Huntington coach Rob Fulford has compared Kingsley, who committed on his visit to Arkansas and was also being courted by Louisville, to Louisville big man Gorgui Dieng.

“They’re very similar,” Fulford told the Louisville Courier Journal. “Gorgui was probably a better shot-blocker at this stage, but Moses is a little better offensively at this stage.”

Kingsley was recently hospitalized for four days after contracting malaria during a trip home to his native Nigeria.

He will pair with fellow Arkansas commit Bobby Portis to give head coach Mike Anderson a terrific one-two punch up front.

POINT GUARD POWELL TO MEMPHIS

Memphis landed a commitment from 6-foot point guard Rashawn “Pookie” Powell of Orlando Dr. Phillips, the Rivals No. 98 player in the Class of 2013.

“I committed to Memphis university..tiger nation,” he Tweeted.

Powell also considered Alabama, which is still seeking a point guard after Anthony “Cat” Barber picked N.C. State.

A natural point guard, Powell likes to push the tempo and has a good command of  the offense.

“I like running up and down,” he told SNY.tv in July.

ILLINOIS LANDS KENDRICK NUNN

Kendrick Nunn, a 6-2 shooting guard from Chicago Simeon, picked Illinois Saturday over Marquette, Memphis and Ohio State, according to ESPNChicago.com.

“It was to the point where nothing else was going to get better than here,” Nunn’s father, Melvin, told the Website. “There’s a lot of history at Illinois to do with it. That’s what it’s all about. He wants to continue the history. He did it at Simeon and now wants to continue it at the state school and be a part of a national championship at his state school.

“I think Kendrick believes he can get this rolling. He wanted to be a part of something he got started. Groce and his coaching staff want him to be a part of something he got started.”

Nunn, a teammate of Jabari Parker, the No. 1 player in the class, is the first big-time commit for new coach John Groce and his staff, and the third for 2013.

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“I decided to further my basketball and college career at the University Of Arkansas,” Lindsey Tweeted Friday night.

The 6-foot-3 Lindsey must sit a year and will become eligible in December 2012.

A Philly native who scored more than 1,000 points at Overbrook High, Lindsey played nine games at St. John’s this year, averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 assists.

St. John’s coach Steve Lavin described the transfer as an “amicable split,” but said Lindsey had expected to be coached by Lavin, who is now on a modified schedule while recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

St. John’s this week landed a transfer of their own in 6-3 point guard Jamal Branch, who comes over from Texas A&M and becomes eligible in December. See my interview with Branch here.

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The former Nolan Richardson assistant will reportedly receive $2.2 million per year over seven years. Arkansas won the 1994 national title with Richardson as head coach and Anderson as an assistant.

“We are extremely excited to welcome home Mike Anderson to the University of Arkansas as our new head men’s basketball coach,” Arkansas AD Jeff Long said. “Mike is one of the outstanding head coaches in college basketball. His teams play an exciting brand of basketball that has already proven successful at both UAB and Missouri.

“Under Mike’s leadership, I am confident the Razorbacks will be successful in the future on and off the court. The decision to hire Mike Anderson as head coach is based on my firm belief that he is the right person to lead the Razorback program today and in the years to come.”

Sports by Brooks reported that after Anderson informed Missouri he was leaving, the school removed the sign marking his personal parking space.

The same outlet later said the Missouri SID said the sign had been “stolen.”

Steve Walentik of the Columbia Daily Tribune reported that Anderson’s buyout at Missouri was $500,000.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas,” said Anderson, a Birmingham, Ala., native. “I want to thank Chancellor (Dave) Gearhart and Athletic Director Jeff Long for this opportunity to lead the Razorback Basketball program. I am extremely excited to once again be a part of this special University and Razorback Athletics. With the continued passionate support of all Razorback fans, I am confident that we will have the opportunity to succeed on and off the court and continue to build on the University of Arkansas’ championship tradition.”

Anderson led the Tigers to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a loss in the Elite Eight in 2009.

The Tigers qualified for the tournament this year and fell to Cincinnati in a first-round game last weekend in Washington, D.C. The Tigers were a 8-8 in the Big 12.

