NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Binghamton Coach Violates NCAA Recruiting Rule

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:36:00 EST

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) -- Binghamton University officials say the men's basketball coach violated regulations set by the NCAA.

Interim Athletic Director James Norris said Friday that Coach Kevin Broadus reported having contact with prospective athletes that violated NCAA regulations.

Norris says corrective actions were taken and the college will determine whether further action is needed. Norris would not give more details.

The admission comes as the college's athletic program is under review following last month's dismissal of six basketball players, including star player Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben.

Mayben was arrested on drug charges last month. He has pleaded not guilty.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Binghamton Coach Violates NCAA Recruiting Rule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA Basketball's New Faces

Elie Seckbach — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA, Recruiting

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

UCLA's basketball team is always among the best college teams in the nation, but this year's team will have many new faces. In this FanHouse exclusive we talk to some of the new recruits and also hear from the Wizard of Westwood, former Bruins head coach John Wooden.

Check out the video after the jump.

UCLA Basketball's New Faces originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renardo Sidney Is the NCAA's Last Chance

Chas Rich — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:25:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, SEC, Campus, Media Watch, Recruiting

If the NCAA was hoping that Renardo Sidney would simplify the investigation by somehow failing to get academically qualified, they are out of luck. Sidney was cleared for meeting minimum academic standards by the NCAA Eligibility Center. That has allowed him to enroll at Mississippi State for classes in the fall semester and begin participating in conditioning and individual workouts.

That does not clear Sidney to practice with the team and play for Mississippi State. The NCAA is still investigating his eligibility as an amateur in light of reports of how his family managed to live in multi-million dollar homes and afforded a move from Mississippi to Los Angeles in the first place. All without any clear idea how they earned the money for it.
The question looms out there: what will the NCAA find? The Sidney family has hired a lawyer familiar with the NCAA investigators. They have vocally professed that Sidney and his family is clean. No one seems to believe it, but proving it may be a different matter. Especially when the family is not rolling over on the matter.

The Sidney case, ultimately, may be one of the last chances the NCAA has to show it is at all relevant with regards to dealing with incoming student-athletes. The NCAA is supposed to be a gate-keeper for incoming student-athletes. To determine if they are meeting the academic and amateur eligibility. If it can not even do that, then they are not doing their job.

Whatever comes of the NCAA's investigations into O.J. Mayo/USC and Derrick Rose/Memphis, the NCAA has to share some of the blame. They cleared the kids to play for the schools. Maybe the schools did not dig too hard. Maybe the kids were (shockingly) less than forthright with the NCAA. Yes, the NCAA has limited resources. The fact is the NCAA cleared the kids to play for a year at the respective schools, despite red flags that varied from subtle (William Wesley and Derrick Rose's brother's AAU team) to white-hot, neon (O.J. Mayo's entourage included Rodney Guillory who had paid two other players in the past).

The NCAA missed on those two matters. Miss with Sidney and they make it clear to programs that the best approach with questionable recruits is not to look too closely.

Renardo Sidney Is the NCAA's Last Chance originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags

Chas Rich — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, USC, Pac-10, SEC, Coaches, Recruiting

Former USC Coach Tim Floyd will not do interviews with the national media or the Los Angeles press, but he likes to talk to his hometown paper in Mississippi quite a bit. It was the Clarion-Ledger that broke the news of his resignation before USC even knew.

With the former Southern Cal verbal now a Mississippi State commit, Renardo Sidney, there's more than a little bit of interest in what he has to say on what happened to Sidney and his USC commitment. Especially with the NCAA still trying to get more information from the Sidney family regarding their finances, before clearing him to play. Floyd offered some thoughts on Sidney and USC.
To summarize, Floyd says Sidney is a good kid and he knows nothing about any problems, that USC broke off the commitment from Sidney in response to a coming LA Times story not from anything they learned about Sidney, and that USC never did any actual investigations into Renardo Sidney despite the fact that crosstown rival UCLA had stopped recruiting him weeks prior to his verbal to USC.

"Our school was reacting to an article that was going to be written in the L.A. Times," Floyd said. "Given the fact that the institution was involved in an institutional control investigation, they viewed it as preventive management. They could not put their finger on anything."

And neither could Floyd, he swears.

"I was probably as close to the situation as anybody in the country," Floyd said, "and if I thought the kid was receiving money from somebody or had asked for money, I would have not been a participant. But that wasn't the case."

Floyd, of course, was accused of giving money on demand to a member of O.J. Mayo's entourage.

The big part of this story is not that Southern Cal panicked in response to a forthcoming story about Sidney's family and the questions surrounding their finances and the closeness of a shoe rep from Reebok to the family, and Sonny Vaccaro paying for their move from Mississippi to Los Angeles. It's that USC according to Floyd, never actually concerned itself to look into these things when they were recruiting him and received a verbal commitment from him.

USC has ongoing investigations into the O.J. Mayo matter on the basketball side and Reggie Bush on the football side. In both cases, the big issue for USC was how much did they know or want to know about the money flowing to the player and his family. Whether the school was purposefully and willfully ignoring any signs of something strange. Creating a situation with the potentially dreaded "lack of institutional control" over athletic programs and the student-athletes.

USC has maintained a defense of cluelessness. That they were just unaware of what was happening, and that if the NCAA and Pac-10 cleared the players it isn't fair to punish USC.

Floyd seems to suggest that USC was willful in not looking into any potential hazards with a recruit so they can maintain deniability if it does become a problem. Floyd, himself, hardly looks particularly good since he continues to show he happily went along with this and was just as eager to know nothing about the potential barriers to getting the talent on the court.

Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do Cash Payments Outnumber Good Guys in College Basketball?

Chas Rich — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:13:00 EST

Filed under: Campus, Coaches, Media Watch, Recruiting

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)

MCT

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.

Do Cash Payments Outnumber Good Guys in College Basketball? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latavious Williams to Play Basketball in China, Not Memphis

Matt Snyder — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Memphis, Conference USA, NBA Prospects, Recruiting

Before the NBA enacted its minimum age requirement, people were worried about kids forgoing a collegiate education to jump straight to the NBA. The still relatively new rule is instead having an effect its supporters may not have considered: Kids are going overseas to play basketball for money just out of high school.

The newest member of the now three-man club (joining Jeremy Tyler -- who is actually skipping his senior year of high school -- and Brandon Jennings) is Latavious Williams, who had previously committed to Josh Pastner's Memphis Tigers. Every story is unique, but Williams is a complete 180 from the cases of Tyler and Jennings.

