“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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The 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing from Brentwood, N.Y. and South Kent (Conn.), verbally committed to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA early signing period.

He chose Pitt over Big East rivals Louisville and St. John’s. He also considered Providence and Florida before trimming his list. Moore is ranked No. 107 in the Class of 2010, and No. 23 among small forwards.

“J.J. committed to Pitt,” said his mentor, Hunt Bresky. 

“I think he was very impressed with [head coach] Jamie Dixon and the coaching staff in particular,” Bresky added. “He got along very well with the players themselves and felt very comfortable there. The location also was very attractive to him. He wanted to get out of New York and go someplace different and Pittsburgh provided the opportunity to leave New York but yet not be too far away so that his family would be able to come see him play at home. I think that was an important factor for J.J.”

Moore had an in-home visit with Pittsburgh coaches in early September and then took two unofficials to campus.

“I think he can be really good,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said last summer. “He’s got great size, a great physique. He’s very athletic and he can shoot the ball. He can do a lot of different things. He can finish around the rim. He can catch off penetration and make threes.

“He can add to his game as far as slashing to the rim, as far as becoming a better defender. He’s a good 3-point shooter, but if he becomes a consistent 3-point shooter and good mid-range shooter, then all of a sudden, wow.”

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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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“The visit went great, it was a great visit,” Torrel Harris, Tobias’ dad, said by phone.

Tobias and his father met with the Louisville President, athletic director and head coach Rick Pitino. They went to Pitino’s house and had dinner with the team.

Torrel said Pitino told him it would be “a great opportunity to work with Tobias and make him better.”

The 6-foot-8 Harris has now visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisville.

He heads to West Virginia on Friday and will then visit Maryland and Georgia Tech before announcing on Nov. 19.

Torrel said there is no leader at this point.

“When we finish all the visits, Tobias will decide,” Torrel said. “Right now all of them are equal. Every one is better and better.”

J.J. MOORE DECISION LOOMING

South Kent (Conn.) wing J.J. Moore visited Pittsburgh on Tuesday while his school is out on a swine flu break.

The 6-foot-5 Moore visited with New York Panthers coach Gary Charles and his mentor, Hunt Bresky.

“The visit went extremely well,” Charles said. “J.J. enjoyed it. His mother enjoyed it and I enjoyed it also. It gave us the opportunity to see what the team looks like, how they work out and exactly how J.J. would fit in if he decides to pick that program. All our questions were answered. He had a chance to talk to the guys.

“I know he said it was a very good visit.”

Moore will now decide from among Pitt, Louisville and St. John’s.

“As far as the decision, I will say that probably in the next two weeks a decision will be made and we’ll go from there,” Charles said.

Meantime, Moore’s South Kent teammate Russell Smith plans to visit Louisville Nov. 15-16 and could verbal on the visit.

“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.”

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The 6-foot-6 Pinkston poured in 29 points on 12-for-26 shooting to lead New Heights to an 87-83 victory over the New York Panthers in the is8 championship game in Queens. Pinkston added seven rebounds, two assists and one block.

Coming off a 30-point outburst in a semifinal win over St. Benedict’s, Pinkston was named is8 Playoff MVP.

“Hands down, I can’t see anyone disputing that [he's the best player in the city]. He just put us on his back and willed us to victory today. He refused to let us lose today,” said New Heights coach Kimani Young, whose team was down 16 points in the second quarter.

It was the first high school title for New Heights in their first finals appearance. The Panthers were the defending champs.

Devon Collier, who, along with Pinkston, was named First-Team is8, scored 11 of his 17 points points and grabbed five of his 12 rebounds in the fourth quarter. He pulled down eight offensive boards in the game.

“Whenever we needed a big basket or a big rebound, Devon was there every step of the way,” Young said.

New Heights took its first lead in the fourth quarter at78-76 on a basket by Collier off a dish by Corey Edwards.

David Coley added 15 points and Brandon Frazier 11 for New Heights.

“Every time we were going for the knockout punch, either David Coley or Brandon Frazier would hit a big 3 for them,” Panthers coach Gary Charles said.

The defending champion Panthers were led by J.J. Moore’s team-high 22 points on 6-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-7 from 3. Russ Smith added 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting and Sterling Gibbs 14.

Moore was named is8 Player of the Year and Smith got the sportsmanship award.

In the end, Charles, whose program has won 16 titles, gave credit to Pinkston.

“I thought that JayVaughn finally played with the fire that I’ve been waiting to see,” Charles said. “I just wish it wasn’t today. I thought he played with a different vengeance in the second half of the game. I thought that him going against J.J. was an epic battle. They went at each other and they both brought out the best in each other. You could see it was two tremendously talented ballplayers out there on the floor. They were the two guys that people came to see and they didn’t disappoint.”

