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.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Brooklyn native Levance Fields will work out for the Knicks on Thursday.
The 5-foot-11 Fields is a tough, hard-nosed point guard who led Pitt to the No. 1 ranking and an Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A streaky shooter who was overweight last season after undergoing two foot surgeries, Fields likely will go undrafted and will then have to find a spot as a free agent or go overseas.
“A lot of people say it’s almost better not to be drafted than to go in the second round. Then you can pick your team and see who has a need,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, the Naismith National Coach of the Year, told us recently.
Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard has decided to join his old friend Rick Pitino on the Louisville staff, ZAGSBLOG reported Wednesday morning.
Willard, who also served as head coach for four seasons at Western Kentucky (1990-94) and five years at Pittsburgh (1994-99), has previously coached with Pitino at two others stops. Willard was an assistant under Pitino with the NBA New York Knicks (1987-89) and at the University of Kentucky (1989-90).
“I’ve been pursuing Ralph for the last 10 years,” Pitino said in a statement after the story was broken. “I can’t tell you how excited we are that he has joined our staff and we are back together again. Ralph is truly one of the best minds in our game. I can’t be happier for our players, our program, our university and our fans that such a quality coach and person has joined our U of L family.”
Jeff Hewitson does a tremendous job each year putting together the PrimeTime Shootout in various locations. This year is no exception. Check out the schedule for 2010 below.
Friday, Jan. 22, West Virginia University
6:00 pm – Morgantown (WV) vs. Chester (PA)
7:30 pm – Woodrow Wilson (WV) vs. Trenton Catholic (NJ)
9:00 pm – Mountain State (WV) vs. Columbia (GA)
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 – WVU
12:00 pm –Woodrow Wilson (WV) vs. Chester (PA)
1:30 pm – Paterson Catholic (NJ) vs. Lake Clifton (MD)
3:00 pm – Half Hollow Hills West (NY) vs. College City (MD)
4:30 pm – Westchester (CA) vs. Rice (NY)
6:00 pm –Oak Hill Academy(VA) vs.Columbia(GA)
7:30 pm – Arlington Country Day (FLA) vs. Hotchkiss School (CT)
The scandal-plagued tenure of Tim Floyd at USC is over.
Floyd resigned on Tuesday, according to a report in The Clarion-Ledger of Mississippi.
“As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Southern California,” Floyd, a Mississippi native, said in a statement obtained by The Clarion-Ledger. “I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics. Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my