August 2011 | Zagsblog
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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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Tuesday / March 19.
  • NEW YORK — Only one man in tennis history has beaten Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same Grand Slam event.

    It was two years ago that Juan Martin del Potro pulled off that historic double-double to win the 2009 U.S. Open, but for him it feels like it was just yesterday.

    “When I was walking around the street or when I talk with the fans, they say, I remember your final. You can repeat again. You can win again,”  the 18th-seeded del Potro said after he dismantled helpless Italian Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in just 1 hour, 28 minutes inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.

    NEW YORK — Venus Williams withdrew suddenly from the U.S. Open on Wednesday citing an autoimmune disease known as Sjögren’s Syndrome.

    The unseeded Williams had won her first-round match and was to have played No. 22 Sabine Lisicki of Germany Wednesday in the second round.

    “I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year’s U.S. Open,” she said in a statement. “I have been recently diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medication condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain.

    “I enjoyed playing my first match here and wish I could continue but right now I am unable to. I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon.”

    The Big East released its full basketball schedule Wednesday and says that “91 percent of all conference games in 2011-12 will include a team that played in the 2011 NCAA tourney.”

    On the national television slate, ESPN & ESPN2 will carry 45 conference games.  At least 25 league games will be televised on ESPNU, which reaches more than 73 million homes.  CBS Sports has five BIG EAST contests and four non-league games.  ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship presented by American Eagle Outfitters from Madison Square Garden in New York.  The dates for the 2012 event are March 6-10.  It will be the 30th BIG EAST tournament at MSG.

    Kyle Anderson finally made it home to the East Coast from Los Angeles Tuesday night.

    Now he’s set to visit Seton Hall Thursday and St. John’s next Wednesday in two unofficial visits that could prove critical in his decision. (He will also trip to Georgetown on Tuesday.)

    The 6-foot-8 Anderson will choose from among those three Big East schools, Florida and UCLA on Sept. 20.

    Hall of Fame St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley broke down the two local schools Wednesday morning during a phone interview with SNY.tv.

    Ricky Ledo has postponed a Thursday press conference to announce his college choice, according to Adam Finkelstein and Kevin McNamara.

    The 6-foot-7 Ledo was to announce for either Providence, UConn, Syracuse, Kentucky or West Virginia, with Providence presumably getting the nod.

    Instead, Ledo, who committed to the Friars last Christmas Eve, will hold off for now.

    “The worst thing is for him [Ledo] to rush into any decision,” Notre Dame Prep head coach Ryan Hurd told McNamara of the Providence Journal. “It’s important for Ricky to get back to campus, get a grip on where his academics and recruitment all stands, and look forward to an important year.”

    Rodney Purvis, the No. 2 point guard in the Class of 2012, has issued a new list of schools.

    The onetime Louisville commit out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God guard said he’s no longer considering just N.C. State and Missouri, but has a new group of schools that includes UConn, Memphis, Missouri, N.C. Central, N.C. State, Ohio State, Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia.

    Purvis told ACC.now he plans to take five official visits and has no timetable set for a decision.

    “Instead of rushing into another decision,” Purvis told the site. “I get to sit down and talk with the coaches more. Gain relationships with every coach on the staff. Just get a good feel for the campuses … and see what fits my style of play the best.”

    Tuesday was a big day for 6-foot-9 New York forward Chris McCullough.

    A very big day.

    While on a visit to Arizona, the 2014 standout picked up scholarship offers from Big East powerhouses UConn and West Virginia.

    “Coach [Kevin] Ollie reached out to let Chris know that there is a scholarship on the table for him,” Terrance “Munch” Williams, McCullough’s AAU coach, told SNY.tv.

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