Tyler is likely to be a lottery pick whenever the NBA decides he's old enough to join them. Jennings wanted to attend Arizona but didn't academically qualify, but he's such a big-time prospect he's made more than $1 million to play in Italy. Last month in the NBA draft, he was selected 10th overall and should easily make over $1 million a year to play in the NBA.

Williams hasn't yet been ruled academically eligible to play for Memphis, but Pastner told Fox Sports he thought there was a 50 percent chance of that still happening.

Williams also is not a big-time NBA prospect. He was ranked as high as 17 by some recruiting websites for the incoming class, which means he would need to polish his skills at the collegiate level before being a sure-fire NBA prospect ready to make millions. According to who Fox Sports calls Williams' "mentor/advisor," Trey Godfrey, Williams felt a financial burden.

"He made the decision when taking into account his family situation," said Godfrey, who is a certified agent who maintains there is no agreement in place with Williams. "He wants to put himself in a situation where he can help out and he saw this as a good opportunity."

Considering the fact that Williams may never be a strong enough basketball player to make it in the NBA, this is not as much a minimum age issue as it is a somewhat isolated case of a young man wanting to help his family monetarily. If they could have survived a few more years in their current situation, it's still more an issue of him wanting an immediate payday instead of the minimum age requirement, because Williams would not have been drafted this past June by any team in the NBA.

There will be those who judge him for not trying to get an education, but he's going to make a lot of money as an 18-year-old. Our time would be better spent worrying about kids without the means to make money who can't get into schools after graduating high school.

Still, if nothing else, it's a bit odd to see 18-year-old kids going to China or Europe to make money playing hoops when they aren't allowed to do so here.

Latavious Williams to Play Basketball in China, Not Memphis originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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South Carolina Reports 14 Violations, Including Possible Bagel Bungle

Terrance Harris — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:11:00 EST

Filed under: South Carolina, SEC, Recruiting

The University of South Carolina has self-reported 14 secondary NCAA violations by various sports teams during the last six months in the athletic department.

Secondary violations are defined as inadvertent and isolated and usually carry a minimal sanction, if any at all. Six of the violations are considered Level 1, which means they will go to the NCAA for review while the Level 2 violations will be dealt with by the SEC. Two of the Level 1 violations were committed by Steve Spurrier's football program, while first-year Gamecock's basketball coach Darrin Horn committed five violations the school reported.

The ones that will generate a few head scratches will be the "impermissible snacks" violation during an away-from-home competition and an impermissible entertainment violation for a bowling trip. Both violations were committed by the men's basketball team.

FanHouse placed a call to the NCAA for clarification of the snacks rule. Apparently, USC violated NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2, which governs away-from-home competitions.

Coaches can go one of two ways on such trips; they can either go the unconventional route of feeding their student athletes as much as they would like throughout the trip, but student athletes can not receive any type of per diem. Or the coach can go the traditional route of providing breakfast, lunch and dinner only and under those rules, a student athlete can receive $15 per meal.

Apparently, the basketball team went the traditional route but was in violation when it provided the student athletes either fruit or bagels outside of breakfast, lunch and dinner, a source in the athletic department said.

Other violations included impermissible entertainment and text messaging, the latter which has gotten many athletic departments in trouble since the NCAA banned such communication two years ago. According to USC, an assistant football coach responded to a text from an unknown number only to learn it was from a recruit.

None of the charges seem serious, which means USC won't likely face harsh sanctions when the NCAA rules.

The school also reported a violation when recruits watched a video that depicted game action and also when one of the South Carolina newspapers interviewed a recruit on a visit.

South Carolina Reports 14 Violations, Including Possible Bagel Bungle originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year

Chas Rich — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas, Kentucky, Big 12, SEC, Media Watch, Recruiting, Rumors

For a rather wild day, it looked like things were going to get even weirder than they usually do in the college basketball offseason. Even before the summer recruiting began. In the end, it was a lot of noise but no change. Xavier and C.J. Henry are still going to Kansas for the 2009-10 season, not reversing field to go to Kentucky to be with John Calipari.

Xavier Henry is one of the top-5 high school players in the country. He had already switched his commitment from Memphis to Kansas, but since he could not sign a new National Letter of Intent (NLI) he is not actually bound to Kansas until he shows up on the campus and signs the scholarship papers. His older brother, C.J. Henry, is a walk-on with the New York Yankees paying his way following a failed baseball career.

Then there is dad. Carl Henry played basketball for Kansas, and holds strong views about his sons, their talent, future plans and comparing them both rather favorably versus the other talent on the Kansas basketball team. He let many of them fly during a feature article in the Kansas City Star.

Among the gems: Xavier is not that interested in going to college, this is definitely a one-and-done thing for him (duh), they considered Europe for a year, C.J. is probably better than both Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor, and that coach Bill Self needs to be on-board with the Henry plan,

Shockingly, with opinions that suggested that the Henrys were bigger than Kansas, it was not embraced by the Jayhawk faithful. This led to an angry Carl Henry to go on a local sports radio station to complain that the article made him and his sons look like prima donnas and that all Carl does is talk. Plus, the negative reaction on the internet and elsewhere by Kansas fans has the Henrys so upset that they were leaning very strongly towards going to Kentucky instead. Interestingly, in the radio interview, Carl Henry admitted that there was nothing factually inaccurate in the story.

Recapping that last bit. A reporter hangs out with the Henrys. Gets the facts right. Carl Henry and his sons do not like the way it made them look, because it made them look spoiled. Carl in particular disliked that it portrayed him as someone always talking. So in response, Carl Henry goes on the radio to talk some more and announces that while they are not prima donnas, they had their feelings so hurt by the negative reaction to the story that they might very well go to Kentucky instead.

Well played, sir.

So for several glorious hours yesterday there was chaos on the Kentucky and Kansas message boards over all of this. Especially since a decision could come that night. It did, in a text message to the same Kansas radio show.

But late Tuesday, Xavier Henry sent a text message to Cory Anderson of the Chris and Cowboy Show on 610 Sports Radio confirming he would not change his mind.

"I'm goin to Kansas and that's final," the text read.

The thing is, that while most of this was about Carl Henry's mouth and the tantalizing talent of Xavier Henry, it was probably C.J. Henry's situation that kept things as the status quo.

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy Tweeted this point.

The Henry's hadn't much leverage. If X took off on KU, what about CJ? Think the NCAA would have given him immediate eligibility everywhere?

