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.
Nerlens Noel, the top uncommitted prospect in the Class of 2012, took an official visit to Kentucky this past weekend and Wildcats fans are dreaming that he will replace Anthony Davis in the lineup next fall.
“I got there Friday morning and went to their practice for about an hour,” Noel wrote on his ESPN.com blog. “I really liked the way they practice there. I just like the momentum they have in their practice. The practices are short, but they get everything done that they need to get in. It’s really productive.
“I went to the game the next day and the fans most definitely lived up to the hype. They were just real live and they chanted my name about eight times. It was so loud in there.
“One of the fans came up to me and said “SEC girls love flattops!” I thought that was pretty funny. I really liked watching them play, and sitting behind the bench I got a real feel for how they do it. Coach John Calipari really gets on them when they make mistakes so they won’t make them again. I was impressed.
“I got a chance to talk to Coach Cal a lot during my visit. He talked a lot about how I could come in there and work hard and succeed. He talked a lot about playing at the NBA level and things like that. I thought we had a really good talk.”
Noel also recently visited Syracuse drew a distinction between the recruiting styles of Calipari and Syracuse’s Jim Boehim.
“Coach Boeheim is way more laid back,” Noel wrote. “He lets you know that he wants you, but he doesn’t press it too much. Coach Cal tells you everything about how he’ll use you, where you’ll fit in, everything.
“Both visits were a lot of fun and I took a lot from them.”
Noel wrote that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called him but that’s he just not interested.
“I talked to him twice …but I ended up telling them that I wasn’t interested in Duke,” Noel wrote. “I like Coach K, but I just didn’t have any interest in them.”
He does plan to visit Florida, North Carolina and Georgetown, and also potentially take unofficials to UConn and Providence.
“I’m excited about my next few visits, to Florida, North Carolina and Georgetown, but I don’t know what order those visits will be in and I don’t have any dates on those yet,” he said. “I’ll definitely let you guys know, though.
“I’m gonna visit Providence and UConn too because they’re so close to me. I’ve been hearing from all of the coaches from those schools for the most part.”
In the meantime, Noel and Tilton (N.H.) face Brewster (N.H.) Academy tonight in a rematch game that is expected to draw a big crowd.
“We’re all ready for this game, of course,” he wrote. “This will be the third time we’ve played them this year and they took the first two. We’ll be a little short-handed with my man Wayne Selden out. He’s got a really bad sprained ankle and we’ll miss him a lot, but I think we’re capable of pulling out the win. We’ve got a good game plan, and as long as we play hard we should be OK.
“I do think that we’ll see them again in the championship, though. Either way, I just want to win.”
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.
Nerlens Noel, the top uncommitted prospect in the Class of 2012, took an official visit to Kentucky this past weekend and Wildcats fans are dreaming that he will replace Anthony Davis in the lineup next fall.
“I got there Friday morning and went to their practice for about an hour,” Noel wrote on his ESPN.com blog. “I really liked the way they practice there. I just like the momentum they have in their practice. The practices are short, but they get everything done that they need to get in. It’s really productive.
“I went to the game the next day and the fans most definitely lived up to the hype. They were just real live and they chanted my name about eight times. It was so loud in there.
“One of the fans came up to me and said “SEC girls love flattops!” I thought that was pretty funny. I really liked watching them play, and sitting behind the bench I got a real feel for how they do it. Coach John Calipari really gets on them when they make mistakes so they won’t make them again. I was impressed.
“I got a chance to talk to Coach Cal a lot during my visit. He talked a lot about how I could come in there and work hard and succeed. He talked a lot about playing at the NBA level and things like that. I thought we had a really good talk.”
Noel also recently visited Syracuse drew a distinction between the recruiting styles of Calipari and Syracuse’s Jim Boehim.
“Coach Boeheim is way more laid back,” Noel wrote. “He lets you know that he wants you, but he doesn’t press it too much. Coach Cal tells you everything about how he’ll use you, where you’ll fit in, everything.
“Both visits were a lot of fun and I took a lot from them.”
Noel wrote that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called him but that’s he just not interested.
“I talked to him twice …but I ended up telling them that I wasn’t interested in Duke,” Noel wrote. “I like Coach K, but I just didn’t have any interest in them.”
He does plan to visit Florida, North Carolina and Georgetown, and also potentially take unofficials to UConn and Providence.
“I’m excited about my next few visits, to Florida, North Carolina and Georgetown, but I don’t know what order those visits will be in and I don’t have any dates on those yet,” he said. “I’ll definitely let you guys know, though.
“I’m gonna visit Providence and UConn too because they’re so close to me. I’ve been hearing from all of the coaches from those schools for the most part.”
In the meantime, Noel and Tilton (N.H.) face Brewster (N.H.) Academy tonight in a rematch game that is expected to draw a big crowd.
“We’re all ready for this game, of course,” he wrote. “This will be the third time we’ve played them this year and they took the first two. We’ll be a little short-handed with my man Wayne Selden out. He’s got a really bad sprained ankle and we’ll miss him a lot, but I think we’re capable of pulling out the win. We’ve got a good game plan, and as long as we play hard we should be OK.
“I do think that we’ll see them again in the championship, though. Either way, I just want to win.”
