December 2016 | Page 9 of 23 | Zagsblog
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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.
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Recruiting

By DAVID DORSEY

FORT MYERS – Trevon Duval heard his coach with clarity. Almost 96 feet away from him stood teammate DeAndre Osuigwe, wide open.

“I told DeAndre to go hide in the corner, Bradenton IMG basketball coach Vince Walden said. Then Walden shouted to Duval to get him the ball. It didn’t take long for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound point guard, one considered the best in the class of 2017, to comply.

Duval threw a one-handed, full-court outlet pass to Osuigwe, who had open space to make a shot in the quarterfinals Monday night of the 44th Annual Culligan City of Palms Classic.

“It was old-school, no question,” Walden said of the pass.

Breaking News, Duke

Duke freshman big man Harry Giles is expected to make his debut Monday night against Tennessee State, multiple sources told ZAGSBLOG. 

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

The 6-foot-10 Giles at one point was projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, which now has him at No. 13, behind fellow freshman teammate Jayson Tatum (No. 6) and ahead of teammate Marques Bolden (No. 16).

“If he plays [this season] and looks OK, he could be the first pick,” one NBA scout said of Giles. “If he plays and gets hurt, he’s going to drop.”

Giles had his left knee scoped in early October to clean up scar tissue after he tore ligaments three years ago.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has often emphasized his team’s long-term goals over any short-term jolt that might come from rushing Giles (and the other injured freshmen before him) into action before he’s healthy — and risking re-injury. He said during the preseason that Duke is “going to try to conduct our season appropriately” because the key question is “will we have all the talent available at the time you have the opportunity to win the championship?”

“Harry’s practicing, he hasn’t had as much contact yet,” Krzyzewski said Dec. 6 at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Villanova

By JIM O’CONNELL

(AP) — Villanova held onto its impressive lead as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll.

The Wildcats (11-0) are on top for a third straight week receiving 56 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

UCLA remained ranked second with three No. 1 votes. Kansas, Baylor (which got the other six first-place votes), Duke and Kentucky remained third through sixth for a third consecutive week.

Recruiting

Mohamed Bamba, the 6-foot-11 big man from the Westtown (PA) School, is planning visits to Duke and Kentucky in the coming weeks, but has yet to set any dates.

So far, Bamba has only taken one official, to Texas the weekend of Oct. 29, in addition to going to Harvard on several occasions.

As for Duke, the Blue Devils would love to add him in the spring, when they will lose Amile Jefferson to graduation and possibly freshmen Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden to the NBA Draft.

“Brotherhood,” he told Scout.com of Duke’s recruiting pitch after putting up six points, five rebounds and three blocks as Westtown defeated 7-foot-1 DeAndre Ayton and Hillcrest Academy (AZ), 53-42, in the semifinals of the Signature Series of the City of Palms Classic.

“You can see it too. They go out there and get after it. Those guys are like a true brotherhood.”

Recruiting

By DAVID DORSEY

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Two members of the “Jelly Fam” had vastly different expressions on their faces as they played in front of a fleet of Division I college basketball coaches Sunday evening at the 44th Annual Culligan City of Palms Classic.

The Patrick School, ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and No. 9 in USA Today’s Super 25, defeated Jersey City Hudson Catholic 65-53 in the quarterfinals. If played in the Garden State, it would have drawn about 5,000 fans and had a state championship-like atmosphere.

Instead, it had an intense, national-caliber tournament quarterfinal atmosphere with about 2,500 fans in attendance in capacity 3,500 Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida SouthWestern State College.

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