By MATT SUGAM
Rutgers had to get a new athletic director because their old one didn’t fire Mike Rice after he was shown video of Rice physically abusing players, cursing them out, and spewing gay slurs.
As it turns out, that new athletic director, Julie Hermann, may have been a similar coach to Rice.
When she was the head volleyball coach at Tennessee in the mid-90s, the 15 players on her team wrote a letter saying Hermann coached through humiliation, fear and emotional abuse.
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By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
SUWANEE, Ga. – The class of 2016 is loaded, and Jayson Tatum is proof of just that.
The 6-foot-6, 180-pound versatile freshman out of St. Louis (LA) Chaminade put up every stat in the book when he recorded 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals in a 65-25 win for St. Louis Eagles over West Georgia Elite at the Nike Memorial Classic.
A talented wing-guard who can contribute all over the floor, Tatum can run the point as well as playing all the way through the small forward position and he knows that his versatility is key in his development in the future.
“It really helps me a lot to be able to put a stat in every category to help my team win,” he told SNY.tv. To read more of this story, click here
By JEREMY WOO
Special to ZAGSBLOG
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s not every day you see freshmen competing at AAU basketball’s highest level.
Even more rarely are they 7-foot, 200-pound centers with advanced skill sets. Meet 16-year-old Thon Maker, who just might be basketball’s next big thing.
At the fourth and final EYBL session this weekend, Maker dominated the final minutes of Boo Williams’ Saturday morning matchup with the CP3 All-Stars. He nearly helped his team to a comeback win with eight points in the game’s final minutes, including consecutive and-one baskets. To read more of this story, click here
By JOSH VERLIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Elijah Cottrill travels a little more than most for his summer travel team.
The Pittsburgh-area native plays his AAU ball with the New York Panthers, despite living over 400 miles from the Big Apple. A rising senior at Beaver Falls (Pa.), Cottrill — a two-sport star garnering Division I interest in football — recently picked up his first collegiate basketball offer.
“Creighton offered during the Pitt Jam Fest,” he told SNY.tv at the Team Philly Memorial Day Tournament on Saturday. “I know that they’re going to the Big East this year; I’ve got to do my research on them.” To read more of this story, click here
By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
SUWANEE, Ga. – Playing in front of a packed Court 5 at the Nike Memorial Invitational here, Harry Giles put on a show.
The 6-foot-9, 210-pound freshman out of High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan Christian Academy scored 22 points, highlighted by a spectacular put-back dunk, to help the CP3 All-Stars 16U team take down NJ Playaz Basketball Club 16U on Saturday afternoon.
Although Giles is a player who many consider No. 1 in the country in the class of 2016, he doesn’t feel the pressure of living up to the hype. To read more of this story, click here
Everyone knows that Jamaica has produced the fastest man on Earth in Usain Bolt.
But the Caribbean island has also brought forth some talented basketball players, too, most notably former Knicks star Patrick Ewing, who was born in Kingston.
The way Ajani Williams sees it, Jamaica now has more than enough talent to compete for an Olympic bid in 2016.
Williams, the President of the Jamaica Basketball Association, rattles off a Who’s Who of talented players of Jamaican heritage, including current NBA players Roy Hibbert, Tristan Thompson, Ben Gordon, Andre Drummond, Toney Douglas and Ryan Hollins; former NBA To read more of this story, click here
By JEREMY WOO
Special to ZAGSBLOG
MINNEAPOLIS — One of the AAU circuit’s best-kept secrets is, well, no longer a secret.
Enter Tyler Ulis.
On Friday night, the 5-foot-9 2014 point guard captained his shorthanded Meanstreets squad to a 60-56 win over previously undefeated Team Takeover. Without consensus top-100 prospects Vic Law and Paul White, Ulis and Meanstreets got off to a terrific start at the final EYBL session of the spring.
Only 24 teams advance to next month’s Peach Jam finals, and the sense of urgency was clear. To read more of this story, click here
By CHIP MILLER
Special to ZAGSBLOG
Rashad Vaughn created a small stir during session one of the Nike E.Y.B.L. Circuit in late April. Talk started that the top ranked shooting guard out of Robbinsdale Cooper (MN) High School was transferring to Huntington (W.V.) Prep, one of the top prep schools in the nation, for his senior season.
When asked if he would be playing for Huntington Prep in the fall, Vaughn replied to Next Cats, “I can’t confirm that right now.” To read more of this story, click here
Jamir Hanner is headed to Buffalo.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound combo forward told SNY.tv Friday he is leaving Marshall and will have two years of eligibility under Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley after sitting out next season.
“Even though I haven’t visited the University of Buffalo, I know about the tradition of the Hurleys and I think it’s a good opportunity for me at a new program and it’s a new start,” he told SNY.tv. To read more of this story, click here
By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It never hurts to have a guy on your team who can do a little bit of everything. As he makes his way through the NBA Draft process this spring, former Rice High School and University of Miami star Durand Scott believes he can be that guy.
An ACC All-Defensive Team selection and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, Scott, a 125-game starter at shooting guard over four seasons for the Hurricanes, showed he can play offense too. He ended his career with 1,650 points, good for eighth in program history, in addition to 404 assists, which sits fifth all-time. As a senior, he averaged 13.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as Miami enjoyed a landmark 29-7 season, winning the ACC regular season and conference tournament crowns to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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