***Hit the Video Player on the right to see the video interview with Doron Lamb, Tobias Harris & Kyrie Irving***
NEW YORK – Doron Lamb made a triumphant return to his hometown and his old AAU gym Friday night.
Lamb scored a game-high 23 points and earned co-MVP honors to lead the Skip to My Lou team to a 133-120 victory over The Goat in the 4th Annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at the Gauchos Gym in The Bronx.
The game was originally slated for Harlem’s famed Rucker Park, but rain forced it indoors.
“I think it will be my last game in New York, so I just came out here and played hard for my fans. Everybody in my family was here,” said Lamb, a 6-foot-4 Queens, N.Y. native who is entering his senior season at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy.
Lamb listed Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Marquette, UConn, Pittsburgh and Arizona as potential destinations.
“I’ve visited Louisville and Kentucky unofficially, but during my high school season I’ll make a couple official visits,” Lamb said.
Lamb and Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest will reportedly visit Kansas Oct. 16 for “Late Night in the Phog.”
CORY JOSEPH TAKES VISITS, SETS UP IN-HOMES
Cory Joseph is the No. 3 point guard and No. 7 overall player in the Class of 2010.
The 6-3 floor general out of Ontario who plays for Findlay (Nev.) Prep visited both Villanova and UConn this past weekend while he was in the Northeast for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game.
“The visits went well,” Connie Joseph, Cory’s mom, said by text. “Nova is a beautiful, small campus with close family feeling and they utilize their guards well.
“UConn is a big-time program and [head coach Jim] Calhoun has such incredible knowledge and experience and a proven record of getting players to the next level. We are scheduling in-home visits.”
Connie said she had set up in-home visits with Texas, Florida and Marquette and is in the process of scheduling Kansas, UConn, UNLV, Villanova and Arizona.
Connie has the advantage of having gone through it with her older son, Devoe Joseph, who ended up at Minnesota.
“Obviously, we learned from Devoe,” she said at the Boost Mobile.
POOLE TO VISIT KENTUCKY
Stacey Poole, the No. 4 small forward in the Class of 2010, told Jody Demling that he will visit Kentucky and possibly Indiana in the coming weeks.
“[Kentucky has] been really serious,” Stacey Poole Sr. told Demling. “They came in late, offered him sometime this summer and are very serious about him. He really likes Kentucky.
“But then again, dealing with Kentucky and (coach John) Calipari says it all. It’s Kentucky.”
The father also said Indiana was in the mix and Poole could visit IU.
“He likes the SEC and the ACC but he also really likes Indiana,” he said.
ECHENIQUE COMPETES AT FIBA AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rutgers rising sophomore forward Gregory Echenique is competing for the Venezuela Senior National Team at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship that begins today in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
At just 18 years of age, Echenique is poised to be the youngest player to compete at the 10-nation Championship.
“Gregory has worked extremely hard and has continually excelled,” said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. “We are very proud of him. He definitely earned his selection. Given the degree of competition he will face at the senior national level, it should be a very beneficial experience.”
Echenique, whose father played professionally in Venezuela’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, has been training with the Venezuelan squad. He played in “friendly” games against Puerto Rico held in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, in early August. Last summer, Echenique led the Venezuela U18 team at the 2008 Tournament of the Americas in Formosa, Argentina, pacing the tournament in scoring (22.2), blocked shots (3.6) and free throws made (8.2), while placing second in rebounding (13.6).
DRUMMOND VISITS PROVIDENCE
Andre Drummond, a 6-9 center out of St. Thomas More (Conn.) and the top prospect in the Class of 2012, took an unofficial visit to Providence Tuesday.
ODOM GIVES LIST
Rod Odom, a 6-8 wing from Long Island, gave the following list to BoxofMess.com: Arizona, BC, UConn, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan and Miami.
He visited West Virginia over the weekend and said it went well.
“It was really good and it changed my entire perception of the University as a whole. The visit definitely increased my level of interest in WVU,” he said
Odom visits UConn Sept. 3 and Louisville Sept. 5 and plans to announce in “late September.”COACHES V. CANCER BRACKET SET Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State and Cal will serve as the four Regional Round hosts for 2009 2K Sports Classic. The tournament will begin with Regional Round action, November 9-12, with the four host schools automatically advancing to the Championship Rounds at Madison Square Garden on November 19th and 20th.
—– CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS —–
| Semifinal Doubleheader Madison Square Garden – New York, N.Y. November 19th – 7:00 PM Syracuse vs. Cal North Carolina vs. Ohio State |
Championship Doubleheader Madison Square Garden – New York, N.Y. November 20th – 5:00 PM Consolation Game Championship Game |
—– REGIONAL ROUNDS —–
| Syracuse Regional Rounds Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y. November 9th – 9:00 PM Albany vs. Syracuse November 11th – 7:00 PM Robert Morris vs. Syracuse |
Chapel Hill Regional Rounds Dean E. Smith Center- Chapel Hill, N.C. November 9th – 7:00 PM Florida International vs. North Carolina November 11th – 9:00 PM UNC Central vs. North Carolina |
| Columbus Regional Rounds Value City Arena – Columbus, Ohio November 9th – 7:00 PM Alcorn State vs. Ohio State November 12th – 7:00 PM James Madison vs. Ohio State |
Berkeley Regional Rounds Haas Pavilion – Berkeley, Calif. November 9th – 11:00 PM Murray State vs. Cal November 11th – 11:00 PM Detroit vs. Cal |
—– SUBREGIONAL ROUNDS —–
| Albany Subregional Rounds SEFCU Arena – Albany, N.Y. November 20th – 6:00 PM Robert Morris vs. Detroit Alcorn State vs. Albany November 21st – 4:00 PM Detroit vs. Alcorn State Robert Morris vs. Albany November 22nd – 2:30 PM Detroit vs. Albany Alcorn State vs. Robert Morris |
Miami Subregional Rounds U.S Century Bank Arena – Miami, Fla. November 20th – 5:30 PM James Madison vs. Murray State NC Central vs. Florida International November 22nd – 5:30 PM Murray State vs. NC Central James Madison vs. Florida International November 23rd – 5:30 PM NC Central vs. James Madison Murray State vs. Florida International |
