I go away for a short vacation, and all heck breaks loose in the local college scene…
**Seton Hall guard Larry Davis will transfer, potentially to Hofstra, according to sources.
“He’s exploring his options,” Bob Oliva, Davis’ high school coach at Christ the King, told Theo Rabinowitz of nychoops.net. “I haven’t spoken to (Davis), I have only spoken to his father.”
Davis’ next stop will be his third. He initially committed to NC State but de-committed after Herb Sendek left for Arizona State.
Davis averaged 7.5 points for Seton Hall this year and his departure leaves the Pirates with four guards, Paul Gause, Eugene Harvey, Jeremy Hazell and Paterson Catholic’s Jordan Theodore, the 2008 Herald News Player of the Year. Duquesne transfer Robert “Stix” Mitchell is listed as a small forward.
**Freshman Taylor King will leave Duke, and we hear he is considering Villanova, Southern Cal and Gonzaga.
A native of Huntington Beach, Calif., the 6-6 King averaged 5.9 points and 2 rebounds and had two 20-point games, including 27 points against Eastern Kentucky.
We hear King’s meeting with Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski did not go smoothly, yet Coach K issued this statement.
“Taylor is a solid young man and has the ability to be a good player,” said Krzyzewski. “We support him in his decision to transfer and wish him the best of luck in the future.”
If King does end up at Villanova, he will join a very nice nucleus that includes guards Scottie Reynolds, Corey of Fisher of St. Patrick of Elizabeth and Corey Stokes of St. Benedict’s.
**While King may be coming into Villanova, Brooklyn’s Malcolm Grant is leaving. A onetime PSAL PLayer of the Year at Robeson who spent one year prepping at Winchendon Academy (Mass.), the 6-foot Grant appeared in 29 games as a freshman, averaging 5.6 points per game.
“Malcolm is an integral part of our basketball family and a great young man,” Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. “He has been exemplary as a student and a teammate at Villanova. However, he deserves starters’ minutes. We are grateful for all that Malcolm has given to Villanova and support him in this decision.”
**Various sources also report that NJIT will hire Columbia assistant Jim Engles as its new coach. We hear Engles is at the Final Four recruiting potential assistant coaches. New Jersey Tech finished 0-29 last season and the new coach, who reportedly beat out DePaul assistant and former St. Raymond’s head man Gary DeCesare, will have some heavy lifting to do to get things turned around.
**Indiana freshman guard Eric Gordon will enter the NBA Draft, further depleting an already short lineup for the Hoosiers. New coach Tom Crean will have some work to do on the recruiting trail.
**Tyler Hansbrough was named the AP College Basketball Player of the Year. North Carolina meets Kansas in a national semifinal Saturday night in San Antonio.
**South Kent has named Kelvin Jefferson as head coach, replacing Raphael Chillious, who took a job with Nike. Rutgers recruit Christian Morris played for Chillious at South Kent before leaving the school midway through the season.
(The AP contributed to this report)
