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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.

P.J. Washington has set dates for his four official visits this fall.

The 6-foot-8 Washington will visit Kentucky (Sept. 16-18), North Carolina (Sept. 23-25), Arizona (Oct. 21-23) and Texas (Oct. 28-30).

“Coaches hit me every day and want to secure spots [for official visits],” Paul Washington, P.J.’s father and the new Findlay Prep coach, said Wednesday on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “With me starting this new job….they’re really waiting on me to figure out when we can get out and do that kind of stuff.”

Shaka Smart has a newfound appreciation for Markelle Fultz after coaching him on the U.S. U18 team that won a gold medal last month at the FIBA Americas Championship in Chile.

On July 23, the 6-foot-5 Fultz went for a team-high 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting to go along with five assists and five rebounds as the U.S. got a 99-84 win over Canada in the U18 final in Valdivia, Chile.

“I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be in the running to be the No. 1 pick next year,” the Texas head coach said Wednesday on The 4 Quarters Podcast.

“He can do everything. He’s got great size for a guard. He’s a terrific athlete. He’s got a great body that’s only getting better and better. And he’s a humble kid who wants to work, wants to be part of a team, doesn’t mind getting coached and being held accountable. So when you add all those things up, he’s a dream. I’m happy for [Washington coach] Lorenzo [Romar] that he’s going to get to coach him.”

Zion Williamson, the 6-foot-7 Class of 2018 forward from Spartanburg (S.C.) High, showed out at Saturday night’s Under Armour Elite 24 Game, going for 23 points on 10-for-10 shooting with six rebounds.

A day before, Williamson won the Dunk Contest.

His father, Lee, played at Clemson, one of several schools now recruiting Zion.

“I feel like Arizona, Oregon, North Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson and NC State,” he told Evan Daniels of Scout.com in terms of schools recruiting him hard. “I feel like those schools are telling me I’m the man.”

Arizona was mentioned by several players in the Elite 24 Game as a school recruiting them hard, including 2017 point guard Trevon Duval and 2017 big man Nick Richards.

John Petty, Alabama’s reigning Mr. Basketball and a top-10 wing in the Class of 2017, will take an official visit to Alabama this Thursday and Friday, his mother told SNY.tv.

The visit had been previously reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The 6-foot-6 Petty, who plays for Huntsville (AL) J.O. Johnson High School and Team Penny on the Nike circuit, is down to six schools: Kentucky, Alabama, Kansas, Connecticut and Florida State.

The Wildcats and in-state Crimson Tide are the perceived favorites to land Petty.

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