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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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Friday / March 29.
  • With St. Anthony flooded out of its own gym and unable to use the Nets’ practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley ripped the NBA and said he feels “bad for them.”

    “When it’s all said and done, they [the NBA] turned it down,” Hurley told SNY.tv of his request to practice at the Nets’ facility because only half of the team’s court in Jersey City is usable due to water damage that requires $160,000 to repair. “And the theme I believe was even though they knew it was an emergency they didn’t want to set a precedent. And the only precedent I can see is they didn’t want to help someone who needed help.

    “So if that’s the precedent in the NBA, why do they do all those “NBA Cares,” all those public service things? Is that photo ops because this was a very simple one. You have an empty gym in East Rutherford and somebody that has no place to go and all we’re looking to do is go in there while the work day is still going on, mind you, because corporate is still in the building, I believe. And so we’d be in there for an hour and a half and back out the door, affecting no one. We’d bring our own equipment, do the floor before we start and walk out and clean up behind us like we do whenever we go someplace.

    Myles Turner is one of just two uncommitted players in the Class of 2014 named to the McDonald’s All-American Game.

    Findlay Prep shooting guard Rashad Vaughn is the other.

    Between that event set for April 2 and the Nike Hoop Summit set for April 12 in Portland, Ore., the 6-foot-11 Turner will get an opportunity to team with several players who are already committed to schools he’s considering.

    David Turner, Myles’ father, said his son will use the games to determine “how much camaraderie and chemistry there is” with the other players.

    “It is an excellent opportunity for Myles to judge for himself where he is,” David told SNY.tv.

    The Philadelphia 76ers’ Michael Carter-Williams, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and the Knicks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. headline the list of 18 players selected for the 2014 Compass Rising Stars Challenge to be played Friday, Feb. 14, in New Orleans during NBA All-Star 2014.

    Syracuse, Kentucky and Michigan each have two former players in the game. Carter-Williams and Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers went to Syracuse, Davis and Terrence Jones of the Houston Rockets played at Kentucky and Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz were Wolverines.

    Carter-Williams, the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October/November, leads all first year players in scoring (17.4 ppg), assists (6.7 apg), rebounding (5.6 apg) and steals (2.41 spg). Davis, the league leader in blocks (3.27 bpg), is averaging a double-double with 20.4 points and 10.4 rebounds. Lillard, the 2012-13 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year has the Trail Blazers near the top of the Western Conference standings thanks to averages of 20.6 points and 5.6 assists.

    Seton Hall-bound guard Isaiah Whitehead of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and Kentucky signee Karl Towns of St. Joe’s-Metuchen (N.J.) both made the McDonald’s All-American Game, set for April 2 at Chicago’s United Center (9:30 p.m., ESPN).

    “It means everything,” the 6-foot-5 Whitehead told SNY.tv. “Starting your high school career, you strive to be one so this just feels amazing.”

    Whitehead is the first Seton Hall commit to make the game since Andre Barrett and the late Eddie Griffin in 2000 and the first New York City player since Loughlin’s JayVaughn Pinkston in 2010.

    He joins former Lincoln stars Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair and Lance Stephenson in the lineage of stars from the Coney Island school to make the game.

    Chris Walker, a 6-foot-10 freshman at Florida, has been cleared to play next Tuesday against Missouri by the NCAA.

    Walker will have missed 12 games dating to when he began practice in December — 40 percent of his season — due to him accepting cellphones, airfare, lodging and more while a prospect. He will have to donate $270 to a charity and serve 80 hours of community service.

    When he returns, though, Florida coach Billy Donovan doesn’t expect any miracles.

    Tyus Battle isn’t the only big-time recruit coming to Saturday’s Duke-Syracuse tilt at the Carrier Dome.

    Moustapha Diagne, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound 2015 power forward from Sparta (N.J.) Pope John, will also be on hand.

    “He is very excited,” Pope John coach Jason Hasson, who will make the trip with Diagne, told SNY.tv. “It is going to be a great weekend with a huge basketball game any basketball fan would be excited to see.

    “He has been to Syracuse three times before and likes the campus and the coaching staff. It’s an active college town that rallies to support their team. He is looking forward to speaking more directly with the coaching staff about

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