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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 / April 29.
  • GilesHarry Giles will take his last official visit to Duke over Halloween weekend and is targeting a college announcement during the NCAA early signing period Nov. 11-18, Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said Wednesday on The 4 Quarters Podcast.

    “He’s talked about maybe doing something on the 12th or the 13th maybe on ESPNU,” Smith said. “They’ve got  their recruiting show on that Thursday evening [Nov. 12] or doing something down in Winston-Salem when we’re down there playing so I think his recruiting is coming to a head. And I think once he makes the Duke visit he’ll have almost two weeks for the smoke to clear and talk to his family and get his bearings straight and make the decision that’s best for him and his family.”

    The 6-foot-10 Giles is the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2016 and is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com.

    Thon MakerThe Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the field of teams and game schedule for the 2016 Spalding Hoophall Classic, an annual basketball showcase now in its fifteenth year at Springfield College. Games will be played at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College January 14-18, during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The nation’s premier basketball event will once again showcase the top high school basketball teams from across the country. This year’s elite matchups include Oak Hill Academy (VA) vs. Mater Dei (CA), DeMatha Catholic (MD) vs. Chaminade College Prep (MO), and Athlete Institute (Canada) vs. Hillcrest Prep (AZ).

    KeyBraxton Key, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward from famed Oak Hill Academy (VA), committed to Alabama on Wednesday.

    Key, formerly Braxton Blackwell, also considered Kansas, Vanderbilt and  Texas.

    “Next year I’ll be attending the University of Alabama,” Key told Scout.com. “I really just love the coaches there. Coach [Avery] Johnson, coach Scott [Posphical], coach [Antoine] Pettway and then coach [Bob] Simon has been recruiting me since freshman year. We go way back. That helps a lot. I feel comfortable with their team.”

    Key transferred to Oak Hill from Tennessee for his senior season, where he now plays alongside Harry Giles, Mario Kegler and a loaded team.

    “Braxton’s upside is tremendous,” Oak Hill coach Steve Smith told SNY.tv. “He is so skilled for a player of his size. At 6-7 and 220 pounds, he can score the ball, pass and handle, rebound, and defend on and off the ball. He will play and contribute as a freshman because he’s physically ready. What I love most about Braxton is that he is a great player whether he is scoring the ball or not. You can’t say that about many of the good ones!”

    Mar 14, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Rhode Island Rams head coach Dan Hurley during the first half against the Dayton Flyers in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

    Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

    NEW YORK — The Rhode Island Rams haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since the Lamar Odom Era.

    That was back in 1999 when Dan Hurley was still an assistant coach at Rutgers.

    Now Hurley is in his fourth year as head man for the Rams, who were picked to finish second behind Dayton in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.

    Big things are expected from Rhody, which returns 71 percent of its starter’s minutes from last season’s 23-win team and features two players selected to the Preseason All-Conference First Team in junior guard E.C. Matthews and junior forward Hassan Martin.

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