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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.
  • RandleOne day after both Julius Randle and his Godfather said Randle didn’t need foot surgery, the former Kentucky star reiterated his position after a workout with the Celtics.

    “It’s never been considered,” the 6-foot-9 Randle said according to Boston.com. “I’ve met with my own doctor and talked to specialists, some of the best doctors in the world and they’ve said they wouldn’t do anything with it. I probably wouldn’t be working out if I needed surgery.”

    He added that nobody has asked him to have surgery on the right foot he initially injured in high school.

    “It won’t be an issue,” Randle said. “Whether a team wants me to have surgery or not, it’s a minor injury in the first place that I suffered in high school. The longest you are out is 12 weeks or something like that [with the surgery]. I’d probably miss summer league or something like that, but nobody said they want me to have surgery.”

    Bryant Crawford, one of the top point guards in the Class of 2015, visited Louisville this week and is definitely considering the Cardinals as a future destination after picking up a scholarship offer.

    “It was nice, I enjoyed it,”  the 6-foot-2 point guard from Washington, D.C., Gonzaga and Team Takeover told SNY.tv by phone.

    Crawford met with head man Rick Pitino and his staff.

    “[They said] if I came there based on whatever happened next year or who leaves next year, I could possibly play as a freshman,” Crawford said. “I should be prepared to play if I did come to Louisville.”

    Crawford was supposed to visit Maryland Tuesday, “but I had family in town so I couldn’t make it. I think Coach [Mark] Turgeon was setting up another date. [Gonzaga] Coach [Steve] Turner hasn’t gotten back and told me anything yet.”

    By JACK LeGWIN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    One of the top players in the nation, Jayson Tatum, will be making a trip to Kansas.

    “My visit is scheduled for the 20th-22nd of June,” Tatum told SNY.tv. “I’m going to get a chance to see them practice, I’m going to get a chance to see how they do things, and to see how the coaches interact with the players.”

    Tatum, ranked No. 4 in the nation by 247 Sports, could be one of the most  intriguing players in the Class of 2016. Listed at 6-foot-9, it is deceiving to see that Tatum is listed as a guard, and yet, that is exactly what he is…a guard.

    “I’m a very tall and versatile guard that can play multiple positions on the court,” Tatum said. “I’ve learned to play faster now, learning to attack more. It’s helped a lot playing in the EYBL.”

    Tatum averaged 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the St. Louis Eagles on the EYBL circuit. 

    For a guy like Jalen Brunson, making the first cut for the USA Basketball U18 team is not only a confirmation of his skillset.

    It also allows him to compete against players a year older, such as Duke freshmen Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow and Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson.

    “It’s great not just because of the physical aspect but they’ve been here [with USA Basketball] twice,” the 6-foot-1 Brunson out of Lincolnshire (IL) Adlai Stevenson told SNY.tv by phone from Colorado Springs. “They’ve won two gold medals so they’re very experienced. And their teaching has really helped.”

    The Northfield Mount Hermon quartet of Ian Sistare, Aaron Falzon, Josh Sharma and AJ Broduer are taking a cross-country trip with coaches John Carroll and James Cormier to visit numerous schools. They will be contributing a Player Blog to ZAGSBLOG along the way. Check back later for future updates on visits and offers.

    My name is Ian Sistare. I am from Dublin N.H., and I have been attending Northfield Mount Hermon School for the past two years. Next year, I will be entering my junior year. My freshman year, our basketball team won the National Prep School Championship going 29-6. This past season, we made it to the National Prep Final Four. Hopefully, we will be able to make another run at the championship in years to come.

    This June, our head coach John Carroll and assistant James Cormier are taking Aaron Falzon ’15, Josh Sharma ’15, AJ Broduer ’16 and myself on a tour of Midwest schools of interest. We have visited Penn State, Ohio State and Xavier so far on the trip. All three places have their unique qualities and I can say for sure we have all enjoyed the visits. The coaching staffs have been so welcoming and excited to see us which has opened our eyes to their humility.

    StanleyJaylen Brown has traveled so much this week he may be ready to co-star with William Shatner in a Priceline.com ad.

    The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Marietta (GA) High School junior wing left the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy at 1 p.m. Monday so that he could play in the USA Basketball U18 tryouts beginning the next day in Colorado Springs, Colo.

    “I [flew] from Italy to New York and that was 10 hours,” Brown told SNY.tv by phone Thursday evening. “And then New York to Denver and that was five hours, and then a one-hour car drive to Colorado Springs.”

    After a long sleep in Colorado Springs, Brown was in the gym by 8:30 Tuesday morning so he could get up some shots “and get used to the elevation.” Jet lag is still a factor, but he’s battling through it.

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