Tyler Headed to Israel; Rubio Staying in Spain | 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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Friday / March 29.
  • Tyler Headed to Israel; Rubio Staying in Spain

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    Jeremy Tyler, the 6-foot-11 high school senior out of San Diego High, will likely sign a contract next week with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League

    “They’re the favorites,” Sonny Vaccaro, who is advising Tyler, said by phone. “It looks like Jeremy Tyler is going to end up with Maccabi Haifa. It’s 90 percent done.

    “The contract has not been signed yet. As soon as they do the faxes back and forth, it should be done Tuesday or Wednesday.”

    Maccabi Haifa finished second in the Israel Premier League last year and also features Davon Jefferson, the former USC forward.

    Jefferson made the team after a two-day tryout at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on July 28-29, where 60 players competed for a roster spot, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    Jefferson opted to leave school after his freshman  season and played briefly with the Lakers’ summer league team but only saw action in two games. If he had stayed another year, he might’ve turned into a lottery pick.

    Tyler, who turned 18 two months ago, will become the youngest foreign player to play in the Israeli league. He initially committed to Louisville but then announced his plan to spend two years abroad before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.

    He is the latest American, and first high school player, to leave to play professionally overseas.

    After failing to qualify for college, Brandon Jennings spent a year in Italy and then became the No. 10 pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in this year’s NBA Draft.

    Nick Calathes of Florida and Terrence Oglesby of Clemson also left college to play overseas.

    RUBIO STAYING IN SPAIN

    Per RealGM.com, Ricky Rubio will remain with DKV Joventut, according to the team’s Twitter account.

    “After endless comings and goings, Ricky Rubio is finally where he is. After many speculations about its future, the player decided to put an end to the issue of their transfer and will be announced at DKV Joventut, where he still has two more years [on his] contract.”

    Rubio was drafted No. 5 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

    ADIDAS NATIONS UPDATE

    Canada will face USA 2010 in the championship of the adidas nations event Saturday in Texas. Check out the live webcast of the game at www.eastbay.com/adidasnations at 4:30 PM EST.

    BIG EAST FILLS UP TOP 25

    NBADraft.net has a preseason Top 25 out with Kansas at No. 1 and Kentucky at No. 2. The site has six Big East teams in its Top 25: No. 5 West Virginia, No. 7 Villanova, No. 17 UConn, No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 22 Georgetown and No. 23 Louisville.

    EAST COAST ALL-STARS IMPROVE TO 2-0

    The East Coast All-Stars team that features Corey Chandler and Pat Jackson of Rutgers improved to 2-0 on its foreign tour with a 95-54 victory Friday over BC Benesov in the Czech Republic. The game was shown live nationally on Czech TV.

    Jackson had 8 points and 7 rebounds and Chandler posted 6 points and 5 steals.

    “Our team played well tonight and our matchups gave them some problems,” All-Stars coach Guy Rancourt said. “Benesov has a solid program…We greatly appreciate the hospitality of the players, coaches and fans.”

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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