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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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Monday / October 7.
  • Malik Price-Martin, a 6-foot-8, 175-pound 2014 power forward from Oakland Park (Fla.) Northeast, pledged to USC Sunday night.

    “The West Coast fits his style of play,” Team Breakdown coach Kenny Gillon told SNY.tv. “Andy Enfield recruited him hard and was at most of his games in July. He was comfortable with assistant coach Kevin Norris.”

    Martin also held offers from Florida, Louisville, Miami, Memphis, Florida State, Auburn, South Carolina, Rutgers and South Florida, among others.

    “He is a face-up forward who attacks the basket from the perimeter,Gillon previously told SNY.tv. “He has a smooth stroke out to the 3-point line. He’s an aggressive rebounder and shot-blocker.

    “He has great size and length (7-foot-5 wingspan) and crazy athletic ability. He is a quick leaper and soars so as he gets stronger the sky is the limit for him.”

    Brooklyn Lincoln guard Isaiah Whitehead plans to visit three schools, he told Scout.com.

    “After this I’m going to start planning my visits out,” Whitehead told the site after a game at the Fab 48 in Las Vegas. “I’m definitely going to visit Syracuse again, Arizona maybe and UCLA. Those are the definite ones right now.”

    The 6-foot-4 Whitehead had previously considered Louisville, but as has been reported by Jody Demling and others, the Cardinals are out now after they received a pledge from 2014 shooting guard JaQuan Lyle. Louisville has three guards committed for 2014.

    Canadian big man Ray Kasongo has made quite a name for himself this week in Las Vegas.

    After going for 24 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks in a loss to Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander and Mac Irvin Fire, Kasongo has added offers from Oregon, LSU, Florida State and Tennessee. Kansas assistant Jerrance Howard has also been following Kasongo.

    Kasongo — part of a new wave of Canadian talent playing South of the border — has played the past two seasons in the Appalachians of Eastern Kentucky. In 2011-2012, he played at East Ridge High School (Lick Creek, KY), and this past year, he was just 30 miles down the road at district rival Pikeville (KY) High School.

    FOX,-DEAARON_6_25_150By JACK LeGWIN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite not playing for Houston Hoops this weekend, De’Aaron Fox still made some noise for Rashard Lewis’ team, leading them to a 2-1 record in pool play.

    The 6-foot-3 athletic lefty combo guard out of Katy, Texas  is ranked 13th in the Class of 2016 by ESPN, and has a knack for scoring at a blinding pace as he showed earlier in the high school season when he dropped 52 points.

    Fox has drawn national attention, and has received offers from Baylor, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, and SMU. But he has impressed the best of them, with Kentucky Coach John Calipari coming to watch him play most recently in the 17U Gold Super Showcase in Orlando this past week.

    Incoming TCU freshman Karviar Shepherd and incoming LSU frosh Jordan Mickey of LSU were both reportedly cleared, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and ESPN.com.

    “We’re still waiting on that amateur status,” James Mickey, Jordan’s father, told SNY.tv by text.

    Both were initially declared non-qualifiers by the NCAA because they attended Dallas (TX) Prime Prep, the school founded by former NFL star Deion Sanders.

    Earlier this month an NCAA source told SNY.tv: “They’re not cleared yet but it’s early in the process. We’re just getting started with this one.”

    St. Joe’s picked up a tough, gritty New York point guard Friday when Shavar Newkirk of Cardinal Hayes pledged to the program.

    “I picked St. Joe’s because I created a relationship with the head coach [Phil Martelli],” the 6-foot, 170-pound Newkirk told SNY.tv.

    “They extended the reach of communication between my family and Coach Martelli. He felt I would be a great fit for his program and he really wanted me to come to his school. He came to every event and called me every night. I can’t turn down a guy that my best interests.”

    Huntington (W.V.) Prep point guard Josh Perkins separated his right shoulder during a game in Las Vegas Friday, but told SNY.tv he will be OK.

    “I’ll be alright,” he said by text.

    “It’s a bummer not being able to play in your last AAU tournament but there are more games to come down the road.”

    Randy Perkins, Josh’s father, recently told SNY.tv that his son had cut his list to five schools — Gonzaga, Minnesota, UCLA, UConn and Kentucky — but Josh said he hasn’t cut the list.

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