Anderson replaces John Pelphrey, who was fired March 13 after four seasons in which he posted a 69-59 record, including an 18-13 mark this season.

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Ky Madden, a 6-foot-5 point guard from Arkansas East Poinsett County, chose Arkansas over Ole Miss and Baylor.

Madden joins two Arkansas natives, 6-10 power forward Hunter Mickelson and 6-7 power forward Aaron Ross — his teammates on the Arkansas Wings — in a terrific recruiting class for head coach John Pelphrey. The class also includes 6-3 St. Louis point guard B.J. Young.

“I feel like I can’t go wrong, I’m an in-state guy,” Madden told 103.9 the Game. “Us together, I think we can turn Arkansas around. … I didn’t feel like I could leave the state.”

Pelphrey has posted back-to-back losing seasons, but Madden said this class should help take the heat off of him.

“He’s got one of the Top five recruiting classes in the country. I don’t see why you’d fire the guy,” Madden told 103.9 the Game. “He’s bringing us all in.”

**Khem Birch, Rivals’ No. 1 power forward in the Class of 2012, confirmed a report that he verbally committed to Pittsburgh Wednesday.

“I chose them because they can develop my skills and because I loved the facilities, dorms and fans and I got to know the players on the team,” the 6-9, 200-pound Birch, out of Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep, said by text.

“I think [Head] Coach [Jamie] Dixon is a very good coach and I’m very close to [assistant] coach [Pat] Skerry.”

**D’Angelo Harrison has set his visit schedule, according to NY2LASports.com.

The 6-3 Harrison, out of Dulles (Texas) High, will visit Oklahoma State Sept. 30-Oct. 1st, Baylor Oct. 2-3, Marquette Oct. 15 and St. John’s Oct. 22.

HAITH, CASEY, HILL HIGHLIGHT COACHES’ CLINIC

The first annual Young World Athletic Association Coaches Clinic will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010, at Lehman College in the Bronx.

Featured speakers include Miami head coach Frank Haith, C.W. Post head coach Chris Casey and highly regarded Kansas State assistant Dalonte Hill.

In addition, there will be skills and agility training for all coaches in attendance as well as breakfast and lunch served.

Haith, entering his seventh season as head coach at Miami, will lecture on out-of-bounds plays and special situations.

Casey, entering his first season as the head man at C.W. Post, will discuss building man-to-man defense.

Hill is currently the associate head coach at Kansas State and he will lecture on transition offense.

If you’d like more information about the Young World Coaches Clinic or to schedule an interview, please contact Vernon Gray at 347-392-1888 or isnmgmt@aol.com or Chris Altiery at 914-830-6500 or caltiery@gmail.com.

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Andy Katz of ESPN tweeted that the NCAA Clearinghouse will next rule on the eligibility of Kansas freshman Josh Selby and Kentucky frosh Enes Kanter.…Brewster (N.H.) Academy guard Elijah Carter tweeted that Cincinnati is no longer involved in his recruitment. Cincinnati picked up a commitment from Rice wing Jermaine Sanders Monday night. Carter is still considering Seton Hall, Charlotte, Oregon State and Clemson…A Kentucky assistant will be at South Kent (Conn.) on Thursday to check out shooting guard Ricardo Ledo, according to coach Kelvin Jefferson…Seton Hall coach Dan McHale was at Northfield Mount Hermon this week to check out 2011 commit Aaron Cosby…Evan Cummins of NMH visited Notre Dame and Northwestern this past weekend, per NMH head coach John Carroll…Vince Van Nes of NMH is visiting Florida International this weekend…Armani Cotton of NMH is visiting Yale this weekend and Princeton next weekend…John Golden of NMH is visiting Yale next weekend…Tommy Carpenter, Lucas Van Nes and Ethan O’Day of NMH are visiting Holy Cross this weekend…Dakeeba Battee of NMH is visiting Brown this weekend.

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The 6-foot-5, 175-pound Madden out of Arkansas East Poinsett County is considering Baylor, Ole Miss and Arkansas, he said by text.

