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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.

After considering his options, Nerlens Noel has decided to remain in the Class of 2013 instead of 2012.

“It was a possibility but I’ve been coming to the decision that… I’ll be staying 2013,” Noel told Harrison Sanford of FiveStarBasketball.com after the recent HoopHall Classic. “I’m just staying to get stronger. I think it’s going to be a good summer, a good school year. I tried to stay stress-free, just really focused on working hard academically, in the weight room and on the court and just leaving that recruiting stuff for when I got free time.

“I just can’t let it interfere with my main goal is just to get better.”

The Iceman could be coming to Iona.

Ice Asortse, a 6-foot-7, 238-pound forward from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, said Iona is among his favorites at this point in his recruitment.

“I haven’t taken a visit yet but I like Iona,” the Iceman, a 22-year-old Nigerian native, told SNY.tv by text.

Niagara, Stephen F. Austin and LIU are also involved for Asortse, who will have two years of Division 1 eligibility beginning next season.

The Big East is hosting a 3 p.m. conference call with Navy officials reportedly to announce that Navy will join the league for football only in 2015.

ESPN and CBSSports.com first reported the news, and it was confirmed by The Associated Press.

The Big East has been courting Navy, a football independent, for months and service academy officials had made it known they liked the idea of joining.

But when the Big East added Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members and Houston, SMU and Central Florida as full members in December, the Midshipmen were not ready to get on board.

Rider will seek an NCAA waiver for St. John’s transfer Nurideen Lindsey in hopes of getting him eligible for the first semester of next season.

“We will apply for a waiver so that he doesn’t need to sit any games next season,” Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey told SNY.tv. “Nuri has been through a lot and he is happy to be getting closer to home. Being at Rider will give him a chance to play Division 1 college basketball while being close to the family.”

NEW YORKKyrie Irving is actively working to help his alma mater, Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick, out financially, but Al Harrington and Sam Dalembert are not, Celtics head coach Chris Chavannes told SNY.tv.

“We have faith that Kyrie will help St. Patrick,” Chavannes said, referring to the Cavaliers rookie point guard and the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft. “They have been very pro-active.”

The same is not true of St. Patrick alums Harrington, whom St. Pat’s principal Joe Picaro used to drive to school, and Dalembert, Chavannes said.

“Since they have been in the league, a number of consistent people who donate [to St. Patrick] have stopped because they all are under the assumption that these alums are giving back in a variety of ways,” Chavannes said.

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