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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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Articles, Recruiting, St. John's

NCAA Basketball: Seton Hall at St. John'sNEW YORK — In an ideal world for new St. John’s coach Chris Mullin, he and his staff would’ve taken Queens by storm on the recruiting front in their first few weeks on the job.

After taking over last month, Mullin and assistants Barry “Slice” Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih met with key 2015 targets Brandon Sampson and Cheick Diallo in the hopes of convincing one or both to be part of something new in Queens.

But the 6-foot-4 Sampson chose home-state LSU over St. John’s, while the 6-9 Diallo on Tuesday announced for Kansas over St. John’s, Kentucky, Pitt and Iowa State.

Mullin is not permitted to discuss specific recruits, but during a lunch meeting Wednesday near campus with beat reporters, he said the staff — and fans — have to be “realistic” in their approach to recruiting.

Articles, Duke

Duke v LouisvilleIn an interview with Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon said he never sexually assaulted anyone and that his dismissal from the program had nothing to do with those allegations.

He also said he’s been contacted by more than a dozen schools about transferring.

“Me being dismissed from the team had nothing to do with this allegation,” Sulaimon told Goodman in his first public comments since being dismissed from the team in January. He did not specify what the reason was, though he said he was frustrated and could have handled the situation better.

“I have never sexually assaulted, not only anyone on the Duke campus, but anyone period,” he said. “It’s not in my nature at all. I have great respect for the role of women in society. I would never demean or do anything to a woman in this manner. No, I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”

Articles, Kentucky, Recruiting

Mohamed Bamba, a 6-foot-11 2017 power forward from Norristown (PA) Westtown and the PSA Cardinals, has picked up offers from Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Arizona State, Providence and West Virginia.

The Harlem native previously had offers from Kansas, Arizona, Syracuse, UConn, Florida State, Texas, Maryland, Villanova, Seton Hall, Temple, James Madison, Penn State, Rice and Yale and others.

“Mohammed has a a structured plan in his recruitment,” PSA Cardinals coach Terrance “Munch” Williams told SNY.tv. “He has a certain amount of offers  which he will receive and that number is quickly approaching. He will stop taking offers from schools directly after his team plays in the Mokan Elite event in late July. He will use all of his junior year to get to know all the coaches/schools who have offered him in hopes of deciding which college or university he would like to attend early into his senior year.

Kentucky, Recruiting

Jaylen BrownJaylen Brown cut his list to California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina this week, but he had some especially kind things to say about two of those schools.

In a story in The Detroit News, the 6-foot-7 Marietta (GA) Wheeler wing praised Michigan for its connections to his family (his uncle went there, his mother is from Michigan) and Kentucky for, well, being Kentucky.

“(In) Michigan I have a lot of family,” Brown told Scout.com. “I’m based in Michigan so I could deflect a lot of stuff because my family is there, so Michigan is definitely going to be in the front runner of things.”

Based on Brown’s opinion of the importance of player development, there’s a good chance Michigan’s position was firmed up upon closer analysis of its recent track record.

“Talking to Coach Beilein, he’s like an offensive genius,” Brown told Scout. “The way he gets these guys that aren’t really ranked high to be lottery picks in the draft is amazing. It’s definitely something that drew my attention.”

Kentucky, Recruiting

4_947907By MATT JESSEN-HOWARD

INDIANAPOLIS — Kobi Simmons is ranked a top 20 player by all four major recruiting services, and it’s no surprise why. At the second session of Adidas Gauntlet, the athletic and long combo guard from Alpharetta (GA) St. Francis showcased his ability to both create for his teammates and score on all three levels.

Simmons — who is averaging over 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists — has attracted interest and offers from elite programs. According to Rivals.com, Simmons holds offers from Arizona, Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas Tech, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wake Forest, among others.

“It’s busy,” he told SNY.tv. “There are a lot of schools calling but probably Kentucky, Arizona, LSU, UNC, Georgia, Ohio State, and schools like that are recruiting me the hardest. It’s a good experience in the beginning, and I’ve learned a lot. But at some point it has to stop, and in the end I’m sure it’s hard.”

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