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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 29.
  • Mike Rice was fired as the head coach at Rutgers early Wednesday morning in the wake of the videotape scandal.

    “Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice,” Rutgers spokesman Jason Baum wrote in a Tweet.

    “I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice,” said Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti. “Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community.”

    Speaking to WABC in New Jersey, Rice said: “I can’t say anything right now, except I’m sorry. … I’ve let everybody down.

    St. John’s wing Amir Garrett is transferring, thereby opening up a scholarship for the Johnnies to use in recruiting.

    “After a long thought out process of speaking with my family, I will be leaving St. John’s basketball program!” he Tweeted Tuesday night.

    “It was a well thought out decision that didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. St. John’s will always have a special place in my heart. As of now I’m playing baseball, but I plan on being at another program in the fall.

    Fiery Loyola (Md.) coach Jimmy Patsos will be introduced as the new Siena coach during a press conference on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., according to multiple reports.

    The Albany Times-Union first reported the news.

    “Congrats to Jimmy Patsos! Will do great job at Siena. Also a win for the Albany media guys lol,” Tweeted Binghamton coach Tommy Dempsey.

    Robert Morris coach Andy Toole was also in the mix.

    Patsos has been at Loyola for nine years, going 47-21 in the last two.

    In 2012, Loyola reached the NCAA Tournament and lost to Ohio State.

    By JOSH NEWMAN
    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    Alex PoythressJust one day after Kentucky announced that freshman forward Willie Cauley-Stein and sophomore forward Kyle Wiltjer will return next season, the school released a statement on Tuesday evening saying that 6-foot-7 freshman forward Alex Poythress will return to Lexington for his sophomore season.

    “I’m really happy that, after talking with his family and evaluating his options, Alex has decided to return for his sophomore season,” Wildcats head coach John Calipari said in the statement. “Alex is a great kid with a lot of potential and I’m excited to be able to work with him next year. I believe we have only scratched the surface with Alex, and another season in college will get him closer to reaching his dreams.”

    http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=25955291
    PISCATAWAY, N.J.  — It’s hard to imagine Bob Knight looking tamer than anyone when it comes to basketball coaches.

    But right about now, Knight’s now-legendary chair-toss across the floor and infamous choking of Neil Reed may seem somewhat mild compared to Mice Rice’s antics in the above video clips from his ongoing Rutgers tenure.

    As it turns out, Knight was interested in the Rutgers job in 2010, around the time that former coach Fred Hill was fired for his own bizarre outburst at a Rutgers baseball game.

    “He said he would talk to them,” legendary Five Star Basketball figure Howard Garfinkel recently told SNY.tv of Knight’s interest in Rutgers. “If they called him, he would talk to them.”

    By JOSH NEWMAN
    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    Aaron GordonUCLA and USC may have made big splashes with new coaching hires in the last four days, but they aren’t the only Pac-12 schools making major news lately.

    On Tuesday morning in Chicago where he is set to play in Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game, 6-foot-8 consensus top-5 recruit Aaron Gordon announced his intentions to play for head coach Sean Miller and the University of Arizona.

    The second-best player still on the Class of 2013 board behind Andrew Wiggins, the Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) senior chose the Wildcats over Oregon, Washington and Kentucky.

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