C.J. was already a freshman on the Memphis roster this past year (PDF). He sat out while recovering from surgery. He has already had to apply to get immediate eligibility at Kansas. What are the odds the NCAA would let him switch to Kentucky as well? Probably not that good. Which means that Carl Henry was -- once more -- just doing a lot of talking.

Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson

Chas Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, Big East, Recruiting

The rumors started swirling over the weekend that Lance Stephenson, the ultra-talented guard out of New York, was visiting and would commit to Cincinnati. Tuesday, the news broke and was confirmed elsewhere that Stephenson is indeed committing to the Bearcats. Whether official word will come before or after his July 15 court date regarding his misdemeanor sexual assault charge is undetermined.

While teams have been scared off from recruiting Stephenson for plenty of reasons (the sexual assault, meddling father, attitude questions, academics, NCAA eligibility relating to an online documentary on Stephenson), Cincy coach Mick Cronin seems willing to take a chance on Stephenson -- assuming the NCAA clears him to play.

There's actually a decent argument to be made for Cincy to take a chance on Stephenson. At this point he would be a bonus to the team, so if the NCAA does not clear him to play they really do not risk anything. You would have to think that Stephenson would be somewhat chastened by the way teams have chosen to run screaming from him in the last two months, that he will be more inclined to behave and be part of the team. Maybe even a little coach-able. Add in the fact that Cincy has a good amount of talent in place and even without Stephenson was considered a dark-horse contender in the Big East for the upcoming season, and his addition becomes very attractive.

Even if he keeps his nose clean, is a good teammate and actually listens to the coach there is one other problem. The one thing that makes this extremely risky -- perhaps even dumb -- for Cincy is the academics. Specifically, Stephenson's impact on the basketball team's Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Following years of poor graduation rates under Bob Huggins and then mass transfers and players being kicked off the team after Huggins was fired, plus a year with an interim coach that led to more problems, well, the basketball program found itself staring at a dismal 838 APR score and lots of scholarship penalties in 2005. The program has been able to avoid the penalties by arguing extenuating circumstances with the coaching turmoil. The NCAA has granted them waivers over the last few years.

They have managed to raise the multi-year significantly and so they have still avoided penalties. That said, the Bearcats still have an APR of 902 for men's basketball in the latest report (PDF). That is well below the minimum required score of 925 -- which roughly correlates to a 60 percent graduation rate.

Lance Stephenson puts all of that at risk. Stephenson is a lock to be a one-and-done player. He would have been in the NBA Draft out of high school, but for the NBA age requirement. He is going to college for a year because he has to, not because he wants to. The odds of him actually finishing his classes in his second semester at Cincy seem only slightly higher than the odds of Megan Fox showing up on my doorstep covered in nothing but whipped cream.

That would be a big step back for the basketball program, and likely the end of any waivers from the NCAA for their below average APR. Not only would scholarships be at risk, but starting in 2009 the penalties for a poor APR can also include postseason bans.

Cincy has not been to the NCAA Tournament since firing Huggins. They have taken a huge tumble in national recognition. They have had little success since joining the Big East. Understandably, there is a significant desire to get things turned around. The team is poised to be making a move this year, without Stephenson

Is one year of Lance Stephenson worth all that?

Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices

Chas Rich — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Memphis, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, Campus, Recruiting, Rumors

Lance Stephenson is one of the top high school players in the country. He was a McDonald's All-American. He is also just about the only major recruit not running screaming from the rubble of USC that is without a college destination.

Where once he seemed headed for Kansas, that door has closed. Arizona opted against wanting him. Now Maryland has decided they are not interested any longer.

At this point, the only programs that still seem to be pursuing him have nearly as many warts as he does. The choices for Stephenson have dwindled to a school under a major NCAA cloud and one that toils in obscurity, but with a new "name" coach.

Memphis needs talent and recruits. As the Tigers wait to find out what the NCAA has in store for them, they see no risk at this point in taking a player that will certainly draw heavy scrutiny from the NCAA for his academics and the Born Ready web documentary of Stephenson.

The other is regular Sun Belt Conference cellar dweller, Florida International now being coached by Isiah Thomas. Thomas tried to get Stephenson interested right after being hired, but it seemed to go nowhere. Now Pete Vecsey is reporting (for whatever that is actually worth) that Stephenson may be reconsidering the Miami school.

While in Orlando, an on-campus source informed me the Lincoln HS whiz had a sleepover a couple of weeks ago at Florida International University in Miami.

It is more rumor than anything else -- but what do you expect with a Vecsey story. Still considering Stephenson came from the same high school as Stephon Marbury, and Thomas' own history with Marbury the storyline seems too juicy to resist (or make up?).

In all the scenarios Lance Stephenson considered coming out of his senior year of high school, this definitely was not one of them.

Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Six More Weeks of Anxiety for Memphis

Tom Ziller — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Memphis, Coaches, Recruiting

Memphis officials, Kentucky coach John Calipari and the NCAA had their little four-hour pow-wow Saturday concerning that whole SAT scandal. The verdict? No verdict for six weeks or so, reports the Associated Press. As Clay Travis discussed Friday, Calipari is ~~hiding~~ chilling in China and had to phone in to the assuredly awkward hearing. (Note that he had to phone in. The NCAA demanded he participate, even if he's on the other side of the planet.)

Six weeks (or more) leaves a lot of time for Tigers fans to sweat the impending doom of (gasp!) NCAA sanctions. But even more, it provides the opportunity for more allegations to come out against the program. Since the Derrick Rose story came to light, reports have placed the SAT scores of Robert Dozier in question. Another month-and-a-half leaves plenty of time for more shady recruiting stories to pop out.

That may sound unfair, but Memphis has quite obviously put itself in this position by apparently taking compliance so lightly. Taints spread. (Uh, let me rephrase that.) You can't quarantine a plague, and between Calipari's record of violations at Massachusetts, the Memphis program's close relationship with pro facilitator William Wesley and these incredible allegations, there's no stopping the rumor machine. At some point, we'll just assume every player in Memphis blue might not have become eligible legitimately.

Of course, one could argue such an attitude should be taken toward all college basketball players, especially in this era of the age limit, where (Brandon Jennings aside) kids have no viable choice but to force themselves into a university.

Six More Weeks of Anxiety for Memphis originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hewitt on Latest Scandal: Not All Coaches Guilty by Implication

Terence Moore — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Georgia Tech, ACC, Fans, Recruiting

Thank goodness for Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt, a historically gifted recruiter who has been allergic to scandal. He represents a segment of his profession that could squeeze inside a foul lane.

