December 2009 | Page 8 of 14 | Zagsblog
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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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Saturday / November 23.

 Give Jared Grasso credit.

The guy’s been the interim head coach at Fordham for about a week and he’s already landed not one, but two commitments.

One day after landing point guard Rayner Moquete, Fordham picked up a verbal commitment from 6-foot-8 sophomore power forward Amadou Sidibe of Cardinal Hayes in The Bronx.

“He just did it, I’m excited for Jared,” Hayes coach Joe Lods said Friday by phone.

How about this line for Lance Stephenson in Cincinnati’s 63-59 win over Miami (Ohio) at the US Bank Arena: career-high 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers.

Unfortunately he needed two stitches above his left eye after getting elbowed late in the game.

 Think Lance is turning the corner?

He scored 8 straight points during an 11-0 stretch that put Cincy up 15-6.

“He got on a run in the first half,” Cincy coach Mick Cronin told Cnati.com. “My fear is, after he did that, we stood around and watched him. Good teams are going to guard him tight and we got to help him.”

Fordham interim coach Jared Grasso is moving quickly to replace the departed Jio Fontan.

The Rams on Thursday got a commitment from 6-1, 183-pound point guard Rayner Moquete, a native of the Dominican Republic who played at Our Savior New American on Long Island.

“This is a perfect fit academically and sporting-wise,” Moquete, 19, said Thursday after visiting the Fordham campus.

Moquete will be eligible to practice with the Rams Dec. 23 and can suit up for the Dec. 29 game at Kennesaw (Ga.) State. He won’t be able to suit up for Sunday’s game against St. John’s or Tuesday’s tilt with Villanova.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks are on a roll and Eddy Curry doesn’t want to mess it up.

The 7-foot Curry is expected to make his return to the court Friday night when the Knicks (7-15) meet Chris Paul and the Hornets in New Orleans.

Curry has been out since a Nov. 24 loss at the Lakers in which he banged his left knee and it became swollen.

“I really feel like I’m ready,” Curry said Thursday after his second straight day of practice. “So if he [head coach Mike D’Antoni] calls my name tomorrow I’ll be ready.”

Derrick Caracter on Saturday was academically cleared to play at UTEP and the 6-foot-9, 275-pound Fanwood, N.J. native will suit up Sunday when the undefeated Miners (5-0) face New Mexico State.

“He made it,” UTEP coach Tony Barbee wrote by text.

Barbee had previously said if Caracter’s grades were certified,  “I expect him to have a big role.”

“He’ll bring a tremendous inside presence to our team to go along with Arnett Moultrie, Jeremy Williams, Claude Britten and Wayne Portalatin. We’re big already and I think we’ve got a very productive front line. We’re athletic and long and all those attributes get better when you add Derrick to that mix.”

If you are any kind of a basketball junkie, you must read this tremendous piece of reporting and writing by Kevin Armstrong of SI.com on Tom Konchalski.

Dubbed “the only honest man in the gym” by hoops writer John Feinstein, Konchalski, 63, is as constant a fixture in metropolitan area gyms as baskets and backboards.

Kevin spent about a year working on this story and the research shows. He has tremendous detail on Tom’s background and influences and even went inside the inner sanctum that is Tom’s Forest Hills apartment.

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