Coaches love to credit Lefty Driesell with saying years ago that an early commitment only means a coach knows his sole competition for the player. Former Rhode Island coach Jerry DeGregorio said the same thing last season, and was chastised for his comments.

But the reality is holding on to an early commitment gets dicey because of the ongoing recruitment of players throughout the summer and into the fall before the week-long early-signing period, which began Wednesday.

Call it unethical. Or call it fair game. But it's enough to make a number of coaches -- save those at say Duke -- nervous even after they get a commitment.

	“	There are scumbags in this business. If a guy commits then I would never try and recruit him. But some don't care. ”
		— Jim Harrick, Georgia head coach

"There are scumbags in this business," Georgia coach Jim Harrick bluntly says, although not naming any names. "If a guy commits then I would never try and recruit him. But some don't care."

Georgia and Cincinnati were in a late heated battle for Alexander Johnson out of Albany Dougherty High (Ga.), even though he had committed to Georgia. He was expected to sign with the Bulldogs on Wednesday. But Johnson allegedly kept the door open and visited Cincinnati, a sign that his oral commitment wasn't as strong.

Keeping the phone lines open, still making official or unofficial visits, having parents, guardians, summer or high school coaches continue to call another school, all makes early commitments even less believable to another school.

"We've never lost a kid after we got a commitment," Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins said. "Kids are funny because they want to commit, but then they want to be recruited. If a kid calls you and wants to open up the recruiting and take a visit ... then that's a sure sign that he's not sure where he wants to go."

Similar situations went on with Rashad Anderson of Lakeland (Fla.) Kathleen High, where in-state school Florida was in the recruitment late, even after Anderson had given a commitment to Connecticut. But, in this case, like countless others, his family was interested in Anderson staying closer to home. The same thing could be occurring with Kennedy Winston, a forward from Pritchard (Ala.) Blount High, who was debating between a reported commitment to Cal and local team Alabama.

South Carolina's Dave Odom, in his first season after leaving Wake Forest, couldn't forbid Raymond Felton from nearby Latta (S.C.) High if the committed North Carolina point guard wants to play pickup on campus. That doesn't mean Odom was recruiting Felton, yet having him around doesn't hurt.

The most recent example, and probably the highest profile case of a player committing to another school and then staying home, was Rick Rickert, now a freshman at Minnesota. The Duluth forward committed to Arizona, but his parents wanted him to be near them, opening up the door for Minnesota coach Dan Monson to continue to recruit him last season and eventually sway him to sign with the Gophers.

"These kids are 18 years old and they would like to go to a school. But they don't understand what the decision means for the rest of their lives," Monson said. "I had never done this before, but Rickert was a special circumstance. I would understand it more if it happened to me. I used to be one of those coaches who thought it wasn't ethical, but now I'm on the other side. It does happen."

New NCAA rules, which will allow juniors to take official visits after Jan. 1 of their junior year in high school, could lead to more early commitments. But the binding nature of a national letter of intent -- a document that carries a one-year penalty and loss of eligibility for breaking the letter of intent if a release is granted, two years if it isn't -- makes signing the national letter of intent serious business. Even though the NLI, which is run out of the SEC, has been more lenient in appeals (see: Florida's Adrian Moss and N.C. State's Anthony Grundy recently), recruits still need to be careful where they commit.

That's why players do leave open the possibility to check out other schools, even after committing, although the trend of doing it just to take a trip has faded with the amount of travel these players do over the summer.

"The situations where players de-commit are still the exceptions to the rule," said noted national recruiting analyst Dave Telep. "Most of the time a guy makes a commitment and the other schools back off. But some kids don't make it clear.

"Alexander Johnson committed to Georgia ions ago but he wanted to take other visits.

"Dave Odom has to recruit Raymond Felton to the best of his abilities because South Carolina has to establish border patrol between the North and the South, even though he committed to North Carolina," Telep adds. "The people around Rick Rickert never told Minnesota not to recruit him. There was a gray area and if there is one then you can't give up. But the gray area is created by the kids, not by the schools. I don't see a lot of tampering."

	“	If a kid has any character he'll keep his word. If he doesn't, then maybe you don't want that kid in your program. ”
		— Mark Few, Gonzagaa head coach

Schools like North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA usually don't have to deal with this issue. But that wasn't the case with the Tar Heels this season.

