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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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Thursday / March 28.
  • Seton Hall signed Aaron Geramipoor, a frontcourt player originally from Manchester, England.

    The 6-foot-11, 225-pound Geramipoor was a teammate of Patrik Auda at the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands, Spain.  Auda signed to play basketball at Seton Hall in May.

    “Adding another talent from the Canarias Basketball Academy, one the premier schools in Europe, will bolster our frontcourt lineup for next year and beyond,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said.  “Aaron is incredibly long and has great tools for a man his size.  We look forward to his growth in our system and believe he can be a real asset moving forward.”

    The Nets have named Billy King as the team’s new general manager and will introduce him to the media at a Thursday press conference.

    King succeeds Rod Thorn, who is stepping down as the team’s president after 10 years.  Terms of King’s contract were not released.

    “I am very pleased Billy King is coming on board as Nets General Manager,” said team owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “He has all of the qualities we’ve been looking for in a candidate:  professionalism, good relations with the league, players and agents, and strong communications skills.  He will be an excellent fit with Head Coach Avery Johnson. Most importantly, Billy is ambitious.  He wants to win.  This is what I felt when I met with him and why he will be a strong addition to the Nets organization.”

    NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — There wasn’t a seat to be found during tipoff of Austin Rivers‘ game against the Boo Williams AAU team Tuesday night at the Peach Jam.

    Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Florida coach Billy Donovan secured prominent seats early along coaches’ row so Rivers could see them.

    Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin’s father, sat against another wall.

    Dozens of other prominent coaches ringed the court. The stands were packed. And even the track above the court was thick with people anxious to watch the 6-foot-4 uncommitted rising senior guard.

    “Yeah, I saw them,” said Rivers, averaging 24.5 points, including 17 of 43 3-pointers, through four games here.

    NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — After winning the gold medal in the FIBA U17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany Sunday night, Michael Gilchrist and five teammates flew from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, N.C. to Columbia, S.C., where they landed at 10:40 Monday night.

    They wore their gold medals around their necks all the way home.

    But not long after arriving in South Carolina, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Gilchrist presented his mother, Cindy Richardson, with his medal.

    “I’m so proud of him, my heart’s about to burst,” said Richardson, a Somerdale, N.J. native. “I’m going to wear this gold medal for every single, solitary game until he goes to college.”

    NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C.Michael Gilchrist didn’t know Kentucky was recruiting 6-10 forward Anthony Davis until he learned it from reporters Tuesday morning.

    Now that he knows, Gilchrist joked that he’s ready to help recruit Davis to the Wildcats.

    “Oh, for real,” Gilchrist said after scoring 26 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in Team Final’s 60-54 victory over Mean Streets at the Peach Jam. “I didn’t know. I gotta get on him, huh?

    “ASAP, huh?”

    NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The Miami Heat added LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

    The Knicks brought on Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton.

    The Orlando Magic still have Dwight Howard and Vince Carter.

    And the Boston Celtics will be without Kendrick Perkins for half of next season and Rasheed Wallace forever.

    But Celtics coach Doc Rivers says they are still the team to beat in the East.

    NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — There was a star-studded crowd on hand Monday night to watch Austin Rivers and his Each 1 Teach 1 team at the Peach Jam.

    Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Chris Collins sat in the middle of the packed coaches’ row, while Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin’s father, sat against another wall.

    In the end, though, Syracuse commit Michael Carter-Williams and the Boston Area Basketball Club (BABC) spoiled the party by handing Rivers’ team a 63-51 defeat in front of a charged crowd.

    Carter-Williams, who dropped 44 points earlier in the day, put up 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists to go with 7 turnovers.

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