably linked Marquette to the word “toughness” in recent years.

Yes, they are tough. But after improving to 8-0 with a 79-77 win over Washington in the Jimmy V Classic at MSG, maybe it’s time to recognize that the No. 11 Golden Eagles are skilled, too.

After all, Crowder, a former junior college player at Howard, did win the game on a 3-pointer from the corner with 6.3 seconds to play.

“That makes us one-dimensional, and that’s not what we are,” Crowder said of all the toughness talk.

“We practice our skill work and things like that just like everyone else does, and it shows because we know how to put the ball in the hoop. So I think we get overlooked in that category for sure.”

Williams is known for his folksy, yet philosophical, insightful talk.

And he’s wants his team to be perceived as tough.

“I think we’re pretty good,” he said. “We don’t want toe be tactical. We don’t want to be technical. We just want to be tougher than anybody we play.”

Still, Williams feels the media has missed the boat on his team’s overall skill level.

Between Crowder, Darius Johnson-Odom, Todd Mayo and Vander Blue, the Eagles have quite a collection of skill players, players virtually any team in the country would like to have.

Marquette is averaging 83. 5 points per game, while holding opponents to 61 points a game.

“At some point you have to give it up that our program is much deeper than just being the toughest team,” Williams said. “At some point the problem with it is because I don’t say it, nobody writes it.

“I don’t want to talk about what we do. I want our character to be revealed….It’s more than they’re just tougher than the opponent.

“At some point, somebody has to have enough guts to say that.”

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In this video interview from Big East Media Day, Marquette coach Buzz Williams talks about the prospects for the Golden Eagles, picked sixth in the Big East.

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“I picked Marquette because it felt like the perfect place for me and as soon as I stepped foot on campus, I felt Marquette was the place for me,” Burton said by text. “Then Buzz [Williams] is the perfect coach for me and I feel he will push me to limits I didn’t know was possible.”

Now at Brewster (N.H.) Academy, Burton is the Rivals No. 8 small forward in the Class of 2013.

The commitment was first reported by NY2LASports.

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“The new agreement is an acknowledgement of Buzz’s standing as one of the rising stars in collegiate coaching,” Marquette AD Steve Cottingham said. “The current direction of the program under his leadership fits perfectly into the mission and values of the University. Buzz has done a tremendous job guiding the program to successes both on and off the court and we look forward to that continuing for many years to come.”

The Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of Williams’ first three seasons, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11. Marquette is 69-37 (.651) overall during his tenure and 32-22 (.593) in Big East Conference competition.

“I was given an opportunity beyond my wildest dreams 1086 days ago and my entire family is extremely humbled and grateful by the opportunity to continue this journey,” Williams said.

“Too much attention is given to my position, but I assure you, it’s the collective ownership of all of those who impact our program daily, who have developed the culture we currently have,” Williams added. “I am thankful to all of those who work so diligently to make our program the success it is today.”

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Georgia Tech associate AD Wayne Hogan said:

The search for the next men’s basketball coach at Georgia Tech has not concluded and is still ongoing, contrary to a number of published internet reports on Friday. As is our policy, we do not comment on ongoing searches. However, due to these erroneous reports we felt compelled to clarify the status of the search process.

SportsbyBrooks.com reported Friday that Gregory had been offered the job but has yet to decide whether to accept.

The site also reported that Georgia Tech interviewed Tulsa head basketball coach Doug Wojcik.

WILLIAMS SAYS HE ANTICIPATES EXTENSION

Marquette coach Buzz Williams told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel he anticipates getting a contract extension done soon with Marquette.

As I reported Friday night, a source close to Williams said he would be intrigued if Rick Barnes left Texas for N.C. State. Barnes is a Hickory, N.C. native, and Williams is from Texas.

