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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.

CC1PETDUgAAkkmu.jpg-largeNEW YORK — On their train ride from Boston to New York for the Jordan Brand Regional Game, Brewster (N.H.) Academy teammates Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Adams talked about putting their school on the map.

They weren’t sure how many fans at Barclays Center knew about the New Hampshire prep school and they were prepared to do their talking on the court.

“A lot of people don’t know Brewster Academy so we were just talking about going out and putting Brewster on the map in a bigger way,” Mitchell said. “We just said to ourselves that we were going to go out and impact the game in different ways.”

Mission accomplished.

Malachi RichardsonBy JOSH NEWMAN

NEW YORK – In the face of NCAA sanctions, Syracuse announced on March 18 that Jim Boeheim will retire in three years.

At the age of 70 and entering his 40th season at the helm, maybe Boeheim retires after one or two more years instead of going the full three. At least one incoming recruit isn’t convinced the Hall of Famer is done in three years.

“We definitely want to send him out as a winner, but I don’t know if he’s gonna go in three years,” Trenton Catholic standout and four-star recruit Malachi Richardson told SNY.tv after scoring three points for the East in a 118-116 loss at the Jordan Brand Classic at Barclays Center. “That’s just my opinion. Coach Boeheim loves basketball, so him walking away from it? I just don’t see it.

“I’ve learned to know him. He’s a great coach and he really does love basketball. He loves Syracuse and I just don’t know if he can walk away from it that soon.”

CC6vCHpUUAAUxAD.png-largeNEW YORK — It’s been quite an exciting few weeks for Cheick Diallo.

The 6-foot-9 forward from Centereach (N.Y.) Our Savior New American won MVP honors last month at the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago. Just last week he helped the World Team win the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore.

And on Friday night, Diallo put on a show in front of Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, Victor Oladipo, Victor Cruz, Worldwide Wes, more than 300 fans from his high school and a capacity crowd in the Jordan Brand Classic at Barclays Center.

Diallo went for 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds in a losing effort as the West beat the East, 118-116. Arizona-bound guard Allonzo Trier poured in 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting for the West.

1428798253Kentucky coach John Calipari may visit the Orangeville Prep duo of Thon Maker and Jamal Murray this weekend in Ontario, according to a report from Kyle Tucker of The Louisville Courier-Journal.

“I can neither confirm nor deny” that Calipari will visit the duo, Orangeville coach Larry Blunt told Tucker. “Those guys have tried to put plans together to meet with [Murray’s] family and the young man. They’ve been up a few times and hopefully they’ll be up again soon.

“It always helps to be able to make a trip and have an opportunity to see multiple guys, I know that.”

Derrick JonesBy JOSH NEWMAN

NEW YORK – Stephen Zimmerman staying home to attend UNLV next year changes the perception of the Rebels in 2015-16.

With the 7-foot center in the fold, at least one other Rebels recruit, Derrick Jones, seems to have a pretty clear idea of how good UNLV can be next winter.

“Honestly, to me, I think we can win the Mountain West Tournament,” Jones told SNY.tv Friday night after flashing his athleticism with several highlight dunks en route to 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Jordan Brand Regional Game at Barclays Center. “I feel like we can be a top contender in the NCAA Tournament as well.”

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New St. John’s coach Chris Mullin and assistants Barry “Slice” Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih will meet Saturday with two key 2015 targets in Cheick Diallo and Brandon Sampson, sources confirmed to SNY.tv.

The plan is to meet with Diallo in the morning and then fly to Louisiana and meet Sampson later in the day.

The 6-foot-9 Diallo is considering Iowa State, St. John’s, Kentucky, Kansas and Pitt. He was the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game and was set to play Friday in the Jordan Brand Classic.

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