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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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Saturday / December 21.
  • By NICK MEDLINE

    CHICAGO — Gary Trent Jr. wants to pitch the Duke program to undecided McDonald’s All-American players, including Mohamed Bamba, Trevon Duval and Kevin Knox. To Trent Jr., the Duke reputation speaks for itself.

    “Duke’s a great school and I love everything about it,” Trent Jr. said. “There’s nothing I can educate them on that they don’t already know. When you say Duke, it opens eyes. It has a long tradition. Everything about it is great for me, and I try to harp on that to the guys. Hopefully, they come to their senses as well.”

    Trent Jr. excelled in his own right at the McDonald’s All-American Game practice on Tuesday morning. The Napa (CA) Prolific Prep Academy shooting guard played some of the best defense in any session — guarding multiple positions with success and consistently forcing turnovers. He said this experience has helped him add precision to his game, matched by his excitement to participate in the event.

    The offseason shakeup at UConn continues.

    The Huskies have added Raphael Chillious to the staff to replace Glen Miller, while freshman forward Vance Jackson follows sophomore Steven Enoch out the door.

    Chillious, the former head coach at South Kent (CT), is an experienced coach and recruiter who knows Connecticut well. Most recently, he was an assistant under Lorenzo Romar at Washington for seven of the last eight years, where he was the lead recruiter for Markelle Fultz, who’s in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.

    “We are very fortunate to be able to add Raphael Chillious to our coaching staff,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “He is a high-level recruiter, but that is far from the only thing he brings to us. He has been involved in many aspects of the college game and has so much experience – he’s been a coach for a long time, he’s worked with Nike … I love his energy, his developmental skills and his knowledge of the game, offensively and defensively. Wherever he’s been, he’s created a culture that is a winning culture.”

    By NICK MEDLINE

    CHICAGO — M.J. Walker may not be prepared to make his final college decision — but he does know what teams should expect from him at the college level.

    “I bring leadership and I like being aggressive,” Walker said. “I play with a dog mentality. When I do that, my teammates usually follow. And when I get that going, there’s no telling how good our team can be.”

    The 6-foot-5 Jonesboro (GA) shooting guard wants to take advantage of the McDonald’s All-American game opportunity. On Team West, next to impressive guards including Duke commit Gary Trent Jr., Walker has made an impact during scrimmages with his defense and versatility.

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