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.
Two more Kentucky players are leaving the program, according to various reports.
Matt Pilgrim and Kevin Galloway are on their way out, leaving the Wildcats at 12 scholarship players.
Pilgrim sat out last season after transferring from Hampton. He never played a game at Kentucky.
Galloway averaged 10 minutes and 1.9 points a game last year after transferring from Southern Idaho.
Guard Jodie Meeks has until Monday to pull his name out of the NBA Draft and reports indicate he may do so and remain on campus for his senior year.
If Meeks does return, Kentucky will be absolutely loaded, assuming its awesome recruiting class — led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins — gets qualified.
***This just in from the World Juniors Basketball Tournament in Douai, France…Rutgers guard Mike Rosario dropped 33 points Wednesday night as Puerto Rico beat the U.S. 105-90 in its first game.
Rosario made five 3-pointers and was 10-of-15 from the line in 29 minutes.
Rosario and Fordham guard Jio Fontan (9 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) are playing for Puerto Rico in the event, a tuneup for the FIBA U19 World Championship next month in Auckland, New Zealand.
The U.S. team at this event is not the U19 National Team selected to play in New Zealand. Instead, it is the 2K Sports 2009 All-American Team.
Jared Sullinger led the U.S. with 21 points and 12 boards and Josh Selby added 15 points.
Check back for more later, and read my feature on Rosario that ran on SNY.tv.
In other International hoops news…
**Rutgers guard Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon High), Louisville big man Samardo Samuels (St. Benedict’s) and Providence guard Weyinmi Efejuku (Brewster Academy) will play for the Jamaican Senior Men’s National Team this summer. All are of Jamaican descent. St. John’s recruit Omari Lawrence may also play for Jamaica’s U19 team. Check back here for a bigger story on this later this week.
**Seton Hall Prep guard Sterling Gibbs made the U16 National Team. Sterling’s older brother, Ashton Gibbs, is a freshman at Pitt, but Sterling told Jerry Meyer of Rivals that Villanova is his leader.
The team departs for the FIBA Americas U16 Championship July 17-21 in Mendoza, Argentina.
“I guess you could say we’re all like brothers off the court. We just have that feel for each other. As soon as we met each other we all just connected, so it feels great,” Gibbs told USA Basketball.
**Speaking of Pitt, Panthers commit Isaiah Epps of Plainfield, N.J. will visit Hargrave (Va.) Academy this weekend. He must prep next year because he will be too old to play high school ball.
**Former Rutgers star Cappie Pondexter dropped 26 points as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Liberty 91-84 in Phoenix. Essence Carson, another former Rutgers star, had 18 for the Libs.
(Photos courtesy ScarletKnights.com, USA Basketball)
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Two more Kentucky players are leaving the program, according to various reports.
Matt Pilgrim and Kevin Galloway are on their way out, leaving the Wildcats at 12 scholarship players.
Pilgrim sat out last season after transferring from Hampton. He never played a game at Kentucky.
Galloway averaged 10 minutes and 1.9 points a game last year after transferring from Southern Idaho.
Guard Jodie Meeks has until Monday to pull his name out of the NBA Draft and reports indicate he may do so and remain on campus for his senior year.
If Meeks does return, Kentucky will be absolutely loaded, assuming its awesome recruiting class — led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins — gets qualified.
***This just in from the World Juniors Basketball Tournament in Douai, France…Rutgers guard Mike Rosario dropped 33 points Wednesday night as Puerto Rico beat the U.S. 105-90 in its first game.
Rosario made five 3-pointers and was 10-of-15 from the line in 29 minutes.
Rosario and Fordham guard Jio Fontan (9 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) are playing for Puerto Rico in the event, a tuneup for the FIBA U19 World Championship next month in Auckland, New Zealand.
The U.S. team at this event is not the U19 National Team selected to play in New Zealand. Instead, it is the 2K Sports 2009 All-American Team.
Jared Sullinger led the U.S. with 21 points and 12 boards and Josh Selby added 15 points.
Check back for more later, and read my feature on Rosario that ran on SNY.tv.
In other International hoops news…
**Rutgers guard Mike Coburn (Mount Vernon High), Louisville big man Samardo Samuels (St. Benedict’s) and Providence guard Weyinmi Efejuku (Brewster Academy) will play for the Jamaican Senior Men’s National Team this summer. All are of Jamaican descent. St. John’s recruit Omari Lawrence may also play for Jamaica’s U19 team. Check back here for a bigger story on this later this week.
**Seton Hall Prep guard Sterling Gibbs made the U16 National Team. Sterling’s older brother, Ashton Gibbs, is a freshman at Pitt, but Sterling told Jerry Meyer of Rivals that Villanova is his leader.
The team departs for the FIBA Americas U16 Championship July 17-21 in Mendoza, Argentina.
“I guess you could say we’re all like brothers off the court. We just have that feel for each other. As soon as we met each other we all just connected, so it feels great,” Gibbs told USA Basketball.
**Speaking of Pitt, Panthers commit Isaiah Epps of Plainfield, N.J. will visit Hargrave (Va.) Academy this weekend. He must prep next year because he will be too old to play high school ball.
**Former Rutgers star Cappie Pondexter dropped 26 points as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Liberty 91-84 in Phoenix. Essence Carson, another former Rutgers star, had 18 for the Libs.
(Photos courtesy ScarletKnights.com, USA Basketball)