Duplicity and college basketball are now one. I mean, if you name a program that has acquired a bigger-than-life player in recent years (Memphis and Southern Cal come to mind), it's like this: The odds are greater than Dick Vitale screaming into a microphone that such a program is destined for the NCAA slammer.

Hewitt disagrees. For one, he is high profile as president of the Black Coaches and Administrators and as a veteran of the Atlantic Coast Conference. So if he decided to shove a few of his peers under the bus, others would roll the wheels back and forth across his tongue.

Still, he believes what he says regarding, not only this new SAT flap involving former Memphis star Derrick Rose and possible NCAA violations, but other silliness in his sport that keeps dribbling into view.

You have the O.J. Mayo mess at Southern Cal, where Trojans coach Tim Floyd allegedly was his star player's ATM machine. You have Kelvin Sampson's addiction to cell phones at Oklahoma and later at Indiana. You have that mysteriously high jump between test scores for Brandon Jennings during his attempt to attend Arizona. (That was before he ran a fast break from high school to the European League.) You have the allegations of UConn folks using illegal means to acquire a player who was so troubled that he attended five high schools in four states.

You also have Hewitt trying to put things into perspective.

"There are going to be more and more cases where we find out that a player was involved in something that broke an NCAA rule and that the person behind that probably doesn't work for that institution -- and probably has no interest in that young man getting an education, but yet the blame will be thrown at the feet of the coach," said Hewitt, over the phone Thursday from Indianapolis, where the BCA is holding its annual convention and expo. "There's going to be people out there robbing the banks. But there's also going to be people out there driving by and having somebody jump in their car and say, 'Go,' and it's going to be like, 'What's going on?,' and they all get arrested.

"If three out of 10 coaches are caught up in something, I'm going to suggest to you that one and a half of those are innocent bystanders who were just hit by crossfire and another one and a half intentionally went out and did things wrong."

Who's who? That's the problem.

Given the huge bucks involved when a team keeps advancing in March Madness, more than a few coaches are into cheating or looking the other way. It's called trying to keep from getting fired. Plus, their fans are modern-day Joe Hardys. Remember? Hardy was the primary guy in the play "Damn Yankees" who was so obsessed with short-term pleasure that he sold his soul to the devil, just for a chance to help his Washington Senators whip the Yankees in the World Series.

Hewitt isn't a Joe Hardy. Hewitt is just a solid combination of coach and person who once took one of his nine Georgia Tech teams to the Final Four title game. He also has recruited a slew of blue chippers, ranging from Chris Bosh to Jarrett Jack to Javaris Crittenton to Thaddeus Young to Derrick Favors.

Not a hint of scandal.

"I'm not sitting here telling you that I know that every player I brought to Georgia Tech was 'clean,' and I wouldn't dare tell you that," Hewitt said. "I'd be naive or lying, because I can't tell you that there isn't a kid out there who was identified at a very early age, and some guy grabbed him, and all of a sudden for the last three or four years, he was providing him with sneakers, and a burger from time to time, and money to attend his prom, or a plane ticket to go to an AAU tournament.

"No, I can't tell you that. Not in the climate that's out here now, and we [in the NCAA] don't do anything to combat that sort of thing."

What should the NCAA do?

Hewitt took a breath. Then he didn't take another one for a while, as he added with conviction, "The NCAA should sit down with the NBA Players Association and tell them, 'Hey, look. We have a problem with your agents contacting these kids at an early age. We have a problem with illegal recruiters and runners on campuses and things like that. We have no control of those people. You do.'

"Not only that, the people who govern our game have to do a better job of getting the truth out to the media, and they have to take an active role in helping us avoid these situations. We also have to win the hearts and souls of these kids. I tell my kids all the time, 'Don't ever let somebody do for you what you should be doing for yourself, because you'll always end up on the short end.' "

So will your school -- and your coach.

And, ultimately, your sport.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

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Pall bearers prepare to unload the casket of Wayman Tisdale during his funeral, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Tom Gilbert)

The hearse carrying the casket of Wayman Tisdale moves through Tulsa, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Shane Bevel)

John Wall, flanked by his sister Tonya Pulley and Dr. Frank Summerfield, formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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John Wall formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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John Wall laughs with his sister Tonya Pulley during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, where he announced he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, center, discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. At left is Word of God Christian Academy's Dr. Frank Summerfield and at right is Wall's sister Tonya Pulley. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, right, and Dr. Frank Summerfield discuss Wall's decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Hewitt on Latest Scandal: Not All Coaches Guilty by Implication originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 28 May 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villain? Enabler? Vaccaro Stays Defiant

Greg Couch — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: NBA Prospects, Recruiting, FanHouse Exclusive

It started at Sonny Vaccaro's ABCD Basketball Camp, a camp, yes, but also a meet-and-greet for street agents and young, impressionable kids. Street agents, runners, slimeball AAU coaches all start getting their hands on our kids early, and ...

"The only problem I have is the word 'slime,' '' Vaccaro said. "A lot of what you say is right. But why is that word only connected to AAU? You've got to define what that means and who you're talking about. When you say slime, that envelopes everybody."

Yes, OK. Well, Rodney Guillory met 15-year old basketball phenom O.J Mayo at the camp in 2003.

Guillory went on to become a known street agent or runner, which is a much nicer term than bag man. He allegedly took $250,000 to direct Mayo to an agent, Bill Duffy Associates, shower the kid with TVs, clothes and other improper gifts and get his confidence.

"You're a purist at heart,'' Vaccaro said. "You still think there's virginity in this.''

Yes, OK. Well, Louis Johnson, a one-time hanger-on to the Mayo entourage said USC coach Tim Floyd also was in on it, paying Guillory at least $1,000 in cash to help get Mayo to Southern California. Mayo did play there.

But this isn't about one dirty case. It's a dirty culture. Mayo is just one example. And it's symbolic of so much that they met under Vaccaro's roof, because Vaccaro has a clear role in developing the way all of this works. He is the former shoe executive who started the Shoe Wars between sneaker companies, which all but professionalized youth sports with shoe company money, and...

"OK, so you want to start with that,'' Vaccaro said. "Let me say this and hopefully you understand: I am obviously the person who started the whole thing. ABCD camps, all these things, big-time tournaments, promotional things. The only problem I have with whoever the detractors are, and I hope you describe this well, is that I accept the responsibility, and I'm proud of it.

