Christian White, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Aquinas (N.Y.) Institute and the Albany City Rocks, committed to Monmouth Monday night.

“He chose Monmouth mainly because of the coaching staff and the academics, and location is an obvious plus, too,” City Rocks coach Jim Hart told SNY.tv. “He really bonded with the staff and players during a visit and they were the first D-1 to offer him.

“He led Aquinas Institute to the New York State Class A Final Four before losing to eventual champ Jamesville-DeWitt [and DaJuan Coleman]. In his first year with the City Rocks he went from the end of the bench to starting point guard in three months and impressed  several D-1 coaches with his gritty performance at the Peach Jam and AAU Nationals.

“Christian is a true floor general who is a winner in every facet of life.”

FREE THROWS

6-8 PF Daniel Dingle of St. Ray`s will have home visits with Auburn (today), Temple (Sept 20) & Seton Hall (Sept. 22)…As first reported on my Twitter a couple days ago, Kendrick Ray of Middletown High in The Bronx, younger brother of Allan and Brittany Ray, committed to Quinnipiac…Kansas State head coach Frank Martin and recruiting coordinator Matt Figger spent three and a half hours Monday night with 6-8 forward Perry Ellis of Wichita Heights, Kansas. ”They wanted Perry to know how strongly they want him in their program; that they really like everything that he represents,” his mother, Fonda, told kitchenkc.com.  ”They have been watching him for four years, and he hasn’t changed — meaning that he stayed focused, hardworking and humble.” Ellis is also considering Kansas, Wichita State and Kentucky. Wichita State comes in Tuesday and Kentucky Sept. 16.

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As reported here yesterday and earlier today on Twitter, King Rice is the new head coach at Monmouth.

The former Vanderbilt assistant and North Carolina point guard will be introduced at a Wednesday press conference.

A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Rice spent the last five seasons under Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt, where the Commodores made the NCAA Tournament four times.

Rice, 42, also served as an assistant at Illinois State, Oregon and Providence, where he worked under current SNY analyst Tim Welsh. (more…)

King Rice, the Vanderbilt assistant and former North Carolina point guard, appears to be the leader at Monmouth and could be introduced as the next coach this week.

“I’ve been on campus but  I have not been on campus today [Monday],” Rice told Tony Graham of The Hawks Nest by phone. “I’m trying hard to get the [Monmouth] job, that’s the information I’ve got. I have to run, I have to get to a meeting. Hopefully, I’ll get to talk to you soon.”

A former assistant at Oregon, Illinois State and Providence, Rice was a finalist for the Wagner job last year, along with Texas A&M associate head coach Scott Spinelli and Dan Hurley, who ultimately got the job and led a dramatic turnaround. (more…)

Former Fairfield coach Ed Cooley was officially named the new coach at Providence on Tuesday.

A press conference will be held Wednesday at 1:30 at the College’s Mullaney Gymnasium in Alumni Hall.

A Providence native, Cooley guided Fairfield to a school-record 25 wins and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title this past season.  He was named the 2011 MAAC Coach of the Year.  He also earned United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District I Coach of the Year honors.  His 2011 squad finished the season with a 25-8 mark (15-3 MAAC) and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

“We are very excited to have Ed Cooley coming to Providence College to coach our men’s basketball team,” Providence president Reverend Father Brian Shanley said. “I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Ed and I believe he is the right person to lead our men’s basketball team.  We conducted a thorough search and during that process Ed Cooley was the coach that consistently met our selection criteria.” (more…)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monmouth is narrowing its search for a new head coach and multiple sources said Notre Dame assistant Martin Ingelsby, Georgetown assistant Mike Brennan (pictured) and former St. John’s coach Norm Roberts were leading the way.

The school is looking to interview 12-15 candidates before narrowing the list to two to three, one source with knowledge said.

Brennan led Princeton to three Ivy League titles as a player and was an assistant coach for seven seasons  there before heading to American and then Georgetown. (more…)

In what should come as a surprise to no one, applications for the Monmouth men’s basketball job are pouring in.

A source close to the athletic department said the school had already received 55 applications to serve as Dave Calloway’s successor.

According to the source, among those in the mix are Christian Brothers Academy coach Geoff Billet (pictured); Davidson assistant Jimmy Fox; Dennis Wolff, the Director of Basketball Operations at Virginia Tech; Temple assistant Matt Langel; NJIT coach Jim Engles; Rutgers assistant Van Macon; and Notre Dame assistant Martin Ingelsby. (more…)

With the news Sunday that Monmouth coach Dave Calloway has resigned after 14 years, school officials must now turn their attention to hiring a replacement.

Because the school is located on the Jersey Shore and in a prime recruiting corridor, expect Monmouth President Paul Gaffney to get a slew of resumes.

Two candidates who deserve consideration are St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle and Monmouth assistant Kevin Murphy.

“I think Kevin Boyle would be a very good fit in most places because he’s a great coach,” St. Patrick principal Joe Picaro said Sunday by phone. (more…)

Monmouth coach Dave Calloway landed a pair of players from the Jersey Shore Warriors program.

Andrew “Red” Nicholas, a 6-6, 210-pound wing who initially committed to former Rutgers coach Fred Hill, and Austin Tillotson, a 6-1 point guard, both committed for 2011. Both play at Eastern York (Pa.) High School.

“It’s at the beach,” Nicholas said by text. “I can play right away. They have small classes. Plus, Austin is going there. I love the arena.” (more…)

Former Monmouth forward Travis Taylor is headed to Xavier, multiple sources with knowledge said.

The 6-foot-7 Taylor, a Union, N.J. native, visited Xavier this past week and made the call.

He will have to sit out a season per NCAA regulations.

“I wanted to continue to challenge myself at a higher level and reach my maximum potential,” he told Cincinnati.com.

Cincinnati, Miami and Arizona State were also options.

“I picked Xavier for various reasons,” Taylor told Cincinnati.com. “I like the school a lot. It’s the kind of campus I’d been looking for, not too small and not too big. The coaches communicate very well and they had a good presentation to me. Players listen to them. And Xavier is a team that always wins.”

Taylor averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds last season.

He initially committed to Boston College but was forced to change his plans when BC officials realized he had been suspended 7 games last season for a violation of team rules.

TEAM TAKEOVER ON ESPNU

Coach Keith Stevens’ Team Takeover will appear on ESPNU Monday night at 7 to take on Austin Rivers and Each 1 Teach 1 at the Super Showcase.

Each 1 Teach 1 was initially supposed to matchup with Team Final, but ESPN made alternate plans after learning that Michael Gilchrist would not play for Team Final.

Team Takeover, which features Duke-bound wing Michael Gbinije and junior point guard James Robinson,  appeared on ESPNU when it won the Peach Jam July 15.

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A couple of high-profile college transfers are on the move…

Former Monmouth forward Travis Taylor has opted to transfer to Boston College and play for former Cornell coach Steve Donahue. Taylor chose the Eagles over Seton Hall and Temple.

Taylor, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Union, N.J., averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds last season

“This was an extremely tough choice for Travis and multiple factors played into his decision making process,” said Bill Diamond, the Taylor family adviser. “It was well thought out and he and his family asked all of the right questions. Travis loved the campus, the academic reputation and the coaching staff.  He has an opportunity to earn immediate playing time in one of the best conferences in the country. Steve Donahue is a proven coach and will do a tremendous job in Travis’s maturation process on and off the court.” (more…)