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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 Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall continues to rebuild the Vols’ roster.

Tyndall on Wednesday landed a commitment from Tariq Owens, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Baltimore Mount Zion Prep who had previously committed to Ohio. Owens obtained his release from Ohio after coach Jim Christian departed for Boston College.

“Overall, it was positive from his final three schools,” his father, Renard Owens, told SNY.tv. “UT presented the best scenario and opportunity for him to be successful on and off the court.


Embiid2With the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly eyeing Kansas big man Joel Embiid as the No. 1 pick in next month’s NBA Draft, the medical reports on the 7-footer’s back will be critical.

“The medicals with Embiid will be key,” one league source told SNY.tv.

Embiid has been recovering from a stress fracture in his back that kept him out of games after March 1. He did not participate in last week’s Chicago Pre-Draft Combine — neither did projected top-3 picks Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker — and his agent Arn Tellem may decide to only have Embiid meet or work out for particular teams. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported Tellem still must decide whether to send Embiid to Cleveland for a physical or an interview.

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By JACK LeGWIN

Special to ZAGSBLOG

Roddy Peters has decided to transfer from Maryland to USF to join new head coach Orlando Antigua. InsideMarylandSports.com was first to report it.

A former top-ranked player in the Class of 2013, the 6-foot-3 Peters struggled in his first year at Maryland, averaging 4.1 points and 2.1 assists per game for the Terrapins.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2014-2015 season. He is the second transfer that Antigua has picked up in addition to Marshall transfer Kareem Canty. 

Wiggins and EmbiidBy JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG

NEW YORK – The post-LeBron James era for the Cleveland Cavaliers has produced zero playoff appearances and no more than 33 wins in a non-lockout season since he took his talents to South Beach after the 2009-10 season.

From that rubble has come two No. 1 overall picks, which were used on Kyrie Irving and Anthony Bennett, and two No. 4 overall picks, which were used to select Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson.

Now, this rebuild in Cleveland is shockingly going to see yet another No. 1 pick.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UvWrGEAZA0&w=560&h=315]

Chase Jeter is targeting a college announcement at the Adidas Nations event in Long Beach, Calif., in August, Dream Vision director Clay Williams told SNY.tv.

“He’s going to do it at Adidas Nations,” Williams said of the event slated for Aug. 1-5. “That’s what he told me.”

The 6-foot-10 Jeter recently cut his list to six schools — Kansas, Oregon, UNLV, Duke, UCLA and Arizona — and at that time Tweeted he planned to commit “before July.”

Duke is considered by many to be the favorite for Jeter.

Wiggins-EnnisNEW YORK — Of the seven college players expected to be on hand Thursday night at the NBA Draft Lottery at the Best Buy Theatre, two are not only from the same city in the same country, but from the same AAU program as well.

Andrew Wiggins of Kansas and Tyler Ennis of Syracuse, former teammates with the Toronto-based CIA Bounce program, will both be on hand for the draft lottery. Despite reports that Ennis was a late addition, he was invited three weeks ago, a source close to the situation told SNY.tv.

The 6-foot-8 Wiggins is projected as the potential No. 1 pick in the June 26 NBA Draft, while the 6-2 Ennis is also projected as a lottery pick.

“I think it speaks volumes about where Canadian basketball has come and I think it speaks volumes about how incredible a story it is for an AAU program out of Toronto to be able to consistently develop not just NBA talent, but lottery talent,” Roy Rana, the Canadian Junior National Team coach who has coached both Wiggins and Ennis, told SNY.tv by phone.

Iowa State has landed 11 transfers in the Fred Hoiberg Era, and now former Oregon State guard Hallice Cooke makes No. 12.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound former St. Anthony standout Tweeted Monday that he has committed to the Cyclones. He will have three years of eligibility after sitting out the 2014-15 season.

Blessing!! To have the opportunity to play for ” he Tweeted.

Cooke averaged 8.2 points last season while shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc.

Cooke also visited St. Joe’s and Dayton, but SNY.tv wrote earlier this month that Cooke could well land at Iowa State.

He committed to Oregon State in September 2012 on his first official visit, and because of that he took other visits this time around.

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