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.
Sean Kilpatrick is headed to the Big East.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard originally from White Plains, N.Y. committed to Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati club during an official visit over the weekend. Kilpatrick, now spending a postgraduate year at Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep, attended Cincinnati’s Basketball Fan Jam on Saturday and committed because he liked the environment and how he was treated by the coaches.
“I’m a lot more focused on the books situation than the basketball situation,” Kilpatrick told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Kilpatrick had also planned to visit Providence the weekend of Oct. 24, but that visit is no longer needed.
Kilpatrick averaged 25.6 points last season and was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game at Madison Square Garden. He committed to St. John’s in the spring, but then changed his mind.
ORTON TO KENTUCKYOnce 6-8 forward Thomas Robinson of Brewster (N.H.) Academy committed to Kansas last week, it seemed inevitable that 6-10 center Daniel Orton of Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City would chose Kentucky.
Orton, the No. 2 center in the Class of 2009, had narrowed his list to those two schools.
“I decided two nights ago, when (Kansas) Coach (Bill) Self told me that they didn’t have a scholarship for me and they were going to cease recruiting (for the class),” Orton told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “Kentucky wasn’t a backup plan, but it just made my decision a lot easier for me to go ahead and commit.”
Orton took an official visit to Kentucky over the weekend for Big Blue Madness and played pickup with the current team.
If Kentucky center Patrick Patterson jumps to the NBA next year, Orton can step right in and take his spot.
“If Patterson goes to the NBA, Daniel can step in and play right away,” Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels told the Courier-Journal. “But if Patterson doesn’t, then that gives Kentucky a hell of a tandem.”
Orton, who averaged 13.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 blocks as a junior, said he’s unsure how long he’ll remain in college.
“Most people are talking about me staying one or two years, but it just depends on how everything goes,” he told the Courier-Journal. “My brother had multiple injuries, and I hope that doesn’t happen to me, but you never know God’s plan for you.”
The other interesting thing here is that Orton says Coach Self told him Kansas is no longer recruiting for the Class of 2009 when, in fact, Kansas has three scholarships remaining and is looking to bring in three more players, according to a source close to the program.
A slew of talented recruits are coming to Kansas this weekend for “Late Night in the Phog,” a group that includes Xavier Henry and Dominic Cheek.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Sean Kilpatrick is headed to the Big East.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard originally from White Plains, N.Y. committed to Mick Cronin’s Cincinnati club during an official visit over the weekend. Kilpatrick, now spending a postgraduate year at Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep, attended Cincinnati’s Basketball Fan Jam on Saturday and committed because he liked the environment and how he was treated by the coaches.
“I’m a lot more focused on the books situation than the basketball situation,” Kilpatrick told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Kilpatrick had also planned to visit Providence the weekend of Oct. 24, but that visit is no longer needed.
Kilpatrick averaged 25.6 points last season and was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game at Madison Square Garden. He committed to St. John’s in the spring, but then changed his mind.
ORTON TO KENTUCKY
Once 6-8 forward Thomas Robinson of Brewster (N.H.) Academy committed to Kansas last week, it seemed inevitable that 6-10 center Daniel Orton of Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City would chose Kentucky.
Orton, the No. 2 center in the Class of 2009, had narrowed his list to those two schools.
“I decided two nights ago, when (Kansas) Coach (Bill) Self told me that they didn’t have a scholarship for me and they were going to cease recruiting (for the class),” Orton told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “Kentucky wasn’t a backup plan, but it just made my decision a lot easier for me to go ahead and commit.”
Orton took an official visit to Kentucky over the weekend for Big Blue Madness and played pickup with the current team.
If Kentucky center Patrick Patterson jumps to the NBA next year, Orton can step right in and take his spot.
“If Patterson goes to the NBA, Daniel can step in and play right away,” Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels told the Courier-Journal. “But if Patterson doesn’t, then that gives Kentucky a hell of a tandem.”
Orton, who averaged 13.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 blocks as a junior, said he’s unsure how long he’ll remain in college.
“Most people are talking about me staying one or two years, but it just depends on how everything goes,” he told the Courier-Journal. “My brother had multiple injuries, and I hope that doesn’t happen to me, but you never know God’s plan for you.”
The other interesting thing here is that Orton says Coach Self told him Kansas is no longer recruiting for the Class of 2009 when, in fact, Kansas has three scholarships remaining and is looking to bring in three more players, according to a source close to the program.
A slew of talented recruits are coming to Kansas this weekend for “Late Night in the Phog,” a group that includes Xavier Henry and Dominic Cheek.
