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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 / October 10.
  • Road TripWith the NCAA Early Signing Period approaching Nov. 11-18, many top recruits will hit the road for visits this weekend.

    Here’s a rundown that will be updated over the weekend. For more detail on any player, click the embedded link near their name:

    **Villanova has a huge weekend for their Midnight Midness. Here’s a list of who’s expected.

    **Kansas hosts big man Jarrett Allena 6-foot-9 power forward from Austin (TX) St. Stephen’s Episcopal who will also trip to Kentucky over Halloween weekend after having visited Notre Dame.

    **North Carolina has a huge weekend for it’s ‘Late Night with Roy’ event, hosting 2016 commits Brandon Robinson, a 6-5 shooting guard, and Tony Bradley, a 6-10 power forward, and 2017 pledge Jalek Felton, a 6-2 shooting guard, as well as targets 6-2 Seventh Woods of Columbia (S.C.) Hammond, 6-10 Udoka Azubuike of Jacksonville (FL) Potter’s Christian and 6-5 Rawle Alkins of Word of God. Azubuike is an official visit and Alkins is unofficial The Heels will also host younger players, including Matt Coleman, Brandon Huffman, Rechon Black, Keldon Johnson, Wendell Moore and Joey Baker.

    **UCLA hosts 6-9 Arizona power forward T.J. Leaf, who is down to the Bruins, Oregon and San Diego State.

    CR45DwxWUAAQ4tmJERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jahvon Quinerly wasn’t born when the original Fab Five took the Michigan Wolverines to back-to-back NCAA championship games in the early 1990s.

    But he’s seen the ESPN “30 for 30” film and knows the storyline.

    Seton Hall associate head coach Shaheen Holloway created some buzz this week by offering scholarships to a new Fab Five: the 6-foot Quinerly, 6-3 shooting guard Luther Muhammad, 6-6 small forward Louis King, 6-3 point guard Atiba Taylor and 6-9 power forward Naz Reid — all Class of 2018 prospects from the Sports U Team Izod AAU program.

    “They want to try to get all five guys,” Sports U coach Brian Coleman told SNY.tv. “They feel like if they could get these guys that play together to stay home, it would be great for their state, it would be great for their team because they’d have a group of guys that are familiar with each other and they’re kind of looking at them as kind of like the next Michigan Fab Five.”

    Louisville v NC StateRick Pitino isn’t going anywhere.

    Even as the Louisville sex scandal has put the University into the national headlines and triggered some columnists to call for the Hall of Fame coach to step down, Pitino remains defiant.

    “I so appreciate your support and friendships,” he wrote on his Website.

    “I will not resign and let you down. Someday I will walk away in celebration of many memorable years but that time is not now. I do not fight these accusations by others but rather turn the other cheek. Couldn’t do it at 33, but at 63 it’s the wise thing to do. Let’s let the investigators do their job and we will play basketball.

    "CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NBPA Players Association Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville Virginia on June 18, 2015. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Under Armour)"

    St. John’s pledge Shamorie Ponds is one of 12 Division 1 commits playing in Sunday’s Sharette Dixon Classic at the Gauchos Gym. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Under Armour)

    The future of the Big East and ACC Conferences will be on display Sunday in the 7th Annual Sharette Dixon Classic at the Gauchos Gym.

    Four players committed to Big East schools — Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s), Jagan Mosely (Georgetown), Omari Spellman (Villanova) and Myles Powell (Seton Hall) — and three players pledged to ACC schools — Ty Jerome (Virginia), Tyus Battle (Syracuse) and T.J. Gibbs (Notre Dame) — are slated to play in the Upperclassmen game beginning at 8 p.m.

    Former Rutgers head coach Mike Rice will coach the New Jersey team, while former Seton Hall assistant and Lincoln High head coach Tiny Morton will coach the New Jersey side. Admission is $10.

    “It’s New York vs. New Jersey, it’s bragging rights,” tournament organizer Chris Alesi of the NY Rens told The 4 Quarters Podcast. “It’s really high level talent. In addition to that we’re really excited about the return of Tiny Morton to the high school game, and having Mike Rice as a part of it is really special. We’re excited.”

    bambaVillanova is expected to host a slew of big time recruits for their Hoops Mania on Friday night, including 2016 commits Omari Spellman and Dylan Painter and 2017 big man Mohamed Bamba (pictured), sources told SNY.tv.

    The list of expected recruits includes Jordan Tucker, Scottie Lewis, Brian Antwan, Cole Anthony, D.J. Harvey, Noah Locke, Marcus Littles, Quade Green, Dahmir Cosby Roundtree, Lonnie Walker, Cameron Reddish, Jahvon Quinerly, Jalen Smith, Brandon Randolph and Najja Hunter. The 6-foot-7 Tucker out of White Plains (N.Y.) Stepinac told SNY.tv he wasn’t sure if he would make it.

    The 6-foot-11 Bamba out of Westtown (Pa.) holds numerous offers, including from Kentucky and Duke, but has yet to form any sort of list.

    CerruitWith the news that AmeriLeague founder Cerruti Brown lied about his identity and is actually troubled career criminal Glendon Alexander (pictured at left), several players formerly signed to the league are expected to enter the NBA D-League Draft, sources told SNY.tv.

    David Harrison and at least two other players who signed with the AmeriLeague acquired contracts to enter the D-League in June, but have yet to publicly announce their future plans.

    “I do have [a D-league contract] but I am unsure of my plans in regards to basketball for now,” Harrison told SNY.tv by text on Thursday.

    An NBA spokesman said no official list of D-League eligible players was available as of Thursday morning.

    The D-League Draft will take place via teleconference on Oct. 31. at 2 p.m. ET from NBA D-League headquarters in New York City. The eight-round event is set to feature more than 200 draft-eligible players and, along with NBA Draft rights, affiliate, local tryout, and returning players, will serve to flesh out 2015-16 NBA D-League team rosters.

    Harrison, a former McDonald’s All-American who was selected with the 29th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, secured a D-League draft contract in June, sources said. But he then opted to sign with the AmeriLeague in September after he was offered $200,000, ESPN.com reported last month.

    4_2917411Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, the two top available guards in the Class of 2016 and projected lottery picks in the 2017 NBA Draft, could end up at the same school.

    That’s hardly a secret considering Fox recently talked to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com about the two teaming up.

    Kansas and Kentucky are the two schools the players have in common and they are coming off visiting both schools together for their Midnight Madness events.

    “Oh yeah I do [think we could play together], we’ve talked about it,” Fox said at the recent USA Basketball mini-camp in Colorado. “We were in the Bahamas together. We were there for a couple days together. We talked about the recruiting process. It’s not set in stone that we’ll go to the same school but it’s a possibility.”

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