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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.

Because of a pulled right hamstring, Findlay Prep senior forward Anthony Bennett will be a gametime decision for today’s ESPNU tilt against Shabazz Muhammad and Bishop Gorman at UNLV.

“We don’t want to make it worse and make it something that lingers beyond us next fall into college,” Findlay coach Michael Peck told the Las Vegas Sun.

UNLV fans figure to be out in force for the nationally televised game since the Rebels have offers out to both players.

Peck told FiveStarBasketball.com in this recent column that it would be a blockbuster move for the Rebels to land both the 6-7 Bennett and the 6-6 Muhammad.

North Carolina junior guard Dexter Strickland tore his right ACL in Thursday’s win at Virginia Tech and is done for the rest of the 2011-12 season.

Strickland, a Rahway, N.J. native who starred at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, suffered the injury early in the second half in Blacksburg as he drove to the basket.

“Positive thinking! Everything happens for a reason, God always has a plan! Thanks to everyone who is praying for me! I appreciate it!” Strickland Tweeted Friday night.

Derek Willis, a 6-9 forward from Mt. Washington, Ky., on Friday became Kentucky’s first commit in the Class of 2013.

Willis, rated as the No. 23-overall prospect in his class by Rivals.com, picked Kentucky over Louisville, Indiana and Purdue.

“I thought it was great [when they offered],” Willis told reporters in Kentucky. “It’s a top college in the nation. When you have  a chance to go there, it’s great.”

Scott Machado is getting contact lenses, which could spell really bad news for Iona’s opponents going forward.

You see, Machado already leads the nation with 10.33 assists per game, yet he’s been having trouble seeing.

“I went to the doctor because I was having these mild headaches and people were telling me it was because of my vision,” the former St. Benedict’s star told SNY.tv Friday before putting up a near-triple-double of 11 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds in an 91-71 home win over Rider.

“I went to go check it out and the lady was like, ‘You need glasses.’ And she was like, ‘That could be the cause of your headaches.”

The attorney for Tanesha Boatright, the mother of UConn freshman guard Ryan Boatright, hopes his situation “is resolved soon.”

Tanesha is cooperating with the NCAA and we’re hoping that it’s resolved soon, but that is in large part beyond our control,” Scott Tompsett old SNY.tv Friday by phone. “Beyond that I can’t make any comment.”

Tompsett is quite familiar with NCAA infractions cases, having repped former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez and former USC assistant coach Todd McNair. 

ROMELOTRIMBLE150_0712Romelo Trimble, aka Melo, is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound sophomore scoring guard from Arlington (Va.) Bishop O’Connell who you will soon be hearing more from.

Damon Handon, Trimble’s coach with the DC Assault, says Trimble holds offers from Rutgers, UMass and George Mason and also has interest from Villanova and Maryland.

“I think he does like Rutgers,” Handon told SNY.tv by phone. “He really likes [associate head] Coach

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