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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.
  • NEW YORK — Frank Martin knows all about D’Angelo Harrison.

    Martin made a run at the talented two guard when he was the coach at Kansas State

    “I recruited D’Angelo Harrison real hard at K-State,” Martin said after the 6-foot-3 Harrison went for a game-high 26 points as St. John’s destroyed the Gamecocks, 89-65, in the Big East/SEC Challenge at Carnesecca Arena. “I thought he was a real good player. When St. John’s got him I knew he’d be a handful.

    “He’s got the ability on certain nights to go for a lot of, lot of baskets. He’s a high-level player.”

    The mystery surrounding Tonny Trocha-Morelos is over.

    The 6-foot-10 Colombian signed with Texas A&M.

    “I am excited to add Tonny to our program,” Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said in a statement. “He will have an immediate impact to our program. He is a skilled big man who affects the game on both ends of the floor.”

    ZAGSBLOG previously reported that Trocha-Morelos would enter school in December.

    A long and athletic post, Trocha-Morelos made a good impression over the summer when he played for the Colombian U18 Team at the FIBA Americas in Brazil, averaging 16 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest, both team-highs.

    When Jeremy Lamb, Kendall Marshall, John Jenkins and Perry Jones heard NBA Commissioner David Stern call their names during the NBA Draft last June, they probably didn’t expect this bump in the road.

    On Thursday, Lamb, out of UConn, and Marshall, from North Carolina, were among the latest in a parade of  2012 draft picks sent to the NBA D-League.

    On Saturday, the Atlanta Hawks assigned both Jenkins, the No. 23 pick in the draft out of Vanderbilt, and Mike Scott of Virginia, the No. 43 pick, to the D-League.

    And on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder sent down Perry Jones, the former Baylor star picked No. 28 in the draft.

    All told, seven first-round picks from last year’s draft have been assigned to the D-League, and 13 drafted players overall. Only one of the seven first-rounders — Duke’s Miles Plumlee — spent four years in college.

    Seton Hall junior forward Patrik Auda underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a break in his right foot and will miss the rest of the season.

    “He will redshirt,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard said Thursday, adding that redshirt forms cannot be submitted until the end of the season.

    According to The Star-Ledger, Auda suffered the injury in the opening minutes of the second half of Seton Hall’s win over Maine on Nov. 21 after he lost his balance.

    “He’s a big guy — he’s 240 (pounds),” Willard told the Ledger. “I guess when you do that, you can break it.”

    On the day last month that Aaron and Andrew Harrison verbally committed to Kentucky, head coach John Calipari made a recruiting trip to see Andrew Wiggins.

    Now, Calipari is expected to watch both the Harrison twins and Wiggins in the same location this weekend at the Marshall County (Ky.) Hoopfest.

    Kentucky commit Derek Willis and 2014 target Cliff Alexander will also be at the event.

    Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford — whose team plays games Friday and Saturday at the event — said he hadn’t spoken to Calipari about his plans but “thinks” the Kentucky coach will make an appearance since all of those players are on the bill.

    As ESPN’s Brent Musburger pointed out after No. 2 Duke’s 73-68 win over No. 4 Ohio State in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge, the Blue Devils have now beaten three of last year’s Final Four teams.

    And it’s not even December yet.

    On Nov. 13, Duke beat defending national champion Kentucky, 75-68, in the Champions Classic and on Nov. 24, the Devils topped Louisville, 76-71, in the Bahamas.

    “It sure wasn’t [easy],” senior big man Mason Plumlee, who had 21 points and 17 rebounds, said on ESPN. “Ohio State showed why they’re one of the best teams in the country.”

    The Barclays Center in Brooklyn has already hosted defending national champion Kentucky and No. 1-ranked Indiana in this young college basketball season.

    Could the ACC Tournament be coming to Jay-Z’s house down the road, too?

    If you ask Louisville hoops legend Darrell Griffith, the answer is yes.

    “You can write this down,” Griffith told Louisville columnist Rick Bozich. “They’re going to play their conference tournament at the Barclays Center. This league is made for exposure in New York City.”

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