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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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Sunday / December 22.
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    • Baylor, Georgetown, Indiana, Miami, Paterson Catholic, Pittsburgh, Recruiting, Temple, Texas, USA Basketball

    Paterson (N.J.) Catholic freshman guard Kyle Anderson and Seton Hall Prep sophomore guard Sterling Gibbs were among those named to the inaugural USA Developmental National Team.

    The 6-foot-7 Anderson is a star on the rise at Paterson Catholic, which this past year won the Passaic (N.J.) County championship and beat St. Anthony of Jersey City in the state playoffs.

    “He’s very excited, he thinks his chances of making the team are good,” Kyle Anderson Sr. said of his son, who holds offers from Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Temple and has garnered interest from Texas, Baylor, Indiana and Miami.

    Gibbs is a 6-1 point considered among the best in the nation in his class. His older brother, Ashton, plays for Pitt. Gibbs told Northstar Basketball Indiana, Pitt, Seton Hall, and Rutgers have offered, yet he lists Villanova as his leader.

    The team will first look to capture the gold medal at the inaugural 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship June 17-21 in Mendoza, Argentina, and qualify for the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.

    Arizona, Kentucky, Memphis, Missouri, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida

    The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that one of Derrick Rose’s former  Chicago Simeon teammates may have taken his SAT for him.

    ‘‘ [The NCAA] thinks that [former Simeon player Kevin Johnson] took [the SAT test] for him,” Luther Topps, who coached Rose’s club basketball team with Derrick’s brother Reggie, told the newspaper.

    Topps said he and Simeon coach Robert Smith don’t know anything firsthand.

    ‘‘[Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps said. ‘‘Reggie moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved.’’

    John Wall, Kentucky, Memphis

    John Calipari’s honeymoon at Kentucky sure didn’t last long.

    Just a week after wrapping up what some consider among the best recruiting classes in the history of college basketball, the Memphis Commercial Appeal breaks the news that the NCAA is investigating Memphis — Cal’s old program — for major violations during the 2007-8 season.

    The NCAA sent Memphis officials a letter alleging “knowing fraudulence or misconduct” on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.

    Though the player’s name is redacted from the report, it is believed to be Derrick Rose, who spent one season at Memphis before going on to play for the Chicago Bulls. The report does not mention Calipari by name.

    Fordham, Hurleys, Kansas, Rutgers, St. Anthony, USA Basketball, Villanova

    UConn point guard Kemba Walker of New York and a pair of players from Bob Hurley’s storied St. Anthony program — Villanova commit Dominic Cheek and Kansas freshman Tyshawn Taylor — have been selected to attend the 2009 USA U19 National Team Trials.

    The 12-man team will compete in the U19 World Championship later this summer in New Zealand.

    Walker, out of Manhattan Rice High School, was named MVP of the 2008 FIBA Americas Championship that qualified for this year’s World Championship. He averaged 13.4 ppg., 5.0 apg., and 4.6 rpg. while leading the USA to a silver medal in the 2008 FIBA Americas.

    The 6-5 Cheek (pictured), a McDonald’s All-American who will join Jay Wright’s team this summer, also played on the U18 team last summer in Argentina. Taylor had a breakout year at Kansas but did not play for the USA last summer.

    Americans in Europe, Arizona, Kentucky, Missouri, Seton Hall, South Florida

    Jarrid Famous wants out of his Letter of Intent to South Florida, multiple sources said Tuesday.

    “Jarrid Famous is trying to get out of his letter,” one source with direct knowledge said.

    The 6-foot-11 Famous chose South Florida last month over Arizona, Missouri and Seton Hall and could end up at one of those places if he gets out. Arizona appears to be a likely destination.

    Famous’ father, however, told the St. Petersburg Times that his son would attend South Florida.

    “Jarrid is going to South Florida. He’s not switching schools,” the father said. “He’s going to South Florida, no doubt about it.”

    Famous is reportedly upset because he hasn’t heard from USF head coach Stan Heath. He also wasn’t notified of the coaching changes at USF which saw the departure of Byron Samuels, who helped recruit Famous, and of Dan Hipsher, now at Alabama.

    Arizona, Lance Stephenson, Maryland, Memphis

    Memphis coach Josh Pastner finally landed a big fish.

    Latavious Williams, a 6-foot-8 combo forward out of Humble (TX) Christian Life Center who averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds, committed to the Tigers Tuesday, choosing them over Georgetown, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Florida International.

    “I went home this weekend and made [the decision Monday],” Williams said by phone. “I have a real good relationship with Coach Pastner.”

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