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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.
  • By JOSH NEWMAN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    With the Knicks now making their first round series with the Miami Heat at least a little interesting by stealing Game 4 and avoiding elimination on Sunday afternoon, the attention has turned to a possible Jeremy Lin return when the series moves back to South Beach for Game 5 on Wednesday evening.

    People may be hoping Lin can somehow save the day like he saved the early part of this truncated, 66-game season, but judging from Mike Woodson on Monday morning, you have probably seen the last of Jeremy Lin this season.

    On a conference call with reporters, the Knicks’ interim head coach would not entirely rule out Lin, who has been out since March 24 with a slightly torn left meniscus, but he wasn’t exactly sounding confident, either.

    Here’s the release from the Big East. Keep in mind that the conference’s TV contract is up for negotiations in September:

    The BIG EAST Conference today announced the resignation of Commissioner John Marinatto.

    “After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference and formally advised our Board of Directors,” stated Marinatto.  “I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009.   Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations.  As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution.  I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank both our membership and my staff for their unwavering encouragement, support and loyalty — especially during this past year.  I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much.”

    Anthony Bennett is down to two schools.

    UNLV and Oregon.

    The 6-foot-7 Findlay Prep forward has eliminated Kentucky and is expected to make a decision within a week or so.

    “He really likes Kentucky,” CIA Bounce coaches Tony McIntyre and Mike George told SNY.tv. “He loves what they’re doing there. But Anthony feels it would be a better fit at UNLV or Oregon.

    “He likes Oregon and UNLV better. He has a chance to be an immediate impact” at those schools.

    The coaches said Bennett is expected to announce by the “end of this week.”

    NEW YORK — The Knicks have already lost two point guards to knee injuries in Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert.

    Now, they are without a third.

    Baron Davis crumpled to the floor with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter of New York’s 89-87 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference playoff series and was taken off the floor in a stretcher.

    Davis smiled and waved to the fans as he was carted off and initially diagnosed with a dislocated right patella.

    An MRI on Monday revealed that Davis suffered a partial tear of the patella tendon, and complete tears of the ACL and MCL. He will have surgery later this week and is expected to be out approximately 12 months.

    Following a weekend official visit to Georgetown, Bradley “B.J.” Hayes now says the Big East school is his leader.

    “Yes, sir,” the 6-foot-11 center from Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood High told SNY.tv by text prior to getting on a plane home to Florida.

    “It went real good, I liked it,” he added. “I really liked the staff there. The team was easy to get along with and they work real hard. The whole coaching staff was with me for a lot of the visit.”

    Mark Lyons is headed to Arizona.

    The Xavier transfer picked the Pac-12 school over Kentucky and Kansas in part because of his relationship with head coach Sean Miller, who recruited him while Miller was at Xavier.

    A 6-foot-1, 188-pound junior from Schenectady, N.Y., who averaged 15.5 points and 3.4 rebounds last season, Lyons will be eligible right away.

    “It was a lot of things,” he told SNY.tv by phone. “The program. I’ve known these guys since I was a junior or sophomore in high school. I have a great relationship with them.”

    PENNINGTON, N.J. — Wayne Selden holds offers from pretty much every major program in the nation but says he’s recently been hearing from a couple of bluebloods.

    “I’ve been hearing a lot lately from UNC and Kansas,” Selden told SNY.tv at the Mary Kline Classic Saturday before helping the Blue underclassmen rout the Read team, 143-122.

    The 6-foot-4 small forward from The Tilton (N.H.) School said Norm Roberts was recruiting him at Kansas, but wasn’t sure which North Carolina assistant had watched his games this summer with BABC.

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