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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.
  • Memphis coach Josh Pastner already made his pitch for Jarnell Stokes, showing up at his home at 12:01 a.m. Friday to show his interest.

    This weekend it was new Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin’s turn.

    During a trip to Memphis, Martin told the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Stokes that he could not only be the “face of the program,” but could also be the one to turn Tennessee around in the post-Bruce Pearl Era and “be that guy that players want to play with,” a source with knowledge of the meeting told SNY.tv.

    “It was great,” Stokes said by text of the visit.

    While sources close to the Kyle Anderson camp continue to say that St. John’s and UCLA are the favorites, one source said Florida had a “puncher’s chance” to land the 6-foot-8 St. Anthony point guard.

    Florida coach Billy Donovan and assistant Norm Roberts will now get their shot to persuade Anderson, who scored 35 and 31 points, respectively, in two wins for the Playaz Basketball Club Sunday at IS8. They have a home visit with him Monday night and then host the St. Anthony star this coming weekend for an official visit that will include Saturday’s nationally televised SEC football game with Tennessee.

    Rick Pitino picked up a point guard Sunday when Terry Rozier of Shaker Heights, Ohio committed to Louisville.

    “It’s really amazing for me,” Rozier, a 6-foot-1, 170-pount floor general ranked No. 22 at his position by Rivals, told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “My heart was telling me I needed to do it. I didn’t want to wait around any longer.”

    Rozier told the paper he also considered West Virginia, Illinois and Cleveland State.

    Rozier said he has been a Louisville fan since watching the film “Through The Fire,” about former Brooklyn Lincoln standout Sebastian Telfair, who first committed to Louisville before heading to the NBA.

    Houston hasn’t been a factor on the national basketball scene since the days of Clyde Drexler and Phi Slamma Jamma in the 1980s.

    Yet the Cougars are hoping to return to national prominence in the near future with the additions of two very talented players from the Class of 2012.

    Danuel House, an extremely athletic 6-foot-7 forward from Houston Hightower, and Danrad “Chicken” Knowles, a 6-9 forward from the Homeschool Christian Youth Association, both committed to Houston Sunday at the RCS Sports “Rucker on Wood” event.

    NEW YORK — On September 8, 2001, Serena Williams lost the U.S. Open championship to her older sister, Venus, in the inaugural primetime women’s final.

    Three days later, the world changed forever when terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center towers.

    Ten years later, Serena will return to another U.S. Open final after she completely dismantled Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 1 player in the world, 6-2, 6-4, closing out the match with a forehand winner and then leaping into the air on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

    “It really meant a lot to me to come out here as an American and still be in the tournament,” said Williams, who was 19 when the 9/11 attacks took place.

    NEW YORK — Is Novak Djokovic in Rafael Nadal’s head?

    So far this year, the answer has been an unequivocal yes.

    During his incredible 2011, Djokovic has beaten Nadal in five finals and on three surfaces, including the big stage of the Wimbledon final.

    Now the two best players in the world will tangle for the U.S. Open championship on Monday after No. 2 Nadal, the defending champion, downed No. 4 Andy Murray, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Saturday night in the semifinals.

    “This year I lost the last five finals against [Djokovic] so this will be the sixth,” Nadal said. “That’s an advantage for him. He’s obviously the favorite for the final.

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