Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez and his staff are playing host this week to two of the top ballers from New York City.
JayVaughn Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 senior forward from Bishop Loughlin High, visited campus and the Prudential Center Tuesday with New Heights athletic director Kimani Young.
Devon Collier, a 6-7 senior wing from St. Anthony, will hit Seton Hall on Wednesday with Adam Berkowitz of New Heights. Collier will then visit St. John’s on Thursday.
“It went well,” Pinkston said of the Seton Hall visit. “I liked it. It was fun, better than I thought it would be. The campus and the arena are nice.”
Added Young: “We both were pleasantly surprised.”
Pinkston attended the Marquette Elite Camp this past weekend and has also visited St. John’s, Tennessee and Villanova this summer. Arizona and Miami are also trying to get involved.
As for Collier, he is looking at Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Maryland, Oregon State and Arizona. He recently took an unofficial to Providence.
“I don’t have [any] favorites,” Collier, ranked No. 134 in the Rivals150 in the Class of 2010, said recently. “I’m still open.”
NEW HEIGHTS HOSTING COACHING CLINIC
Six of the brightest minds in college coaching will descend on New York for a star-studded first-annual New Heights Youth Inc. Coaches Academy on Sept. 12, 2009.
Joining two-time National Championship coach Billy Donovan of Florida at Poly Prep High School in Brooklyn will be 2008 National Coach of the Year Keno Davis from Providence, Buzz Williams from Marquette, new Arizona head coach Sean Miller, Norm Roberts from St. John’s and 2009 Final Four coach Jay Wright from Villanova.
“This is an amazing group of coaches who are willing to give their time and give back to the coaching community,” said Kimani Young, New Heights’ athletic director. “Sean Miller, Keno Davis, Norm Roberts, Jay Wright, Buzz Williams and Billy Donovan are the best up-and-coming coaches in the country.”
The Coaches Academy will begin at noon with Buzz Williams lecturing on man-to-man defense. He will be followed by Billy Donovan at 1 p.m., who will talk about full-court pressure defense. Then Sean Miller will break down his approach to zone offense. After a complimentary lunch, Keno Davis will discuss his “cutters offense” and Norm Roberts will break down half-court sets and quick hitters. Finally, Villanova’s Jay Wright will share his cutting-edge skill development for guards and posts.
“If you’re a coach of any age or just a basketball junkie, this is the clinic for you,” said Bill McNally, Poly Prep’s head coach and host of this year’s event. “Whether you live in New York City, Long Island, Westchester or New Jersey, this is the place to be if you’re interested in increasing your basketball knowledge.”
“People say that there isn’t as much teaching in today’s youth basketball,” said Kimani Young. “Well, this is an opportunity for coaches from all backgrounds to improve their Xs and Os and general basketball knowledge. It’s a great opportunity to learn and grow if you teach basketball at any level.”
Contact: Kimani Young
Cell: 718 974-7110
email: kyoung@newheightsnyc.org
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Avaricious / September 2, 2009
Norm Roberts lecturing on half-court sets is like Pitino giving a tutorial on fidelity and parenting.
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davidpk19 / September 2, 2009
Pitino has had difficulty keeping his thing in his pants on more than one occassion, but that is perhaps what most men do! But he is a hypocrite for taking a chaplin with him to the games. Perhaps his conscience is bothering him but how is a chaplin going to mediate for him with God is another matter all together.
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