“He’s not going to commit today,” New Heights athletic director Kimani Young said.

“JayVaughn and his family have decided that he will not make his college choice decision today. He’s not 100 percent sure where he wants to go to school so rather than make a rush decision he’ll just wait unitl the spring.”

 The Daily News reported on its website Tuesdsay that Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 forward from Bishop Loughlin considered the top high school player in New York City, would announce for Tennessee Wednesday.

But Pinkston is not certain where he wants to play and will now wait until the spring. He is also considering Villanova, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Marquette.

“He’s going to go to  the best situation for him,” Young said.

Whether this decision impacts Tobias Harris at all remains to be seen.

The 6-8 Harris is slated to announce Thursday and Tennessee is considered one of the favorites to land him, along with Syracuse, West Virginia and Louisville.

Harris’ father, Torrel, said Monday that if Pinkston chose Tennessee it wouldn’t necessarily inhibit Tobias from going there as well.

Now that Pinkston isn’t announcing for Tennessee, it could open the door even wider for Harris to Tennessee. But we won’t know for sure until he makes his announcement.

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JayVaughn Pinkston, a 6-6 combo forward from Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin considered the top prospect in New York City, will announce at 3 p.m. Wednesday at his school.

The Daily News reported on its Website Tuesday that sources indicated Pinkston would announce for Tennessee, but New Heights athletic director Kimani Young said, “Nobody confirmed that.”

Pinkston is expected to announce from among Villanova, Tennessee, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Marquette.

If Pinkston picks Tennessee, it could well have an impact on what Tobias Harris says at his announcement Thursday on ESPNU since both play the same position.

“There’s no way they’re going to the same school,” said a Division 1 assistant coach recruiting one of the players.

Torrel Harris, Tobias’ dad, said it would be Tobias’ decision, but that the two players could potentially coexist on the same team.

“They’re two different players,” Torrel said. “JayVaughn is a power forward and Tobias, he can do it all. I think if he [Pinkston] did go there [Tennessee], they’ll both play a lot.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the 6-8 Harris, a senior at Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West, had finished up his final visit — to Georgia Tech.

“We had a great visit,” Torrel said. “Coach [Paul] Hewitt is a great teacher, a lot of teaching. In the practices, his players go really hard. He’s got a great group of guys, high-character players on the team. They get a lot of guys to the NBA. A lot of one-and-dones, two-and-dones.

“We met with the president of the school, met with the academic advisors. Just watched a lot of practices and films.”

Torrel said the family would spend the next several days picking a school from among Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisville, Maryland and Georgia Tech.

Conventional wisdom says Harris will pick from among Syracuse, Tennessee, Louisville and West Virginia.

If Pinkston chooses Tennessee Wednesday, we may know a little more about where Harris ends up.

“That’s not my decision,” Torrel said. “That’s Tobias’ decision. We haven’t talked about that.”

TERRENCE JONES LIKELY TO SIGN LATE

Linda Mashia-Jones, the mother of five-star forward Terrence Jones, said her son will likely wait until the spring to sign.

“It’s looking that way,” she said Tuesday. “I can’t say for sure unless he has a breakout tomorrow [Wednesday] and calls me and tells me he’s ready to make a decision.”

She added: “He’s still waiting. He still wants to wait.”

A 6-foot-8 forward from Portland (Ore.) Jefferson, Jones and his mother visited UCLA two weeks ago. He is considering UCLA, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington and Kentucky.

The early signing period runs Nov. 11-18.

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Kimani has been on both sides of the college recruiting game and knows it as well as anybody. He’s in a unique position to be able to advise young men on their futures because he’s worked at the college level and the AAU level.

In this interview, Kimani breaks down the recruitments of his Big 3 seniors: JayVaughn Pinkston, Devon Collier and Ashton Pankey.

Of the 6-foot-6 Pinkston out of Bishop Loughlin, he says: “I think that Villanova is probably the perfect scenario for a kid like JayVaughn and many other kids in New York City, a place where winning has been there. A great academic institution. The coaching…But his options are still open.”

