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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.
  • Kansas guards Devonte’ Graham and Svialoslav Mykhailiuk were among the 60 players selected in the 2018 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn Thursday night. Graham was the first Jayhawk taken at No. 34 of the second round by the Atlanta Hawks and was later traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Mykhailiuk was the 47th overall selection of the Los Angeles Lakers.

    Malik Newman and Billy Preston weren’t drafted. Preston was enrolled at Kansas, but never played there due to eligibility issues.

    Historically, Graham and Mykhailuk gives Kansas 82 all-time NBA Draft selections, including 24 in the Bill Self era which began in 2003-04. It marked the eighth time under Self the Jayhawks have had multiple draftees.

    Graham was the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year and Kansas’ 30th Consensus All-America First Team selection. The Raleigh, North Carolina, guard broke two KU single-season records in 2017-18 with 282 assists and 1,474 minutes played. Also this season, Graham was the only player in the NCAA to averaged 17.0-plus points (17.3), 7.0-plus assists (7.2), 1.6-plus steals (1.6) and less than 3.0 turnovers per game (2.8). Graham concluded his career No. 13 in points (1,750), No. 5 in assists (632), No. 2 in 3-point field goals made (296), No. 7 in steals (197) and No. 2 in minutes played (4,498).

    By ADAM ZAGORIA

    R.J. Hampton is only 17 years old and he is already seeking his second gold medal with USA Basketball.

    The 6-foot-4 combo guard from Little Elm (TX) captured a gold medal last year at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Now he’s among 12 finalists for the USA team at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup which runs June 30-July 8.

    “It would mean a lot,” he said by phone this week. “Not a lot of people at 17 years old can say they’re a two-time gold medalist, so I really just want to represent our country and have USA stay on top.”

    Hampton is a versatile player who can play multiple positions.

    “Whatever role USA Basketball wants me to play, if that’s the one, two to three, even the four, I’m happy playing it, just to go to Argentina and represent my country,” he said.

    By ADAM ZAGORIA

    A.J. Lawson has taken two of his four slated official visits as he nears a college decision

    The 6-foot-7 Class of 2018 Canadian star tripped to Creighton and Tulane this week with his GTA Academy coach David Cooper.

    “Coach [Greg] McDermott is a great guy and the campus and style of play fits AJ pretty well,” Cooper said of Creighton.

    On Tulane: “Coach [Mike] Dunleavy is a phenomenal coach and a great basketball mind. [Lawson] likes him as a coach and really likes the city.”

    Lawson has visited South Carolina and still plans to take official visits to Oregon and SMU next week. 

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