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Tyus Jones Receives 3 Of 6 Votes From ESPN Experts On Who To Build College Team Around

With Andrew Wiggins committing to Kansas this week, several of ESPN's writers that follow high school basketball recruiting offered their opinion on who they would choose to build a team around.

Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. 

"Point guards make the world go 'round, and Jones is the best in high school right now," wrote Stovall. "Not only can he make plays for himself, he also elevates the games of all of his teammates. Jones is the closest thing you will find to Chris Paul on the amateur level."

Dave Telep selected Harry Giles, a freshman forward out of North Carolina, who has an advanced inside/outside game at 6-9.

Reggie Rankin picked Andrew Harrison, who is a point guard commit for Kentucky.

Joel Francisco selected Wiggins.

Via ESPN

Evan Gordon Transfers To Indiana

Evan Gordon has committed to Indiana, transferring from Arizona State.

Gordon, younger brother of Eric Gordon, will be eligible to play immediately.

“There’s nothing like an Indiana kid playing for IU,” Gordon said. “Coach (Tom) Crean has that program rocking and rolling.”

Gordon began his college career at Liberty for two seasons before transferring to Arizona State. Gordon averaged 10.1 points per game last season for the Sun Devils.

“It’s kind of crazy how I ended up back here (at Indiana),” said Gordon. “When I left Liberty the reason was to play on a bigger stage and it was a better opportunity to do that. This chance at IU just kind of came about and was hard to turn down.”

Via Kyle Neddenriep/Indianapolis Star

Andrew Wiggins Commits To Kansas

Andrew Wiggins has committed to Kansas

Wiggins also considered Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina.

“I just followed my heart,” Wiggins said to Grant Taylor of the Herald-Dispatch. “Kansas had my heart so that’s where I wanted to go.”

Wiggins, a native of Toronto, is widely thought to be the best high school prospect since LeBron James.

Florida State and Kentucky were considered the favorites to land Wiggins, but his father said that it came down to the Jayhawks and Seminoles.

Wiggins didn't reach a final decision on Kansas until the weekend.

“Obviously, everyone in Jayhawk-land is overwhelmed and excited today,” Bill Self said. “This was a pleasant surprise because we never had an idea which way he was leading. Andrew did this the exact way he said he was going to. He played his cards very close to his vest, as did his mother and father.”

Via RealGM Staff Report

Eddie Jordan Uninterested In Ever Returning To NBA As Head Coach

Eddie Jordan was hired as head coach of Rutgers this offseason, an opportunity he prefers rather than returning to the NBA in a top job.

“After my last few experiences, I did not want to be a head coach in the NBA,” Jordan said.

Jordan led the Washington Wizards to the playoffs in every season between 2005 and 2008. Jordan even coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars in 2007 when the Wizards had the best record in the conference. 

Jordan was fired by the Wizards at the beginning of the 08-09 season after a 1-10 start, and was hired the next season by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jordan most recently was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers after being hired by Mike Brown.

Via Michael Lee/Washington Post

Andrew Wiggins To Make College Decision On Tuesday

Andrew Wiggins will sign his letter of intent on Tuesday at approximately 12:15 PM EST.

Wiggins will choose between Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina.

Unlike many prominent high school players, Wiggins will not make a televised announcement.

"He does not want to have a press conference signing," Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said in a text message. "He wants it private to just his classmates, family and friends."

Wiggins has often been called the best prospect since LeBron James.

Both of Wiggins' parents attended Florida State and the Seminoles are considered the favorite. Kentucky is also in the running due to Wiggins' relationship with John Calipari.

"I have no clue where he's going or leaning, so I'm not much help here," Fulford said.

Via Ben Roberts/Herald-Leader

Mark Madsen To Become Head Coach Of D-Fenders

Mark Madsen is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, according to sources.

Madsen recently completed his first season as an assistant coach at Stanford.

Madsen was previously an assistant coach for the Utah Flash for the D-League for two seasons.

Reggie Theus coached the D-Fenders last season and left for Cal State Northridge.

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Kentucky To Use Depth To Play Faster

John Calipari's incredibly deep recruiting class will give Kentucky a physically stronger frontcourt than he has in past seasons.

"We're going to be much stronger physically at all positions,'' said Calipari. "Our post presence will be there with Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee. He's a lot like Nerlens in terms of blocking shots and going after balls. He's bouncy with great energy, but he's not as big. Willie is coming back with one thought in mind: He wants to do something on the basketball court and in the tournament. He's got something to prove to himself. He's got a great frame of mind. He understands he's got to do it and do something different.''

Calipari will have more options with putting together lineups than he ever has before while at Kentucky.

