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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.
  • UnknownNEW YORKNovak Djokovic could meet Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the US Open, while Roger Federer appears to have a clear path to a potential semifinal meeting with Andy Murray.

    Those were the two biggest takeaways when the men’s draw came out on Thursday. The US Open begins on Monday.

    Nadal, whose ranking has fallen to No. 8 in the world, was seen as a dangerous floater coming into the draw, and Djokovic wound up with the Spaniard in his quarter.

    Djokovic, the 2011 US Open champ, is attempting to win his third Grand Slam title of 2015, having already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where he beat Federer in four sets in last month’s final.  

    serenaNEW YORKSerena Williams may be trying to accomplish something that no tennis player has in nearly 30 years, but she claims she doesn’t feel any pressure.

    When the U.S. Open begins on Monday, the 33-year-old Williams will attempt to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win the calendar Grand Slam.

    Serena has already won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in 2015.

    “I really don’t have much at stake, I don’t think of it like that,” Williams, the three-time defending US Open champion, said Thursday at the Open as the men’s and women’s draws were unveiled. “I think of it as having the opportunity to come here and defend my title. I love winning here, I love playing here and that’s all I want to do.”

    Even if she doesn’t win the Slam this year, Serena promised she’ll be back next year to go for it.

    “I feel like I don’t put that pressure on myself to do anything here ’cause I’m obviously going to be excited to compete next year and just keep going and have fun,” she said.

    4_3560853Dylan Painter, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward from Hershey (PA) High School, enjoyed his official visit to Villanova this week and will next gear up for an official to Penn State next month.

    “It was pretty good, I really enjoyed it,” Painter told SNY.tv of his Villanova trip. “It was very informative, I learned a lot about the program and I had a good time with the players and the staff.”

    Painter knows incoming Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo through the Team Final AAU program. He is being recruited by assistant coach Baker Dunleavy.

    andrew-wiggins1.jpg?w=600&h=425By JOSH NEWMAN

    If nothing else this week, the Canadian National Team proved at the Tuto Marchand Cup that it will be a major threat beginning next week at the FIBA Americas Championships.

    Canada finished off a perfect 4-0 week, outlasting hosting Puerto Rico, 78-72, on Wednesday evening to win its first Tuto Marchand Cup. The 5-team exhibition event also included Argentina, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. All five teams will be in action beginning Aug. 31 at FIBA Americas. The top two teams from that 10-team event are through to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

    “I thought it was a hard-fought game – very, very scrappy,” Canada head coach Jay Triano said in a Canada Basketball release. “I thought Puerto Rico played extremely well, won a lot of the battles, the 50-50 balls and caused problems for us with their size and speed. In the end, it was a good win for us, we were able to move the basketball well, we played unselfishly and we really defended when we needed to.”

    Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins finished a strong week Wednesday with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and the ferocious dunk seen below.

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    4_3220850The rich continue to get richer.

    After winning the New Jersey Tournament of Champions in March, Roselle Catholic continues to add high-profile transfers to its powerhouse program.

    The latest development is the addition of 6-foot-3 2017 point guard Nate Pierre-Louis, who transfers into RC after spending last season at St. Benedict’s Prep and his freshman season at St. Peter’s Prep.

    “We are excited to have Nate coming to RC,” head coach Dave Boff told SNY.tv. “The family recently moved close to our school and he was also looking for a traditional high school experience so we think it’s a good fit.”

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