April 2013 | Page 17 of 32 | 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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Articles, Seton Hall

Seton Hall has landed a commitment from 6-foot-6 forward Stephane Manga of Monroe (N.Y.) College.

Oklahoma State offered and Kansas State, Arizona State, Xavier and Minnesota were also interested.

“Yeah, I did [commit],” the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Manga told SNY.tv. “I’ve known the coaching staff for a while now and I thought it was the best option for me.”

A native of Orleans, France, Manga averaged 14.9 points and 5.7 rebounds this season at Monroe. He will have two years of eligibility left.

Knicks

Solomon Jones, we hardly knew ya.

The Knicks on Monday waived the 6-foot-10 big man after just two games in which he tallied three rebounds in 26 minutes.

The Knicks now have 14 players on the roster, and could add another before the playoff series with the Boston Celtics begins Saturday.

Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and possibly Rasheed Wallace are all expected back for the postseason, which could create a logjam up front.

Articles, Maryland, NBA Draft

By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG

Alex LenOn a day when projected No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel threw his name into the NBA Draft, another Lottery-bound big man followed suit on Monday afternoon.

University of Maryland sophomore center Alex Len will forego his final two years of eligibility in College Park and declare for an NBA Draft that is expected to be weak by many accounts, but should produce several big men as lottery picks.

Noel, Indiana sophomore center Cody Zeller and 20-year-old French big man Rudy Gobert are all projected to be chosen inside the top 10 come June. Len is currently projected as the No. 11 overall pick by DraftExpress.

Len and Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon are scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at Comcast Center.

Articles, Kentucky, NBA Draft

To the surprise of virtually no one, Kentucky freshman All-America selection Nerlens Noel will enter his name into the NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-10 Noel is projected as the No. 1 overall pick by DraftExpress.com despite having to undergo ACL surgery that is expected to keep him out of action until the fall.

If selected No. 1 overall, Noel would become the third Wildcat in four years taken with the top pick, joining John Wall and Anthony Davis.

“I have loved my time at Kentucky, but I feel that I’m ready to take the next step to the NBA,” Noel said in a statement. “I’ve learned so much here at UK and am thankful for Coach (John) Calipari, the staff and my teammates for all of their support. I especially appreciate the Big Blue Nation and all of the support, prayers and well-wishes I’ve received from them during my rehab and decision-making process. I’ll always be a Wildcat!”

Articles, Indiana

ROSELLE, N.J. — Noah Vonleh was recruited all along to help replace Cody Zeller at Indiana.

Now that Zeller and teammate Victor Oladipo have made it official that they’re headed to the NBA Draft, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean knows the 6-foot-8 Vonleh must play an important role.

“I think Noah was going to be fantastic whether Cody was there or not, so Noah’s going to be an excellent player,” Crean told SNY.tv on Friday at a coaches’ clinic at Roselle Catholic High School. “And he can do a lot of different things and he’s just going to get better and better.”

Still, filling Zeller’s shoes right away is a lot to ask. The 7-foot sophomore averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds for Indiana, which was ranked No. 1 for several weeks this season but fell to Syracuse in the East Region semifinals in Washington, D.C.

Knicks

NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony will now have up to a full week to rest for what is surely the most critical postseason of his career.

The Knicks clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 90-80  victory over the Indiana Pacers Sunday at Madison Square Garden, and Anthony may  just rest up for a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics that could begin Saturday at the Garden. New York (53-27) won the season series with Boston, 3-1, for the first time since the 2003-4 season.

It was the Celtics who swept the Knicks two years ago after Anthony was first acquired in the blockbuster trade with the Denver Nuggets.

“That’s in the back of our minds. We want to beat Boston, I mean let’s be quite frank,” Anthony said after going for 25 points and hearing another round of “MVP” chants from the Garden crowd. “This will be a great series for us, this will be a grind-out series. We want to win this series.”

Articles, Duke

By BRIAN FITZSIMMONS

Special to ZAGSBLOG

NEW YORK – Jabari Parker noticed many high-profile celebrities dotting the Barclay Center’s sidelines at the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday.

Michael Jordan sat in a posh suite throughout the night, while Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia joined the Knicks trio of Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in the courtside seats.

LaLa Vasquez, Busta Rhymes and rapper Drake, who performed after Parker’s West squad squeezed by in a 102-98 victory over the East, comprised a strong music-based showing. Of course, the presence of Worldwide Wes and Spike Lee added some character to the VIP list, too.

But the Duke-bound Parker, who scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and later accepted the team’s MVP trophy from Anthony at center court, clearly didn’t let the magnified scrutiny and attention get to him. That’s a good thing because the 6-foot-8 small forward from Chicago Simeon High School should get used to seeing celebrities watch him play every night very quickly.

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