Pinkston will visit St. John’s for Red Storm Tip-Off on Thursday, and then he will go to Villanova’s “hoops-mania” on Friday.  Then he will probably go to Seton Hall the following weekend. He is also considering Tennessee and Marquette.

Kimani says Pinkston may wait until the late signing period.

On Devon Collier, the 6-8 lefty from St. Anthony, Kimani says, “He’s been to Oregon State, he’s been to Providence, so probably both of those schools have a lead now because he’s spent the most time there.” Collier will also visit St. John’s this weekend and Seton Hall next.

Ashton Pankey, a 6-8 big also at St. Anthony, will visit Maryland this coming weekend. He’s also looking at Rice, Houston, Hofstra and Drexel.

“If you want to play at the highest level, Maryland would probably be the leader right now,” Young says.

Stay tuned to ZAGSBLOG and SNY.tv for future news on these three players.

JONES TRIMS LIST

Five-star forward Terrence Jones of Portland, Ore., has trimmed his list to five and is no longer considering Arizona or Kansas.

Jones will choose from among Oklahoma, Washington, UCLA, Kentucky and Oregon, according to his mother, Linda Mashia-Jones.

“We will not be making an official visit to Kansas or Arizona,” she wrote in an email. “We are going to make our decision out of the five schools we currently have.”

Jones said that because Arizona received commitments from Rod Odom and Daniel Bejarano, “they have decided to go in a different direction.”

As for Kansas, she said, “I believe they are interested in Terrence but he is not a high priority for them. I wish both Arizona and Kansas the best of luck.”

“We still plan on taking our official visits to UCLA on Nov. 6 and Kentucky on Oct. 27 for their Blue and White game. We will also take an unofficial visit to Oregon Oct. 31.”

Jones has already visited Oklahoma and Washington.

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Tobias Harris

Imagine what a dangerous tandem that would be for some lucky college program.

It could happen if both seniors choose the same school.

But at this point the two stars would have to both select Kentucky, which they visited this weekend for Big Blue Madness, or Georgia Tech, which both will visit in the coming weeks.

“We talked about that but both of us don’t have a leader in this process and the only schools recruiting us both are Kentucky and Georgia Tech,” the 6-foot-8 Harris from Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West, second from right in the above photo, said Sunday night by text.

After watching more than 23,000 fans turn out for Big Blue Madness, Harris said his favorite part of the visit was “the fans and how they support their basketball team.”

And first-year coach John Calipari put on the fullcourt press with Harris by telling him he was a player who could “come in and score and play many positions.”

Tobias and his father, Torrel, went to three practices in two days.

“Calipari is such a good teacher,” Torrel. “He’s going to bring that program back to the good days. That’s what he wants to do, bring them back to the glory days of Kentucky basketball.”

The 6-2 Irving out of Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick has now visited Duke, Texas A&M and Kentucky and will visit Georgia Tech next weekend and then Seton Hall Oct. 30.

“Yes, I plan to,” Irving said by text Saturday night after returning from Kentucky. “All the places that are on my list I can see myself playing at.”

Harris, meantime, has the is8 playoffs next weekend in Queens and will also visit Louisville, West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Maryland. The semis and finals of is8 are Oct. 31-Nov. 1, so if the Unique All-Stars advance that far, Harris would visit Louisville Nov. 1 right after the is8 game. If he loses beforehand, he would go earlier.

Harris has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee and Kentucky.

“I’m just looking for a school with a great atmosphere and good character guys I can get along with,” Harris said.

LESLIE MISSES UK VISIT

Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward C.J. Leslie did not make the trip to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness, according to his brother. I hope to have an update Monday.

Leslie had in-home visits this fall with Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Seton Hall, N.C. State and Florida International, according to newsobserver.com.

His former Word of God teammate John Wall is a freshman point guard at Kentucky, but Leslie insists he’s open.

