If Baylor can drag itself out of NCAA sanction purgatory, recruit talent to Waco, and get into the NCAA Tournament then any team in a major conference should believe it can as well. Especially if the program dwells in a talent-rich state. Of course, the talent has to actually have the grades to make it.Stan Heath has almost as tough a job with South Florida. A team with little history, less tradition and plays in the 16-team behemoth Big East. He is recruiting in Florida where, despite the football-first mentality (much like in Texas), there is still a sizable talent base to recruit basketball players.
I understand that when you are building a program -- and that is what he has to do -- you may have to take a chance on players with a shaky foundation. Whether it is brushes with the law, bad family or academics. Even the best programs will, if the talent warrants it.
Heath, however, has continually gone to the academically shaky with some frequency, and it has been a struggle. So far USF has had three recruits fail to qualify. Teeng Akol, Dwan McMillan and now George Teague. That's just for the 2008 recruiting class.
Not to worry, they just added a 20-year old freshman to help this year. His grades seem in order at last.
