Payne to Michigan State; Naismith Preseason List
Adreian Payne is headed to the Big
Adreian Payne is headed to the Big
Seton Hall commit Fuquan Edwin dropped 25 points and Kyle Anderson scored 17 Wednesday night to lead Paterson Catholic to an 82-71 victory over Rice in the championship game of the Paterson Fall Ball at Paterson Kennedy, according to NJHoops-Journal.com.
It was the second straight Fall Ball crown for head coach Damon Wright’s Cougars.
The 6-foot-6 Edwin will sign with the Pirates in November and will be on campus Friday
Kansas topped the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll released Thursday, and six Big East clubs made the rankings.
Kansas, the 2008 NCAA champion, was voted the preseason No. 1 despite several off-the-court issues, including recent fights between members of the football and basketball teams that left New Jersey guard Tyshawn Taylor with an injured thumb.
“Based on what we return and the quality of newcomers that we were able to recruit, I could see why people would think this,” Kansas coach Bill Self told USA Today. “It means you have good players, but it also puts a target on your back. That will make the season tougher, but we’ll be that much more prepared for March.”
Senior forwards C.J. Leslie of Raleigh (N.C.)
Last year after every practice at Technical Career Institutes in Manhattan, head coach Pernell Hosier would issue a challenge to shooting guard Jamel Jackson.
If Jackson could make a halfcourt shot, the team wouldn’t have to run.
If he missed it, the players ran.
“He made 50 out of 100,” Hosier said with a laugh over the phone.
The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Jackson shot 47 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, when he averaged 24.5 points a game. As a sophomore he averaged 21.5 points.
Some say Lance Stephenson will succeed at Cincinnati. Others think he’ll fail and maybe implode the team along with him.
Personally, I’m in the former category. I think Lance is in a perfect spot at Cincinnati. He’s surrounded by a tough coach (Mick Cronin), experienced players who also want to win (Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates) and he’s out of the fishbowl of New York City.
The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native was voted the Big East preseason Rookie of the Year.
He also impressed observers Saturday in his first scrimmage when he dropped 22 points in 25 minutes, leading the Red team to a 50-43 victory over the Black team, according to Bill Koch of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
