April 2013 | Page 12 of 32 | Zagsblog
Recent Posts
About ZagsBlog
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.
Follow Zags on Twitter
Couldn't connect with Twitter
Contact Zags
Connect with Zags:
Friday / March 29.
  • Teaneck (N.J.) High School shooting guard Joel Hernandez is the latest player to sign with LIU-Brooklyn, having done so Saturday morning as his visit to the campus ended.

    The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Hernandez said he also considered Hofstra.

    Hernandez told SNY.tv he picked LIU — which has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments — because of “the way it made me feel. I bonded with the players and coaches.”

    Hernandez scored 1,590 points at Teaneck and led the Highwaymen to three straight North 1, Group 3 titles. He was named the Bergen Record Player of the Year.

    Rutgers sophomore guard Eli Carter received his release today but his father told SNY.tv that he is open to remaining at Rutgers under new coach Eddie Jordan.

    “We’re still open to that option,” Dale Sterling said by phone. “We’re willing to sit down and talk to him depending on how soon [he officially takes the job]. I’m not sure because he’s not on campus on yet.”

    Jordan, the former Rutgers star and NBA coach, has yet to be officially named coach by the school.

    Still, Carter himself Tweeted that he will be “moving on.”

    “My experience at Rutgers has been great but it’s time for me to move on now! I appreciate you all. Thanks!,” he Tweeted.

    Sterling added that his son is happy to have the release and will now move forward compiling a list of suitors.

    Four ties among teams that finished the 2012-13 NBA regular season with identical records were broken today through random drawings to help determine the order of selection for the 2013 NBA Draft, which will be held on Thursday, June 27.

    The drawings were conducted earlier today in New York City by Jason Cahilly, NBA Executive Vice President, Strategy and Chief Financial Officer, and Dan Rube, NBA Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel.  The tiebreak process was overseen by Denise Pelli, a partner in the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

    The results of the drawings:

    ·         Detroit (29-53) won a tiebreaker with Washington.

    ·         Philadelphia (34-48) won a tiebreaker with Toronto.

    ·         Houston (45-37) won a tiebreaker with Chicago and the L.A. Lakers; L.A. Lakers then won a tie-breaker with Chicago.

    ·         L.A. Clippers (56-26) won a tiebreaker with Memphis.

    Below is the order of selection for the 2013 NBA Draft, as well as the number of chances for teams in the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery, to be held on Tuesday, May 21.

    NEW YORK — Kentan Facey is excited about going to UConn next season, and he hopes guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright stick around for a potential deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

    “As far as Boat and Napier is concerned, I think they have a lot of experience,” the 6-foot-8 Facey told SNY.tv last week at the Jordan Brand Regional Game, where he went for a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds as White beat Black, 114-102. “They’ll probably be one of the best backcourts that we’ll have for the season. And for the new conference that we’re going in [the American Athletic Conference], they definitely will bring a lot of experience towards that.”

    Facey also believes future UConn teammate Terrence Samuel — who had eight points and four boards in the win — would benefit from playing with Napier and Boatright.

    “They pretty much are bigger guards, so he’ll definitely learn the style of play through them, practicing with them every day and stuff like that,” said Facey, who helped lead Long Island Lutheran to the New York State Federation AA championship game, where they lost to Christ the King.

    Former West Virginia guard Jabarie Hinds in on the move.

    The 5-foot-11 point guard from Mount Vernon, N.Y., visited UMass last weekend and heads to St. Joe’s on Sunday. He is also considering Iona and Creighton.

    Hinds spent time at UMass with friends Chaz Williams of Brooklyn and Derrick Gordon of Plainfield, N.J.

    “It was good,” Hinds, 21, told SNY.tv of the UMass visit. “It was real good. I like the coaches there. I spent time with the players. Overall, the visit was good.”

    He heads to St. Joe’s on Sunday.

    “Me and [fellow West Virginia transfer] Aaron Brown [are] going on a visit,” Hinds said. “They called [Mount Vernon] coach [Bob] Cimmino.”

    Remember when that rumor spread that Andrew Wiggins would announce his college choice this weekend at the Nike Hoop Summit?

    Yes, those were some good times.

    The fact is that Wiggins says he hasn’t even decided where he will go yet.

    “Anyone who says they know where I’m going is a liar,” Wiggins told Michael Grange of sportsnet.ca in this excellent column from Portland. “I don’t know where I’m going, so they can’t know where I’m going.”

    UConn made the transfer of N.C. State guard Rodney Purvis official on Friday.

    The former McDonald’s All-American who played 35 games as a freshman for the Wolfpack uring the 2012-13 season has signed a financial aid agreement to complete his transfer to UConn.

    Purvis, a 6-3, 195-pound guard from Raleigh, N.C., will have to sit out the 2013-14 season as per NCAA transfer rules, although he will be able to practice with the Huskies. He will have three years of eligibility remaining, starting in 2014-15.

    “Rodney is a great athlete, but first and foremost a great person,” UConn head coach Kevin Ollie said. “We’re very excited that he will be a part of our program.”

    Purvis played in all 35 games for the 24-11 Wolfpack last season, starting 23 and averaging 25.5 minutes per game. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, shot 44.2 percent overall and 38.5 percent from three-point range. He played 32 minutes and scored seven points in N.C. State’s 69-65 victory over UConn in the Jimmy V Classic last December in Madison Square Garden.

    } });
    X