He cancelled planned visits to Oklahoma State and UConn.

“Really right now I’m liking Arkansas, Ole Miss and Baylor,” he said last week. “Those are the only schools I’ve been able to look at. I like Oklahoma State and UConn but I really haven’t seen them for myself.”

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Despite yet another erroneous report from a national blog, a national recruiting service did not break Jermaine Sanders’ commitment to Cincinnati. SNY.tv did last night. Apparently this blogger has trouble reading a time stamp…Brewster postgraduate Max Hooper will take an official visit to Harvard the weekend of Oct 22nd, per the Brewster Twitter…Norvel Pelle, a 2011 forward out of California, had an in-home visit with the Oregon staff last night, per Alex Kline…Seattle Garfield guard Tony Wroten Tweeted that he is “Really liking louisville right now.”

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He has already visited Ole Miss unofficially.

“Really right now I’m liking Arkansas, Ole Miss and Baylor,” the 6-foot-5, 175-pound Madden out of Arkansas East Poinsett County said by phone. “Those are the only schools I’ve been able to look at. I like Oklahoma State and UConn but I really haven’t seen them for myself.”

This past weekend, the No. 6 point guard in the Class of 2011 tripped to Arkansas.

“It was real good,” he said. “It was really exciting. They told me I can come in and be a point guard and just come in and play right away. And with the commitments they already have I’ll be a good fit for them.”

Wherever he lands, Madden figures to make an impact.

“I think I’ll be a point guard,” he said. “Ill get my teammates involved. My will to win is like no other. It’s one of the best. I will come in and play and win games.”

As for a timetable, Madden plans to take all five visits before deciding.

“Right now that’s my plan,” he said. “I’m going to take all five.”

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Edson Avila, a 6-10 center from Brooklyn Thomas Jefferson, has committed to Barry Rohrssen and Manhattan, choosing them over Hofstra and Quinnipiac. “He brings them size, strength and a big who can run the floor and finish,” Jefferson coach Lawrence Pollard said. “He also complements [6-6] Rhamel Brown [of Transit Tech who committed to Manhattan].” All Hallows guard Mike Alvarado also committed to Manhattan…Boston College has landed three players from the Los Angeles area: 6-11: K.C. Caudill, 6-8 Ryan Anderson and guard Lonnie Jackson, according to the LA Times….Jabari Brown said this past weekend’s official to Washington was “good.” UConn is up next this coming weekend…St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin has an in-home visit Tuesday night with D’Angelo Harrison. The 6-3, 190-pound shooting guard from Dulles (Texas) Fort Bend is also looking at Baylor, Marquette and Oklahoma State.

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Adonis Thomas

“My top six are Memphis, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, UCLA and Kansas,” he said by phone from the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game in Venice Beach, Calif.

“I don’t have any favorite.”

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Thomas, a Memphis native, had previously considered North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, Missouri, UConn, Florida State and Ole Miss.

He said he has no officials set.

“Not yet, I haven’t set up any officials yet,” he said.

Wherever he goes, he plans to have an impact.

“I can play a little bit of one, two and three,” he said. “I’m a versatile player. I like making plays and I’m a great defender.

“In the future I want to play like a Rudy Gay type player.”

As for Saturday night’s Boost Mobile game on ESPNU, Thomas is looking forward to the action.

“I’m excited,” he said.

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**Bello wins dunk contest; Wiltjer to announce

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The No. 4 point guard in the Class of 2011, Madden helped the Arkansas Wings win the 17 & under AAU National Championship at ESPN’S Wide World of Sports last month in Orlando. He was named tournament MVP.

Madden currently has officials lined up to UConn (Sept. 8-10), Baylor (Sept. 11), Ole Miss and Arkansas. His father, Jerome Madden, said Monday it was unclear which of the last two schools his son would visit first, but one will take place the weekend of Sept. 17 and one Sept. 24.

Jerome, a former football player at Arkansas State, said they would also try to visit Georgetown, Florida and Oklahoma State. Some of those would have to be unofficials.

As far as UConn, they are getting the first official even though they got involved somewhat late in the process.

