November 2011 | Page 10 of 23 | 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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    • Articles

    NEW YORK — All four of the teams in this weekend’s Legends Classic at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., have ties to the New York metropolitan area.

    Texas, N.C. State, Vanderbilt and Oregon State each have at least one player who played high school ball in the area — and all four coaches say they plan to continue to recruit this fertile region despite the challenges it presents.

    “We’ve tried to come up there for a lot of years and get good players,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings, whose roster features senior guard Lance Goulbourne of Brooklyn and sophomore forward Rod Odom of Central Islip, said Thursday on a conference call.

    Arizona, Articles, St. John's

    NEW YORK — When St. John’s meets Arizona Thursday in the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, one man will have a unique perspective on the East-West matchup.

    St. John’s assistant Mike Dunlap once served as the associate head coach at Arizona — and in fact turned down the interim head coaching job there when it was offered to him.

    “My experience there from the periphery, it appeared difficult, but I focused on helping that organization then and the report card at the end was surprisingly good,” Dunlap said Wednesday.

    Articles, Mississippi State

    NEW YORK — Talented.

    Overweight.

    Enigmatic.

    Those are just some of the words used to describe Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State’s 6-foot-10, 290-pound junior forward.

    Sidney and the Bulldogs will be on display Thursday and Friday in the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. Mississippi State faces No. 19 Texas A&M Thursday, and then either St. John’s or Arizona Friday.

    Memphis

    After initially saying he would not sign until the spring period, Shaq Goodwin signed with Memphis on Wednesday.

    The 6-foot-8 Goodwin joins AAU teammate Damien Wilson in the Tigers’ 2012 signing class.

    Memphis had previously missed out on power forward Alex Poythress, who chose Kentucky. The Tigers are also involved with 6-8 Jarnell Stokes of Memphis, who may end up signing in the late period.

    Goodwin is rated as the No. 19 prospect in the nation by ESPNU, and the best prospect in the state of Georgia.

    St. John's

    Norvel Pelle has become the third St. John’s pledge to decommit in recent weeks.

    “Word is out I decommitted which is true I jus want to thnk all the st johns fan for there support and luv yall showed me,” the 6-foot-10 Pelle tweeted.

    Phelps School coach Brian Shanahan previously told SNY.tv Pelle would not be heading to college until the fall of 2012. Shanahan had no comment on Pelle’s decommitment.

    JaKarr Sampson, a 6-8 forward from Brewster (N.H.) Academy, previously decommitted, although his AAU coach, Don Anderson, said he’s still considering St. John’s.

    Articles, Marshall

    Onetime Towson commit Kelvin Amayo has a new destination.

    The 6-foot-5, 210-pound combo guard is headed to Marshall, where if all works out he would become eligible after the first semester of the 2012-13 season.

    “Yes, that’s right,” he told SNY.tv by phone. “December next year I’ll be able to play.”

    Amayo said Dayton, FIU and St. Peter’s had all expressed interest in him but he chose Marshall because head coach Tom Herrion — who is able to take props — called him directly.

    Recruiting

    Amile Jefferson will sign late and Jarnell Stokes remains in limbo .

    “[Jefferson] won’t be signing today,” Philly Friends Central coach Jason Polykoff told SNY.tv by text Wednesdday.

    Asked if that meant he would sign late, he added, “Looks like he’s going to have to.”

    The 6-foot-7 Jefferson attended Villanova’s 76-69 overtime win over La Salle Tuesday night after taking his last official visit to Stanford last weekend.

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