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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 26.
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    • St. Anthony

    R.J. Cole, the 6-foot-1 Class of 2017 point guard at St. Anthony’s, verbally committed to Howard University on Monday, spurning Monmouth and Boston University in the process.

    For Howard, Cole could end up being a program-changer who could change how other recruits look at coming to the school.

    “I got really close with the coach [Kevin Nickelberry] and he’s been there from the beginning,” Cole said of choosing the historically black institution.

    The Linden, N.J., native is a pure point guard who helped St. Anthony’s win the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title in 2016.

    Knicks

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The Knicks are set to open training camp on Tuesday, but don’t ask Carmelo Anthony what type of offense the team will run under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek.

    “I honestly don’t know what this offense is going to be,” Anthony said Monday at Knicks’ Media Day. “I think everybody is speculating something. I honestly don’t know. I haven’t talked to Jeff about what type of offense we’re gonna run, what we’re going to be doing.”

    Hornacek is on record saying the triangle “will be part of our offense.” He was hired by President Phil Jackson in part because of his familiarity with the triangle offense from playing for former Phoenix Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, a disciple of triangle founder Tex Winter.

    But Hornacek also ran an up-tempo attack and utilized multiple point guards during his tenure in Phoenix.

    Knicks

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — With his civil trial for sexual assault set to begin Oct. 4, Knicks point guard Derrick Rose says he hasn’t been contacted by the police and expects to be “proven innocent.”

    “As far as the trial, that’s something I can’t think about,” Rose said Monday at Knicks’ Media Day, adding that he hasn’t been contacted by police. “It’s not true, I will be proven innocent and I haven’t been thinking about it. I’m letting my [legal] team handle it.”

    USA Today reported Monday that Los Angeles police continue to investigate Rose over the allegations, according to federal court records.

    “This note is to clarify any misconceptions that the Los Angeles Police Departments does not have a current criminal investigation pending that names the suspects in the current civil case being handled by your office,” Det. Nadine Hernandez wrote in a letter sent on Thursday.

    North Carolina

    North Carolina has landed a big man for the future in Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God center Brandon Huffman.

    The 6-foot-10 Huffman is ranked the No. 45 center in the Class of 2017 by 247Sports.com. He also held offers from Missouri, Virginia Tech, Providence, Indiana, Oklahoma State, UNLV, Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, Pitt, LSU, UConn and others.

    North Carolina

    P.J. Washington, the 6-foot-8 forward from Frisco, Texas and Findlay Prep (NV), took his second official visit to North Carolina this past weekend and enjoyed it.

    “P.J. really enjoyed hanging out with the team and Coach [Roy] Williams was really down to Earth,” said Paul Washington Sr., the Findlay Prep coach and P.J.’s father.

    North Carolina will lose Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks from the frontcourt and could lose more than that, and can offer Washington quality playing time going forward.

    “He is a forward and can play both positions when needed,” his father said.

    Xavier

    Kentrevious Jones, a 6-foot-11, 290-pound big man from Macon (GA) Central and the Atlanta Xpress, committed to Xavier on Sunday, giving head coach Chris Mack a huge frontcourt presence going forward.

    Jones also considered UCF, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

    “I feel like by me going to Xavier my career as a student-athlete will be great,” he said. “We’re also trying to have the best recruiting class and win an NCAA championship.

    “They made me feel like family during my visit and Xavier has a lot of resources to help develop a good big man. We’re coming for that championship.”

    Hofstra

    Hofstra men’s basketball coach Joe Mihalich was on a recruiting visit at Whitney Young High School in Chicago on Friday night when the school’s basketball coach, Tyrone Slaughter, came in to the main office to greet him.

    “Don’t you have to hurry home for that debate?” Slaughter asked Mihalich.

    “It’s amazing just how big this debate is and it’s amazing what it’s doing for our school,” Mihalich replied.

    Slaughter, of course, was referring to Monday’s first Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Hofstra’s Long Island campus.

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