“We know a lot about UConn because  in the past UConn’s always been a good program,” Jerome said. “They got on the recruiting trail late [with Madden]. We haven’t ruled them out. We haven’t ruled them in. It’s a process. We’ll go over the visits and then decide what’s best and then make a decision.”

Arkansas, Baylor and Ole Miss are all close to home and are options.

“Arkansas is close to home,” Jerome said. “Ole Miss has been there from the start. His sister, Jordan Madden, goes to Baylor and they’ve been there almost from the start.”

Jerome said there’s “no favorite” at this point and that his son hopes to decide by “mid-October or early November.”

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“It’s Arkansas, Miami, Rutgers and West Virginia,” the 6-foot-9, 219-pound Jack said Sunday by phone.

Jack has already visited all four schools but said he’s “setting up” some visits and hopes to decide by Sept. 1, before he heads off to South Kent (Conn.)

“I kind of want to get it over with,” he said.

The story was first reported by NBE Report.

FREE THROWS

JaKarr Sampson of St. Vincent-St. Mary visited Brewster (N.H.) Academy on Sunday and is considering spending his senior year there, according to Don Anderson, his AAU coach. Anderson said Sampson’s current college list includes St. John’s, Tennessee, Kansas, Baylor and Louisville and added that “Marquette may be joining the party because Michigan State is out.”…Chicago guard Phil Greene will take an unofficial to St. John’s Monday and Tuesday…Rutgers’ F Jonathan Mitchell had 28 points & 20 rebounds for the Eastern All-Stars in a 115-93 victory over the Grand Bahamas All-Stars on Saturday. Joe Mazzulla of West Virginia had 24 pts and Hofstra’s Cornelius Vines had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for the Eastern All-Stars…6-9 rising junior Neville Fincher is transferring to St. Benedict’s from St. Anthony per Alex Kline.

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The two-night men’s college basketball event begins with a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, featuring Arkansas vs. Seton Hall at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, followed by Kentucky vs. Notre Dame at 9:30  on ESPN.

On Saturday, Dec. 11, at the brand new CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Rutgers will take on Auburn on ESPN2, followed by Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee on ESPN. Game times for the Pittsburgh site will be announced at a later date.

“The opportunity to play a Southeastern Conference opponent on national television in a brand new arena is tremendous,” Rutgers coach Mike Rice. “It’s definitely a challenge that we look forward to.”

Three of the SEC teams – Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn – will play in the event for the second time, while Arkansas and all four BIG EAST teams are making their first SEC/BIG EAST Invitational appearances.

The matchup of Kentucky and Notre Dame revisits a long tradition at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The teams have met 32 times at the historic venue, the first game being played in January 1937. The rivalry was held in Louisville every season from 1962-63 to 1987-88. Kentucky has a 23-9 advantage in games played at Freedom Hall, most recently a 78-69 win Jan. 31, 1988.

In the overall series, Kentucky holds a 41-18 edge on Notre Dame. The Irish won the most recent meeting, a 77-67 decision in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament on March 25, 2009, in South Bend, Ind. Arkansas will be facing Seton Hall for the first time.

Tennessee has won three of four meetings with Pittsburgh, though the teams have not played since Dec. 6, 1998, in Knoxville. The Vols won that game, 56-53. Auburn has won four of five all-time games against Rutgers, most recently an 82-70 victory Dec. 8, 2002, at Auburn.

Five of the eight participating teams reached the postseason in 2009-10, with Kentucky and Tennessee advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame also played in the NCAA Tournament, while Seton Hall played in the NIT.

The BIG EAST holds a 7-5 record in the first three years of the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. The two conferences have combined to produce four of the last eight NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions (Florida – 2007 and 2006; Connecticut – 2004; Syracuse - 2003) and seven of the last 15 national champions (Connecticut – 1999; Kentucky – 1998 and 1996).

COACHES VS. CANCER ANNOUNCED

Pitt, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois will host Regional Round games of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Each institution will host two Regional Round games before heading to Madison Square Garden for the Championship Rounds on Nov. 18-19.