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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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Wednesday / December 25.
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    • Recruiting, UConn

    South Kent (Conn.) teammates Omari Lawrence and Kevin Parrom visited UConn on Friday, and both came away impressed.

    The 6-foot-6 Parrom, who had previously cut his list to five schools — St. John’s, Xavier, South Carolina, Marquette and Rutgers — will add the Huskies to his list as a result of the visit. He is ranked No. 18 among small forwards in the Class of 2009.

    “I know he’s adding it to this list,” Lawrence said.

    “Yes,” Parrom, who will visit St. John’s on Monday, confirmed in a text message.

    The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Lawrence, ranked No. 32 among shooting guards in the Class of 2009 by Rivals, also lists St. John’s, Florida, South Florida, Providence and Marquette among his top options.

    Lance Stephenson

    Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith says Lance Stephenson can play in the NBA right now.

    “I definitely think that he can play for a team right now because he has those type of skills and he has the body weight to match that physicality of the NBA,” Smith said of the 6-5 Stephenson.

    Smith is mentoring Stephenson and other members of the US 2009 team at the adidas Basketball Experience in Dallas, and he is very impressed with the player they call “Born Ready.”

    “I think he’s a very good player,” Smith said by phone. “He’s a great high school player. He’s strong, athletic, can handle the ball, can shoot the ball exceptionally well. I definitely think that he has an all-around game.”

    Team USA

    LeBron James tallied 18 points and 6 rebounds as Team USA routed Yao Ming and host China, 101-70, in the Beijing Olympics. President Bush took a break from trying his hand at beach volleyball to watch the game.

    Dwyane Wade led Team USA with 19 points. Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard scored 13 apiece. Yao tallied 13 for China.

    “This is what we’ve been dreaming about,” James told Craig Sager of NBC Sports. “It it took us three years to finally get it under way. We’ve been waiting three years for this opportunity and this is our chance to show the world what we’ve been doing behind closed doors.

    UConn

    Jim Calhoun welcomed back 37 of his former players Saturday night for his annual Charity All-Star Game at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

    Most of the Huskies former stars were there, including Rudy Gay, who scored 38 points to lead the Blue team over the White, 119-117.

    Other leading scorers included Marcus Williams (18 points, 16 assists), Donyell Marshall (26 points, 15 rebounds) and Kevin Ollie (21 points, 12 assists).

    The event was especially meaningful this year, as Calhoun finished radiation treatments on Friday three months after having surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his neck.

    John Wall, Memphis, Recruiting

    I interviewed John Wall by phone today from the Nike Global Challenge in Portland, Ore., and he says he’s still open about colleges and is in no hurry to make a decision.

    “I still have Baylor, Oklahoma State, North Carolina State, Memphis, Kentucky, Kansas and Oregon,” said the 6-foot-2, 188-pound Wall, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to Rivals. He mentioned taking a few visits, though no dates have yet been set.

    Southern California and Texas have also been on Wall’s list, but many observers assume he will end up at Baylor now that his summer ball coach, Dwon Clifton, has taken a job as the Director of Player Development under Baylor head coach Scott Drew.

    Rutgers Football

    Opening Statement:

    “It’s been a good first four practices with good days. We’ve been able to meet, walk-through and then practice. There’s been good enthusiasm and I’m pleased so far. We have a long way to go but there’s effort, enthusiasm and guys are trying so that part of it has been very good.”

    On the speculation of there being a buyout clause in relation to stadium expansion in Coach Schiano’s contract

    “There’s been a lot of speculation as far as the stadium’s completion and there being something tied into my contract. There’s nothing like that at all. This contract got negotiated a long time ago and certainly there were a lot of things talked about. Like I’ve said all along, as long as Rutgers and the State of New Jersey are committed to being the best, we are going to grow responsibly and I think that’s what we’ve done. There was speculation that there is some letter or an addendum to my contract that says there’s a buyout and there’s no such thing. Did we talk about it? Yes. Could I of had it if I wanted? Yes. But I’m part of something bigger than just football. I’m part of Rutgers University and I thought the commitment was there so I didn’t want to do things that way. When you’re part of something, there has to be trust.”

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