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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.
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Articles, Kentucky, NBA Draft

By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG

Transylvania v KentuckyEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – When Julius Mays decided to go from Wright State to Kentucky before last season, the one-year transfer had academics in mind, citing the school’s sports leadership master’s program as a big reason why.

Still, Mays, who began his career at North Carolina State, harbors aspirations of playing in the NBA and if he was to move towards that goal, there are few better roads to get there than the Wildcats and head coach John Calipari.

“If I didn’t make that decision, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Mays told SNY.tv following a solid showing at the Nets Draft Combine on Thursday afternoon. “Even with the season we had, I’d make that decision 10 more times just knowing the outcome and just to get the opportunity to play for Coach Cal.

Articles, Duke

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is fired up about the new-look ACC.

How fired up?

Coach K believes the additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame this year and Louisville in 2014 will take the ACC to heights as yet unseen in major college basketball.

“We’re going to be a 10-bid conference,” Krzyzewski said on a conference call to officially announce that he would coach Team USA through the 2016 Olympics, according to The Sporting News. “We’re going to be the best conference in the history of the game.”

In 2011, the Big East set a record by sending 11 team to the NCAA Tournament.

Knicks

LeBron James, the 2012-13 NBA Most Valuable Player and winner of four of the previous five MVP awards, highlights the 2012-13 All-NBA First Team. James was the only player to receive all 119 First Team votes.

Joining James on the First Team are Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. For Bryant, his 11th First Team nod ties him with Hall of Famer Karl Malone for the most such selections. Bryant had been tied at 10 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit and Jerry West.

The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony made the second team.

An MRI Wednesday revealed that Anthony has a small left shoulder tear and that he played the final 12 games of the season with it. The news was first reported by the Daily News. Surgery is not expected to be required, according to reports.

The Knicks have still not commented publicly on the MRI results.

 

2012-13 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

Position                                       Player, Team (1st Team Votes)                                           Points

Forward                                       LeBron James, Miami (119)                                                  595

Forward                                       Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (102)                                   555

Center                                          Tim Duncan, San Antonio (45)                                            392

Guard                                           Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (91)                                              521

Guard                                           Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (97)                                                537

Articles, NBA Draft, Providence

By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG

NCAA Basketball: Big East Tournament-Providence vs Seton HallEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – As former Providence star and Brooklyn native Vincent Council goes through the NBA Draft process this spring, he can’t help but think a little about what could have been.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard averaged 15.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds as a junior for the Friars to help raise expectations as a senior. Just five minutes into his senior season on Nov. 10 against NJIT, Council suffered a hamstring injury. He would miss 10 games, returning for the Friars’ final nonconference game against Brown, which means he was forced to dive right into Big East play five days later.

Andrew Wiggins, Articles, Kentucky, USA Basketball

A year ago, Julius Randle was Team USA’s leading scorer and rebounder at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Brazil.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged team-highs of 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game through five wins.

Yet when the 24-man roster for  the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team Training was announced Wednesday, Randle was not on it.

Nor were his future Kentucky teammates Andrew and Aaron Harrison (who were cut from the U18 team) or incoming Duke freshman Jabari Parker.

All of those players are projected as potential lottery picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.

There are no Kentucky players on the roster.

“Most of it is, they didn’t want to play. I’m not forcing kids to do anything,” Kentucky coach John Calipari told Sporting News. “I think the reason they all turned it down is, they want to get started.”

Articles, Missouri, NBA Draft

By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG

South Carolina State v MissouriEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Whatever the preconceived notions of what an NBA point guard should be, 5-foot-11, 175-pound Phil Pressey doesn’t believe he is fighting those as he makes his way through the NBA Draft process this spring.

“I’ve played against bigger point guards, I really don’t see them as being more athletic than me, just taller,” the Dallas native and University of Missouri product told SNY.tv after his session at the Nets Draft Combine on Wednesday morning at PNY Center. “When it comes to athleticism, I match up with the best of them. If a guy is a couple inches taller than me, I don’t feel like that affects me at all. I feel like what I do is a lot better than what they do.”

Articles, Seton Hall

Seton Hall could bolster its frontcourt going forward if SMU transfer Blaise Mbargorba opts to stay local.

The 6-foot-11 center who played high school ball at The Peddie (N.J.) School has been approached by more than a dozen schools, but Seton Hall seems to be in good position right now.

“He likes Seton Hall, which is closer to home and he likes the situation,” Sandy Pyonin of the New Jersey Roadrunners told SNY.tv.

“I think it’s the best situation for him. Whether he goes there or not I don’t know.”

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