"If someone says I ruined basketball, I want them to explain why I did it alone. Everyone took money from the shoe companies. If they think this is a negative, then why absolve the NCAA and NBA? They took the money.''

This is what it's like spending an hour on the phone with Vaccaro. He's the godfather of youth sports, and explains his role convincingly at times, but at other times with a galling lack of accountability and recognition.

He has not ruined basketball. He has helped some kids to become recognized and to develop skills against the nation's best players.

But he has also set up a culture where the Guillorys of the world meet the Mayos, where street agents get control of kids, and shoe companies control AAU and high school teams, and everyone's financial interests meet in an unseemly way around children.

"No one stopped it when it started,'' Vaccaro said. "It's like a Trojan horse. They put it in front of the gate, and they opened the gate.''

Who put it in front of the gate?

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British actor Russell Brand watches from court side as the Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets during Game 7 of their NBA Western Conference semi-final basketball playoff game in Los Angeles, May 17, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES SPORT ENTERTAINMENT BASKETBALL)

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Cab driver Mohammed Jiddou,sits in his cab on May 14, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jiddou,who got into an altercation with Mississippi basketball coach Andy Kennedy said he's frequently recognized these days by passengers and doesn't always feel safe driving the streets because of last December's incident. (AP Photo/The Enquirer, Michael E. Keating

Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, right, secures a rebound against Georgetown's Austin Freeman (15) during second half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair (45) puts up a shot over Georgetown center Greg Monroe (10) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh's Gary McGhee (52) goes high to grab a rebound between Georgetown's Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Vaccaro starts with a history lesson, way back when Converse dominated basketball. He went to work for Nike, signed Michael Jordan, and helped to turn the place into a giant.

"We [Nike] thought, 'We'll pay coaches [to have their college teams wear Nike] and give them shoes for free,'' said Vaccaro, who's 69. "In the late '70s and '80s, we paid some of the NCAA coaches more money than the schools did. They weren't making a lot of money then. That's where I knew we had a bonanza. That's how it all started.

"And why didn't they stop Nike and Sonny Vaccaro then? They wanted the money. The presidents didn't stop me. Sure, give John Thompson the money. Give Eddie Sutton the money. Give Jim Boeheim the money. They lost their virginity a long time ago. How could it not be wrong then, but it's wrong now.''

Because then, you were dealing with men. Now, it is down to high school kids and younger. It's different with 13-year-olds.

"I'm not disputing that,'' he said. "The argument you're preaching is a good argument. But no one stopped it when it started.''

It didn't just start, though, Sonny. You started it.

"I'm not saying what you're saying is wrong,'' he said. "But the rules allow it. Parents, you should have better control of your situation.

"You have to admit that the signing of Michael Jordan was one of the greatest things done in the history of anything. It made Nike. The NBA took my money. The Bulls? The profited. We marketed the hell out of Michael Jordan.

"I wasn't chastised for that. I was chastised when I went to AAU, summer leagues, high school basketball. But everything I did was accepted by the people who talk about me behind my back now. Everything I did, they let me do.''

Vaccaro said things didn't start to escalate until he left Nike for Adidas in 1991. The shoe companies started bidding higher and higher in the Shoe Wars for AAU teams, high school teams, college teams to wear their stuff, affiliate with their camps.

With the bigger bucks around young kids, the street agents and runners started slithering in. Vaccaro feels that many kids are better represented now than they were, that many AAU coaches are looking out for the kids, and that when control was with the NCAA and NBA, it was not about looking out for kids' best interest.

It's hard to argue with any of that. Innocence is gone from all angles.

"Part of beating Sonny Vaccaro up,'' he said, "is I took the kids away from the 'sanctity' of college basketball.''

Vaccaro mentions that he left the shoe companies two years ago, and no one has stopped the camps or shoe deals. And he points to several college teams today, including Kentucky, Illinois and DePaul, saying they have gotten oral commitments from eighth and ninth graders.

So they also are getting their hands on young kids.

"What's the difference between an agent and a runner, and a college coach and an assistant coach?'' he said. "No difference, except the agent and runner are going to make money off the individual, but the individual is going to get paid by a shoe contract or pro contract.

"With the college coach and assistant coach, the player they're recruiting gets nothing. But the coach gets a $3 million raise.''

The player does get a chance for a college education.

Vacarro's latest cause is to fight the NBA and NCAA over the new age limit rules, prohibiting kids from going straight from high school to the NBA. On this one, he is 100 percent right, as no one should be stopping 18-year-old men from starting their careers. Yet again, the NBA and NCAA do not look out for the players, but for themselves.

If a player goes to college, and plays in the NCAA Tournament, then he comes to the NBA as a fully marketed commodity, not an unknown high school grad. Meanwhile, the NCAA gets the best players, and credibility, for its tournament. So Vaccaro has started to help direct some high school grads not into colleges, but into pro leagues overseas, where they are getting six- and seven-figure contracts.

He looks to the NBA conference finals, with teams filled with alumni from his camps or players who jumped straight from high school before the age rule.

"Orlando. Two of their best players are Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis,'' he said. "LeBron James, high school player. Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum high school players. J.R. Smith, a very valuable player of the Nuggets.

"If everything is so bad for them, how could it be that the four best teams in all the world, and every one of those kids, except Bynum, played at my camp?''

And Mayo, he said, makes $4 million a year in Memphis.

Sure, we hear about the ones it works out for. But too many young kids don't make it, and don't need slimeballs handling them.

"I'm not saying that what you're saying is wrong," Vaccaro said.

Only that the Trojan horse is already in the gates, shown again, allegedly, with Guillory, Mayo, Floyd and the USC, yes, Trojans.

Villain? Enabler? Vaccaro Stays Defiant originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Wall Goes Big Blue

Chas Rich — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:27:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, Recruiting

The long saga of John Wall has reached its end with the stud point guard recruit finally choosing Kentucky. Wall becomes the crown jewel of what is almost certainly the best recruiting class in the country.

Every program in the country wanted Wall. Baylor hired the brother of his AAU coach and adviser trying to get an inside track. Duke came hard at him. No one seemed the least bit deterred in recruiting him by his shaky academics and recent misdemeanor charge.

It apparently came down to Miami and Kentucky. And in the end, the lure of the Wildcats, the track record of John Calipari in developing players, and of course the dribble-drive attack offense that Calipari runs were just too much to refuse.

