The Feeding Frenzy Has Already Begun Around Huggy's Recruits

Bob Huggins had lined up the consensus #1 recruiting class in the country for the upcoming season at Kansas State, including the McDonald's All-American game MVP in Michael Beasley. The perception has always been that those recruits were far more loyal to Huggins and his staff than to Kansas State, and it appears that the the sharks are already in the watter and smelling blood with Huggins out of the picture in Manhattan.

In a story in the Wichita Eagle today Dominique Sutton, one of Huggins recruits, is quoted talking about schools that might potential take himself and Michael Beasley as part of a package deal:

"Me and Mike are a package deal," Sutton said.

Mike, of course, is Michael Beasley, the 6-foot-9 power forward from Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) regarded by some of the top basketball player in the country and the MVP of the recent McDonald's All-American Game.

It appears the transition has caused some coaches to wonder if K-State's incoming freshman class is up for grabs. And, according to Sutton, it might be.

"I spoke with Mike earlier today, and he said there were three schools who would take us," he said.

Which three schools?

"N.C. State, Florida State and USC," Sutton said.

There's been speculation that Beasley and others might follow Huggins to West Virginia, but Beasley's loyalty has never been to Huggins in particular, rather it is to his former AAU coach Dalonte Hill. Remember that when Hill was an assistant at Charlotte, Beasley was committed to become to a '49er. Huggins hired Hill at Kansas State in a move that many speculated was mostly targeted at landing Beasley, and Beasley in fact did follow Hill in committing to Kansas State. Sutton confirms this again today:

All of this, Sutton said, could be avoided if K-State retains assistant coach Dalonte Hill or, even better, if he's promoted to head coach. Sutton said he and Beasley could be persuaded to honor their original commitment.

The one person who stands the most to gain out of this? It appears that it is Dalonte Hill. He'll either get a shot as a head coach at Kansas State (something I find unlikely to happen), or he'll get another cushy assistant coaching position by a program desperate to land a couple of program changing talents.