Head coach Isiah Thomas, and Florida International University have added star Malcolm X Community College star Phil Gary, Jr. to their recruiting haul for the Class of 2009.
Gary, a 5'10" point guard, is coming off of a dazzling sophomore season which saw him average better than 19 points and 9 assists per contest. Gary is a player who is equally comfortable taking over games with either his scoring, or passing skills.
Gary joins a recruiting class at Florida International that now also includes Marvin Roberts (Redlands C.C.), who led the country is scoring with an average of 29.6 points per contest.
Sounds like A.I....John Wall, the country's top unsigned high school recruit in basketball, has been charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering after police found him walking out of a vacant house in North Carolina.Wall, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard ranked fifth in the ESPNU 100's Class of 2009, was cited in connection with an April 27 break-in of a Raleigh residence, the police said. Wall, a point guard at Raleigh Word of God, was voted The Associated Press men's prep basketball player of the year for North Carolina in March.Police said an officer detained Wall, 18, after observing him leaving out the back of the home.Two minors were also detained and charged in connection with the break-in.Police said there was no forced entry and nothing to indicate anything was missing from the residence.Wall has nine teams on his list of potential schools -- Florida, Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina and NC State.
Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin is the runaway choice as The Associated Press' college basketball player of the year.
The 6-foot-10 Griffin averaged 22.7 points and led the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game while shooting a Big 12 record 65.4 percent from the field. Griffin, the first Oklahoma player to win the award, led the Sooners to a 30-6 record and the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
Coach Of The Year: Bill Self...
Bill Self, who led Kansas to the national championship last year and had the Jayhawks back in the title hunt this season, is The Associated Press' college basketball coach of the year.
Self, who will be presented the award later Friday, lost all five starters from the team that beat Memphis in the championship game, leaving him to work with two veterans and eight newcomers.
The Jayhawks finished 27-8 and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, winning the Big 12 title for the fifth straight season.
Via: ESPN
Duke didn't waste any time sulking over its Sweet 16 loss to Villanova Thursday night in Boston. Instead, the Blue Devils picked up the most coveted transfer available when the nation's top scoring freshman, Seth Curry of Liberty, decided to transfer to Duke for next season.
Curry's father, Dell, told ESPN.com Sunday night after a visit to Durham earlier in the day that Seth was offered a scholarship by the Blue Devils and accepted. Curry, who averaged 20.2 points a game for the Flames this past season, will sit out the 2009-10 season and be eligible for 2010-11 as a third-year sophomore. A source close to the Blue Devils confirmed the transfer offer was made and accepted.
Dell Curry, a former star guard with the Charlotte Hornets said once Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski made clear the Blue Devils wanted him, it wasn't a hard decision for Seth. Dell Curry said Krzyzewski stressed that the Blue Devils will need scoring guards in two seasons after the departure of juniors Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson. The Blue Devils have two younger point guards in sophomore Nolan Smith and freshman Elliot Wiliams, who would be a senior and junior, respectively when Seth Curry would be eligible.
"Coach K kept telling him the timing couldn't be better," Dell Curry told The Associated Press. "There'll be plenty of opportunities to contribute."
Full story here.
Whether Duke will be good enough to get back to a Final Four remains to be seen, but picking up Curry is obviously a step in the right direction. I'm sure the Curry's learned from Stephen's experience at Davidson, and concluded that they're just too good to be playing at mediocre schools that fail to surround them with talented players. Going to Duke will give Seth a great opportunity to play against top competition, and, more importantly, give him national exposure on a nightly basis - something his brother didn't have, especially once conference play began this season.
Via: ESPN
