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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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Monday / April 20.
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    • Articles, NBA Draft

    Remember those heady days when the under-manned Boston Celtics occupied first place in the pathetic Atlantic Division?

    Yeah, well those days are long gone and Danny Ainge and the Celtics are in full tank mode for the loaded 2014 Draft that will likely feature Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Dante Exum and Aaron Gordon.

    Even with Rajon Rondo’s return slated for Friday night, the Celtics are riding a nine-game losing streak and have one of the NBA’s worst records (13-26).

    Articles

    It’s still mid-January, but it’s entirely possible that former and current Big East teams could win as many as three major conferences this season.

    Syracuse and Pittsburgh — both of which defected the Big East for the ACC — now lead that league with matching 4-0 records.

    Cincinnati, now part of the American Athletic Conference after breaking off from the Big East, is the lone unbeaten team in that conference at 5-0.

    And in the Big East itself, longtime member Villanova (4-0) and newcomer Creighton (5-0) are the lone unbeatens.

    Articles, Recruiting

    Count No. 1 Arizona and No. 15 Kansas among those intrigued by Greek 7-footer Georgios Papagiannis of Westtown (Pa.).

    Spencer Dunkley, a British-born basketball player who was chosen in the second round of the 1993 NBA Draft, is serving as Papagiannis’ mentor and recently spoke with SNY.tv.

    “Right now he’s just getting introduced to the American scene,” Dunkley said. “We’re just trying to give everybody an opportunity to see him. Some schools have already shown interest — Arizona, Kansas, Wichita [State], Virginia, Georgetown, Miami, Temple, La Salle has been very active, Maryland. All those schools have shown a lot of interest.”

    Dunkley said Papagiannis has already visited Maryland while there with his team for a tournament, and sources said Maryland has offered him a scholarship.

    Dunkley said but that no other schools have officially offered Papagiannis yet.

    Articles, North Carolina, Recruiting

    After watching him play recently in West Virginia, North Carolina coach Roy Williams met Tuesday with 2015 Bishop Gorman big man Stephen Zimmerman in Las Vegas.

    “He was basically just telling me how important I am, and what my role at UNC would be,” the 7-foot Zimmerman told SNY.tv. “He said he is going to make good use of every viewing he gets by visiting as much as he’s allowed. We talked about a possible official to UNC.”

    No date has been set for the official yet.

    Zimmerman said Williams also joked that he doesn’t use his computer and only uses his cell phone for calls.

    Zimmerman is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2015 by ESPN.com.

    Articles, Recruiting, St. Anthony

    Tarin Smith SNYJERSEY CITY, N.J. — As an uncommitted, unsigned point guard in the Class of 2014, Tarin Smith’s stock has grown drastically in the last few months.

    After considering Patriot and Ivy League schools in the fall, the 6-foot-2, 183-pound Smith is now being courted by Big East and A-10 programs, among others.

    “He’s a late developer,” Hall of Fame St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley told SNY.tv. of his point guard after Smith went for 11 points Tuesday in St. Anthony’s 56-41 victory over Camden.

    “I think he would be intriguing for coaches because I think of the unsigned kids, he’s probably someone that people should look at.”

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