| | An oral commitment is only as good as a recruit's word. But it doesn't stop another school from pursuing him as if he's still open.
Mario Austin of Sumpter County High in York, Ala., is finding out recruiting doesn't end when you announce where you are going to school. It's over when the national letter of intent is signed, sealed and delivered.
Nearly three months after he committed to Alabama, Austin is still taking calls. He's not alone. Gerald Wallace, Austin's highly touted future 'Bama teammate, is still getting mail. Both committed to the Tide, but realize schools won't leave them alone until they're 'Bama property.
"Mississippi State's been calling," said the 6-foot-8 Austin. "I was real surprised. I thought after I committed it would be easier. But it feels like it's worse. I told them and the other schools to stop calling."
Mississippi State isn't breaking any NCAA rules by pursuing Austin. Coaches know that players change their minds all the way up to signing day. But the Bulldogs open themselves up to the same treatment for one of their recruits.
"They're just asking me to give them a chance, but my commitment to Alabama is solid," Austin said. "Alabama was with me the whole time before my name was out there. The same thing is happening with Gerald."
They haven't talked, but the former summer-league teammates on Alabama Ice have heard about the ongoing pursuit.
"I'm not surprised," said the 6-6 Wallace, who hails from Childersburg, Ala. "A verbal commitment doesn't mean anything to college coaches. I haven't signed my name in ink. I'm not getting calls, but I'm getting mail from Auburn. With Mario, it's a desperation to get him (by Mississippi State) and it shows how hard they wanted him."
The NCAA forbids college coaches from talking about recruits until they sign letters of intent, but there's no gag rule on summer-league coaches.
"Nobody has called me, but I knew about Mississippi State and Auburn pursuing those two," Alabama Ice coach Kenny Harris said. "Neither one has wavered about changing. Gerald's only option is the NBA, and that's only a
five-percent chance. If right before the draft he thinks he's a top-five player, he'll go."
Austin and Wallace will shore up their commitments when they make official visits this weekend to Alabama, giving the Tide their highest-profile recruiting class ever.
When Wallace arrives, Alabama coach Mark Gottfried might be surprised to hear how expressive he's become the past two months. The previously shy Wallace has come out of his shell. He's the lead in Childersburg's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Nov. 18-19. And last weekend he was the school's homecoming king. He didn't wear adidas in either event.
"I'm nervous about the play," said Wallace. "I have a teacher who works with me and said my voice is so deep and low that I have trouble projecting my voice to the crowd while on stage. If I can get that down, I'll be fine."
First impressions can usually land a high-profile recruit. Take DeShawn Stevenson from Fresno, Calif. The 6-5 all-everything guard from Washington High went to Kansas for Midnight Madness. His mom, stepfather, 4-month-old brother, uncle and summer-league coach were in the stands, too. By Monday, Stevenson didn't want to leave. He gave an oral commitment to Kansas, shocking Fresno State, Kentucky, UCLA, Connecticut and Georgia because Stevenson had been saying all along he wanted to wait until April before signing.
"I was getting tired of the recruiting," Stevenson said. "I knew where I wanted to go and I wanted to see how it looked."
The family couldn't get over the event.
"We couldn't believe they had 17,000 fans, 10,000 students at Midnight Madness," said Terry Popps, Stevenson's stepfather. "We felt like they knew us, everyone, down to the administrators. They even had a car seat ready for us."
Stevenson still needs to get eligible. So, too, do a number of high-profile players making commitments the past month. With the early signing period running Nov. 10-17, here's a list of other high-profile players who made visits (and some commitments) last weekend:
| Player
|
Height
|
From
|
Visited
|
|
David Anderson
|
6-8
|
Hargrave Military Academy
|
Arkansas, but committed to Oklahoma State
|
|
Jared Jeffries
|
6-9
|
Bloomington North, Ind.
|
Duke
|
|
Adam Boone
|
6-2
|
Minnetonka, Minn.
|
Duke
|
|
Michael Boynton
|
6-2
|
Bishop Loughlin, N.Y.
|
South Carolina
|
|
Andre Brown
|
6-9
|
Leo H.S., Chicago
|
DePaul
|
|
Taliek Brown
|
6-2
|
St. John's Prep, N.Y.
|
UConn, with commitment likely |
|
Travon Bryant
|
6-8
|
Long Beach Jordan, Calif.
|
Kansas
|
|
Omar Cook
|
6-1
|
Christ the King, N.Y.
|
St. John's
|
|
Terrance Crawford
|
6-6
|
Bishop McGuinness, Okla.
|
Vanderbilt
|
|
Brandon Crump
|
6-9
|
Klein H.S., Texas
|
Memphis
|
|
Kyle Cuffe
|
6-9
|
Rice H.S., N.Y.
|
St. John's (commitment)
|
|
T.J. Cummings
|
6-8
|
Homewood-Flossmoor H.S., Ill.
|
UCLA
|
|
Abdou Diame
|
6-9
|
Oak Hill Academy
|
Auburn
|
|
Rolando Howell
|
6-9
|
Lower Richland H.S., S.C.