“It would be fun to play with him at point guard in college, but I’m still gathering information,” Leslie told newsobserver.com. “I really am wide open.”

BLUE TO MARQUETTE

Madison (Wisc.) Memorial combo guard Vander Blue committed to Marquette Sunday after he had initially committed to Wisconsin as a sophomore.

The 6-4 Blue chose the Golden Eagles over Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida and UCLA.

“It was tough, decommitting from Wisconsin and then turning around and committing to Marquette,” Blue told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “That’s like me going from Duke to North Carolina. You know there’s going to be some tensions, regardless. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family, and that’s what it was.”

Blue visited Marquette over the weekend for Midnight Madness.

“I love the Marquette culture, have a real good connection with Buzz [Williams], and I feel like it was a great fit for me,” he said. “Their style of play is my style, it’s close to home, my mom can come see me play anytime. I feel like it was a good decision for me, and that’s where I want to pursue my college career.”

Blue is the third Madison Memorial products to pick Marquette over the last four years, following Wesley Matthews and Jeronne Maymon, according to the Journal Sentinel. Blue joins 6-6 wing Jamail Jones of Montverde (Fla.) Academy in Marquette’s recruiting class.

The Eagles have two scholarships left.

(Photos courtesy Torrel Harris, AP, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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The site, quoting no sources, indicated Pinkston is “ready to announce for St. John’s.”

Kimani Young, Pinkston’s coach with New Heights, says the rumor is blatantly false.

“Although St. John’s is one of the schools that Jay is choosing from. He has not made a clear decision where he will attend school next fall. He has not decided if he will commit early or late. As of today he will be a late signee,” Young wrote in a text.

“However, that could change if he’s 100 percent sure where he wants to go after a few more unofficial visits over the next few weeks.”

Pinkston is considering St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova, Marquette and Tennessee.

As first reported here, Pinkston will probably attend the Red Storm Tip-Off at St. John’s Oct. 22; Villanova’s Hoops Mania Oct. 23; and Tennessee’s exhibition with North Alabama Oct. 31.

NUNEZ TO VISIT UCONN

Angel Nunez, a 6-7 wing from New York who plays at Winchendon (Mass.) Prep, will visit UConn for First Night festivities Oct. 16 instead of going to Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness.

“I wanted to go visit Kentucky but I would miss school so instead I’m going to go to UConn,” Nunez wrote in a text. “And I’ll be at Kentucky during my school break over Thanksgiving.”

UConn also expects to have Oak Hill big man Roscoe Smith and Findlay (Nev.) prep point guard Cory Joseph on campus the weekend of Oct. 16.

Nunez has offers from Louisville, Arizona, UConn, Rutgers, St. John’s, West Virginia, Arkansas, Indiana and Virginia. He is the No. 11 small forward in the Class of 2011.

NEW YORK’S BEST KEPT HOOPS SECRET

Read my feature about New York’s best kept hoops secret on SNY.tv.

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JayVaughn Pinkston

The 6-foot-6 Pinkston had an in-home visit Monday night with Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez and assistants Dermon Player and Scott Adubato.

A skilled wing forward considered the top player in the Big Apple, Pinkston is considering Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova, Tennessee and Marquette.

Kimani Young of New Heights, Pinkston’s mentor, says Pinkston is done with his home visits and will probably attend the Red Storm Tip-Off at St. John’s Oct. 22; Villanova’s Hoops Mania Oct. 23; and Tennessee’s exhibition with North Alabama Oct. 31.

It remains unclear whether Pinkston will sign in November or next spring.

“It’s still up in the air whether he’s going to sign early or sign late,” Young said. “We have to talk. He’s just not 100 percent sure.”

As for the Seton Hall visit, which also included Kerry Pinkston, JayVaughn’s mother, Young said it went well.

“They just presented the academic plan that includes summer courses for incoming freshman,” Young said. “It’s kind of like an orientation course into college life which I think is big. That’s a huge transition for any incoming freshman.

