Texas freshman guard Sterling Gibbs will transfer.
“He is transferring,” Temple Gibbs, Sterling’s father, told SNY.tv. “It’s family reasons.”
The Scotch Plains, N.J., native averaged 7.5 minutes a game, the least among nine players on the team, and 2.6 points last season.
Gibbs, who originally committed to Maryland, recently said on his Twitter that he missed home.
He will also play next season behind sophomore Myck Kabongo and incoming freshman Javan Felix.
Texas freshman point guard Myck Kabongo announced Monday that he will return for his sophomore season.
“2012-13 will be a great yr 4 our team with everything we’ve been through,” Kabongo Tweeted.
Earlier he had Tweeted, “At peace with my decision and ready to move forward.” (more…)
Cory Joseph and Jordan Hamilton both left Texas early for the NBA.
Now both are headed to the D-League.
The San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday sent the 6-foot-3 Joseph to the Austin Toros. After coming out as a freshman, the former Findlay Prep star was the 29th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. Joseph appeared in four games this year with the Spurs before being sent down.
The Denver Nuggets sent the 6-7 Hamilton to the Idaho Stampede. After coming out as a sophomore, Hamilton was picked 26th overall by Dallas and then dealt to Denver. He has not played this year for the Nuggets.
Tristan Thompson, who also left Texas after his freshman season and was the No. 4 overall pick, is averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — You can’t blame Kevin Durant if he wishes he had some college eligibility left right about now.
There’s no NBA basketball and Durant had to sit behind the Texas bench Saturday night and watch his Longhorns lose to Oregon State, 100-95 in overtime, in the Legends Classic at the Izod Center.
“Yeah, man, of course me being a competitor I always want to play,” Durant, who left Texas after one year and is a two-time NBA scoring champ, told SNY.tv.
“But those guys handled it well. It’s tough for us to lose that way.” (more…)
Prince Ibeh, a 6-foot-10 center from Garland (Texas) Naaman Forest, has verbally committed to Texas.
The Rivals No. 10 center in the Class of 2012, Ibeh also considered Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.
He brings “great length and athleticism,” Naaman Forest coach Jeff Clarkson said by text. “He is already a great shot blocker. He needs to work on the offense but he has tremendous upside with his size and quickness.” (more…)
NEWARK, N.J. — If anyone knows what kind of player Texas is getting in incoming freshman point guard Myck Kabongo, it is Dan Hurley.
Hurley coached Kabongo at St. Benedict’s Prep before taking over the Wagner College job. Hurley still vividly recalls when Kabongo went head-to-head with Kyrie Irving in January 2010 — and came away victorious.
“To outplay Kyrie Irving and hit the shot to win the game at the buzzer, and then proclaim himself to be the best point guard in the country, it spoke to how hard he worked during the offseason to get better,” Hurley told SNY.tv this week during an open gym at St. Benedict’s. (more…)
Javan Felix, a 5-foot-11 point guard from New Orleans St. Augustine, verbally pledged to Texas Monday night.
Felix also considered Oregon and Virginia.
Felix told ESPN.com that D.J. Augustin, a former Longhorn and fellow New Orleans native, was influential in his decision.
“Me and D.J. have had a close relationship since I’ve been in high school,” Felix told ESPN.com. “He told me that Coach Barnes would never play games with me; he’ll always tell me how it is and he’d never lie to me. Through this process he never lied to me one time. With recruiting and how it is, that’s a big thing for me. D.J. told me that coach would be like another father and that’s what I was looking for.” (more…)
L.J. Rose’s recruitment has been complicated on at least two occasions.
At first, North Carolina was his top choice but fellow point guard Marcus Paige committed to the Tar Heels before Rose could.
Then Rose was mulling Texas and UCLA, but Dominic Artis pledged to the Bruins, mucking the waters even further.
“Texas is my leader right now,” the 6-2 senior-to-be at Houston Westbury Christian said by phone from the Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Ore. (more…)
Jaylen Bond, a onetime Pittsburgh commit, has instead pledged to Texas over Temple, Penn State and other schools.
“I just committed to Texas,” the 6-foot-7 forward told Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to be a Longhorn. I will not be attending St. Thomas Moore, I will be enrolling early at Texas, instead.”
Bond had planned on doing a postgraduate year at St. Thomas Moore — potentially alongside big man Andre Drummond — but will head to Texas after being recruited by new assistant Rob Lanier. (more…)
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Ricardo Gathers is being recruited by a half dozen high-major programs but says St. John’s is working the hardest at this point.
“As far as just being there, I speak to them like every week,” the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Gathers said after dropping 29 points and 20 rebounds as Louisiana Select lost to Boo Williams, 89-84, in double-OT at the Peach Jam.
“I call them, they’ll call me. I’ll call them. I’ll email them. That’s who I’ve been speaking to the most out of anybody.” (more…)
“Adam Zagoria sees the story behind the daily happenings.”
~ St. Anthony Coach Bob Hurley
Zagoria covers the New York Knicks and Big East hoops for NBA.com and SNY.tv. He also appears as a Big East Basketball Insider on SNY and 1050 ESPN Radio.
He is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, SI and Basketball Times.
