April 2011 | Page 2 of 23 | Zagsblog
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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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    • Articles, Kentucky, Puerto Rico

    Kentucky coach John Calipari would be “crazy” to coach the Dominican Republic National Team this summer because they “don’t have any money and have a horrible reputation in the region,” a well-connected Caribbean source  told SNY.tv.

    “They don’t have a clue,” the source said of the Dominican Federation. “They screwed up the FIBA event in the DR last summer. Players were slipping all over the floor as they hosted an event in an arena with no air conditioning. Roy Hibbert and other NBA players were required to stop playing.”

    Articles

    Back in the heyday of grassroots basketball, there were three major summer camps — run by Nike, Reebok and adidas.

    By 2007, only Nike and Reebok held camps.

    And by 2010, Nike was the only sneaker giant still standing.

    That will change this summer when Reebok returns to the realm after a one-year absence with its Reebok Basketball Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University July 5-9.

    The company announced the camp with a soft launch on its Website.

    Patrick Coombs, who tutored under grassroots guru Sonny Vaccaro for three years and under Chris Rivers for seven, will run this year’s camp.

    Articles, St. John's, Xavier

    God is coming to Queens.

    God’s Gift Achiuwa, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward originally from Port Harcourt, River States, Nigeria, has signed with St. John’s.

    Achiuwa, 20, chose the Johnnies over Washington. He also considered Cincinnati before the Bearcats landed another JUCO big man.

    “Gift is a talented frontline player who possesses tremendous size, strength, speed and skill,” Johnnies coach Steve Lavin said. “He is an ideal fit for our baseline-to-baseline attacking style of play. The maturity Gift gained from two years of junior college basketball with a combined 55-6 record will make him a nice complement to what will be the youngest team in the country next season. He is fundamentally sound, and comes from a program with a tradition of winning, where a strong work ethic, playing hard and discipline is demanded on a daily basis.”

    Achiuwa averaged 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds this season at Erie, which reached the Division II Final Four. During his two years at Erie, God’s Gift led the team to a 55-6 record.

    Articles


    Maurice Aniefiok, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound combo guard originally from Nigeria, will sign his Letter of Intent today with Ole Miss.

    Aniefiok, who plays at Huntington (WV) Prep, chose Ole Miss over James Madison and Duquesne. He also visited Rutgers last weekend and impressed the coaching staff and the players.

    “After so much consideration and praying, I just found out that that’s where my heart really wants to be,” Aniefiok said of Ole Miss by text.

    Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy recruited Aniefiok himself, which made an impression on the young man.

    Articles, Iona

    TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — It took Mike Glover nearly a month to get over Iona’s loss to St. Peter’s in the MAAC championship game.

    The No. 2-seeded Gaels entered the game feeling confident about their chances to make the NCAA Tournament since they had just beaten St. Peter’s a couple of weeks before.

    Instead, St. Peter’s stunned Iona, 62-57, March 7 in Bridgeport, Conn., to win the MAAC’s automatic bid.

    “It pretty much took over about three weeks [to get over it],” Glover said Tuesday night at the Haggerty Awards dinner at the Westchester Marriott.

    Articles, St. John's

    Although St. John’s is considered the favorite for 6-foot-8 Erie (N.Y.) Community College power forward God’s Gift Achiuwa, his coach, Alex Nwora, said Wednesday that he had yet to make up his mind.

    “He will announce at a press conference at 1 p.m. tomorrow [Thursday],” Nwora said by phone.

    Sources said Cincinnati was out of the hunt for Achiuwa, leaving St. John’s and Washington.

    Sources close to the Washington program indicated Wednesday they had yet to hear a decision one way or the other.

    Articles, St. Benedict's

    Former Ridge (N.J.) coach Mark Taylor is the new coach at St. Benedict’s Prep.

    Taylor is the second coach in two years at St. Ben’s, following Roshown McLeod, who parted ways with the school after a 13-12 season, his only year at the school.

    Dan Hurley was the coach for nine years prior to McLeod before moving on to Wagner College.

    “This is a great opportunity for me,” said Taylor, 46. “St. Benedict’s should be one of, if not the best, teams in New Jersey year-in and year-out. I believe we can get back there sooner than later.”

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