April 2011 | Page 21 of 23 | Zagsblog
Recent Posts
Gonzaga, Recruiting
Georgetown, Illinois
About ZagsBlog
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.
Follow Zags on Twitter
Couldn't connect with Twitter
Contact Zags
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Advertising
Connect with Zags:
Saturday / December 21.
SECTION
logo
mobile-logo
    • Articles, UConn

    HOUSTON — On the night of March 19, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto sat behind the Pittsburgh bench at the Verizon Center looking sick as a dog.

    Marinatto was, in fact, battling a severe cold that made his him look as white as paper.

    But he was also disturbed to see the Panthers, the Big East’s lone No. 1 seed and a pre-tournament favorite to reach the Final Four, upended by Butler, 71-70, on Matt Howard’s foul shot with .8 seconds remaining.

    Articles, UConn, Video

    HOUSTON — With 2 seconds remaining in the national semifinals at Reliant Stadium, UConn freshman Shabazz Napier stepped to the free throw line with the game, and the season, in the balance.

    And what did he see?

    The face of his mother,  Carmen Velasquez, etched in worry.

    “She was real scared,” Napier, a reserve freshman point guard, said after UConn beat Kentucky, 56-55, to advance to Monday’s national championship game against Butler.

    Articles

    HOUSTON – Before Butler played VCU in the national semifinals Saturday at Reliant Stadium, Ronald Nored tried to fire up teammate Shelvin Mack with some choice words.

    “I actually told him before the game that some of the [VCU] guys were talking trash to him and told him that they said that he wasn’t anywhere as good as some of the guys they had guarded before,” said Nored, who didn’t score a single point.

    “They had played against [guys from] Kansas. They had guarded E’Twaun Moore [of Purdue] and Shelvin was nothing compared to them.”

    Then Nored paused and added with a smile, “I lied.”

    Articles, Big East

    HOUSTON — More than a dozen Big East players and three players competing in the Final Four are scheduled to attend the Portsmouth Invitational April 6-9 in Portsmouth, Va.

    Among players in the NBA who competed at Portsmouth are Knicks guard Landry Fields, Wes Matthews of the Portland Trail Blazers, Carl Landry of the New Orleans Hornets and Jason Maxiell of the Detroit Pistons.

    The Big East players on the eight eight-man rosters include:

    Articles, Findlay Prep, Oak Hill Academy

    Montrose Christian became the first school other than Findlay Prep to win the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational Saturday.

    Villanova-bound Tyrone Johnson of Plainfield, N.J., scored 21 points to lead No. 1 Montrose Christian over No. 2 Oak Hill Academy, 71-64 in double-overtime, in the championship game at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md.

    Montrose won the earlier matchup this season, 70-62, in double-OT.

    Articles, UConn

    HOUSTON — While one Lamb brother will take the national stage Saturday night in the Final Four, the other faces an uncertain future.

    Zach Lamb, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing out of Miami Dade College and the older brother of UConn freshman Jeremy Lamb, does not know where he will play his college ball next season.

    Zach initially signed a Letter of Intent with Manhattan in November, but the school fired coach Barry Rohrssen last month.

    Copyright 2016 Zagsblog. Partner of iOne Digital / Cassius Network
    } });
    X