"I'm glad there is a signing date in November," said North Carolina coach Matt Doherty, who got three of the best commitments prior to the signing date in Felton, guard Rashad McCants (New Hampton Prep School/N.H.) and forward Sean May (Bloomington North High/Ind.).

"When there is a coaching change, the common courtesy is for the new coach to call the high school coach and see if there is a change in heart from the kid," Doherty added. "If they say, 'Yes,' OK. If they say, 'No,' then say, 'Good luck.'

"A lot of guys aren't that professional in a lot of circles. But it comes down to the character of the family and the kid. You have to make sure the kid is sure when he gives you a commitment because sometimes programs force kids to commit and when they're pushed that's not good."

Duke doesn't even think twice about it once it gets a commitment. Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski said the Blue Devils immediately make the recruits feel like part of the program, changing the way they talk to them and including them in what they're doing on campus, rather than trying to still convince them to come.

"It's no secret that other schools still recruit kids once they're committed," Wojciechowski said. "But we don't even entertain the idea that they'll de-commit."

"Once they commit to Duke, where else are they going to go, the NBA?" Arizona State assistant Tony Benford said. "It's different for them. What happens to other programs is once a kid commits, then other schools will start throwing negative stuff at you, saying you haven't won or you're not going to win."

SMU coach Mike Dement said schools like Duke don't get negative recruited because what would be said, "why are you committing to Duke?"

"How can you put them down? But when other schools get commitments then it makes the target easier because some coaches think they can go after you," Dement said.

The one thing that coaches can't guard against is something negative off the court happening to the program in the time between a commitment and signing day in November. Villanova's Jay Wright said that's why coaches have to stay in touch with players during the allowed once-a-week call, even after a commitment.

But, in the end, it still comes down to whether or not the player is sure once he makes a commitment. If he's not, then coaches will jump on the chance to steal him since an oral commitment isn't binding.

"If a kid has any character he'll keep his word," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "If he doesn't, then maybe you don't want that kid in your program. If a kid comes out and has a press conference and then still goes back on his word and signs somewhere else then that's really sad. But I know it happens."

	Caron Butler won't be passing up too many shots this season at UConn.

Butler's simply better
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun demanded Caron Butler to shoot, instead of just think. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim hoped Butler would be more assertive when he had him in July with the USA Basketball team in Japan.

Finally it sunk in.

Butler isn't thinking more than a split second once he sees he has the opening. His just-shoot-it attitude should work just fine for the forward with all-American skills. If he can average 20-plus points a night, the Huskies have more than a good chance to get back into the NCAA Tournament.

Watching him in practice, Butler isn't necessarily a better shooter, he's a better player, knowing when to use his shot from the perimeter, when to drive to the basket and when to slide down for an offensive rebound.

"I'm getting more looks within the offense and I'm taking advantage of it because my confidence has never been this high," said Butler, who averaged 15.3 points a freshman. "I know I can average more than 20 a game. Coach (Calhoun) kept telling me to work on my jumper and coach Boeheim told me to be more offensive minded. It's become more natural."

Calhoun got on Butler about his work habits, imploring him to put in the extra time shooting the way Ray Allen did when he was with the Huskies.

"He was hesitant last year but now he's just catching and shooting it now," Connecticut point Taliek Brown said. "That's what he'll have to do at the next level."

Which could come as soon as next season. Butler has the body at 6-foot-7, and the perimeter skills to make a jump early to The League. But he's got unfinished business with the Huskies going to the NIT last season. Butler, however, can't do it alone. The Huskies need Johnny Selvie to play up to his double-double potential on a nightly basis, and Brown's decision-making has to improve as well as his 25 percent 3-point shooting.

But the role players are available for the Huskies to win a balanced Big East -- players like shooters Ben Gordon and combo guard Tony Robertson; serviceable, but limited post player Justin Brown; raw but hard-working forward Emeka Okafor; rebounding forward Mike Hayes; and potential specialists in shooters Chad Wise and Robert Swain, defensive gem Shannon Tooles and finesse forward Scott Hazelton.

"It's not usual for a team to not make the NCAA Tournament around here," Butler said. "Good players left a legacy here and I want to, too, and do it the old fashioned way in the tournament. We've got a chance to do the same things that BC did last year and jump up and shock some people."

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