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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.
  • I wrote a feature on North Carolina freshman point guard Dexter Strickland that that you can read here on SNY.tv but there were a few items that didn’t make the story.

    **First off, how about this loaded schedule that North Carolina has in the next couple of weeks? The defending NCAA champion Heels could play five ranked teams in an eight-game span.

    They face No. 15 Ohio State Thursday in the Coaches vs. Cancer semis at MSG and could then face either unranked Syracuse or No. 13 Cal in Friday’s title game.

    After two tilts against Gardner-Webb and Nevada at home, the Heels host No.2  Michigan State Dec. 1 and visit No. 4 Kentucky Dec. 5. After a home game with Presbyterian, the Heels play at No. 3 Texas Dec. 19.

    “Perhaps I took one more game this year than I probably should have for this team,” Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

    Oak Hill (Va.) guard Doron Lamb will likely commit sometime soon, but wait until the spring to sign, his father said. 

    “Yeah, I think so,” Calvin Lamb said by phone. “He’ll commit soon but he’ll sign in the spring.”

    The 6-foot-4 Lamb has visited UConn, Kentucky, Kansas and Oklahoma and may still get out to see Arizona.

    “Arizona, if it fits into the schedule I don’t see why not,” Calvin said. “He’s so busy with his games and Arizona’s busy, too.”

    Lamb visited UConn over the weekend and Calvin said it went well.

    After initially planning on announcing his college decision Wednesday afternoon in a press conference at Bishop Loughlin, JayVaughn Pinkston will now hold off until the late signing period.

    “He’s not going to commit today,” New Heights athletic director Kimani Young said.

    “JayVaughn and his family have decided that he will not make his college choice decision today. He’s not 100 percent sure where he wants to go to school so rather than make a rush decision he’ll just wait unitl the spring.”

     The Daily News reported on its website Tuesdsay that Pinkston, a 6-foot-6 forward from Bishop Loughlin considered the top high school player in New York City, would announce for Tennessee Wednesday.

    The two top high school basketball players in New York State will make their college announcements within a 24-hour span this week.

    JayVaughn Pinkston, a 6-6 combo forward from Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin considered the top prospect in New York City, will announce at 3 p.m. Wednesday at his school.

    The Daily News reported on its Website Tuesday that sources indicated Pinkston would announce for Tennessee, but New Heights athletic director Kimani Young said, “Nobody confirmed that.”

    Pinkston is expected to announce from among Villanova, Tennessee, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Marquette.

    If Pinkston picks Tennessee, it could well have an impact on what Tobias Harris says at his announcement Thursday on ESPNU since both play the same position.

    Now that Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies have cut ties, could New York be “The Answer’s” next stop?

    Knicks president Donnie Walsh told Frank Isola of the Daily News that the struggling franchise might have interest in Iverson.

    “We’ll look into it,” Walsh said. “Right now, I’d say probably not but we’ll see.”

    Isola quotes a source close to Iverson saying the guard would be eager to play in head coach Mike D’Antoni’s “seven-seconds-or-less offense.”

    Lance Stephenson didn’t look ‘Born Ready’ in his college debut.

    The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native started and shot 2-for-10 for 7 points in Cincinnati’s season-opening come-from-behind 69-62 victory over Prairie View A&M.

    He was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc while adding 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 1 turnover in 22 minutes.

    “He was a nervous wreck,” Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. “He’ll get better. I have to make sure he isn’t putting too much pressure on himself. When we were struggling, he was the one guy getting visibly more physical. You could see his frustration and his desire to win. I have to teach him how to channel that and there is no such thing as a ten point shot. He was trying to do everything himself, which is good and bad.”

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