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.
The NCAA contact period began Wednesday and runs through Oct. 5, meaning college basketball coaches are on the move all over the nation courting some of the country’s top ballers. Here are some snippets and highlights of what’s going on:
**First off, Frantz Massenat, a 2010 guard from Trenton Catholic, committed to Drexel on Wednesday. Jerian Grant, a 6-4 shooting guard from DeMatha (Md.), committed to Notre Dame.
**Kansas head coach Bill Self and his staff met with Baltimore (Md.) Lake Clifton point guard Josh Selby (pictured) and his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, on Wednesday. Selby decommitted from Tennessee and probably won’t sign until the spring.
“The visit went well,” Witherspoon told TheShiver.com. “Coach Self, Coach Dooley and Coach Townsend were there. They told us about the school and the program.
“They (KU) have a real history. Great coaches like Larry Brown, Roy Williams and something I didn’t know, Wilt Chamberlain went there. I thought that was something there,” added Witherspoon.
**Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski came to New Jersey to meet with Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick point guard Kyrie Irving.
“It went well,” said Dred Irving, Kyrie’s dad.
Kyrie will trip to Duke officially Sept. 25 and to Indiana Oct. 2.
**Memphis head coach Josh Pastner met Wednesday night with Memphis White Station point guard Joe Jackson at Jackson’s home.
Memphis has long targeted Jackson to join Will Barton in the backcourt in2010, but Eric Robinson, Jackson’s AAU guy, said, “No commitment yet.
Tennessee comes to meet with Jackson Thursday and Kansas Friday.
**Kentucky coach John Calipari went to Long Island to meet with Dix Hills (NY) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris and his family. Harris is considering 11 schools and is looking for a place that will emphasize the point forward position.
“The home visit was great,” Torrel Harris said by text. “We are very impressed with Kentucky, Coach Cal and his coaching staff.
**Calipari will meet with the family of Oak Hill (Va.) combo guard Doron Lamb tonight (Thursday). Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel visits with Calvin Lamb on Tuesday. Arizona assistant Book Richardson was the only coach at Oak Hill on Wednesday to visit with Lamb himself.
**Indiana head coach Tom Crean tripped to Mountain State in Beckley, West Va. on Wednesday night and checked out 6-10 Turkish forward Enes Kanter, who just recently left Findlay (Nev.) Prep, and 7-foot, 200-pound center Obij Aget.
“It went great. He really likes both of those kids. He was happy with the talent,” Mountain State coach Rodney Crawford said.
New Mexico State was also in the house at Mountain State.
**Pittsburgh is having a home visit tonight (Thursday) at the home of South Kent (Conn.) forward J.J. Moore. Moore will be at school so coaches will meet with his mother, Panthers coach Gary Charles and mentor Hunt Bresky. Providence comes Friday, Marquette and Louisville on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.
**Providence coach Keno Davis will hit St. Anthony on Friday to check out 6-8 senior Devon Collier, who has already tripped unofficially to the Big East school.
**6-7 forward Derrick Williams of St. Anthony will visit Richmond on Friday after the school visited his home Wednesday. He has a home visit today with St. Bonaventure.
Williams will visit the Bonnies on Sept. 18 and potentially Penn State Nov. 7.
**Seton Hall Prep junior guard Sterling Gibbs said via text that he plans on going to Maryland Saturday for a tour and the football game.
“And I’ll probably go to Notre Dame Oct. 19 for the Notre Dame vs. USC game and a tour,” he said.
**Neumann-Goretti guard Tyreek Duren will take an official to Temple this weekend and will also visit La Salle (9/18) and UMass (9/26).
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
The NCAA contact period began Wednesday and runs through Oct. 5, meaning college basketball coaches are on the move all over the nation courting some of the country’s top ballers. Here are some snippets and highlights of what’s going on:
**First off, Frantz Massenat, a 2010 guard from Trenton Catholic, committed to Drexel on Wednesday. Jerian Grant, a 6-4 shooting guard from DeMatha (Md.), committed to Notre Dame.
**Kansas head coach Bill Self and his staff met with Baltimore (Md.) Lake Clifton point guard Josh Selby (pictured) and his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, on Wednesday. Selby decommitted from Tennessee and probably won’t sign until the spring.
“The visit went well,” Witherspoon told TheShiver.com. “Coach Self, Coach Dooley and Coach Townsend were there. They told us about the school and the program.
“They (KU) have a real history. Great coaches like Larry Brown, Roy Williams and something I didn’t know, Wilt Chamberlain went there. I thought that was something there,” added Witherspoon.
**Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski came to New Jersey to meet with Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick point guard Kyrie Irving.
“It went well,” said Dred Irving, Kyrie’s dad.
Kyrie will trip to Duke officially Sept. 25 and to Indiana Oct. 2.
**Memphis head coach Josh Pastner met Wednesday night with Memphis White Station point guard Joe Jackson at Jackson’s home.
Memphis has long targeted Jackson to join Will Barton in the backcourt in2010, but Eric Robinson, Jackson’s AAU guy, said, “No commitment yet.
Tennessee comes to meet with Jackson Thursday and Kansas Friday.
**Kentucky coach John Calipari went to Long Island to meet with Dix Hills (NY) Half Hollow Hills West forward Tobias Harris and his family. Harris is considering 11 schools and is looking for a place that will emphasize the point forward position.
“The home visit was great,” Torrel Harris said by text. “We are very impressed with Kentucky, Coach Cal and his coaching staff.
**Calipari will meet with the family of Oak Hill (Va.) combo guard Doron Lamb tonight (Thursday). Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel visits with Calvin Lamb on Tuesday. Arizona assistant Book Richardson was the only coach at Oak Hill on Wednesday to visit with Lamb himself.
**Indiana head coach Tom Crean tripped to Mountain State in Beckley, West Va. on Wednesday night and checked out 6-10 Turkish forward Enes Kanter, who just recently left Findlay (Nev.) Prep, and 7-foot, 200-pound center Obij Aget.
“It went great. He really likes both of those kids. He was happy with the talent,” Mountain State coach Rodney Crawford said.
New Mexico State was also in the house at Mountain State.
**Pittsburgh is having a home visit tonight (Thursday) at the home of South Kent (Conn.) forward J.J. Moore. Moore will be at school so coaches will meet with his mother, Panthers coach Gary Charles and mentor Hunt Bresky. Providence comes Friday, Marquette and Louisville on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.
**Providence coach Keno Davis will hit St. Anthony on Friday to check out 6-8 senior Devon Collier, who has already tripped unofficially to the Big East school.
**6-7 forward Derrick Williams of St. Anthony will visit Richmond on Friday after the school visited his home Wednesday. He has a home visit today with St. Bonaventure.
Williams will visit the Bonnies on Sept. 18 and potentially Penn State Nov. 7.
**Seton Hall Prep junior guard Sterling Gibbs said via text that he plans on going to Maryland Saturday for a tour and the football game.
“And I’ll probably go to Notre Dame Oct. 19 for the Notre Dame vs. USC game and a tour,” he said.
**Neumann-Goretti guard Tyreek Duren will take an official to Temple this weekend and will also visit La Salle (9/18) and UMass (9/26).
