ESPN

Seton Hall scored a major recruiting coup Thursday when Lincoln High School star shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead verbally committed to joining the Pirates in the fall of 2014 over fellow finalists St. John's, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

What it means: Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard is building some serious recruiting momentum. Last week, the Pirates reeled in a star out of Brooklyn, N.Y., Bishop Loughlin guard Khadeen Carrington. And last month, Seton Hall secured Huntington Prep (W.Va.) power forward Angel Delgado, the No. 63-ranked player in the ESPN 100.

Whitehead is ranked even higher than Delgado at No. 35. The Pirates also have an ESPN 100 recruit who will be a freshman this season -- point guard Jaren Sina, ranked No. 91 in the Class of 2013.

Seton Hall is coming off a 15-18 year, including a 3-15 conference record, Willard's second losing season in three years at the helm. This is a critical juncture for him, particularly with the new Big East launching this year.

It's important to note that Willard's coaching staff has undergone a shake-up during the offseason. Former Rutgers head coach and ace recruiter Fred Hill came aboard, and Willard recently added former St. Raymond High School coach and Manhattan College assistant Oliver Antigua to the staff. Delgado is a native of the Dominican Republic, and Antigua served as an assistant coach with the Dominican Republic national team this summer.

On the other hand: This is a disappointing result for St. John's, which will be competing against Seton Hall in the new Big East. But the two programs are in different places right now.

The Pirates are in full-on rebuilding mode, while the Red Storm roster is already stocked with talent. With the return of Big East Rookie of the Year Jakarr Sampson and high-scoring guard D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's should be near the top of the Big East standings and make the NCAA tournament this season.

Whitehead would have been a nice get for Steve Lavin, particularly since he's a New York City kid, but this is not a crippling blow for the Red Storm.

What's next: College basketball season is fast approaching! Teams are allowed to start practicing Sept. 27.

Seton Hall will begin play with an exhibition game against Caldwell College on Nov. 2. St. John's will also play its first exhibition game Nov. 2, versus San Francisco State.

It's official -- St. John's will be part of one of the best sports weekends the Big Apple has ever had.

A day before Super Bowl XLVIII is played across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium, St. John's will play in a special Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm will battle Big East foe Marquette at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2014, followed by an intriguing nonconference matchup between Georgetown and Michigan State at 3 p.m.

To top it all off, the Knicks host the Heat at the Garden that night, at 8:30.

Tickets to the doubleheader will go on sale to the general public in November, but can be obtained now by purchasing a St. John's full season-ticket package.

The Red Storm will be making an exhibition trip to Europe later this month, and will open up the 2013-14 regular season Friday Nov. 8, against Wisconsin, in Sioux Falls, S.D.

St. John's released its full 2013-14 nonconference men's basketball schedule Tuesday.

The two highlights? Previously announced games on Nov. 8 against Wisconsin at a neutral site (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and on Dec. 15 against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden.

The Wisconsin game, St. John's regular season opener, is the only nonconference game the Red Storm will play outside of New York City this season.

St. John's will play two exhibition games at Carnesecca Arena, versus Division II opponents San Francisco State (Nov. 2) and Humboldt State (Nov. 5).

The Red Storm will also host Wagner, Bucknell, Monmouth, Longwood, San Francisco, Youngstown State and Dartmouth at Carnesecca.

They'll play Fordham at the Garden on Dec. 8, as part of the MSG Holiday Festival. And they'll play three games at the Barclays Center -- versus Columbia, Penn State and either Georgia Tech or Mississippi.

The Big East will release its full conference schedule at a later date. But St. John's will open up conference play with a game at Xavier on New Year's Eve.

Click here to see St. John's full nonconference schedule.

NEW YORK -- Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner would’ve thought the possibility of his alma mater, Ohio State, playing in Yankee Stadium was pretty cool.

"The Boss always loved college football. Except for the Yankees, it was his greatest passion," Yankees president Randy Levine said.

The Buckeyes will have a chance to play in "The House That George Built" starting in 2014.

On Tuesday, the Big Ten and Atlantic Coastal Conference announced that they’ve entered into a six-year agreement to play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in the Bronx.

According to a press release, "the ACC will have a significant branding presence in Yankee Stadium, featuring a fixed sign along the third-base line and home plate rotating signage."

"The partnership between the ACC and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl makes sense on so many levels and we are extremely pleased that one of the league’s football teams will be showcased in this game annually," ACC commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. "With our 15-member conference stretching along the entire Atlantic Coast, this will be a great opportunity for our fans and alums to connect in the media capital of world and with one of the most storied and successful franchises in sports."

And college football in Yankee Stadium may not stop with the Pinstripe Bowl. The Yankees would also like to host college football playoff games eventually, they announced Tuesday.

Read the full news story here.

During an 11-minute recording riddled with profanities, Eric Murdock said that former Rutgers coach Mike Rice treated his players “like slaves.”

“Just cracking the whip. That’s all you’re doing. [You’re] cracking the whip. And when the [expletive] can’t deliver, you cut his toe off like [expletive] Kunta Kinte,” Murdock, attempting to characterize Rice's approach, said in the recording, which was taken on June 29, 2012.

