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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.

4_3028030JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Daniel Mading, a 6-foot-10, 198-pound power forward originally from the Sudan who was raised in Australia, will play this season for Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony’s after spending last year at The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla.

“After I’m done with him I should be able to play right away at the next level,” Mading said Monday of Hurley.

Mading said he’s now hearing from Kentucky, Arizona, Arizona State, Wake Forest and Marquette, among others. He also holds offers from Florida and UConn, and Georgetown is also trying to get involved.

With Kentucky, assistant coach Kenny Payne has reached out but not offered.

O-ooC2FM_400x400Iona continues to add talent for the future.

The Gaels on Monday landed a pledge from E.J. Crawford, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard from St. Thomas More (CT).

Crawford chose Iona over UNC-Wilmington, Hofstra, Drexel, Vermont, Quinnipiac, Robrt Morris and Kennesaw State.

“I liked the location from home, the academic program, the high level of basketball and the program,” the Hartford native told SNY.tv.

“I can score in a number of ways and my game fits their style. I can shoot the ball that fits their style.”

ben-simmons-397df676de880293Kentucky and LSU will host NBA Combines in mid-October, according to multiple reports.

Kentucky will run a combine for the second straight year from Oct. 11-12, while LSU will run one for the first year Oct. 13-14.

Evan Daniels of Scout first reported the Kentucky dates, while Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com first reported the LSU dates.

According to DraftExpress.com, Kentucky features players projected to go No. 1 (Skal Labissiere), No. 6 (Jamal Murray), No. 18 (Isaiah Briscoe), No. 28 (Marcus Lee) and No. 58 (Alex Poythress) in the 2016 NBA Drft.

LSU features 6-foot-10 forward Ben Simmons, the projected No. 2 pick who many feel should go No. 1, the projected No. 29 pick in Tim Quarterman and freshman guard Antonio Blakeney.

LauriCoaches from Arizona, Utah and North Carolina are visiting Finnish power forward Lauri Markkanen, Helinski Academy coach Hanno Möttölä told SNY.tv.

Arizona head coach Sean Miller and Utah head man
Larry Krystkowiak have recently seen Markkanen, while UNC head coach Roy Williams and assistant Steve Robinson are due in next weekend.

Markkanen will visit Utah Oct. 11, North Carolina Oct. 13-14 and Arizona Oct. 16-17.

Markkanen averaged 18.2 points and 6.3 rebounds at the recent FIBA U18 World Championships.

Miami_Maryland_Basketball-0595b-1670Maryland finished the 2013-14 season with a 17-15 record in the ACC and then saw four players transfer out of the program.

Entering this season the Terps are the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten title and are a consensus top-5 team in the nation, with ESPN installing them as the preseason No. 1 in August.

How did all this happen so quickly?

“I think it just kind of all came together,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon told ESPN’s Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg on their weekly Podcast. “We had a really good recruiting class. We have some older guys, Jake Layman’s been a part of the program for a while. We’ve added some transfers that are really good players. It just kind of all came together. Guys stuck around and didn’t go to the NBA…

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