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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Friday / March 29.
  • Gauchos coach Dwayne Mitchell said Durand Scott’s official visit to UConn this weekend went well.

    “It went well,” said Mitchell, who was on the visit. “He just liked the tradition of the program. It’s a traditional program. Coach (Jim) Calhoun has a lot of tradition. (Scott) likes the success they’ve had over the years since (Calhoun) has been there.”

    Scott, a 6-foot-4 combo guard out of Rice High School in Manhattan, played pickup and said he enjoyed it.

    “Playing with those guys shows me what I need to work on and at the same time, I’m also having a lot of fun,” he told the Journal Inquirer. “It’s a fun experience being around them and I know what I’m looking forward to when I get to the next level.”

    Memphis head coach John Calipari and assistant Orlando Antigua finally had their in-home visit Sunday night with St. Anthony star Dominic Cheek and Friars head coach Bob Hurley.

    The 6-foot-5 Cheek is the No. 6 shooting guard in the Class of 2009, according to Rivals, and a first-team All-State selection.

    “It thought it went very well,” Hurley said of the visit. “I thought it was very good presentation. I think we felt real interest from their end, real interest in getting Dominic down there to visit. They had done their homework. They knew his strengths, they run the same offense that we do at St. Anthony.”

    It was an eventful weekend for the Pitt basketball program.

    The Panthers got a commitment from 6-9, 220-pound forward Talib Zanna of Bishop McNamara High in Md.

    Zanna was born in Kaduna, Nigeria and has only been playing in the U.S. since the fall of 2006. He came here to pursue his dream of play college ball in America. He is not ranked in the Top 150 and is not well known but becomes the third forward to commit for 2009. Dante Taylor of National Christian, and J.J. Richardson of Missouri City, Texas also committed.

    “Talib came here as a sophomore,” Bishop McNamara coach Marty Keithline said. “He’s a five man, a back-to-the-basket player. He has a good hook shot, shotblocking skills. He’s developed a 15-foot jump shot, expanded his game since he’s gotten here. He’s developed into a multi-faceted player.

    Zanna averaged 15 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks as a junior. He also had offers from St. Joe’s, Oklahoma, Villanova , Boston College and Providence.

    West Virginia became the second Big East school to offer a scholarship to 6-8 junior Rod Odom of the Middlesex (Ma.) School after a workout at his school Sunday.

    “I just got a call from (West Virginia assistant) Billy Hahn offering him a full scholarship,” said Rod Odom Sr. “They were excited about what they saw at the workout. Rod shot the lights out.”

    Seton Hall assistant Derm Player was also at the workout, and Rod Sr. said Seton Hall had previously been the first Big East school to offer. Odom also holds offers from Holy Cross, William & Mary, with Columbia, Harvard and Penn also interested.

    PISCATAWAY, N.J. — At 0-3, Rutgers desperately needed a victory and it didn’t matter who it came against.

    The Scarlet Knights would’ve taken a win over the Boy Scouts of America if they were on the schedule.

    On a rainy, dreary day, redshirt freshman Jourdan Brooks rushed for a career-best three touchdowns and the Knights routed Division I-AA Morgan State, 38-0, before 42,411 at Rutgers Stadium.

    Read the full story here.

    Also, that loss to Navy isn’ting look quite as bad now that the Midshipmen defeated No. 16 Wake Forest, 24-17, on Saturday.

    Keep reading below for quotes from head coach Greg Schiano’s and the players on the game….

    Fordham had a busy weekend on the recruiting front. Lance Brown of Paterson Catholic, a 6-foot-3 senior wing who has committed to the Rams for 2009, 6-6 junior Derrick Williams of St. Anthony, 6-4 sophomore Ashcraf Yacoubou of Long Island Lutheran, who is a Top 30 player and says he holds an offer from Memphis, and 6-foot junior Aison White of Union High all visited the campus unofficially.

    Word is all three uncommitted players had good visits.

    Fordham also became the first school to offer Tyler Harris, a 6-4 sophomore who is the younger brother of Tobias Harris.

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