“To have 6 or 7 weeks where you’re just learning how to be a college student along with earning some credits toward your degree I think it’s important.”

Young said Pinkston has three criteria for picking a school:  playing time, style of play and a desire to win.

“He wants to play in the NCAA Tournament. He wants to play at the highest level. At the end of the day those are going to be the three key things before he chooses a school,” Young said.

As for the 6-8 Collier, a senior from The Bronx at St. Anthony, he will visit Oregon State this coming weekend and Providence the weekend of Oct. 16.

Collier is also considering Seton Hall and St. John’s, and has visited both Big East schools unofficially.

No officials have yet been set to those schools.

“We’ll see what happens with St. John’s and Seton Hall,” Young said.

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NEWARK

“When Reggie Redding comes back [from suspension], that gives us an option of really having four experienced guards on the floor,” Wright said at the Garden State Coaches Clinic at St. Benedict’s Prep, where he was joined as a speaker for some 500 coaches by Hubie Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, Arizona coach Sean Miller, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon and Temple coach Fran Dunphy.

Wright would like to put Redding, senior guard Scottie Reynolds and sophomores Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, who starred at St. Ben’s, out on the court with a big man.

Wright also has a couple of talented freshmen guards in McDonald’s All-Americans Maalik Wayns of Philly Roman Catholic and Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony.

“If our bigs are good enough, Antonio Pena and Mouph [Yarou] and Maurice Sutton, if they can play with those four [older guards], it would be nice,” Wright said. “I think we have some good options with [Duke transfer] Taylor King and Isaiah Armwood [in the frontcourt].“

Other than Pena, a redshirt junior from Brooklyn, none of those guys have any experience with the ‘Cats.

Yarou is a 6-10, 250-pound shot-blocker originally from Benin in West Africa who played last year at Montrose Christian alongside the 6-7 Armwood.

Villanova hasn’t had a legitimate shot-blocking option in recent memory, so Yarou could really change the nature of the team.

“We’re going to need him,” Wright said. “Even if he’s not good enough, we’re going to need him.”

After going to the Final Four and losing to eventual national champion North Carolina, Villanova should be the preseason No. 1 or 2 team in the Big East, with West Virginia being the other favorite.

HURLEY TALKS SIDIKI JOHNSON

Sidiki Johnson picked a good first day to arrive at St. Benedict’s, what with Wright and company in the building and 500 college and high school coaches on hand.

Johnson, a junior who committed to Arizona this summer will move into the dorms as of Sunday night to begin his new life at the Newark school.

The 6-9 Johnson transferred from St. Raymond’s in The Bronx and could become one of the featured players for Gray Bees head coach Dan Hurley, whose team perennially challenges for the prep national championship.

“He’s a skilled kid,” Hurley said of Johnson. “It will be nice to coach a kid who on his way into the school is talking about his work ethic on and off the court, a kid with a nice personality. And he’s got big goals. A school like this, we push guys hard.

“His life’s going to become studying and developing on the court. He’s got lofty goals in the sport and we’re going to push him hard on and off the court and I think he’s the type of kid who do well here.”

Johnson joins a group that includes Texas-bound senior point guard Myck Kabongo, uncommitted senior guard Aaron Brown, who lists Penn, Harvard, Temple, Boston University and Rice as his final five, and uncommitted 6-8 senior forward Gil Biruta, who is hearing from Seton Hall, Northwestern, Washington, Creighton and others.

“We’ve got a really competitive team,” Hurley said.

