Mississippi State freshman guard Rodney Hood is transferring
“Obviously, we are disappointed in Rodney’s decision,” head coach Rick Ray, who was hired one week ago, told The Associated Press. “I was looking forward to getting a chance to develop and coach him. This decision, unfortunately, was made before my hire. The Hoods were forthright and honest about where they were when I met with them, and I appreciate their honesty.
By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — Nearly 14 months after Carmelo Anthony forced his way out of Denver for good and onto the biggest stage the NBA has to offer, maybe the Knicks finally became his team in a game that they had to have.
With the Knicks’ playoff hopes and positioning defined as tenuous at best on Sunday afternoon, Anthony hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds to play in regulation over Taj Gibson and the game-winning trey with 8.2 seconds to play with Luol Deng all over him as the Knicks enhanced their playoff chances with a 100-99 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony’s defining moment as a Knick came on a 43-point day when the Knicks raced out to a 21-point first quarter lead against the Eastern Conference’s best team, trailed by as many as 10 with 4:01 to play in regulation and needed crucial missed free throws from Deng and reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose inside the final 34 seconds to set up Anthony’s game-tying 3-pointer.
By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — Larry Johnson, author of one the great moments in Knicks history with his four-point play against the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, sat on the dais inside the Madison Square Garden press conference room on Sunday morning and was very engaging. At the same time, you could see the nervousness and anxiety on his face.
“Y’all see me sweating up here,” Johnson, who became famous for his “Grandmama” commercials during his days with the Charlotte Hornets, said before the Knicks tipped against the Chicago Bulls on Easter Sunday.
With all the talent on the floor Saturday night in the Nike Hoop Summit, it wasn’t Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson or Nerlens Noel who was the best player on the floor.
No, it may well have been 6-foot-7 Canadian sophomore Andrew Wiggins, who finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds as the World Select Team beat Team USA, 84-75, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
Chinese 7-footer Wang Zhelin added 19 points for the World Team in the win.
“We knew they were going to come out hard,” Wiggins told Fox Sports. “We just played our game, played defense and we came out on top.”
Central Michigan guard Trey Zeigler is headed to the Big East.
And then the ACC.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard committed to Pittsburgh on Saturday and will have two years of eligibility remaining after he sits next season.
He chose Pitt over Duke, UCLA and Arizona State. His only other visit was to Duke.
Tavon Sledge only needed one visit to pick his new school.
The 5-foot-9, 172-pound freshman point guard committed to Iona while visiting the school Saturday and will transfer from Iowa State.
Sledge played in just eight games for Iowa State, averaging 2.3 minutes and 1.0 point.
He will have to sit out one year per NCAA transfer rules.
“[Iona] gave me a vision of a place where I could improve my game a lot more and help me succeed,” Sledge, a former Long Island Lutheran star, told SNY.tv by phone.
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Comedian Tracy Morgan was in fine form at Knicks practice Saturday, essentially guaranteeing a Knicks championship this year because he’s bringing “Trasanity” to the team.
“I think that we’re going to win a championship,” Morgan told reporters. “We’re the New York Knicks. We play hard, we play long and we play good.
“Anybody wanna make a bet on that? I’ll bet my contract, two-dollar contract.”