As a result, anaging expectations in Kentucky for coach John Calipari just became that much more difficult. With the top recruiting class and Patrick Patterson already back in the fold for next year, every preseason prognostication will have Kentucky in the top-5 if not the team to beat. If Jodie Meeks pulls his name from the NBA Draft, then expectations in the Commonwealth will be turned up to 11.

John Wall Goes Big Blue originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 19 May 2009 09:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recruiting a Cesspool of Sleaze, Scum

Greg Couch — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Coaches, Recruiting

It just doesn't stop, with these slimeballs. The whole Tim Floyd story just slips and slides right off the page. Floyd, the USC basketball coach, is accused of giving $1,000 to get stud recruit O.J. Mayo a few years ago.

Another coach, another envelope of cash. But did you see the details?

Because we keep getting more examples of dirty coaches, but then we shake our heads and ignore, basically, what went into making that sausage.

I had to sharpen two pencils and make a flow chart to follow the dollars -- alleged dollars -- to grasp this Floyd case.

In the end a guy who apparently is a hanger-on for a runner, or street agent, says Floyd gave that runner the money in an effort to steer Mayo, a high school kid at the time, to come to USC. That same hanger-on says the runner received between $200,000 and $250,000 to steer Mayo to an official agent.

That's an awful lot of layers of sleaze. And the question that sticks out is this:

Exactly how many people get their hands on our kids?

"The short answer is, as many as possible,'' said Dave Thompson, a former NCAA investigator.

And I haven't even mentioned the hands of coaches in the AAU, a once-proud organization that has become another layer of sleaze.

"If you go back to when these kids are 10, 11, 12 years old,'' Thompson said. "From that time, if we had perfect knowledge of kids prior to their enrollment in college, whether they've gotten some benefit, gift or discount or service based on their athletic ability, that would break NCAA amateur legislation.

"There are all kinds of people knocking on the door with shoes, money, gifts, whatever.''

The shoe companies. I haven't mentioned their hands.

When Floyd recruited Mayo, he reportedly never got the kid's phone number. Imagine that. It was a deal cut with a go-between.

"In the old days, there were a kid's high school coach and the parents," said Thompson, who wanted to be clear that he's not talking about USC. "Now, sometimes there are three or four different layers of people a coach has to get through just to get to talk to the kid or the parents.

"And the coach has all kind of rules about how to talk to them, when they can talk to them. There are going to be some coaches who say, 'To hell with this phone call rule. I'm going to who I want whenever I want and make sure no one catches me.' "

So it's the system's fault, and colleges and college coaches are just thrust into it?

Hah! They are just as dirty. It's the world they live in.

Well, in some cases, that's not true. Last year, I told Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber that this is a dirty business and he's too nice for it. He's letting it run him over.

"I take that as a compliment,'' he said. "The part maybe I'm not as good at is what you said -- getting involved with people around a kid. That, I don't feel comfortable with. If that's a negative, then in a way I'm proud of it. It may also hurt us in the long run."

Of course, Weber has landed some big-time recruits since then. He also started recruiting 14-year-olds.

Weber had lost out on getting Eric Gordon, who had given his word to play for Illinois. Then, Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma, where he had been busted for making 233 impermissible recruiting phone calls. But see? Indiana knew what it was getting.

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair, right, puts a shot up over Georgetown defenders Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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President Barack Obama receives a jersey from coach Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team at the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama receives a Jersey from coach Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team at the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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Sampson stole Gordon away, but eventually was busted for more bad calls, and is out now.

USC should have known better than to let Floyd go after Mayo. The kid already was connected to the runner, Rodney Guillory, a street agent who had been fingered by the NCAA before.

Red ... flag.

On top of that, USC was already in trouble for its dealings with Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who apparently had an agent and plenty of family gifts while in college. If I look back through my flow chart, I believe the details on Bush came out -- credit to Yahoo! Sports-- because a hanger-on, a wannabe agent, was thinking he was going to be in on the big bucks when Bush signed with his company out of college. When that deal fell through, that first layer of sleaze was upset that he had lost out, and burned everyone.

That seems to be pretty close to what happened with Mayo, according to Yahoo! and the Los Angeles Times.

Louis Johnson, the hanger-on, allegedly drove Guillory, the runner charged with steering Mayo to USC. Johnson told the media, and the feds, that he drove Guillory to a Beverly Hills cafe where Floyd was waiting, let Guillory out and circled the block. When he got Guillory again, he had an envelope with a thousand dollars in $100 bills. Guillory, according to Johnson, said Floyd had given him the money.

Why is Johnson snitching now? Just a guess: He didn't get his cut.

The first layer of sleaze seems to be these street agents attaching themselves to 10-year olds.

"It's usually someone who already has a relationship with the family, the kid,'' Thompson said. Then, an agent finds out who that [street agent] is.''

The agent connects with the street agent. NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from having agents.

You can blame Sonny Vaccaro for professionalizing youth sports. He's the longtime shoe marketing guy who ran basketball all-star camps at different times for Nike, Adidas and Reebok. That's where agents and scouts and coaches and street agents all came together around kids.

But maybe blame is the wrong word. Vaccaro, who is in Greece, and didn't return messages for this column, can paint a picture this way:

A poor, inner-city kid suddenly is invited to these camps and AAU teams. His game develops in a way it never would have otherwise, by playing against the nation's best players. Someone in the game is looking out for him.

Possible?

"Some people out there are trying to do the best thing for the kid or parents, some aren't,'' Thopmson said. "Some are going it for selfish motives. Great AAU coaches out there really are interested in the kid and sometimes they help protect a kid from agents.

"The fact there's some NCAA rule that prevents it might be detrimental to the kid.''

Maybe so, but there is too much slime there, too much self-interest, too many hands on these kids.

A few years ago, star recruit Michael Beasley went to Kansas State. His former AAU coach was hired as an assistant at K-State, where he now makes $420,000 a year, according to Rivals.com, more than the entire three-man staffs at Ohio State, Washington State, Wisconsin.

Face it, it was a payoff for delivering Beasley.

So what should happen to USC? I'm thinking burial.

If USC is found guilty on football and basketball, then how about cutting half the scholarship for five years? No postseason. Take away the national football title it won and ban Floyd from coaching anywhere in the NCAA for 10 years.

The punishments the NCAA usually gives do no good, and I hope that's not because it's protecting the big-time, big-revenue schools. How many layers can there be?

If the NCAA really cares, then this could be a good time and place to start a real fight and send a real message: Hands off our kids.

