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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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Arizona State, Articles, Hurleys

NCAA Basketball: MAC Conference Tournament-Buffalo vs Central MichiganBy JOSH NEWMAN

The Pac-12 sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament last season and three of them — Arizona, UCLA and Utah — went to the Sweet 16.

The league is on the upswing even without mentioning Arizona State, but the fact that New Jersey schoolboy and Duke legend Bobby Hurley is now running things in Tempe means a lot of eyes are going to be on the Sun Devils this winter.

“It’s my objective as a coach, and with the statements I’ve made, I don’t back off from them,” Hurley told SNY.tv on the 4 Quarters Podcast Monday afternoon. “I want to build an elite program that is contending for Pac-12 championships as time progresses and have a chance to play in Final Fours.”

Articles, California

NCAA Basketball: Pac-12 Conference Tournament-California vs ArizonaBy JOSH NEWMAN

Is the balance of power in the Pac-12 set to move from Tuscon, Ariz. to Berkeley, Calif.?

It remains to be seen, but with the Golden Bears scoring recruits this spring at a level not seen at that program since Jason Kidd, the West Coast is going to be getting plenty of attention next season.

Oakland Bishop O’Dowd big man Ivan Rabb committed to head coach Cuonzo Martin on April 14. The 6-foot-10 forward then recruited Jaylen Brown to Cal before the 6-foot-7 Marietta (GA) Wheeler wing pulled the trigger for the Golden Bears on May 1. 

“I think the biggest key for us, it was a blessing, is that those guys had a previous relationship through summer basketball, USA Basketball,” Martin told SNY.tv on the 4 Quarters Podcast Monday afternoon. “They’ve had a genuine passion for each other, and not to say it out loud, but playing with each other. I think when they played in Massachusetts together, the game against each other, it went from there and it helped our program in getting two quality guys.”

Articles, Michigan

Mlb_wVsQ_400x400After returning from his official visit to Michigan Saturday night, Tyus Battle was all set to commit.

His father told him to sleep on it, and when he woke up on Sunday Battle still felt the same way.

So on Monday he Tweeted out his decision and the result is that Michigan is getting the No. 4 shooting guard in the Class of 2016 according to 247Sports.com.

The Wolverines beat out a Who’s Who of other big-time programs for the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Battle, including Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky, Louisville and Ohio State.

“I just felt comfortable and I really enjoyed the school when I was out there,” Battle told SNY.tv by phone on Monday. “The mixture they have of academics and athletics, you don’t find many places. I just felt really comfortable at the school and I loved the school.”

Rock 'n' Roll

deadwof5NEW YORK — Even though The Grateful Dead are slated to play their final five shows this summer in Santa Clara and Chicago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the band, Bobby Weir says it’s possible the legendary rock ‘n’ roll group could play Madison Square Garden again.

“We’ll be back,” Weir told me Monday at the Garden where The Dead was inducted into the MSG Walk of Fame. Weir was present along with Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia, daughter of the late Jerry Garcia, and Reya Hart, daughter of Mickey Hart.

Asked if they would return as The Dead, Weir said, “We’ll see, we’ll see what’s shakin.'”

He added: “This place is going to keep calling us back forever.”

Articles, Maryland

Duke v Louisville

Rasheed Sulaimon is officially a Maryland Terrapin and is expected to play immediately, the school announced Monday.

He is scheduled to graduate from Duke this summer with a degree in sociology in just three years.

“I’ve known Rasheed and his family since he was in the seventh grade, first meeting him when he attended our basketball camp at Texas A&M,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “He was a very polite and poised young man and I recruited him while I was at Texas A&M because of his commitment to both academics and athletics. We competed against Rasheed on multiple occasions in the ACC and I was reminded of his dynamic playmaking ability. During our conversations with Rasheed and his parents, Kenny and Angela, Rasheed expressed the importance of proving that he is committed to being a great student-athlete and a selfless teammate. I have full confidence that Rasheed will embrace this opportunity at the University of Maryland.”

Articles, Kentucky

TownsProjected No. 1 draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns, projected top-5 pick D’Angelo Russell and projected first-round pick Devin Booker have all signed with CAA in advance of the NBA Draft, according to DraftExpress.com.

Towns and Booker both signed with Leon Rose, while Russell signed with Austin Brown.

“You only get one chance at that [picking an agent],” Towns said at a recent appearance at his high school, St. Joe’s-Metuchen. “You’ve got to make sure you get it right. I’m taking my time with that process. The NBA Draft process, that’s one of the biggest things is all the things that come other than on the basketball court. You’ve got to take your time with these decisions. Make sure you make it right. You don’t want to be making multiple decisions quickly and then regret it.”

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