|
South Carolina
|
|
Ivan McFarlin
|
6-9
|
Houston Boys and Girls H.S.
|
Arkansas
|
|
Jeff McMillan
|
6-9
|
St. Thomas More Prep
|
Connecticut
|
|
Garner Meads
|
6-9
|
Brighton H.S., Utah
|
Stanford
|
|
Darius Miles
|
6-9
|
East St. Louis H.S.
|
St. John's
|
|
A.J. Moye
|
6-4
|
Atlanta Westlake H.S.
|
Indiana
|
|
Justin Reed
|
6-7 |
Jackson Provine H.S., Ala.
|
Auburn (commitment)
|
|
Jared Reiner
|
6-11
|
Tripp Delmont H.S., S.D.
|
Kansas
|
|
Luke Ridnour
|
6-1
|
Blaine H.S., Wash.
|
Gonzaga
|
|
Nick Smith
|
7-1
|
Valrico-Bloomingdale, Fla.
|
Illinois
|
|
Wesley Stokes
|
5-10
|
Long Beach Poly, Calif.
|
Missouri
|
|
Chris Walton
|
6-8
|
University H.S., San Diego
|
S.D. State (commitment)
|
|
Luke Whitehead
|
6-5
|
Oak Hill Academy
|
New Mexico
|
|
Chris Wilcox
|
6-10
|
Raleigh Enloe H.S., N.C.
|
N.C. State
|
More recruiting tidbits
Rutgers got a commitment from Herve Lamizana out of St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth, N.J. Lamizana chose the Scarlet Knights over Villanova, Syracuse and Maryland. He's a top-100 player but the significance
of his commitment goes deeper than his ranking. He's the first player to commit to Rutgers since coach Kevin Bannon was embroiled in a summer-long controversy over an incident two years ago when he made three players run without their clothes on during practice.
Former Rutgers signee 7-foot Josh Moore suddenly qualified and is eligible to land at a NCAA Division I school. Speculation has Moore taking classes at Essex Community College in New York and then landing at Santa Monica Junior College in California for the second semester, for a possible commitment to UCLA in the spring. He would have four years of eligibility when he starts playing in the fall of 2000.
Weekly chatter
Cincinnati could end up starting freshman Kenny Satterfield at the point instead of sophomore Steve Logan. The Word is that Satterfield is tearing up Bearcat practices and might be better suited to start alongside fellow first-year mate DerMarr Johnson. Logan was a defensive stopper on the
19-and-under U.S. team this summer, but Satterfield might be the better scorer.
The Word out of DePaul isn't gloomy after Lance Williams broke his right foot on the first day of practice. Williams is out for six to eight weeks, but coach Pat Kennedy said it could be as few as four to five and he could make the Nov. 20 opener against Howard. Williams, a 6-9, 260-pound sophomore starter, was
second to Quentin Richardson with 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds last season.
Williams' injury would have been worse had the Blue Demons not had Steve Hunter. The 7-foot freshman was declared eligible last Friday. Add Hunter to 6-11 senior Lamar Butler and 6-7 senior Ayinde Avery and suddenly DePaul is deep in the post. Williams' injury has also pushed 6-4 junior college wing Paul McPherson up the depth chart. He's expected to offset the rebounding loss.
"We had to play four guards and a post last year," Kennedy said. "Now we're back to a more normal situation. Having Steve will take some pressure off Lance."
Arkansas' top frontcourt recruits -- 6-8 Larry Satchell and 6-7 Joe Johnson -- failed to qualify after taking the standardized tests last week. They'll try again in November and shoot for mid-December eligibility. But that leaves the Razorbacks thin up front with only 11 players. The Razorbacks will likely start three newcomers -- 6-7 freshman Alonzo Lane, 6-8 redshirt freshman Dionisio Gomez and 5-9 freshman guard Charles Tatum. The two returnees are 6-1 sophomore Brandon Dean and 6-5 senior Chris Walker. The Razorbacks will be small and quick, leaning heavily on perimeter scoring.
Michigan State is waiting patiently for Jason Richardson's eligibility appeal. Meanwhile, Richardson is proving to be an impact player during practice. Fresno State is waiting for Tito Maddox to take the standardized test on Nov. 6, but like Richardson, Maddox is proving to be one of the best talents on the court. He could step in and start for the Bulldogs at the point.
Arizona redshirt transfer Luke Recker is gingerly working out with the Wildcats. He suffered an ear laceration and a broken wrist during a car accident last spring. Arizona coach Lute Olson said Recker is playing but isn't allowed to make contact during practice. Meanwhile, Olson said 6-8 redshirt freshman Luke
Walton, who missed last season due to a stress fracture in his foot, is finally pain-free and practicing.
Texas Tech is down to eight players, including one freshman, for practice. Red Raiders coach James Dickey is searching for walk-ons to help fill practice, including investigating if former guard Stan Bonewitz can practice while he's finishing his degree requirements. The Red Raiders lost 6-8 senior Cliff Owens (10.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) to ankle surgery. He's out until January. Houston transfer Moses Malone Jr., who isn't eligible until mid-December, is out with a stress fracture in his left ankle. Owens was one of four starters returning to a 13-17 team picked near the bottom of the Big 12.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski held walk-on tryouts after Midnight Madness. More than 30 students showed up. "They ran the mile and they've got to do it under six minutes," Krzyzewski said. "It'll be neat. I think those kids deserve a chance to play in Cameron for about five minutes each group."