"There will be a lot of teams ahead of us, but we'll be deeper and the bench will be a great friend of mine,'' said Calipari. "I'll be able to play like we played at Memphis. We'll be pressing and getting after people because we have more people. We're going to have competition.''

Via Andy Katz/ESPN

Nerlens Noel 'Ahead Of Schedule' In Rehab From ACL Surgery

Nerlens Noel underwent surgery on his ACL on Feb. 12 in a procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews.

"There is a trust level when the NBA talks to Dr. Andrews," John Calipari said. "Jon Hood had his surgery here [in Kentucky] and it all went well. But we didn't want the NBA to have any questions. He's going to be fine. He's ahead of schedule. When you have a season-ending injury, you want the NBA teams to feel that he's as good as new.''

Via Andy Katz/ESPN

IMG Academy Considering New Models For Developing 7-Footers

IMG Academy in Florida is attempting to develop seven foot basketball players similar to what they have done in tennis.

Two of their basketball big men are Meng Xiang Yu from China and Satnam Singh from India. Meng is 7-foot-2 and Singh is 7-foot-0, while both are 17 years old.

"What do you do with these big kids at these sizes at these young ages?" asks Nate Vander Sluis, IMG's national varsity team coach. "How do you develop them from a basketball standpoint and from a physical standpoint? Developing a 7-2 Chinese kid is not the same as trying to develop a 6-foot, 16-year-old kid. Those two muscle groups are two different things given how much growth they have already had."

Because both the AAU system and International professional leagues demand a lot of games, many big men are chronically hurt before they hit 20 or soon thereafter.

"I think it's learning from mistakes," says Dan Barto, the head skills trainer at IMG. "Think about a triathlon runner or a marathon runner. You don't go out and run 26 miles, you run 10 one day and 18 another. It's the same thing here. We are taking our time."

Via Les Carpenter/Yahoo! Sports

Mike Moser Transfers To Oregon

Mike Moser has decided to transfer to Oregon.

Moser also considered Gonzaga and Washington.

Moser can play immediately for the Ducks since he graduated from UNLV.

Via Adam Zagoria/ZagsBlog

Anthony Bennett Out Four Months With Torn Rotator Cuff

Anthony Bennett will miss four months due to shoulder surgery.

Krzyzewski Praises Thibodeau For Developing Culture Of 'Tough Character' With Bulls

Tom Thibodeau has a .683 winning percentage as coach of the Bulls.

Andre Roberson Left Colorado To Develop Game Quicker For NBA

Andre Roberson is projected as a second-round pick in this June's draft.

John Taylor Signs With Agent, Declares For Draft

John Taylor averaged 27.5 points per game this past season for Fresno Pacific.

Tim Hardaway Jr. Signs With Agent Mark Bartelstein

Mark Bartelstein currently represents 37 NBA players.

List Of 77 Early Entry Candidates For 2013 NBA Draft

The 2013 NBA Draft has 77 early entry candidates, with 46 players from United States' colleges and 31 internatinoal players.

Jarnell Stokes Staying At Tennessee For Junior Season

Jarnell Stokes averaged 12.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in his sophomore season.

Ray McCallum Declares For Draft

Ray McCallum averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in his junior season at Detroit.

Andre Roberson Delays Announcement On NBA Decision

Andre Roberson is projected as a mid-to-late second round pick.

Shane Larkin To Enter NBA Draft

Shane Larkin will bypass his final two seasons of eligibility at Miami.

Willie Cauley-Stein Wants To Expand Skillset, Return To Kentucky With 'Dominating Mindset'

Willie Cauley-Stein was widely projected as a first-round draft choice.

Doug McDermott Opts To Return For Senior Season At Creighton

Doug McDermott had been projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

Russ Smith Staying At Louisville For Senior Season

Russ Smith was considered a likely second round pick had he declared.

Wiggins Cancels Home Visits With North Carolina, Kansas, Florida State

Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit in Portland.

Shane Larkin Will Wait Until Draft Deadline To Decide Future

Shane Larkin is projected as a late-first to late-second round draft pick.

Wiggins Has Not Chosen A College, Dismisses Rumors

Andrew Wiggins is in no rush to choose where he will play college basketball next season.

C.J. McCollum Eager To Prove He's Healthy, Ready For NBA

C.J. McCollum has been projected by many to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

Kelly Olynyk Leaving Gonzaga For NBA Draft

Kelly Olynyk averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Towns, Wiggins Developing Chemistry On World Select Team

Karl Towns and Andrew Wiggins will lead the World Select Team against Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit.

Andrew Harrison Plans To Showcase PG Skills At Kentucky

Andrew Harrison is the top-rated point guard in the class of 2013.
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