Recruiting a Cesspool of Sleaze, Scum originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 14 May 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USC Coach Tim Floyd Accused of Paying Mayo's Representative

Chas Rich — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Police Blotter, Recruiting

It was exactly a year ago that all the evidence and information was made public by O.J. Mayo's former entourage member, Louis Johnson. The story was about how Rodney Guillory was giving the money to Mayo both to be attached to Mayo and as a runner for Bill Duffy Associates.

USC and Coach Tim Floyd had maintained the stance that they were clueless fools, not at all complicit. Now Louis Johnson reveals that in his interviews with investigators that he informed them that Floyd gave Guillory an envelope of cash.

The following is Johnson's account of the payment as told to Yahoo! Sports.

On Feb. 14, 2007, Johnson and Guillory packed up Guillory's black Infiniti SUV and were preparing for the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to attend the NBA All-Star weekend. Before they left, Guillory informed Johnson several times that he had to meet with Floyd so the coach could give him cash for the trip. Sometime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Guillory and Johnson headed toward Beverly Hills to meet with Floyd. During the drive, Johnson listened as Guillory and Floyd exchanged several cell phone calls as Floyd explained where the meeting would take place.

Upon arriving in Beverly Hills, Guillory pulled up to a stretch of cafes in the downtown shopping district, where Floyd was waiting on the sidewalk. Because there were no parking spaces, Guillory asked Johnson to circle the block in the SUV until Guillory was ready to be picked up. Johnson exited the passenger side of the vehicle, at which point Johnson saw Floyd and the two exchanged greetings. Johnson then got into the driver's seat and proceeded to circle the block while Guillory and Floyd met.

After approximately 15 minutes, Johnson saw Guillory waiting on the curb in front of the stretch of cafes and pulled over to pick him up. Once Guillory was inside the vehicle, he produced a white envelope with cash inside. Guillory told Johnson that Floyd had given him "a grand," and Johnson was able to view $100 bills inside the envelope. He said he believed there appeared to be "substantially" more than $1,000, although he did not count the bills.

Not exactly a smoking gun. It is not good, but there is little to corroborate it. That is about the only good news for Tim Floyd with this going public.

Floyd did not exactly have a sterling reputation before this. Nothing explicitly bad, but the subject of rumors and whispers of less than above-the-board standards when it comes to recruiting. This is the first outright accusation of giving a payoff to a representative of a recruit.

It has been a while since anything has been heard from the NCAA investigations into O.J. Mayo's magical single season at USC. Sure there was the initial flurry almost a year ago. The NCAA, Pac-10, FBI, IRS, California's Attorney General all were looking into some aspect of the O.J. Mayo situation. Then it was joined with the Reggie Bush investigation and the two appeared to be heading nowhere.

According to the Yahoo! Sports report, Johnson told that story to all the government investigators last May. NCAA investigators were told about it last week.

Not surprisingly, Guillory has declined comment. As has USC and Floyd -- citing the fact that the NCAA investigation keeps them from commenting.

When or if USC and Floyd actually do comment, expect denials. That's about all that is left. Floyd would be done in coaching if this could be confirmed in any way. USC would likely face tremendously heavy sanctions from the NCAA.

USC Coach Tim Floyd Accused of Paying Mayo's Representative originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 13 May 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mississippi State May Have the Best Front Court in the SEC ... or Not

Chas Rich — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, SEC, NBA Prospects, Recruiting

On paper, it looks like the Bulldogs may be loaded up front in 2009. Forward Jarvis Varnado, the nation's leading shot-blocker for the past two seasons, has decided to return for his senior season.

Last week, the program added a commitment from Renardo Sidney, one of the top power forwards in the 2009 recruiting class. Plus, John Riek, a 7-foot-1 center, has signed a letter of intent with Mississippi State instead of Cincinnati. Mississippi State has size and talent up front that compares favorably with Kentucky and anyone in the nation.

That is, if they all make it on to the court.

Sidney is under heavy NCAA scrutiny for his academics and his family's connections with a Reebok shoe representative, something the Bulldogs are acutely aware of, as they have already retained the services of attorney Mike Glazier, who has represented Oklahoma, Louisville, Villanova and others in the past (including Mississippi State's football program) when dealing with NCAA investigations.

Glazier was specifically retained for dealing with Sidney, suggesting that, at the very least, Sidney may not be a lock to make it out to the court for his expected single season at MSU.

As for Riek, he's at the IMG Academy in Florida still recovering from knee surgery that kept him from signing with Cinci after attending prep school in Massachusetts in 2007. He spent last year at the IMG Basketball Academy on scholarship while rehabbing from knee ligament surgery. Oh, and the NCAA has kept tabs on Riek as well, after actually putting his name in the NBA Draft last year.

Ultimately the Bulldogs could have one of the deepest, biggest, and defensively dominating frontcourt in the country in 2009. Or it could just be Jarvis Varnardo trying to do it all. There may be no team harder to predict before the season begins all because of eligibility issues.

Mississippi State May Have the Best Front Court in the SEC ... or Not originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 12 May 2009 10:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Wall's Misdemeanor Likely Won't Impact Recruitment

Chas Rich — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Florida, Kentucky, NC State, ACC, SEC, Media Watch, Police Blotter, Recruiting, North Carolina

John Wall, the nation's top point guard recruit and possible No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering yesterday.

Contrary to what my colleague wrote, this will likely have minimal impact on the teams recruiting him.

So far no team or coach has even circulated a rumor that they are done recruiting Wall (though NCAA regulations prohibit coaches and programs from speaking directly about an unsigned recruit).

After Wall makes a decision, no doubt the snubbed coaches will imply or let intermediaries suggest that they stopped recruiting him after this incident. Fans of the snubbed schools will doubtlessly claim that they are happy that a "thug" and "criminal" like Wall is not going to sully their program.

Please.

Wall was cited -- not even arrested -- for misdemeanor breaking and entering (North Carolina GS Sec. 14-54(b)) last week. It was into an empty house, with no sign of forced entry (not a bad house, judging by the listing).

Essentially, Wall and a couple friends were stupid enough to decide to walk into an empty house. They did not take anything. Essentially, the police wrote him a ticket.

The officer saw Wall leaving from the rear door of the residence and detained him without incident, [Raleigh police spokesman Jim] Sughrue said.

A few minutes later, a second teenager, Bria Renea Draughn, 16, was detained while walking on a nearby street. A third, Reginald Leonard Jackson II, 17, was detained when he returned to the Laurel Glen Drive house, Sughrue said.

