November 2013 | Page 21 of 22 | 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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Saturday / November 23.

NEW YORK — The most impressive Syracuse product in the early stage of this NBA season isn’t Carmelo Anthony.

No, it’s Philadelphia rookie Michael Carter-Williams, who is averaging 20.7 points, 9.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds for the first-place Sixers.

“I always liked him,” Anthony said Sunday before the Knicks hosted Minnesota at MSG. “I’ve been telling people all along that whoever gets him was going to get a steal.

“The first couple games he’s proven that and he’s only going to get better in my eyes.”

St. John’s and Seton Hall both pulled out exhibition wins to open the 2013-14 season Saturday night, although the Johnnies’ win was a little too close for comfort.

Junior guard D’Angelo Harrison drained a 15-footer that gave the Red Storm an 81-80 lead over Division II San Francisco State with 17 seconds remaining and finished with a game-best 29 points as St. John’s came back from eight points down to win, 82-80, at Carnesecca Arena.

Harrison connected on 8-of-15 field goals, made 3-of-6 3-point attempts and fired at a 10-of-12 clip from the free throw line. Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year Rysheed Jordan scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including drilling his only shot from long-range. The lone freshman also contributed four rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Dante Exum

Dante Exum says he wants to go “Top 10″ in the NBA Draft and he may well get his wish next June.

”I definitely want to be picked top 10,” Exum told the Canberra Times in his native Australia.

”You go to a team that needs you and it’d be a chance to play 10-15 minutes [per game] as a rookie and possibly more depending on how you play.”

The 6-foot-6 Exum is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2014 Draft behind Andrew Wiggins of Kansas and Julius Randle of Kentucky, according to DraftExpress.com.

Still, Exum hasn’t yet officially announced whether he will enter the 2014 Draft or spend a year in college and enter the 2015 Draft.

Contrary to reports, Tyus Jones has not cut Minnesota from his list, sources confirmed to SNY.tv Saturday.

Pioneer Press reporter Marcus Fuller also Tweeted that Debbie Jones, Tyus’ mother, confirmed that Minnesota had not been eliminated, only that Jones and Chicago big man Jahlil Okafor won’t play there together.

The 6-foot-2 Apple Valley (MN) guard is still considering Minnesota along with Baylor, Duke and Kansas.

Still, Jones and Okafor have long said they will play college basketball together and Minnesota is not on Okafor’s list.

There is no game film on Norvel Pelle.

He has never played in an NBA game.

Never played in a professional game of any kind.

Never played in a college contest, either.

Yet the 6-foot-11, 210-pound Pelle was the No. 1-ranked high school center in the Class of 2011, and considered a future pro prospect.

He tried on several occasions to go to college — first committing to Steve Lavin and St. John’s and then to Tim Cluess and Iona — before declaring for the NBA Draft after he was deemed academically ineligible.

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