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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.
  • UConn coach Kevin Ollie met Thursday with Derrick Jones, the 6-foot-7 small forward from Radnor (Pa.) Archbishop Carroll who may wait until the spring to make a college decision.

    “They were just trying to let Derrick know how they feel, where they think he would fit in their program and how they would work the system with him,” Derrick Jones Sr. told SNY.tv Thursday evening. “They said even if he went two years [and then went to the NBA], he could come back and still get a degree.

    “They’re trying to open up the communication gap with Derrick and really try to get to know him.”

    Malik Newman, one of the most sought after guards in the Class of 2015, met this week with Kentucky’s John Calipari, Kansas’s Bill Self and N.C. State’s Mark Gottfried.

    But the game-changer for Newman may be that Calipari is the only one who can deliver rapper Drake to his Midnight Madness. Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness is set for Oct. 17 — the weekend after Calipari will host a groundbreaking two-day NBA combine for a team loaded with nine McDonald’s All-Americans.

    “[Calipari] said Drake might come this year,” Newman told the Clarion-Ledger. “That would be a really good event to go to. It really lets me know what they’re working with and that [Kentucky] has a lot of connections.”

    Cheick Diallo, the 6-foot-9 big man from Our Savior New American and Team Scan, is in the midst of hosting college coaches at  for home visits.

    Pittsburgh visited on Wednesday, Iowa State comes in today (Thursday) and Kansas comes in Friday. Kentucky coach John Calipari will meet with Diallo Sept. 18, the same day he is slated to visit Roselle (N.J.) Catholic guard Isaiah Briscoe.

    Diallo will take official visits to Kansas Sept. 19, Iowa State Sept. 26 and St. John’s Oct 18.

    UConn coach Kevin Ollie will meet with Isaiah Briscoe on Sept. 16 at Roselle (N.J.) Catholic and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin will get his face-to-face meeting Sept. 22, RC coach Dave Boff confirmed to SNY.tv.

    Zach Braziller of the Post was the first to report the St. John’s development.

    St. John’s has been involved with Briscoe for a couple of years now and is privately confident about its chances at landing the star guard.

    “Oh, playing in New York at the Garden and I’m pretty much from the Northeast area, so going there it’s crazy,” Briscoe told SNY.tv at the Peach Jam, where he led the NJ Playaz to the championship. “I could bring St. John’s back on top.”

    Juwan MorganBy JACK LeGWIN

    As expected, Indiana has picked up a pledge from Juwan Morgan, the No. 63-ranked player in the 2015 class by 247 Sports.

    Morgan chose Indiana over Vanderbilt after visiting Indiana this past weekend.

    “Academics, player development and playing time were very important to me,” Morgan said. “I’ve decided to continue my education at Indiana University. I feel like they can give me the best in all three things. I went there on a visit and knew it was the right place for me.”

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