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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.
  • Taran Buie’s weekend didn’t quite work out as planned.

    The 6-foot-1 combo guard from Albany (NY) Bishop Maginn rolled his ankle Thursday night and never made his unofficial visit to Notre Dame.

    “He sprained it the night before we were supposed to leave for Notre Dame,” said Jim Hart, Buie’s AAU coach with the Albany City Rocks. “He went to the doctor and had MRIs and X-rays at 1 p.m on Friday and they said it was at least the size of a tennis ball. He sprained it on both sides. He’s probably out six weeks. No is8 playoffs for him.”

    Pete Thamel from The New York Times has two stories today on Brandon Jennings, and my first though on this is, Great job by Pete getting the paper to send him to Rome for the research. We should all be so lucky.

    The first story asks whether Jennings, an elite point guard who opted to play professionally in Europe instead of going to Arizona when his academic status was called into question, is a trailblazer.

    Two of the top recruits in the nation will decide between NCAA finalists Kansas and Memphis.

    Thomas Robinson and Xavier Henry both took official visits this weekend to Memphis, and will decide between the Tigers and the Jayhawks.

    Robinson, the No. 7 power forward in the Class of 2009, had previously visited Kansas Sept. 19-20 and was slated to visit Southern Cal Oct. 14, but said he won’t make that trip.

    “I’m not taking any more visits,” the 6-foot-8 senior from Brewster (N.H.) Academy said Sunday night by phone.

    Rutgers failed to score a potential game-tying TD in the final two minutes and lost at West Virginia, 24-17.

    QB Mike Teel misfired on three of his four throws on the drive, including a 4th-and-5 intended for Tiquan Underwood.

    The loss dropped the Scarlet Knights to 1-4 (0-1 Big East) entering Saturday’s game at Cincinnati. After that, Rutgers returns home to face a UConn team that is unbeaten entering tonight’s tilt with North Carolina.

    “I know one thing: We don’t know have any margin for error next week,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said, according to Keith Sargeant of the Home News Tribune. “We got another Big East football game. We have to get better.”

    Freddie Riley, a 6-foot-6, 180-pound shooting guard from Chatham (VA) Hargrave Military Academy, committed to UMass Saturday after developing a strong relationship with first-year coach Derek Kellogg.

    A native of Ocala, Fla., Riley also considered Baylor, South Florida and Marquette.

    “I committed because of the relationship with the coach that I developed,” Riley said. “He was at all my games over the summer, all my AAU games, recruiting me and everything. Once he started calling me and everything, we developed a real good relationship.

    Lance Stephenson and Dominic Cheek, who guarded one another in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event in August, both plan on visiting Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog” Oct. 17.

    Stephenson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard at Brooklyn Lincoln, has made Kansas the first of his official visits, with several more still in the works.

    “We’re going to Midnight Madness at Kansas Oct. 17,” said Hassani Stewart, Stephenson’s AAU coach with Raising Champions. “Right now Kansas is the only one we’re sure about.”

    If Stephenson spends the weekend at Kansas, it is possible he would miss the 2nd Annual Jim Couch Reunion Game on Oct. 18 at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx.

    Stewart said Stephenson also hoped to visit Memphis, USC and UCLA, although none of those are set yet. Stephenson recently took an unofficial visit to St. John’s.

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