March 2013 | Page 19 of 28 | 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, St. Benedict's

    Eight boys’ high school basketball teams are set for the fifth annual National High School Invitational (NHSI). For the first time, every NHSI boys’ team is ranked in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings and six are in the top 10 including No.1 Findlay Prep (NV) and No. 2 Montverde Academy (FL). ESPN will televise the event held April 4-6 at Georgetown Preparatory School’s Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence in Bethesda, Md.

    In addition to defending NHSI Champion Findlay Prep, this year’s field features teams from seven different states, including Blanche Ely, Class 7A Champions from the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).

    Here are the teams:

    St. John's

    NEW YORK — St. John’s freshman forward JaKarr Sampson was named the 2012-13 Big East Rookie of the Year on Tuesday and said he “wouldn’t mind” returning to St. John’s for his sophomore season.

    The 6-foot-8 Sampson from Akron, Ohio becomes the second straight St. John’s player to earn Big East Rookie of the Year honors and the third overall. Moe Harkless took home the league’s top freshman honor in 2011-12, while David Russell earned the award in 1979-80.

    “I’m very confident, so I felt this was a possibility from the first day I was at St. John’s,” Sampson said. “I hold myself to a high standard. I felt like I could win it from day one.”

    Ironically, Sampson was initially supposed to begin his St. John’s career alongside Harkless in 2011, but was deemed academically ineligible by the NCAA.

    He then did a postgraduate year at Brewster (N.H.) Academy and came to St. John’s in 2012.

    Had the two played together in 2011-12, only one of them would have won the award and St. John’s would not have won back-to-back honors.

    Articles

    By JOSH NEWMAN
    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    A10As usual, the Big East Tournament takes center stage at Madison Square Garden this week for the final time as we currently know it.

    The Atlantic-10, after years of switching venues and fighting for respect and a larger profile, is taking a leap of faith by moving its conference tournament to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, just seven miles from Madison Square Garden.

    With conference realignment dominating headlines, it’s merely a coincidence that the A-10’s move to New York City comes at a time when the Big East Tournament will never have a higher profile with cornerstones Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame set to leave for the ACC.

    The venue change to Barclays Center will mark the 19th time the Atlantic-10 Tournament has changed venues since the event’s inception since 1977. With a move to the largest media market on the planet after five mostly-apathetic years at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, this is a crucial move for a conference that is likely to get raided by the new Big East.

    Articles, Big East, Video

    http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=25711575

    With the last Big East Tournament as we know it set to tip off today, here is a video and a few news updates to keep you posted.

    **Above is the SNY Big East Tournament preview featuring Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco. The league also formally announced Tuesday that the Catholic 7 would get to keep the “Big East” name going forward, and said it would soon provide more information about “the expected broadcast media deal, season-ending tournament and additional members of the new conference,” which are expected to be Butler, Creighton and Xavier.

    “We think it all worked out logically,” Aresco told SNY, “in terms of the name, the Garden and the finances.”

    **At 5 p.m. today, the Big East will announce Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year. Georgetown’s Otto Porter Jr. will be named the Player of the Year.

    **For the Big East Tournament schedule, click here.

    **Meantime, the Big East officially announced that Notre Dame will head to the ACC on July 1, joining Syracuse and Pitt, meaning that the 14 teams in this current Big East tournament will go to three separate leagues next year.

    “This decision makes sense for the Big East,” said Aresco.  “In view of Notre Dame’s expressed desire to join the ACC on an earlier timetable, the Big East and Notre Dame were able to arrive at an acceptable resolution. The Big East can now focus fully on its future alignment and rebranding efforts. I want to thank the Notre Dame administration and Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick for their efforts in moving toward this orderly transition.  Notre Dame has been a valued member of the Big East and we wish them well.”

    “From the time of our decision to join the ACC we have stressed our commitment to ensuring that our departure was achieved in a collegial manner,” Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said.  “This agreement realizes that intention and we are very grateful to the members of the Big East and Commissioner Aresco for helping to facilitate this orderly and timely transition.”

    Here’s how it breaks down:

    Articles, Seton Hall

    Within the span of a week, Seton Hall appears to have lost its only two commits from the Class of 2013.

    Aquille Carr, known as “The Crimestopper,” announced on Twitter early Tuesday that he planned to play overseas next season instead of honoring his commitment to Seton Hall.

    “The money wont always be there gotta get it when u can i turned it down last time not this time,” the 5-foot-6 Carr Tweeted.

    Carr had previously told the Baltimore Sun that he was looking to play overseas in part to provide for his family, including his 1-year-old daughter.

    “Seton Hall is still my choice right now,” Carr told the Baltimore Sun last month. “But I’m thinking about a lot more stuff that I could advance to. I think I’m ready to make it like my job. If you know about basketball, you know what that means. By the end of the season, everybody will find out.”

    Reached by phone, Princeton Day (Md.) Academy coach Van Whitfield said he was unaware of the decision and wanted to speak with Carr before commenting.

    “I would like the opportunity to discuss it with him,” he said.

    Articles, Iona

    By JADEN DALY

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Iona has punched its ticket to the Big Dance and earned a shot at redemption.

    A year after blowing a 25-point lead and losing to BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Gaels are making a return trip.

    This time around, they guaranteed their trip by winning the MAAC Tournament championship outright instead of nervously awaiting an at-large bid on Selection Sunday. Iona will enter the Big Dance on a five-game winning streak.

    “This year, it’s a lot more meaningful,” Lamont “MoMo” Jones said after scoring 14 points to help Iona claim the championship with a 60-57 victory over arch-rival Manhattan at the MassMutual Center. “If you told me nine months ago that this was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.”

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