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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 / April 26.
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    • Oak Hill Academy, Recruiting, Syracuse

    Following an official visit to Kansas last weekend, Billy Preston, the 6-foot-10 Class of 2017 forward from Oak Hill Academy (VA), will take one to Syracuse the weekend of Oct. 14, Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said.

    Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim recently visited Preston at Oak Hill, the powerhouse that also produced former Syracuse and current Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

    “He’s [a] top-5 [player] in the country, I don’t care what scouting services say,” Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said of Preston. “Nobody has his skill level and upside at 6-9. He can score off the bounce, get to the rim, shoot the three, and pass and handle like a guard.”

    Alabama

    Alabama enjoyed a huge recruiting day on Thursday.

    Herb Jones, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard from Hale County (AL), committed to the Crimson Tide over Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

    Alex Reese, a 6-9 power forward from Pelham (AL), announced for Alabama over UAB later Thursday.

    “Herb has a fantastic combination of size, skill, production, and potential that makes him an intriguing prospect,” Garrett Tucker, a talent evaluator and writer for HoopSeen, told AL.com. “His versatility allows him to play multiple positions, too. The way the NBA is evolving to a 3-and-D type of game, he’s perfect for that. He can score from all 3 levels and he can guard anywhere on the perimeter.

    Duke

    Duke is the favorite to win the NCAA championship and junior guard Grayson Allen is favored to win AP National Player of the Year honors, according to Bovada.lv.

    Led by Allen and a crew of stud freshmen including Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Frank Jackson and Marques Bolden, Duke faces odds of 4/1 to win the national championship in Glendale, Az. Kentucky follows at 15/2 with Kansas and reigning NCAA champion Villanova at 10/1. Arizona, which also has several elite freshmen in Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins, is next at 14/1.

    Allen, who leads the AP odds at 6/1, opted to return to Duke for his junior season after he could have declared for the NBA Draft last year. He’s currently projected at No. 25 by DraftExpress.com.

    St. John's

    While his mother was enduring a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer, Tariq Owens  was just a young teenager growing up Odenton, Md.

    His daily routine involved sitting by Cassandra Owens‘ bedside and trying to comfort her, but he withdrew into himself.

    “Every day I used to come home from school, I’d drop my book bag by the door, go upstairs and just sit in the room,” Owens, a 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore forward who was born in New York City and now plays at St. John’s, said Thursday. “Most times she’d be asleep by the time I got home or I’d just be sitting in the room with a chair, watching TV and wait for her to wake up.”

    “Tariq would just sit in the room and just watch his mother,” said Renard Owens, Tariq’s father and a Baltimore police officer for 17 years. “We knew she was dying and he wouldn’t talk. He was kind of withdrawn.”

    Recruiting

    Here’s a look towards this weekend’s recruiting visits and other news. Some visits will depend on the status of Hurricane Matthew. This list will be updated throughout the weekend.

    **Brandon Randolph, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard from the Westtown (PA) School and the PSA Cardinals, hits Arizona Thursday night and begins his official on Friday, a source said. A tremendous scorer and high-quality kid, Randolph has already visited Oregon and Syracuse, and is also considering Wake Forest. He also had a home visit with Indiana.

    **Nojel Eastern, the 6-foot-6 point guard from Evanston (IL) Township, takes an official to Seton Hall beginning today (Thursday). He previously visited Michigan State.

    **Rutgers is expected to host several recruits for their football game with Michigan on Saturday night, including Naz Reid, the 6-9 Class of 2018 big man from Roselle Catholic, along with Kahlil Whitney, their Class of 2019 guard.

    Rock 'n' Roll

    Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are expecting some musical “cross-pollination” at the “Old-Chella” festival in October.

    And history could be made in the process.

    “One would hope there would be some cross-pollination,” Jagger told David Fricke last week on The Spectrum.

    “There could be some interesting combinations,” Richards told Fricke.

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