Do Cash Payments Outnumber Good Guys in College Basketball?

There are days when the whole of college basketball -- or simply all of major college athletics -- is just too depressing and miserable. Where even Dick Vitale can not create a saccharine enough visual of the coaches who populate the major basketball programs.

This seems to be one of those times. The New York Times' Pete Thamel ran a story on the hardship placed on D-I coaches "forced" to pay the ridiculous prices demanded by AAU coaches and sponsors for photocopied information at some of the various AAU sanctioned tournaments that take place during recruiting periods. The story got some play in the major sports blogosphere, but as noted by Eamonn Brennan at the Dagger, it is as much a follow-up/companion piece to an earlier story by Ken Tysiac at the Charlotte Observer (sadly stuck behind Charlotte.com's paid archive) that also discussed AAU coaches selling scouting services.

The gist of both stories is that coaches are mostly paying ridiculous money for information they already have -- the names, addresses, e-mail and cell phone numbers of recruits. Why? Because the AAU coaches want them to, and if the coaches don''t they fear the AAU coach may poison the well when the coaches go to recruit the players.

Thamel's story in the New York Times has some nice anecdotes of Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings taking something of a stand against paying for another "roster packet." It is vibrantly contrasted with the way other coaches at bigger programs, making far more money than Stallings clammed up on the subject.

While many coaches agreed that the cost of tournament packets was egregious, few spoke on the record. Those who declined included the Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the U.C.L.A. Coach Ben Howland and the Ohio State Coach Thad Matta. "It's one of the important things on our agenda," said Michigan Coach John Beilein, the head of the N.C.A.A.'s new Ethics Coalition. "That's all I'm going to say."
...
While [Michigan State Coach Tom] Izzo confirmed the story about the Milwaukee tournament, he declined further comment. His silence and the hesitancy of other prominent coaches to speak underscores the importance of their relationships with summer basketball programs.

"That's exactly what's wrong with our business," Stallings said. "There's a mentality where coaches want to cover themselves and not get out there and say what's right and call out the people that are wrong.

"That's precisely why things are the way they are. That's why we have culture issues in our game. It's a darn shame. The people who could have influence and do have a voice, they choose not to use it because it doesn't help them. They don't want anything unsettling their smooth little boat ride."

Well, that's not entirely true. The coaches are doing something. They are working quietly to have the NCAA pass new and likely more convoluted rules that will force a change. In time the coaches will push the NCAA to pass new rules that make it a rules violation for coaches to purchase these programs or subscription services.

Latest College Basketball Images

In this photo provided by University of Kentucky, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, left, stands with University of Kentucky's head coach John Calipari on Friday, July 17, 2009 at Kentucky's campus in Lexington, Ky. James, a friend of coach Calipari, paid a surprise visit to the Wildcats on Friday. (AP Photo/University of Kentucky, David Coyle) ** NO SALES **

In this 1987 photo, University of Nevada basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian is shown. Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian is having spinal surgery in California. Tarkanian's son, Danny Tarkanian, says his father is having a bone spur that's compressing his spinal cord removed Tuesday morning July 14, 2009, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. (AP Photo)

In this photo taken Thursday Feb. 19, 2009, Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz directs his team during an NCAA college basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. Charlotte's success in Conference USA has given way trouble in the Atlantic 10. Following a 20-loss season, athletic director Judy Rose says she's disappointed and indicated coach Bobby Lutz's program faces a "critical year" to "step up and be one of the better programs in this league." (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski responds to a question during a news conference in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, June 30, 2009. Krzyzewski said he is "not going to the Lakers" and that he won't leave Duke "until I leave coaching." (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

In this photo taken on Feb. 19, 2008, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson looks from from the bench during a college basketball game against Purdue in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana won 77-68. The NCAA said Tuesday June 30, 2009, that the NCAA Division I infractions Committee has upheld the violations stemming from more than 100 impermissible phone calls made while Sampson was coaching at Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Missouri guard Jimmy McKinney, left, watches game action with forward Kevin Young during second half action against Montana at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri, December 11, 2004. McKinney is a pro basketball player in Germany who wants to play baseball in the United States, his home country. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

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The vote will be in secret and the coaches can blame the NCAA for the rules while telling the AAU coaches that they sympathize and it was not their idea. Everyone has deniability, and the NCAA adds another rule to the ever growing volumes -- and has one more thing they have to monitor with the behavior of coaches and their interaction during recruiting.

Money, though, is like water and no doubt the AAU coaches and other invested parties will find other things that they will be able to demand large payments in a quasi-legal way.

The whole thing is a moral, slimy mess where it is really difficult to find any side to support. The AAU coaches come away as exploitative, greedy slimy asses looking to make the most money off of their high school charges.

Of course the college coaches do much the same at the next level, making far more money along the way. Plus they preach the college experience and try to sell the ethics and moral components of kids becoming men and learning lessons to the kids,their family and the media. All the while, they are just looking to make sure they maintain that recruiting edge so they can win and get paid.

Then the NCAA is mixed in there. With more rules, restrictions and convoluted logic that encourages the appearance of innocence as long as nothing is too overtly corrupt. Speaking high-mindedly of the virtuous student-athlete while increasing rights fees for televising championship games and doing it all while stressing that money to pay the players would corrupt the spirit.