Amar’e Stoudemire won’t travel to Turkey with Team USA because of insurance issues related to his left knee.

But he is enjoying an overseas adventure just the same.

The new Knicks forward, who signed a five-year, $100 million deal with New York but was kept out of the World Championships because of insurance concerns, is currently visiting Israel after learning that his mother has Jewish roots.

“Jerusalem is a beautiful city, I’m at a cafe eating a late lunch,” Stoudemire wrote on his Twitter feed. “I’m learning Hebrew by the min. Keep up !! Shalom.”

Stoudemire also Tweeted before he left Tuesday: “On the flight to Israel. This is going to be a great trip. The holy land. Learn about it. This ze ha’halom sheli. Shalom.” Read more…

By BRETT BARROUQUERE and WILL GRAVES, Associated Press Writers

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A woman accused of demanding millions to stay quiet about a tryst with Rick Pitino initiated the sex by whispering to him and unzipping his pants when he got up to leave an empty Italian restaurant, he testified Wednesday.

After four days of training and an intra-squad exhibition game that were held July 19-24 in Las Vegas, Nev., USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced that 15 players have been selected as finalists for the 2010 USA World Championship Team.

The roster includes Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder). Read more…

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins was released Wednesday from a Las Vegas hospital.

“He’s resting, feeling better,” a source with knowledge said.

Huggins had been hospitalized since breaking seven ribs in a fall in his hotel room on Friday while in Nevada on a recruiting trip.

CALHOUN HIGH ON ST. JOHN’S

UConn coach Jim Calhoun said he expects big things from St. John’s under first-year coach Steve Lavin. The Johnnies return nine seniors this season.

“I have no question that St. John’s is going to move up,” Calhoun told me at the Peach Jam. “When you got 8 or 9 seniors, you’re gonna be good. You are gonna be good.”

St. John’s finished 17-16, 6-12 in the Big East under former coach Norm Roberts last season. Read more…

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. –Mike Rosario watched Bradley Beal and Austin Rivers battle it out in the AAU Super Showcase championship game from Orlando, Fla. Tuesday night on ESPNU.

While the 6-foot-4 Beal has verbally committed to join Rosario at Florida in 2011, the 6-4 Rivers is considering Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky. Many expect him to land at Duke.

With Florida coach Billy Donovan among those watching courtside, Rivers scored a game-high 24 points as his Each 1 Teach 1 team beat Beal’s St. Louis Eagles, 78-60, for the title.

“I watched them go to head-to-head,” Rosario said by phone from the Florida campus. “It was a great matchup. Those guys been playing well. I love Brad Beal’s game. He has a smooth game like Ray Allen.

Read the full story at SNY.

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The Knicks may be done on the free agency front, but could still improve their team with a trade.

New York is one of three teams in the mix — along with Boston and Chicago — to land Portland Trail Blazers small forward Rudy Fernandez, according to The Oregonian.

Fernandez is reportedly unhappy with his role behind All-Star Brandon Roy and with coach Nate McMillan’s penchant to use him as a shooter instead of a playmaker. Read more…

If anyone has a cloning machine, I need to borrow it Wednesday night.

Not only does my Black summer league team (10-2) have a big Westchester Summer League Ultimate game against Forest (6-6) at SUNY Purchase, but three huge acts are all playing in New York City.

Tom Petty is playing Madison Square Garden.

Furthur (The Dead) is taking up at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square.

And Willie Nelson and The Levon Helm Band are hitting Radio City.

A buddy of mine just called to say he’s taking his whole family, folks included, to Willie and Levon.

I may try and play my Ultimate game and then catch the second set of Furthur. Or maybe I’ll just try to score tickets for Thursday night’s show.

Gotta love New York City on nights like this, though.

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Austin Rivers and Bradley Beal are the first two players who have been invited to this year’s Boost Mobile Elite 24 game Aug. 28 in Venice Beach, Calif., a source with knowledge told ZAGSBLOG.

The 6-foot-4 Rivers and Each 1 Teach 1 beat the 6-4 Beal and the St. Louis Eagles, 78-60, Tuesday night on ESPNU for the Orlando Super Showcase title in front of a crowd that included Billy Donovan of Florida, Roy Williams of North Carolina, former Duke star Grant Hill, Brad Stevens of Butler, Bruce Pearl of Tennessee, Anthony Grant of Alabama and Mike Anderson of Missouri.

Rivers and teammate Trevor Lacey combined for 46 points, with Rivers dropping a game-high 24 and Lacey scoring 22.

“They beat us at Boo Williams at our first tournament,” Lacey told ESPNU. “We kind of wanted a little payback. It was good for us to come out and win the game.”

Rivers said after the game he is considering Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas and Kentucky. Read more…

Quinn Cook has been on the road seemingly all summer.

Already he has traveled to Minnesota, California, North Carolina, Texas, Germany, Las Vegas and now Arizona.

“I’m exhausted, but I got a couple games left,” Cook, the No. 5 point guard in the Class of 2011, said Tuesday from the Desert Duel in Gilbert, Az.

Cook and his DC Assault AAU program will finish up in Arizona before playing one more local event in Virginia at the end of the month.

After that he plans to head home to Prince George’s County, Maryland and cut his college list.

That list now includes Arizona, UCLA, Villanova, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, West Virginia, Rutgers, St. John’s and Georgetown. (Rutgers was left off a list published by an Arizona newspaper.) Read more…

Austin Rivers and Bradley Beal, two of the brightest stars in the Class of 2011, put their teams on their respective backs Monday and will square off Tuesday for the Super Showcase championship in Orlando, Fla.

The 6-foot-4 Rivers scored 17 of his game-high 37 points to lead Each 1 Teach 1 to a come-from-behind 76-67 victory over the Georgia Blazers in the second semifinal.

In the first one, the Florida-bound Beal dropped 36 points as the St. Louis Eagles exacted revenge on Team Takeover with an 80-76 win. Team Takeover beat E1T1 to win the Peach Jam July 15.

The title game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday on ESPNU. Read more…