“I have now completed three seasons as head coach at MU,” Williams told Todd Rosiak of the Journal-Sentinel. “I have worked under three different contracts. I anticipate, if I can sleep between now and open of business on Monday, that on Monday we’ll begin to work on the fourth contract…

“Is it gonna happen on Monday? I don’t think so. I can tell you this: from the bottom to the top… I have great confidence in them. I think they feel the same way about me. And no amount of money, no years of service, no anything else that goes into a contract means more to me than that…

“I have great comfort about where I’m at personally and where I’m at professionally. I have unbelievable confidence and faith in the upper management at MU. And that’s not going to change, regardless of my emotional level from just getting whipped in the Sweet 16. I think that our future is bright…

“If you track my past, I’ve never made a decision on money. Ever. And I have never made a decision on location.”

COACHING CAROUSEL

**Vanderbilt assistant King Rice is the leader at Manhattan, according to Hoopdirt.com. LIU coach Jim Ferry, St. Peter’s coach John Dunne and Louisville assistant Steve Masiello are also in the mix, per sources. Dunne has also interviewed at Monmouth, sources said.

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NEWARK -

It’s certainly never a good idea to ask him publicly. You know, in a room full of reporters. When he’s in front of a microphone.

At least not if you want a shred of truth in the answer.

Why, just last week an intrepid reporter ask then-Missouri coach Mike Anderson after his team lost to Cincinnati in the first round if he wanted to address rumors linking him to the Arkansas job.

“I’m excited about what’s taking place at Missouri and I plan on being at Missouri,” Anderson told reporters at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. “That’s the bottom line.”

Six days later, of course, Anderson was introduced as the new coach at Arkansas.

And so, it probably wasn’t prudent to raise the subject with Marquette coach Buzz Williams after his team was shellacked by North Carolina, 81-63, in an East Regional semifinal here at The Prudential Center.

Still, a source close to Williams said immediately after the loss that he doubted Williams would leave for Oklahoma, a job to which he’s been linked.

“I don’t think so,” the source said.

The source did say that if Rick Barnes, a Hickory, N.C. native, were to leave Texas for N.C. State, things could change dramatically and Williams would be interested in coaching the Longhorns.

“If Rick Barnes leaves, that’s another story,” the source said.

The folksy Williams grew up in Van Alstyne, Texas and graduated from Oklahoma City University.

Barnes turned down the N.C. State situation in 2006, but has been floated as a potential candidate there now. The source said the N.C. State job could pay what the top college coaches make: at least $2-3 million annually. Arizona’s Sean Miller, whose team thrashed defending champion Duke Friday night in a West Regional semifinal, has also been linked to the job.

As far as Williams, Tulsa World columnist Dave Sittler reported that, contrary to reports, Williams, 38, doesn’t have a $3.8 million buyout clause in his contract.

In this interview with ZAGSBLOG and SNY.tv, Marquette assistant Aki Collins previews tonight’s Sweet 16 matchup in Newark between the Golden Eagles and 2009 NCAA Champ North Carolina.

A hot name in the Coaching Carousel, Collins also addresses his desire to one day become a Division 1 head coach.

“It’s definitely my goal to become a head coach,” he said. “The chips will fall where they may. If it’s this year that I get a job, great. If not, we’ll be back here next year and we’ll have a really good team next year at Marquette. And at some point in time, I believe I’ll be a head coach.”

For more on Marquette, read Mike Vorkunov’s piece today about how the Golden Eagles are a reflection of head coach Buzz Williams.

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“I’m committing to Marquette,” he said by text.

The 6-foot-4 Mayo also considered Central Florida, Memphis, Baylor and Oklahoma State.

“I’ve had a long year here at Notre Dame Prep, and while some schools are picking up interest now, Marquette has also been loyal to me the whole way,” he said. “I also like the fact that their whole staff has seen me play and they all feel like I’m a great fit for the Marquette family. I’ve grown to trust Aki Collins and Buzz Williams and feel certain that they can help take my game to the highest level possible.”

The half brother of NBA guard O.J. Mayo, Todd is a natural scoring guard who put up 83 points in three games as Notre Dame Prep made a run to the final of the National Prep Championship.

Mayo scored a game-high 27 in the final, when Notre Dame Prep fell to Andre Drummond and St. Thomas More, 90-74.

“Todd is clearly one of the best scorers we’ve had here at Notre Dame Prep,” said Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd, “and I’m excited  to see what he can do in the Big East.”

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