All-is8 First Team

Derrick Williams, St. Anthony

Aaron Brown, St. Benedict’s

JayVaughn Pinkston, Bishop Loughlin

Fuquan Edwin, Paterson Catholic

Russell Smith, Panthers

All-is8 Second Team

Devon Collier, St. Anthony

Leroy Isler, Boys & Girls

Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall Prep

Myck Kabongo, St. Benedict’s

Jeff Short, Kennedy

RECRUITING UPDATE

J.J. Moore will take an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.  He has already taken unofficials to Louisville and St. John’s, and will choose from among those three schools. South Kent (Conn.) is out of school for a while because of a swine flu epidemic.

“A decision could still be a couple week away,” Charles said.

NIA PREP WINS TWO IN GEORGIA

NIA Prep defeated the No. 1 and 3 prep teams in Georgia during the Covenant Christian Academy Showcase  this weekend in Marietta, Ga.

NIA downed Sound Doctrine Academy, 104-62, on Friday behind former University High star Devon Gibson’s 22 points and eight assists. Former Science Park star Rameel Johnson finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Shaquille Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

On Saturday, NIA Prep defeated Covenant Christian Academy, the No. 1 prep team in Georgia, 93-78. Gibson scored 20 points in the first half as NIA took a 50-24 lead. He finished with 26 points and eight assists. Isaiah Williams scored 26 points and grabbed 13 boards. Thomas chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds.

NIA is now 4-0 on the season with games upcoming against national prep powers St. Thomas More, South Kent, Lee Academy, Bridgton Academy, MCI, Notre Dame Prep and Winchendon.

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“The list is three schools: Louisville, Pittsburgh and St. John’s,” said Gary Charles, Moore’s AAU coach with the New York Panthers. Moore made the trip with Charles and Moore’s mentor, Hunt Bresky.

Charles said Moore, ranked No. 23 among small forwards in the Class of 2010, is tentatively slated to take an official to St. John’s the weekend of Oct. 30 and to Pitt the weekend of Nov. 6.

Florida is out after getting a commitment from Jackson (Tenn.) small forward Casey Prather.

At Louisville, the 6-foot-5 Moore spoke with New York and New Jersey guys Edgar Sosa and Samardo Samuels.

“He had a very good visit at Louisville,” Charles said. “He really liked it. He got a chance to speak to the New York guys like Edgar and Samardo and Terrence Jennings [who played with the Panthers]. It was good. He got a feel for the coach. He hung out with the crew.

“We got a chance to go see the new arena that they’re building. We more or less just watched practice. He got a good feel for the way [head coach Rick] Pitino runs his practice. He got a chance to see these guys work.”

After visiting St. John’s and Pitt, Moore will be ready to announce a decision.

“The goal is for him to see everyone in the same exact element that he saw Louisville in,” Charles said.

MILK TO FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

Matt Milk, a 6-8, 240-pound forward from Long Island now playing at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pinecrest alongside Brandon Knight, is “95 percent” sure he will verbally commit to Florida International head coach Isiah Thomas after weekend visit.

“He was offered a scholarship and we’re still making our final decision,” Mary Milk, Matt’s mother, said by phone.

“We told them that we’re very interested. We didn’t make a solid commitment. We’re like 95 percent sure that we want to go there.”

Mary said her son would like to visit some other schools, but wasn’t sure which ones.

Gary Charles, Milk’s AAU coach, said he would be a solid contributor.

“He’s a low post player who will do all the little things that will help you win,” Charles said. “He will hit that 10-foot jumper, he’ll do a nice job rebounding. He’ll set the pick. He’ll be a chemistry player. He’s a kid that you need to win games. He’ll be solid for them for four years.”

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Dave Wannstedt only needed to watch a handful of highlights when recruiting Dion Lewis out of Blair Academy.

Read the full story here.

They’ll be taking in the show at Kentucky.

“I’m excited, it should be good,” said Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris, who leaves Friday for Kentucky’s “Big Blue Madness.”

“I heard it’s a really great atmosphere at the Midnight Madness so it should be fun.”

Some 24,000 Kentucky fans are expected at the event and tickets were reportedly selling Thursday for an average of $177.59 on eBay.

Led by first-year coach John Calipari, Kentucky is loaded with talent and could make a Final Four run.

The 6-foot-8 Harris will be joined on the Kentucky trip by fellow senior Kyrie Irving, a point guard at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick; Michael Gilchrist, a 6-7 junior wing from St. Pat’s considered the top high school player in the nation; and Achraf Yacoubou, a top junior recruit and Harris’ former teammate at Long Island Lutheran.