The recording was obtained by The Chronicle of Higher Education through public records.

Rice was fired by the university after “Outside The Lines” obtained video, provided by Murdock, that showed he abused his players. Murdock served as Rice’s director of player development for three seasons before his contract was not renewed. Murdock felt that was unjust.

According to The Chronicle, the recording was taken by an assistant coach. It was used by the university in its investigation of Rice.

Murdock filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the school. He is being investigated by the FBI for possible extortion.

The Big East baseball championship tournament begins Wednesday, and all three local squads -- St. John's, Seton Hall and Rutgers -- are among the eight teams that qualified.

The tourney has a double-elimination format through the semifinal round, and you can watch all the games via ESPN3. The championship game will air on ESPNU at noon Sunday.

Seton Hall (36-17, 18-6) is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 Notre Dame at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Senior shortstop Giuseppe Papaccio is fourth in the conference in batting average (.362) and tied for third in RBIs (52).

Rutgers (26-28, 14-10) is the No. 5 seed and will play No. 4 South Florida at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Sophomore outfielder Vinny Zarrillo is eighth in the conference in batting average (.346), and hit a league-best .407 in conference games.

St. John's (23-33, 10-14), the defending champion, is the No. 6 seed and will play No. 3 Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Junior catcher/first baseman Frank Schwindel is sixth in the conference in batting average (.348) and tied for third in RBIs (52).

Louisville (46-10, 20-4) is the No. 1 seed. The Cardinals won 16 consecutive games to end the regular season.

The tournament will be played at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla., the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pittsburgh, Stanford, Texas Tech and Houston will play in Brooklyn in November, in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center.

The semifinals will be Monday, Nov. 25, with the championship doubleheader the following night. The matchups are yet to be announced, but tickets go on sale Friday.

Pitt is the headliner -- the only team of the four that made the NCAA tournament last season. The Panthers will be beginning their first season in the ACC.

Stanford made the NIT last season, while Houston played in the CBI. Texas Tech will have a new head coach, Tubby Smith, formerly of Minnesota and Kentucky.

The next college basketball season is still six months away, but St. John's officially announced its 2013-14 season opener on Tuesday -- and it's an intriguing matchup.

The Red Storm will play Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 8, at a neutral site -- the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It's a brand-new building that will open this fall.

St. John's also revealed that it will play Columbia on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Barclays Center, as part of the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival. The Red Storm will also play in the Barclays Center Classic on Nov. 29 and 30, along with Georgia Tech, Mississippi and Penn State. And they will host Syracuse at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 15.

The complete nonconference schedule will be released early this summer.

Columbia is headed to the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament.

The Lions clinched an automatic bid by winning the Ivy League title on Saturday, sweeping their championship doubleheader against Dartmouth.

Columbia won Game 1 in 10 innings, 6-5. Game 2 was a little more comfortable, as the Lions won 12-5.

Star slugger Joey Falcone, who served in the United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan and was profiled by ESPNNewYork.com last week, went 3-for-5 in the first game, and 3-for-4 in the nightcap.

The full NCAA tournament field and bracket will be revealed on Monday, May 27.

Former Stony Brook running back Miguel Maysonet didn't become the first player in school history to be selected in the NFL draft, but it didn't take long for him to find a team.

Shortly after the draft ended Saturday night, Maysonet agreed to a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a source.

Maysonet was projected as a possible sixth- or seventh-round pick. A total of 22 running backs were selected during the three-day draft, but he didn't hear his name called.

The record-breaking runner will play for new coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. The Eagles didn't draft any running backs, but they have three holdovers at the position, including star LeSean McCoy.

Maysonet, who rushed for more than 1,900 yards last season, will have an opportunity to play in Kelly's suped-up spread offense. He will report to rookie minicamp in two weeks.

Point guard Jaren Sina committed to Seton Hall on Wednesday, over Indiana and Northwestern.

The New Jersey native had previously committed to Northwestern, but reopened his recruitment after coach Bill Carmody was fired last month.

Fred Hill, who was an assistant under Carmody at Northwestern, was officially hired by Seton Hall as an assistant on Wednesday as well.

Sina, 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, is from Lake Hopatcong, N.J., played at Gill St. Bernard's School, and was rated the fifth-best senior in the state by ESPN. "Sina is a super skilled guard with a lethal jump shot," according to his ESPN Recruiting scouting report. "He's as skilled and smart as they get but his intangibles are what separate him. He plays with unwavering confidence and just enough cockiness to maximize his talents."

It's a big addition for Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates are coming off a 15-18 season, 3-15 in the Big East, and were in desperate need of backcourt help following the transfer of second-leading scorer Aaron Cosby.

Seton Hall has hired Fred Hill as an assistant men's basketball coach, the school announced Wednesday.

Hill, the head coach at Rutgers from 2006-10, previously served as a Seton Hall assistant from 1998-2001. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Northwestern under Bill Carmody, who was fired last month.

