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Today in the AM Rumble, Jay Wright makes headlines with his comments to ESPN's Andy Katz, two quality head coaches agree to extensions and Duke has now taken over as the number one recruiting class in the nation.
Before we jump into it, CBS put together an excellent one hour special on the Joe Lemm Celebrity Basketball game that took place at Carnesecca Arena. Also, if you are looking to sign-up for the Chris Mullin basketball camps that will take place throughout the summer at St. John's, the school continues to take registrations. The first session starts on June 8.
Agent or no agent?
Villanova guard Josh Hart entered the NBA Draft (without an agent) following a National Championship season. He attended the NBA Combine last week in Chicago, has gone through a workout with the Boston Celtics, and now has until May 25 to make a life changing decision.
With Hart being '50-50' on returning to Philadelphia, head coach Jay Wright proposed an idea to ESPN's Andy Katz. Wright believes that underclassmen should have the option to retain an agents' services in order to help them with their draft decision. The schools currently have to set up NBA workouts for the prospects and they also must pay for their travel, so having some guidance may be beneficial for both parties.
Pay Raise
Head coach Chris Holtmann and Butler have agreed to a new contract extension that will keep the 44-year old in Indianapolis through the 2021-22 season. Holtmann has led the Bulldogs to two straight NCAA Tournaments and has kept the program competitive in a difficult Big East Conference.
Current Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley was a strong candidate at Rutgers following the firing of Eddie Jordan and was also mentioned as a possible candidate for the St. John's job before Chris Mullin took over. The Rams continue to do everything possible in order to keep Hurley in Kingston, as the program extended his contract through the 2020-21 season. They also raised his pay from $630,000 (made in 2014-15) to $1 million per year.
Recruiting
After a long drawn out process, five-star big man Marques Bolden finally chose his college destination on Thursday. The Texas native is headed to Duke over Kentucky and TCU, making the Blue Devils the top recruiting class in 2016.
Bolden is one of the best, if not the best, low post scorer in the class and will provide the team with a much needed shot blocker that improves their final line of defense. The Blue Devils are the clear favorite to win the National Championship next year as they feature Grayson Allen, Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson, Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard, in addition to their freshman.
Arizona State received a commitment from four-star forward Romello White. Bobby Hurley is losing Savon Goodman and Willie Atwood up front, so they needed another talented big to go along with Obinna Oleka.
Welcome back
North Carolina State received excellent news earlier this week when Turkish seven-footer Omer Yurtseven committed to the program. On Thursday, BeeJay Anya and Abdul Malik-Abu announced that they are returning to school. With Lennard Freeman undergoing leg surgery, this is a critical development for Mark Gottfried's front line.