December 2014 | Zagsblog

BY JEREMY FUCHS

NEWARK– A week after Kentucky coach John Calipari praised the wealth of talent in New Jersey, a few Jersey kids and a few kids from New York City helped Seton Hall pull off the upset against No. 15 St. John’s, 78-67, Wednesday afternoon at the Prudential Center.

And though Kevin Willard reached into Brooklyn this past recruiting period to land McDonald’s All-American guard Isaiah Whitehead, it was a group of four players from the larger Tri-State area who stepped up while Whitehead is dealing with a stress fracture.

Chad Ford Says Harrison Twins Would Go Undrafted if NBA Draft Were Held Today; Okafor, Mudiay, Towns 1-2-3

How far has the draft stock of Andrew and Aaron Harrison fallen?

ESPN’s Chad Ford said Wednesday in a chat that if the NBA Draft were held today, neither guard would be selected:

“After the horrific outing they had in front of scouts against Louisville, it’s going to be tough. You never base things off one

Pitino Benched Chris Jones for Flopping

By CHRIS RUSSELL

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino made the decision to bench starting point guard Chris Jones for Tuesday’s matchup with Long Beach State due to the infamous flop that took place against No. 1 Kentucky in Saturday’s Bluegrass battle.

Initially, many thought that Jones was benched due to his poor performance against Kentucky, going 3-for-15 and only distributing one assist. Not to mention, Jones was completely outplayed by 5-foot-9 freshman Tyler Ulis.

After Tuesday’s game, Pitino cleared up the speculation.

“I was very upset at that,” Pitino told the Courier Journal. “We don’t do that type of thing, and then to fake with the jaw like you got hit, you can’t fake like you got hit. You can’t fake it… That’s something Louisville guys don’t do.”

St. John’s, Seton Hall Set to Square Off in Big East Play as Both Envision NCAA Berths

No. 15 St. John’s and Seton Hall will open the Big East Conference slate at noon today in a season in which both teams are envisioning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

And in this dreary year for New York pro teams (other than the hockey franchises), wouldn’t it be nice to see the two area Big East teams make the Big Dance?

The Johnnies are certainly set up to go dancing.

At 11-1, St. John’s is off to its best start since the 1985-6 season and is clicking on all cylinders following an 82-57 dismantling of Tulane on Sunday at Barclays Center.

Their only loss came last month in the NIT Season Tip-Off title game to a tough Gonzaga team that appears to be a Final Four contender.

Terrence Phillips Picks Up LMU Offer, Sets Sites On Missouri

By: CHIP MILLER

Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy point guard Terrence Phillips picked up a scholarship offer from Loyola Marymount during his Dec. 28-29 official visit.

Phillips said the visit went well.

“It was good,” Phillips told SNY.tv by text. “They kept it real with me. I saw what they need in there and the direction they are trying to go.”

Phillips recently told SNY.tv he was down to two final schools, Loyola Marymount and Missouri, although at that time, he held no official offer from either school.

Carlton Bragg’s Friends Made Him Custom Socks Featuring His Final Schools