"We are excited to welcome Fred back to the Seton Hall family," head coach Kevin Willard said in a statement. "Fred has a great basketball mind and brings over 30 years of experience to our coaching staff. He is a proven recruiter who has a track record of attracting elite talent in each of his coaching stops. Fred enjoyed tremendous success on the recruiting trail in his first term at Seton Hall, and we look forward to this next chapter of his coaching career."

Hill went just 47-77 in his four seasons in charge at Rutgers, but has had great success as a recruiter throughout his career. He helped reel in some outstanding prospects during his first stint at Seton Hall -- including Andre Barrett and Eddie Griffin -- and should help the Pirates be more competitive in the new Big East, which debuts next season.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to work with Coach Willard and his terrific staff," Hill said. "It feels great to be back home at Seton Hall where I have so many fond memories. This is truly an exciting time to rejoin the Pirate family as we embark on the new Big East basketball conference. I look forward to working tirelessly with our staff to make my second experience at Seton Hall as wonderful as my first."

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Bob Gregory, a three-year basketball starter for Manhattan College who went on to teach and coach in the New York City public school system for almost 30 years, has died. He was 63.

Gregory, who graduated from Manhattan in 1972 and played professionally in France for one year, died Tuesday after 18 months of fighting brain cancer, his family said.

He coached the girls basketball teams at Columbus H.S. and at Bronx High School of Science, where he compiled a 121-71 record that included 17-1 seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09, reaching the PSAL semifinals in the second season.

Gregory is survived by wife Yolanda, stepdaughter Alexis, two grandsons, five brothers and sisters and five nieces and nephews.

A viewing will be Thursday at Ballard-Durand Funeral Services in White Plains, and a funeral Mass will be Friday at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church in Hartsdale.

Iona guard Lamont "Momo" Jones has won the 2013 Haggerty Award, given to the best Division I men's basketball player in the New York metropolitan area.

Jones, a 6-foot senior from Harlem, finished third in the country in scoring, averaging 22.6 points per game. He led the Gaels to their second consecutive NCAA tournament.

Stony Brook's Steve Pikiell was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, and St. John's freshman forward Jakarr Sampson was named Rookie of the Year.

The All-Met first team, besides Jones, includes St. John's guard D'Angelo Harrison, Seton Hall's Fuquan Edwin, Iona's Sean Armand and a pair of LIU Brooklyn players, Jamal Olasewere and Jason Brickman.

The second team features Sampson, Myles Mack (Rutgers), Tommy Brenton (Stony Brook), Rhamel Brown (Manhattan) and Ella Ellis (Army).

The third team features Chris Obekpa and Phil Greene from St. John's, plus C.J. Garner (LIU Brooklyn), Jameel Warney (Stony Brook), Jonathon Williams (Wagner) and Chris Flores (N.J.I.T.).

Andrew Wiggins has several fans -- including Carmelo Anthony.

"I like him," Anthony said after watching the 6-foot-7 Wiggins, the No. 1 college basketball prospect in the nation, score 19 points and grab five rebounds in the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday night at Barclays Center.

"I saw him last summer in Vegas. He looked really good."

Many NBA talent-evaluators believe Wiggins would be the top overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft if he was allowed to skip college.

"I wish him the best," Anthony said. "Next year, if he does what he’s gotta do, he’ll be ready to take that next step."

Wiggins, known for his athleticism and scoring prowess, remains undecided on where he’ll go to school next season.

"No one I care about is telling to go anywhere, or even bringing it up," Wiggins said.

Wiggins wowed the Barclays Center crowd with four dunks, but perhaps his best play of the night was when he fed Kentucky-bound big man Julius Randle for an alley-oop dunk on a 2-on-1 fastbreak in the first half.

John Calipari’s Wildcats have already put together one of the best recruiting classes ever, landing Randle along with twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, James Young and Marcus Lee. Randle (PF), Aaron (SG), Andrew (PG) and Johnson (C) are all the top-rated players at their respective positions.

Wiggins (SF) would give them a starting five full of No. 1s.

"I’m trying my best [to convince him to come to Kentucky], but it’s on him, and I wish nothing but the best for him," said Randle, who also scored 19 points and was named co-MVP of the game along with Duke’s Jabari Parker (16 points, seven rebounds), the No. 2 prospect in the country behind Wiggins.

"He threw a great pass. He’s a great player. He makes the game easier on me. It was fun playing wit him."

The star-studded crowd at Barclays Center included Michael Jordan, Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, CC Sabathia and rapper Drake, who performed briefly after the game.

"It’s an honor. I’m just thrilled at the fact all these celebrities saw us play," Wiggins said. "I appreciate that. I’m blessed to be here and play among the best high school players in the world."

Anthony also said he was impressed with Randle, Parker and Syracuse-bound point guard Tyler Ennis, who played his high school ball at St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.).

"I know when I was in high school we weren’t as big as these guys these days," said Anthony, who scored 27 points in the 2002 Jordan Brand Classic. "They look like they’re in the gym all day, in the weight room. They’re already one step ahead."

Said Randle, who has known Stoudemire for 2-to-3 years: "These are just two players that you grow up idolizing. To have them courtside was a huge honor and I was glad they came."