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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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Tuesday / October 8.
  • Syracuse has signed 6-foot-9, 200-pound Slovakian forward Marek Dolezaj, the school announced on Wednesday.

    The Eurohopes Twitter reported earlier this week he had committed.

    Dolezaj visited the Syracuse campus earlier this month.

    “I want to be better and I want to be in the NBA,” Dolezaj told Scout in February.

    “I can study there and I can play high level of basketball and may be easier to get into the NBA,” he added.

    Dolezaj told the site he can play multiple positions.

    With Rawle Alkins’ return to campus for his sophomore season, the expectations for Arizona will be sky high.

    And the pressure on Arizona coach Sean Miller will be immense.

    As has been well-documented, Miller is 340-113 in his college coaching career (.751) with four Elite Eight appearances — yet not a single Four Four showing. Arizona was a No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament but lost to Xavier, Miller’s previous school, in the Sweet 16.

    Now heading into the 2017-18 season, the Wildcats will return Alkins after he opted to withdraw from the NBA Draft on Sunday evening. The 6-foot-4 Brooklyn native had worked out for several teams, including the Nets, Thunder and Raptors.

    “I can’t wait to help the Wildcats win a national championship next year with a great team, great coach and the most amazing fans in the world behind us,” he wrote.

    St. John’s landed a commitment on Saturday from Sidney Wilson, a 6-foot-7 wing from The Bronx who spent last season at prep power Brewster (N.H.) Academy after transferring from St. Raymond’s High School.

    Wilson chose the Red Storm over UConn and Texas. He visited St. John’s and UConn last week and was slated to visit Texas at the end of the month.

    The No. 19 small forward in the Class of 2017 per 247Sports.com, Wilson averaged 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds last season for a Brewster team that went 33-0 and won the NEPSAC Class AAA championship and the National Prep Championship.

    “Our vision for the future success of this program relies heavily on keeping top local talent at home,” said St. John’s head coach Chris Mullin. “The addition of Sidney Wilson to our roster for the upcoming season bodes well not only for the future of St. John’s, but also for basketball as a whole in this city.

    “Sidney is an explosive player with great athleticism who can excel in our style of play,” Mullin added.

    Previously starring at St. Raymond in the Bronx, Wilson scored more than 1,000 points in his first three years of high school ball playing for head coach Jorge Lopez. Wilson was named First Team All-CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) as a junior in 2015-16, leading the Ravens with 17 points per game. As a sophomore, Wilson posted 14 points and nine rebounds per outing in 2014-15 and was named Second Team All-CHSAA.

    Wilson was a member of the New Heights AAU program, which participates in the Under Armour Association circuit, playing for head coach Rahme Anderson. During the summer of 2016, he averaged 17 points and six rebounds per contest while leading New Heights to the UAA Finals and an 8-4 record. Wilson was also invited to several prestigious camps in 2016, including the Pangos All-American Camp in Norwalk, Calif., Under Armour All-American Camp in Charlotte, N.C. and the Under Armour Elite 24 showcase in Brooklyn.

    “There’s no place like home,” said Wilson. “St. John’s and New York City is home to me. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play at The Garden and for my city.

    “Sid is a tremendously talented hybrid-forward who possesses elite-level athleticism,” Brewster coach Jason Smith told ZAGSBLOG. “He has outstanding length and is much improved as a 3-point shooter.

    Caleb Swanigan, the 6-foot-9 power forward from Purdue who is testing the NBA Draft waters without an agent, will work out for the Knicks on Wednesday, a source told ZAGSBLOG.

    That is the last day underclassmen can work out for NBA teams before the deadline for returning to school with eligibility.

    Swanigan, the Big Ten Player of the Year, is currently projected to go at No. 40 to the New Orleans Pelicans by DraftExpress.com. The Knicks pick at Nos. 8, 44 and 58.

    Swanigan, who has also worked out for the Nets among other teams, averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season for the Boilermakers.

    Brewster (N.H.) Academy wing Sid Wilson will announce his college choice on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Harlem’s Milbank Center, his father told ZAGSBLOG.

    “UConn, Texas and St. John’s,” Sidney Wilson Sr. said by phone on Friday.

    The 6-foot-7 Wilson recently announced he planned to attend college in 2017 after initially planning to reclassify to 2018.

    Wilson recently visited St. John’s and UConn and was slated to visit Texas May 30-June 1, but that trip won’t happen now. Wilson previously visited Texas.

    His father broke down all three schools:

    Naz Reid , the 6-foot-10 Class of 2018 big man from Sports U and Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, recently cut his list to 10 schools and is only now starting to “get serious” about his recruitment, according to RC head coach Dave Boff.

    The No. 11-ranked player in the 2018 ESPN 60, Reid now lists a 10 of Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, North Carolina, Rutgers, Seton Hall, UCLA and UConn.

    “His recruitment is just really starting to get to a point where he’s got to start  making some decisions on a bunch of different things and really start to look at this seriously,” Boff said on The 4 Quarters Podcast.

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