FREE THROWS

Seton Hall assistant Dermon Player was headed to watch 6-8 St. Anthony senior forward Devon Collier during an open gym Friday afternoon. Collier will have an in-home visit in the Bronx Monday with Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez and Player. Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson, Barack Obama’s brother-in-law, comes in for Collier on Friday. Maryland, Rutgers, St. John’s and Providence are also involved. Gonzalez will also meet with Bishop Loughlin senior forward Jayvaughn Pinkston on Tuesday. Pinkston is considering Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova, Marquette and Tennessee, with Villanova leading at this point…St. Patrick junior wing Michael Gilchrist spent two days on the Rutgers campus last weekend, hitting the football game against Florida International, spending the night on campus and returning Sunday to run with the players. Rutgers assistant Jimmy Carr is working very hard on Gilchrist, who is said to favor Kentucky and Villanova…Oklahoma and Texas Christian are among the schools challenging Seton Hall for 6-8 St. Patrick senior forward Julian Washburn, son of the troubled former NBA star Chris Washburn…A source says Cory Joseph, the talented point guard out of Findlay (Nev. ) Prep, could come down to UConn and ‘Nova when all is said and done.

(Photos courtesy Villanova athletics and Rivals)

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From John Calipari to Mike Krzyzewski to Jim Calhoun, the biggest names in college coaching have been beating a path to the doors of some of the top high school basketball players in the New York metropolitan area.

The NCAA contact period runs from Sept. 9 until Oct. 5, so college coaches use this time to watch prospects during open gyms and to make their recruiting pitches to kids and their parents during home visits.

This is the critical period when relationships can be made or broken and future NCAA championships can be determined.

Read the full story here.

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The 6-foot-6 Pinkston, a senior forward at Bishop Loughlin, is the top player in New York City and the No. 67-ranked player in the Class of 2010 according to Rivals.

“It was a great home visit today,” said Kimani Young, the New Heights athletic director and an adviser to Pinkston.

“[Coach Wright] talked about how Jay would fit in and what they’re doing. He talked about the success he’s had with guys from New York City, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Jason Fraser, and now with Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena.

“He talked about how at a place like Villanova it’s important how well they do academically. A kid like Curtis Sumpter was a future NBA first round pick and then had two torn ACLs. Now he’s an average player overseas but he has his Masters degree and has a  future in the finance world. You can’t say that would’ve happened at other schools.

“I think that resonated with Jay’s mother, Kerry, and that resonated with Jay.”

St. John’s, Tennessee, Marquette and Seton Hall are also actively recruiting Pinkston. Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez is due for an in-home next Tuesday (Sept. 29)  and Marquette head coach Buzz Williams comes in Sept. 30.

At this point, though, it looks like Villanova is leading for Pinkston.

KU’S TAYLOR HOSPITALIZED

Kansas sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor was hospitalized Tuesday night after a skirmish reportedly broke out between members of the school’s basketball and football teams.

The Lawrence Journal World & News reported that the incident took place in front of the Burge Union on the Kansas campus shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The paper also reported that Taylor suffered a dislocated left thumb and would be out 3-4 weeks.

A nursing supervisor confirmed to the paper that Taylor, a star on Bob Hurley’s undefeated 2008 St. Anthony team, was treated and released Tuesday night at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

“We’re aware of reports of an incident and we are gathering facts as we speak,” associate athletic director Jim Marchiony told the paper Tuesday night.

RIVERS HASN’T DECOMMITTED FROM FLORIDA

Austin Rivers thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Duke over the weekend, but the 6-4 shooting guard from Winter Park (Fla.) hasn’t opted to decommit from Florida.

“There’s a lot of cool things about Duke basketball and it was a good place to see and enjoy,” Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel.

River’s older sister, Callie, is a junior volleyball player at Florida.

“I have to sit down with my family and think, but right now Florida is still my school,” Rivers said. “I still love Florida.”

POOLE TO ANNOUNCE THURSDAY

Stacey Poole, a 6-5 small forward out of Jacksonville (Fla. ) Providence School, is set to announce Thursday between Kentucky and South Carolina, according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier Journal.

Poole told CatsPause.com that, “Kentucky is really strong right now, hard to beat.”

ODOM TRIMS LIST

Fresh off his successful official visit to Arizona last weekend, 6-8 forward Rod Odom of Concord (Mass.) Middlesex has cut Georgia Tech from his list.