“Those are cool guys so it should be good,” Harris said.

“I played with Ach and I played with Kyrie and Mike at the LeBron James Camp.  Mike was on my team at LeBron. We’ve got a lot of talent in the metropolitan area and all of us down there should be fun.”

The non-New York contingent headed to Kentucky includes junior forward Quincy Miller of Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Kentucky-bound senior Stacey Poole, Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla. Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward C.J. Leslie wasn’t able to make it.

“Once you see Madness, you see what Kentucky has to offer,” Kentucky center Patrick Patterson told the Herald-Leader. “You commit right off the bat.”

While the New York/New Jersey flavor will be strong at Kentucky, Kansas will host an elite group that includes Queens, N.Y. native Doron Lamb, a senior shooting guard at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy pictured at left.

The 6-4 Lamb has visited Oklahoma and plans to visit Kentucky or UConn next weekend.

“It’s a three-way tie out of Kentucky, Kansas and Oklahoma,” he told me earlier this week.

Also headed to Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog” are senior guards Harrison Barnes and Josh Selby and junior guards Bradley Beal and Josiah Turner.

Other New York-area players on the road this weekend include Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony senior forward Devon Collier, who is currently on an official to Providence, and Long Island native J.J. Moore of South Kent (Conn.), who is slated to visit Louisville.

The 6-8 Collier visited Oregon State last weekend and plans to hit St. John’s next weekend and Seton Hall Oct. 30.

The 6-5 Moore will visit Florida Oct. 23 and is also considering St. John’s and Pitt.

As for those visiting Kentucky, Irving was quoted as saying he’s “leaning” toward Duke, but also visited Texas A&M and still plans to visit Georgia Tech and Seton Hall. Meantime, Wildcats assistant Rod Strickland is Irving’s Godfather.

“You can’t discount Kentucky because I do have a relationship with coach Strickland,” Drederick Irving, Kyrie’s dad, told me last month. “I’ve known him since I was 7 and we played in the same backcourt with the Gauchos until we were 18. He’s like a brother to me. We have a profound relationship that cannot be discounted. He is Kyrie’s Godfather.”

As for Harris, he has visited Syracuse and Tennessee and still plans to visit Louisville, West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Maryland.

“This is one of the hardest decisions,” Harris said. “Each visit you go to they’ve been really good so it’s hard telling one school form the other, which one is the best fit for me.”

The 6-7 Gilchrist, considered the top high school prospect regardless of class, favors Kentucky and Villanova, according to his mother, Cindy Richardson.

Yet he has visited Michigan, Rutgers and Villanova in recent weeks and his mother says he is open to being recruited by anybody.

“I’m just having fun with my selection of colleges,” he told the Philly Inquirer. “But it’s early. I’m just starting my process.”

Yacoubou (left) is a 6-3 shooting guard who favors Kentucky, Villanova and UConn. He plans to visit Villanova next weekend for its “Hoops Mania.”

But now he’s looking forward to “Big Blue Madness.”

“I’m excited. I’m anxious to see how the team is looking and how the atmosphere is going to be, the events are going to be and curious to see how the school looks,” he said.

Yacoubou played for one year at American Christian (Pa.) with Tyreke Evans, the current NBA guard who was coached last year by Calipari at Memphis.

“I know Calipari makes pros,” Yacoubou said. “He’s won a lot of games.”

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J.J. Moore,

St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Florida are the Final Four for Moore, an athletic wing who lives in Brentwood, N.Y.

Moore will tentatively visit Louisville Oct. 16 and Florida Oct. 23. He has already taken unofficials to St. John’s and Pittsburgh.

Moore’s mentor, Hunt Bresky, said there were no additional plans to visit St. John’s or Pittsburgh going forward.

“I think he can be really good,” said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson. “He’s got great size, a great physique. He’s very athletic and he can shoot the ball. He can do a lot of different things. He can finish around the rim. He can catch off penetration and make threes.”

JOHNSON TO PITT

Pittsburgh got a commitment from 2011 point guard John Johnson out of Girard College, who chose the Panthers over St. Joseph’s, St. John’s, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Penn State, according to the Philly Inquirer.

“I think that could be my home away from home,” the 6-foot-1 Johnson told the Inquirer. “I like their style of play, and it’s not too far from home that my family can’t see me play.”

Johnson averaged 21.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.4 steals and was named third-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania.

FREE THROWS

Neumann Goretti guard Tyreek Duren will visit UMass Oct. 2. He is still deciding between Temple, La Salle and UMass...Forward Daniel Stewart of Neumann Goretti visits Robert Morris this weekend, will hit Rider Oct. 15 for Midnight Madness and Fairfield Oct. 22.

(Photo courtesy Reebok All-American Camp)

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