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.
Doron Lamb Talks Recruiting; Cory Joseph Update; Drummond Visits Providence ; Coaches v. Cancer Includes 'Cuse, Carolina
***Hit the Video Player on the right to see the video interview with Doron Lamb, Tobias Harris & Kyrie Irving***
NEW YORK – Doron Lamb made a triumphant return to his hometown and his old AAU gym Friday night.
Lamb scored a game-high 23 points and earned co-MVP honors to lead the Skip to My Lou team to a 133-120 victory over The Goat in the 4th Annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at the Gauchos Gym in The Bronx.
The game was originally slated for Harlem’s famed Rucker Park, but rain forced it indoors.
“I think it will be my last game in New York, so I just came out here and played hard for my fans. Everybody in my family was here,” said Lamb, a 6-foot-4 Queens, N.Y. native who is entering his senior season at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy.
Lamb listed Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Marquette, UConn, Pittsburgh and Arizona as potential destinations.
“I’ve visited Louisville and Kentucky unofficially, but during my high school season I’ll make a couple official visits,” Lamb said.
Lamb and Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest will reportedly visit Kansas Oct. 16 for “Late Night in the Phog.”
CORY JOSEPH TAKES VISITS, SETS UP IN-HOMES
Cory Joseph is the No. 3 point guard and No. 7 overall player in the Class of 2010.
The 6-3 floor general out of Ontario who plays for Findlay (Nev.) Prep visited both Villanova and UConn this past weekend while he was in the Northeast for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game.
“The visits went well,” Connie Joseph, Cory’s mom, said by text. “Nova is a beautiful, small campus with close family feeling and they utilize their guards well.
“UConn is a big-time program and [head coach Jim] Calhoun has such incredible knowledge and experience and a proven record of getting players to the next level. We are scheduling in-home visits.”
Connie said she had set up in-home visits with Texas, Florida and Marquette and is in the process of scheduling Kansas, UConn, UNLV, Villanova and Arizona.
Connie has the advantage of having gone through it with her older son, Devoe Joseph, who ended up at Minnesota.
“Obviously, we learned from Devoe,” she said at the Boost Mobile.
POOLE TO VISIT KENTUCKYStacey Poole, the No. 4 small forward in the Class of 2010, told Jody Demling that he will visit Kentucky and possibly Indiana in the coming weeks.
“[Kentucky has] been really serious,” Stacey Poole Sr. told Demling. “They came in late, offered him sometime this summer and are very serious about him. He really likes Kentucky.
“But then again, dealing with Kentucky and (coach John) Calipari says it all. It’s Kentucky.”
The father also said Indiana was in the mix and Poole could visit IU.
“He likes the SEC and the ACC but he also really likes Indiana,” he said.
ECHENIQUE COMPETES AT FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIPRutgers rising sophomore forward Gregory Echenique is competing for the Venezuela Senior National Team at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship that begins today in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
At just 18 years of age, Echenique is poised to be the youngest player to compete at the 10-nation Championship.
“Gregory has worked extremely hard and has continually excelled,” said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. “We are very proud of him. He definitely earned his selection. Given the degree of competition he will face at the senior national level, it should be a very beneficial experience.”
Echenique, whose father played professionally in Venezuela’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, has been training with the Venezuelan squad. He played in “friendly” games against Puerto Rico held in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, in early August. Last summer, Echenique led the Venezuela U18 team at the 2008 Tournament of the Americas in Formosa, Argentina, pacing the tournament in scoring (22.2), blocked shots (3.6) and free throws made (8.2), while placing second in rebounding (13.6).
DRUMMOND VISITS PROVIDENCEAndre Drummond, a 6-9 center out of St. Thomas More (Conn.) and the top prospect in the Class of 2012, took an unofficial visit to Providence Tuesday.
ODOM GIVES LISTRod Odom, a 6-8 wing from Long Island, gave the following list to BoxofMess.com: Arizona, BC, UConn, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan and Miami.
He visited West Virginia over the weekend and said it went well.
“It was really good and it changed my entire perception of the University as a whole. The visit definitely increased my level of interest in WVU,” he said
Odom visits UConn Sept. 3 and Louisville Sept. 5 and plans to announce in “late September.”COACHES V. CANCER BRACKET SETSyracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State and Cal will serve as the four Regional Round hosts for 2009 2K Sports Classic. The tournament will begin with Regional Round action, November 9-12, with the four host schools automatically advancing to the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden on November 19th and 20th.
—– CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS —–
Semifinal DoubleheaderMadison Square Garden – New York, N.Y.November 19th – 7:00 PM
Syracuse vs. Cal
North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Championship DoubleheaderMadison Square Garden – New York, N.Y.
November 20th – 5:00 PM
Consolation Game
Championship Game
—– REGIONAL ROUNDS —–
Syracuse Regional RoundsCarrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.November 9th – 9:00 PM
Albany vs. Syracuse
November 11th – 7:00 PM
Robert Morris vs. Syracuse
Chapel Hill Regional RoundsDean E. Smith Center- Chapel Hill, N.C.November 9th – 7:00 PM
Florida International vs. North Carolina
November 11th – 9:00 PM
UNC Central vs. North Carolina
Columbus Regional RoundsValue City Arena – Columbus, OhioNovember 9th – 7:00 PM
Alcorn State vs. Ohio State
November 12th – 7:00 PM
James Madison vs. Ohio State
Berkeley Regional RoundsHaas Pavilion – Berkeley, Calif.November 9th – 11:00 PM
Murray State vs. Cal
November 11th – 11:00 PM
Detroit vs. Cal
—– SUBREGIONAL ROUNDS —–
Albany Subregional RoundsSEFCU Arena – Albany, N.Y.November 20th – 6:00 PM
Robert Morris vs. Detroit
Alcorn State vs. Albany
November 21st – 4:00 PM
Detroit vs. Alcorn State
Robert Morris vs. Albany
November 22nd – 2:30 PM
Detroit vs. Albany
Alcorn State vs. Robert Morris
Miami Subregional RoundsU.S Century Bank Arena – Miami, Fla.November 20th – 5:30 PM
James Madison vs. Murray State
NC Central vs. Florida International
November 22nd – 5:30 PM
Murray State vs. NC Central
James Madison vs. Florida International
November 23rd – 5:30 PM
NC Central vs. James Madison
Murray State vs. Florida International
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.