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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 / December 9.
  • Malik Newman plans to cut his list to “no more than six” schools by September and likely won’t announce his college choice until after Diamond Stone does.

    “Yeah, probably by the beginning of school, probably in like September,” the 6-foot-4 guard from Jackson (MS) Callaway told SNY.tv by phone from the USA U17 trials in Colorado Springs, CO. “No more than six.”

    Diamond Stone, the 6-10 big man from Milwaukee Dominican who has been linked to Newman in a potential package deal, has set his announcement date for Nov. 12, the first day of the NCAA early signing period.

    Newman has not yet picked a date for his announcement, and it appears that Stone may announce first and Newman will go from there.

    Thomas Bryant, the 6-foot-9 power forward from Rochester, N.Y., and Huntington (W.V.) Prep, plans to cut his list and set some visits after the USA U17 trials in Colorado Springs, CO.

    Syracuse, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio State and Missouri are the schools most heavily recruiting Bryant, while St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Villanova & Florida have begun to recruit him harder, Team Scan coach Oz Cross told SNY.tv.

    “Once he gets back we’re going to sit down and narrow down four to five schools that he’s going to be interested in and go from there,” Cross said Friday by phone.

    Cross said the final list would be set by September.

    Derrick JonesBURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J.Derrick Jones was invited to the USA U17 trials in Colorado Springs, CO, this week, but instead of competing against Malik Newman, Tyus Battle and Malik Monk he’s here in central New Jersey helping to support his father’s AAU team and a startup AAU event, Battle of the Borders.

    “I wanted to go but I stayed back because it’s my father’s team,” the 6-foot-7 Jones told SNY.tv Thursday afternoon at Life Center Academy. “I already got the [recruiting] looks so I knew if I would’ve played in this tournament a couple college coaches would’ve came to my games, so I wanted…[my teammates] to get the looks, too.”

    Jones certainly doesn’t need much help in his own recruitment.

    Apparently Emmanuel Mudiay isn’t the only foreign-born American high school player considering taking his talents overseas.

    Skal Labissiere, a 6-foot-11 center from Memphis, says he too may play professionally overseas after learning that Mudiay signed a $1.2 million deal to play in China instead of attending SMU.

    “Overseas is an option,” Labissiere told Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com at the Las Vegas Classic. “I don’t know yet for sure. We’ll see. But that is a lot of money.”

    The news was a bit of a bombshell for the schools recruiting him.

    One coach recruiting Labissiere told SNY.tv , “It’s possible” that Labissiere could go overseas.

    By NICK MEDLINE

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    This past weekend, Samir Sehic and his dad counted: The Cypress (TX) prospect played 29 games over a 19-day span to open July.

    It certainly yielded something. Sehic picked up new offers including Notre Dame, Nebraska, Penn State, Northwestern and Vanderbilt.

    In the process, the 6-foot-9 power forward earned his spot among the fastest rising players this evaluation period.

    4_675804By JACK LeGWIN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Built like a full grown man, Edrice “Bam” Adebayo has shown over the past two weeks that he belongs in that group of top players in the class of 2016.

    “Peach Jam went really well,” Adebayo told SNY.tv. “There’s nothing like Peach Jam. If you want exposure you have to go there. If you want to win, you have to come with the best team.”

    Boo Williams reached the semifinals, before losing to Team Penny 77-68.

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