BY MATT SUGAM
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEWPORT, R.I. – With the summer lull for college athletics coming to an end and the fall season lurking around the corner, the Big East is still without a new commissioner.
But according to the conference’s interim commissioner, Joe Bailey, that will change by the end of August.
Ever since the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game and the Jordan Brand Classic left the Big Apple, New York City has lacked a big-time high school basketball showcase.
That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.
Donald Sparks and the organizers of “The Big Strick Classic” have lined up a heavyweight lineup for their game Aug. 11 in the Nat Holman Gym at City College.
The game is a memorial to the legendary streetball player John “Franchise” Strickland, and was known last year as “The Franchise Classic.”
Ever since decommitting from Penn State last week, Brandon Austin has been a very popular guy.
His Team Philly coach, Lonnie Lowry, said Baylor, UCLA, Maryland, Georgetown, Marquette and Florida have been heavily involved with the 6-foot-6, 175-pound small forward out of Philly Imhotep Charter since his decommitment.
“Those schools have all really, really, really showed the most interest, so it’s going to be up to him to pick a few schools that he wants to go ahead and visit,” Lowry told SNY.tv. “Maryland and Georgetown are pretty close [to Philly].”
Maalik Wayns will get a shot to play for his hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
The former Villanova point guard signed with the team Monday, according to multiple reports.
The 6-foot-1 1/2 Wayns came out of Villanova after his junior year and went undrafted. He averaged 17.4 points and 4.6 assists last season.
UCLA has done pretty well for itself in the New York metropolitan area in the last year.
See Kyle Anderson.
Now UCLA has joined the fray for 6-foot-10 2014 forward Chris McCullough of the Salisbury (Conn.) School.
Bruins coach Ben Howland called to offer McCullough, who had 16 points and played like a man on a mission despite a hand injury as the Team Scan 16s beat Team Thad, 73-70, to win the Fab 48 in Las Vegas.
By TARIQ SBIET
Special to ZAGSBLOG
BRAMPTON, Ontario — On the last day of the July evaulation period, Kentucky coach John Calipari and Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton weren’t in Las Vegas, Orlando or Washington, D.C.
Instead, they were here at the Caribana Classic hosted by CIA Bounce to get one last look at Andrew Wiggins and the rest of Canada’s rising talent.
Calipari and Hamilton are recruiting the 6-foot-7 Wiggins the hardest and spent both weekend days here in anticipation that the Canadian star will choose their school when he’s ready for college.
GALLOWAY, N.J. – In an effort to turn Providence around, head coach Ed Cooley is taking a two-pronged approach in recruiting.
Cooley is going after some big national fish like Troy (Mich.) shooting guard James Young, who’s also being targeted by Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse, and he’s also trying to lock down the best talent in the New England area.