Georgetown lost another newcomer when 6-11 Wesley Wilson failed to qualify. Wilson will sit out as a non-qualifier this season and can't practice until 2000-01. The Hoyas are waiting for 6-11 Lee Scruggs to become eligible in mid-December after he failed to qualify coming out of junior college. Meanwhile, foot injuries have hampered the early start for sophomore center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje and freshman forward Courtland Freeman. Georgetown returns five starters from a 15-16, 6-12 Big East team, including all-Big East rookies Kevin Braswell and Anthony Perry.
The Word has already heard from a number of coaches raving about the additional player the NCAA allowed in individual workouts. Schools were allowed to work out four players at a time in September, instead of three. That gave coaches a chance to put in more of their offense before practice officially began.
North Carolina must have used that unofficial practice time to work on its defense. The Tar Heels were playing more defensive pressure, even some full-court sets, during the first week of practice. Coach Bill Guthridge said he might want to use up to 10 players every game. He said he wanted the Tar Heels to be more
aggressive offensively and defensively. Senior point guard Ed Cota is relishing the up-tempo style. He said it will be critical for everyone to deny the ball, force an offensive player to drive to the sideline or baseline
where there should be help from another Tar Heel for a trap.
USC is the only tenant left in the decaying L.A. Sports Arena but announced plans for a 12,000-seat, $75 million "on-campus" arena (technically, it would be across the street). The Trojans have been desperate for a new facility for years. It has never made sense that the basketball program was never afforded the same financial lift the football program receives. A new arena is overdue and deserved.
UNLV's coaching staff spent the week before practice with 76ers coaches Larry Brown and John Calipari. The brainstorming has energized the staff. Meanwhile, the Rebel players were taking in some words of wisdom from sports psychologist Joe Carr. The goodness kept flowing with Kaspars Kambala's return to practice without pain (after sitting out the last few games last season with a sprained knee) and the commitment from 6-9 Omari Pearson (Crispus Attucks H.S./York, Pa.).
The WAC responded to TCU's defection to Conference USA by adding Boise State and Louisiana Tech for 2001 (Nevada joins the league in 2000, TCU leaves in 2001). The WAC (Fresno State, San Jose State, Rice, Tulsa, UTEP, SMU, Hawaii, Nevada, Louisiana Tech and Boise State) will be a 10-team league (as it was from '92 to '96) and play 18-league games. The onus is now on Boise State's Rod Jensen, Louisiana Tech's Keith Richard and Nevada's Trent Johnson to make sure their programs can compete at a high-major level. The WAC can't afford to have its power rating drop below No. 10 in 2001.
Loyola of Chicago assistant Jeff Dunlap landed at Georgia as an assistant with Jim Harrick Sr. Jim Harrick Jr. is one of four candidates vying for Dunlap's vacated spot under former Harrick Sr. assistant and current Loyola head coach Larry Farmer.
While UCLA had T.J. Cummings (son of Terry Cummings) and Chris Walton (Bill Walton's son) on campus last weekend, the Bruins are focusing more on the junior class in Southern California. They already have one commitment from 6-4 Cedric Bozeman (Mater Dei H.S./Santa Ana, Calif.) and would like to get a full class of commitments -- a year early -- this November. The key recruits are 6-6 Josh Childress (Mayfair H.S./Lakewood, Calif.) and 7-0 Tyson Chandler (Dominguez H.S./Compton, Calif.).
Wright State junior forward Kevin Melson was declared academically ineligible for the first five games. The 6-5 Melson was the Midwestern Collegiate newcomer of the year last season, averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. He was also a consensus all-MCC preseason pick this season. The earliest he could return is against Morehead State on Dec. 7.
The Raiders lost Keion Brooks, the MCC's leading scorer a year ago, when his eligibility expired. Their top recruit, 6-3 Vernard Hollins (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was ruled a partial qualifier and can't play this season. Expect the Raiders to finish in last in the MCC, far from challenging league favorites Butler and Detroit.
The West Coast Conference might have a better television contract than the WAC and a number of other leagues supposedly rated higher. The WCC has a game of the week on Fox Sports Net running from Jan. 15 to Feb. 27 with the WCC tournament title game on ESPN on March 6. League favorite Gonzaga is on three times (hosting Santa Clara on Jan. 15, at San Diego on Jan. 22 and at San Francisco on Feb. 27).
Condolences to the family of Paul Stuart, the Nevada sports information director who died suddenly of a heart attack last week. Stuart, 49, was extremely helpful getting out basketball information on the school and helped coordinate the Big West tournament in Reno for years. He will be missed.
Andy Katz of the Fresno (Calif.) Bee is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. The Weekly Word on college basketball will be updated on Thursdays throughout the offseason. | |
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