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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, Florida State

Florida State scored a double commitment Friday night when they landed guards Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon on their visits.

“I am truly blessed to say that I have committed to Florida State University,” Beasley Tweeted.

The 6-4 Beasley had cut his list to eight schools: St. John’s, UConn, UCLA, Wake Forest, Florida State, Oregon, VCU and Georgia.

The 6-foot-6 Bacon had always been considered a Florida State lean, but had slated visits to Georgetown and Tennessee.

“I’ll fit in with them right away and Coach Ham [Leonard Hamilton] and his staff were up front right from the start,” Bacon told SNY.tv early Saturday.

Asked how good he and Beasley could be together, Bacon said, “We can be very good.”

Articles, Minnesota

Jonathan Nwankwo, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound 2015 center from House of Sports and Victory Rock (FL) Prep, committed to Minnesota on his visit Friday night.

“I think it’s where his heart was the whole time,” his guardian Derrik Riullano told SNY.tv. “And coming here just confirmed it.”

He also considered Tennessee, Seton Hall, Rice, Temple and Fordham.

“He’s an interior presence,” Riullano said. “Defense, rebounding and strong finishes. He’s working hard down in Florida on his offensive skills. And he’s also working real hard in the weight room. He’s 250 now, and he’d like to get as close to 260 as he can while maintaining his speed and agility.”

Articles

Canada just landed a very big import.

Thon Maker, a 7-footer ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2016, will transfer to Orangeville Prep in Ontario and suit up for Athlete Institute. His younger brother, 6-10 2017 small forward Matur Maker, will also make the change.

“We are excited to welcome Thon and Matur to Orangeville Prep and Athlete Institute,” head coach Larry Blunt told SNY.tv. “What’s exciting is that they excel equally both on and off the court. They are great ambassadors for our program, and we look forward to having an opportunity to work with them as they continue to develop.”

As part of the move, Ed Smith, the boys’ guardian, will join head coach the staff at Athlete Institute, Smith told SNY.tv by phone.

“Coach Blunt brought me on his staff, I’m very excited,” Smith said.

Tennis

SErena CaroNEW YORK — CBS will get the U.S. Open women’s final it hoped for on Sunday afternoon when two-time defending champion Serena Williams tries to make it three straight against her good friend Caroline Wozniacki.

Top-seeded Serena obliterated No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1, 6-3 in exactly an hour and will play for her sixth U.S. Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown, which would tie her for fourth all-time with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

No. 10 Wozniacki, who advanced after a bizarre match that saw her opponent Peng Shuai get taken off the court in a wheelchair with heat illness, is into her second U.S. Open final (2009) and is still seeking her first Grand Slam crown.

“Well, I think regardless she obviously wants to go win her first Grand Slam and I want to win and make a little history,” Serena said on court.

Tennis

CaroNEW YORK — John McEnroe was 100 percent right when he said on CBS that the handling of the Peng Shuai cramping incident was a “black eye” for the U.S. Open.

“It was horribly badly bungled…a serious black eye for our sport,” Mac said on air.

As Ricky Ricardo used to say, “Somebody has some ‘splaining to do.”

With the stunned Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd managing a shocked but polite applause, the 28-year-old Chinese was eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair following her retirement for what was called a heat illness against Caroline Wozniacki in Friday’s semifinals. Wozniacki advanced to the final against either Serena Williams or Ekaterina Makarova by the score of 7-6, 4-3, but there were so many unanswered questions after it was over.

Tennis

Coaches

NEW YORK — Between them, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Michael Chang and Goran Ivanisevic won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, including three U.S. Opens.

By Monday evening, one of them will add another U.S. Open title to his resumé — as a coach.

All four legends have a horse in the race for this year’s Flushing Meadows championship.

Edberg, who won U.S. Open titles in 1991 and ’92, coaches the five-time Open champion Roger Federer, who takes on Marin Cilic in one semifinal Saturday. Cilic is coached by his fellow Croation Ivanisevic, whose lone Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2001.

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