“Yes,” he said by text.

Odom will take an official to Harvard this weekend and then  Boston College Oct. 3.

Vanderbilt and West Virginia are also in the mix.

New York Panthers coach Gary Charles said of the Arizona visit: “Rod had a great visit to Arizona. They are a serious contender.”

BIRUTA HAS INTEREST

Gilvydas Biruta is a 6-8 senior forward from Lithuania now playing for Dan Hurley at St. Benedict’s Prep.

A number of schools are interested in Biruta, including Northwestern, Washington, UPenn, Auburn, Seton Hall, Davidson and Creighton.

“Those are the schools,” a St. Ben’s coach said. “He’s drawn a lot of interest over the summer. He played for the Lithuanian [U18] National Team. People love his size right now and he’s getting a lot of looks from a lot of people.”

ST. BEN’S COACHES CLINIC

Speaking of St. Ben’s, be sure to check out the star-studded coaches clinic there on Friday that features Villanova’s Jay Wright, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, Arizona’s Sean Miller, Temple’s Fran Dunphy, and NBA coaches-turned-broadcasters Hubie Brown and Jeff Van Gundy.

Click here for more info.

(Photos courtesy Rivals, Lawrence World Journal, FIBA)

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A sophomore from Brooklyn, Bryant started 28 games as a freshman at point guard after Joe Mazzulla was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. He averaged 9.8 points per game.
Bryant was suspended in July because of his involvement in a traffic accident outside of Morgantown, after which he left the scene. He was charged with four misdemeanors, including leaving the scene of an accident. No one was injured in the accident and Bryant was released on bond.

MARQUETTE’S CADOUGAN OUT FOR YEAR

Marquette freshman point guard Junior Cadougan suffered an injury to his Achilles tendon Thursday afternoon during conditioning and will more than likely miss the entire 2009-10 campaign.

Cadougan will undergo surgery on his right foot in the coming days and will immediately begin the 4-to-6 month rehabilitation process.

“We all know injuries are a part of sports,” Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. As a program, we are all hurt and disappointed for Junior. He will receive the absolute best care possible prior to, during, and after his surgery. Even though he will not be in uniform this year, he will still be a valuable member of our team this season.”

The Toronto, Ontario, native is one of six newcomers on this year’s squad, a group that comprised a consensus nationally ranked recruiting class. Cadougan averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game as a senior at Christian Life Center Academy in 2008-09 and was expected to compete for time at the point guard position.

RUTGERS MAKES STAFF CHANGES

Jerry Carino of the Courier News reports that Rutgers has made additional staff changes because assistant coach Jimmy Carr is dealing with his son’s medical situation.

Carr will become the recruiting coordinator, with Craig Carter moving back to assistant from recruiting coordinator.

“There is nothing more important than family,” Rutgers coach Fred Hill told Carino. “Jimmy needs to dedicate as much time as possible to his wife and son.”

Hill added that he will employ a four-year rotational system in which during any given year, one coach will serve as the recruiting coordinator and the other three will serve as assistants.  The staff currently includes Carr, Carter, Darren Savino and new assistant Sal Mentesana.

“As a coach, you always want the deepest bench possible,” Hill told Carino. “This applies not only to your players, but to your staff as well. We are fortunate to have four very talented assistants. I intend to maximize the abilities of our staff.”

SETON HALL ADDS HAMPTON TO STAFF

Seton Hall announced Friday the hiring of Colin Hampton as Coordinator of Basketball Operations.

Hampton is fresh off two years of managerial experience with the team.  During this time, he served as assistant video coordinator in addition to his typical manager responsibilities.

“We are thrilled to add Colin to our already young and aggressive staff,” head coach Bobby Gonzalez said.  “He’s already been a manager and an integral part of our family, who understands me, our program and knows our players.  We feel that the promotion is well deserved.  He’s a terrific young man who has a bright future in coaching and works very hard.”

(Photos courtesy West Virginia, Marquette and Rutgers)

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