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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.

Michael Haynes, a 6-7 forward from Chicago who signed with Iona for the 2012-13 season, was shot and killed on Thursday evening. He was 22 years old.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Haynes was shot dead while trying to break up a fight over a stolen necklace near his home.  Police said he was shot in the wrist, chest and lower back about 5:10 pm in the 11600 block of South Vincennes Avenue. Acquaintances dropped him off at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, where he was declared dead about 6:25 pm, the newspaper added.

The Knicks announced their 2012-13 schedule on Thursday and they will tip things off at their Big Apple rival, the Brooklyn Nets, on Nov. 1 in a nationally televised game on TNT.

The next night, the Knicks will host LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Miami Heat in their home opener at MSG.

New York’s regular season home schedule is highlighted by a second visit from the Heat on Sunday, Mar. 3 and one visit by the Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Mar. 7.

Holiday games at MSG include New Year’s Day versus Portland at 7:30 p.m. and the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matinee game that will take place on Monday, Jan. 21 versus Brooklyn at 3:30 p.m. The team will play a total of 10 afternoon games at home.

Prior to the 82-game regular season, New York will participate in eight preseason games, with the schedule to be released at a later date. MSG Network will telecast 70 regular season games, and all eight preseason games.

2012-13 New York Knicks

Regular Season Schedule

 

November

Thursday………..1…at Brooklyn ………….7:00 p.m.

Friday …………. 2…vs. Miami……………. 8:00 p.m.

Sunday ……….. 4…vs. Philadelphia ………….noon

GALLOWAY, N.J. — On the same day that The Star-Ledger ran a huge front-page sports story indicating that Sports U was now the premier AAU team in New Jersey based on their four tournament wins this summer, Mike Young and his Playaz teammates had something to say about that.

Behind 17 points from the 6-foot-9, 230-pound St. Benedict’s Prep power forward, the Playaz beat Sports U, 55-52 in OT, during pool play at Live in AC here at Stockton College.

“We was just letting them know, man, that we’re the premier team in the tri-stare area, the best team team in the tri-state area,” Young told SNY.tv.

GALLOWAY, N.J. — We are coming down the home stretch in the recruitment of point guard Tyler Ennis and no one is working harder than Syracuse and Illinois.

Syracuse assistant Adrian Autry (pictured above watching Ennis Thursday) has shadowed the 6-foot-3 point guard all July, and Illinois coach John Groce and his staff have also been a constant presence.

“I think Illinois and Syracuse have been everywhere we’ve been so far this summer,” Tony McIntyre, Tyler’s father and the CIA Bounce coach, told SNY.tv here Thursday at Live in AC at Stockton College.

GALLOWAY, N.J. — Andrew Wiggins and Xavier Rathan-Mayes aren’t playing together here this week at Live in AC.

But could they end up going together to Kentucky?

“Definitely,” the 6-foot-4 Rathan-Mayes of CIA Bounce told SNY.tv at Stockton College. “We’ve always wanted to play together since we were young and go to school together so that’s definitely a possibility.”

GALLOWAY, N.J. — The inaugural Live in AC event lost its marquee name when Andrew Wiggins, arguably the No. 1 player in high school basketball, opted to stay home in Toronto to rest instead of joining his CIA Bounce teammates here.

“His body was worn out from the Peach Jam and he had some family commitments but he will be at the event in Toronto,” CIA Bounce coach Mike George told SNY.tv.

The Canadians are hosting their own AAU tournament — the Carabana Classic — this weekend in Toronto.

Apparently Kentucky got the message that Wiggins wouldn’t be here, but Florida State did not.

Brian Bosworth Tweeted Wednesday night: “So Andrew Wiggins isn’t in AC. Leonard Hamilton was here expecting to see him. Kentucky sent no one. Draw your own conclusions.”

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Jim Calhoun says it won’t be difficult to motivate his basketball team this year despite the fact that the Huskies face a postseason ban.

Due to their subpar Academic Progress Rate scores, the three-time national champion Huskies won’t play in the Big East Tournament, the NCAA Tournament or even the NIT.

But Calhoun, always defiant, says he can still motivate his kids to play hard.

“No, no I don’t think at all [it will be an issue],” Calhoun, 70, told SNY.tv at the Peach Jam, where he was recruiting prospects like Chris McCullough, a 2014 forward from New York.

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