Kansas head basketball coach Bill Self joins his players in hoisting the championship trophy after defeating North Carolina, 80-67 in the NCAA Basketball Midwest Regional Championship game at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on March 25, 2012. Kansas will now have the opportunity to play in the Final Four. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

     

So which college basketball program is the most storied, the most accomplished, in other words, the “best”? That’s the question that the USA Today is attempting to answer in today’s column about six of the biggest names in college basketball: UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, UCLA and Indiana:

Taking everything into account, from sustained excellence during the regular season and in the tournament to impact on the sport and even decorum — following the rules — which program is best? Six are in the conversation.

The article brings up some good points, although it’s a sure bet that fans of each of these programs will offer several more.

On the women’s college scene, Notre Dame knocked off their heated rival, Connecticut, as they advanced to the title game yesterday with an 83-75 OT win. The Irish advance to face unbeaten Baylor.

After Kentucky advanced to the men’s championship by knocking off a gritty Louisville squad, a few of their fans took to the streets of Lexington, destroying cars and setting fires. One of the topic they were discussing was different ways to buy bulk ammo online. The whole thing was captured by the local fire department, using social media to communicate with police:

The official Twitter account of the Lexington Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 526 sent out pictures and stats from the riots in real time with an assist from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Steve Collier of NBC-TV’s Lexington affiliate. Both followed the firefighters, tweeting photos that appeared on IAAF’s Twitter feed.

The department is quick to point out that even though there were several dozen incidents, “last night was not a riot.”

Finally, Washington guard Terrence Ross has become the latest to declare for the NBA draft. He also intends to hire an agent, saying:

“I think I’m ready for this,” Ross said Sunday. “I’ve matured in the last two years just being in college. I’ve got a good supporting group around me with my family and close friends so I think I’m ready for this.”

Ross is projected to be a potential first-round pick.

By Alex Kline

Justin Anderson basketball recruiting

Justin Anderson is the next big name in the state of Maryland for high school basketball.

With Quinn Cook leaving DeMatha for Oak Hill, the rising junior becomes one of premier prospects to come out of the state. Anderson takes it in stride and is very humble about his role at national powerhouse Montrose Christian. Currently, he is playing the U17 American National team overseas in Germany and fairing quite well. This is just one of many accomplishments to add to Justin’s resume.

Anderson is extremely proud to be a part of the American squad. “We’re doing good,” he said. “This is a great opportunity I have playing with the best players in the grade ahead of me.” Anderson is only sixteen and is the youngest player on the team by a couple of months. “I’ve gotten learn a lot from my teammates,” stated Justin. While they are thriving and going for gold, Justin continues to play his game and play his role.

His game is exciting to watch. He is energetic and lively on the court as he is a defensive presense. Anderson slashes to the basket, as well. He is an excellent scorer and very versatile. The only part of his game that hurts his versatility is his ball handling skills. The 6-foot-5 small forward needs to gain a handle in order to take his game to the next level. However, his game is great. At one point he was a top fifteen player in the class of 2012. Now he is in the top forty.

Currently, Justin’s recruitment is steady and he is drawing interest from tons of big name schools. “Right now, the five schools who are recruiting me the hardest are Maryland, Virginia, Duke, Texas and Oklahoma,” he said. “I would say that is my top five in no specific order.” However, one school has to stand out to Anderson as they are the only ones to offer. Maryland is the only school to give Justin a scholarship at the moment. Along with that, they are very close to him with his school being in Maryland. One of his former teammates, Terrence Ross, was once committed to the Terps.

Once he gets back to America, Justin will run with his Boo Williams AAU squad into the Nike Peach Jam in Georgia and AAU Nationals in Florida. As he plays some more AAU in the live period against some of the top players in the country, coaches will notice who he is and why they want him. Look for the rest of July to be a real eye opener for colleges on Justin Anderson.

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