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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 / April 25.
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    • Articles, USA Basketball, USA U18 Team

    Roselle (N.J.) Catholic guard Isaiah Briscoe made the first cut for the USA U18 team, and hopes to make the final roster of 12 which will compete in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship later this month.

    “It feels good just knowing that all the hard work I put in is showing,” the 6-foot-3 Briscoe told SNY.tv by text after cuts were made. “It’s still one more cut to be made of three but I’m just still trying to play my game and hope to represent my country.”

    As reported here earlier this month, Briscoe plans to cut his list to eight colleges sometime later this month, either after the FIBA Americas championship or after the Kyrie Irving Point Guard Academy that runs June 23-25 at Kean University.

    Articles, NBA Draft

    RANDLEJULIUS_7_10_-COPYJulius Randle’s Godfather says the former Kentucky star does not need foot surgery.

    “No, he’s not having no surgery,” Jeff Webster told SNY.tv Thursday by phone. “There ain’t nothing wrong with his foot.

    “It’s 100 percent false.”

    Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports — the most respected NBA writer there is — reported  that the 6-foot-9 Randle “likely needs surgery on his right foot after the NBA draft in June, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”

    The story added:

    Articles, USA Basketball, USA U18 Team

    USA Basketball cut the U18 roster to 15 players on Thursday and will cut again to 12 before the FIBA U18 Americas Championship begins next week at the US Olympic Training Center.

    The current roster includes incoming Duke freshmen Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow and 2015 Duke commit Luke Kennard, along with incoming Arizona frosh Stanley Johnson:

    “I thought the group all-together was really, really great. Now that we’ve narrowed it down to 15 guys, we’ll get a chance to practice with those guys. As I’ve said, it’s not necessarily about having the 12 best players but having the 12 best guys that will make up the best team. I think with these 15 players there are a lot of options to choose from. This group is very talented and really good,” said Billy Donovan, USA U18 National Team and University of Florida head coach, who led the 2012 U18 and 2013 U19 USA National Teams to gold and a combined 14-0 record.

    Arizona

    Two days after his father reaffirmed his commitment to Arizona, Tyler Dorsey has officially decommitted.

    “As much as I love the Arizona basketball program as well as the awesome Wildcat fans and highly respect Head Coach Sean Miller and the entire Arizona staff, I realize that, in hindsight, I rushed my college choice and did not provide myself with the greatest opportunity to explore and thoroughly investigate all my possible college options,” Dorsey said, in part, in a statement.

    “After very careful personal reflection and discussing this issue in depth with my parents, I feel I owe it to myself to open up my recruiting at this time and fully experience the recruiting process in order to allow myself to make the best possible choice for my future. I am pleased that Coach Miller understands and respects my decision to do this and hope that Arizona will continue to be a college option for me.”

    Recruiting

    Tyus Battle enjoyed his visit to Villanova on Tuesday and will next head to Kentucky and possibly Louisville also.

    “It was good, I really enjoyed it,” the 6-foot-6 Battle told SNY.tv of his trip to Villanova. “Coach [Jay] Wright and the other coaches are great people. The campus was very nice and I love the offense and they way they develop their players.”

    Villanova obviously has a strong tradition of developing great guards and that is not lost on Battle and his father, Gary.

    Recruiting

    By MATT JESSEN-HOWARD

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    MINNEAPOLIS — Tyler Davis, a highly coveted 6-foot-10 center from Plano (TX) West, didn’t play high school basketball this year.

    Texas’ governing body of high school sports, the University Interscholastic League, ruled that he transferred from Frisco Liberty to Plano West for basketball reasons, even though his family moved. Davis also hurt his knee the summer before, so he missed a full year of basketball.

    “It was tough,” he told SNY.tv in an exclusive interview at EYBL Session 4. “You never want that to happen. For me, it was real tough to sit out and watch my team play. It hurt my game, but at the same time, I have time now to get back in it.”

    Articles, Maryland

    MarylandWEST ORANGE, N.J. — Jared Nickens, Romelo Trimble and Dion Wiley all share the same tattoo.

    Now the Maryland freshmen hope to share success at the next level, too.

    “We all got ‘MBK’ tatted on our leg, which stands for, ‘My Brother’s Keeper,'” the 6-foot-6 Nickens told SNY.tv at the recent Mary Kline Classic at West Orange High School.

    “I got mine a few months go and Dion [Wiley] and Melo just got theirs. Trayvon [Reed] hasn’t gotten his yet but I’m sure he will.”

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