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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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Thursday / December 19.
  • NEW YORK — The way Dr. John Giannini sees it, the Atlantic 10 Conference is virtually realignment-proof.

    Despite the losses of Butler, Temple and Xavier, the A-10 remains a strong and potent league capable of sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.

    “Everyone has a lot of questions about realignment and how it’s going to affect conferences,” the La Salle coach told SNY.tv Tuesday at the conference’s media day at Barclays Center. “I don’t think it’s going to have a big effect at all on the Atlantic 10.”

    2013 NBA Players Association Top 100 CampHaving committed to Kansas on Tuesday, Kelly Oubre is now working on recruiting several other 2014 stars to join him.

    “Tyus, Jahlil [and] Rashad,” Oubre told SNY.tv.

    Unlike many of his fellow top 2014 recruits, Oubre hadn’t talked about packaging before committing. But like any great player, he wants to play with other great players.

    So he’s turning his attention to the trio of Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Findlay Prep teammate Rashad Vaughn.

    NEW YORKDan Hurley admits it was tempting to take the Rutgers job back in April.

    He would have been able to return to his home state of New Jersey, take over his dream job and try to rebuild the program in the wake of the Mike Rice scandal.

    But after consulting with family and friends, Hurley decided it wasn’t the right move and opted to remain at Rhode Island, where he signed an extension through 2019-20.

    “New Jersey and my family means everything to me, but the bottom line is I made a commitment to a place that I have a level of belief in that we can become a great, great program,” Hurley told SNY.tv at Atlantic 10 Media Day at the Barclays Center, where the Rams were picked ninth out of 13 teams.

    NEW YORK — Jon Severe is only a freshman, but he’s already caused a few jaw-dropping moments around Fordham’s Rose Hill Gym.

    “Obviously, he’s a freshman, he’s still learning all our defensive schemes and dealing with the intensity of practice but there are times when everybody in the gym will just kind of look at each other, players and coaches alike,” Fordham coach Tom Pecora told SNY.tv at Atlantic 10 Media Day Tuesday at the Barclays Center, where Fordham was picked 11th out of 13 teams.

    “He’s been great in practice. There’s a Tom Konchalski expression, someone scores like we breathe and that’s kind of Jon. He puts the ball in the hole so many ways.”

    The 6-foot-3 Severe was named 2013 New York State Mr. Basketball out of Christ the King, where he scored more than 1,000 career points and averaged 21.6 points as a senior.

    Chicago Curie big man Cliff Alexander Tweeted that he has a top five and will announce on his birthday, Nov. 16.

    “TOP 5 Schools NO ORDER!!! Illinois, DePaul, Michigan State, Kansas, Memphis,” he Tweeted.

    He had previously cut to six, including Arizona, but now they are out as well.

    “There weren’t any certain reasons why he eliminated Arizona,” Curie coach Mike Oliver told ESPNChicago.com. “I think he likes the five schools he’s got. He knows more about them and is more comfortable with those five.”

    GREENBURGH, N.Y. — He is a man trying to reinvent himself in the middle of an NBA training camp.

    He has a new cell phone and he says only about 10 people have the number.

    His former college coach, John Calipari, is not one of them. Neither is his agent, because he doesn’t have one.

    Chris Douglas-Roberts is trying to make the Knicks roster — while trying to become a new man at the same time.

    “I’ve had a really crazy summer, man,” the 6-foot-7 small forward who has averaged 7.5 points in the NBA said Monday at Knicks camp, where he sat out a scrimmage due to a thigh contusion.

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