Each of the three was issued a citation on a misdemeanor charge of breaking and entering, said Wake County chief magistrate Gary Wills.

The citation is similar to one issued for a traffic violation, Wills said. "You can be cited for a misdemeanor breaking and entering," he said. No warrant was executed.

This is not to minimize what he did, but sneaking into an empty, abandoned house is not exactly an unheard-of action for teenagers, even an 18-year-old under plenty of scrutiny for his basketball prowess. When even a county magistrate is comparing it to a traffic violation, it is hard to draw real outrage.

Athletes in Trouble With the Law

May 4: Prized recruit John Wall is charged with a misdemeanor breaking and entering. Click through to see more sports figures in trouble with the law.

Chris Williams, Icon Sports Media

May 4: NFL wide receiver Biren Ealy, pictured, and tight end Kolomona Kapanui were accused of being drunk, urinating in public and exposing themselves.

Getty Images

April 30: Former football star Lawrence Phillips, pictured here with the Dolphins in 1998, will go to trial on charges that he attacked his girlfriend in 2005. Phillips already is serving a 10-year sentence for hitting three teenagers with his car in Los Angeles.

AFP / Getty Images

April 26: Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips was cited for misdemeanor battery for allegedly striking a security guard in the face at a hotel.

Tom Hevezi, AP

April 22: Former Jaguars star Jimmy Smith faces multiple drug charges, plus a charge of driving with a suspended license following an arrest.

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

April 20: Purdue point guard Lewis Jackson pleads guilty to illegal alcohol consumption and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

April 15: Eugene Edgerson, a former Arizona basketball player who tours with the Harlem Globetrotters, was arrested for the second time in two months on domestic violence charges.

Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE / Getty Images

April 16: Former Broncos running back Travis Henry admitted to a single count of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and faces 10 years or more in prison.

Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

April 13: Michigan State's Glenn Winston was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to assault charges.

Carolyn Kaster, AP

April 11: Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner was arrested on charges of aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting police outside a Cleveland nightclub.

Paul Jasienski, Getty Images

John Wall's Misdemeanor Likely Won't Impact Recruitment originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 05 May 2009 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renardo Sidney Switches From USC to Mississippi State

Chas Rich — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, USC, Pac-10, SEC, Recruiting

Well, maybe not so much switched as compelled to look elsewhere. Renardo Sidney may be one of the top-ten recruits nationally, but he has not been quite as hotly pursued as you would expect for a 6-10 McDonald's All-American power forward. Sidney and his family made an event out of picking USC over UCLA, despite UCLA dropping interest several days prior.

Apparently by mutual agreement, Sidney and USC have opted not to join. Instead Sidney will head to Mississippi State. If Jarvis Varnardo comes back to Mississippi State rather than staying in the draft, the Bulldogs will have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the SEC in 2009.

As for why Sidney made the late switch, both sides are spinning it their own way. USC seems to be suggesting that they are now fearful of his ability to qualify academically. Something that did not bother them earlier when he chose them.

The reality may be that after Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo -- and the ongoing combined investigation -- USC felt it could not take a top player whose father has a "consulting" job with Reebok. Add in one-and-done DeMar DeRozan and his relationship with Percy "Master P" Miller and his family and his No Limits Sorts agent business, and the questions would just keep piling up on USC.

The Sidney clan is going with the stated desire of going back to Mississippi where Renardo grew up until the last few years. They are also hinting that they do not want to be caught in the middle of possible penalties to USC if the NCAA (ever) comes down on the Trojans.

Renardo Sidney Switches From USC to Mississippi State originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 04 May 2009 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Would Be Lucky to Have Miles, Majok Stay in NBA Draft

Chas Rich — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Big East, Coaches, Recruiting

On its face, one of the sillier declarations of testing the NBA draft waters was UConn freshman forward Ater Majok declaring for the draft. Ater Majok never played for UConn this season, as Majok's academic situation took quite a while to unravel. Not too surprising for a Sudanese native that first went to Australia before getting to the United States. The NCAA decided that Majok would not be eligible until the 2009-10 season.

Nate Miles, briefly of UConn, but this past season with the College of Southern Idaho (a junior college) has also declared for the NBA draft. Having both players go pro -- even if they do not get drafted -- is probably the best case scenario for UConn and Jim Calhoun.

Majok and Miles are persons of interest to the NCAA with their relationship with Josh Nochimson -- the one-time UConn basketball student manager, personal assistant to Richard Hamilton and formerly registered agent. Nochimson was revealed to be actively involved in the lives of Majok and Miles. Two kids that eventually found their way to UConn -- though neither has ever suited up for the Huskies.

Most of the attention from the initial story reported by Yahoo! Sports focused on the part with Nate Miles. Nochimson housed Miles, may have paid for surgery for Miles, and was an ever-present figure in Miles' recruitment.

Majok, though, also was represented by Nochimson at a summer league tournament before signing with UConn. It is not clear what, if any benefits Majok received from Nochimson. It is also unclear how much Nochimson represented Majok's interests.

These are all questions that the NCAA should want to have answered, along with the records of excessive phone communication between UConn assistant coaches and Miles and Majok. And this is to say nothing of the calls that went first to Nochimson before Miles or Majok were contacted by the UConn coaches. Of course, to do that, the NCAA needs to actually interview Miles, Majok and Nochimson. That's the problem for the NCAA.

The NCAA has no power over Nochimson to get him to speak with their investigators. Miles is apparently not returning to college basketball, and thus, outside the reach of the NCAA. Majok, if he does not return to UConn, would also be outside the reach.

As important as the 6-10 forward would be to UConn's on-the-court hopes for the next season, his departure without ever playing a minute for the Huskies coupled with Miles would be better for Jim Calhoun's legacy and the UConn program overall.

Just ask the NCAA how far they have gotten with their investigations into USC and O.J. Mayo when they have been unable to interview Mayo. They have records and evidence that Mayo was receiving money from a runner for an agent, they have interviewed USC coaches and administrators, and they have little to show for it.

All the NCAA investigators have are damning cellphone records of the UConn assistant coaches. The problem is that that only means that UConn was guilty of committing excessive phone calls to recruits. Good luck on getting anyone on the UConn coaching staff -- present or past -- to concede that their calls were anything more than excessive phone calls.

And the calls that went to Josh Nochimson? They could be explained as nothing more than coincidental conversations with an old student manager who was a friend around the same time they were making calls to Miles and Majok. Surely, there was no way they knew that Nochimson was involved with these kids. At least that will be the story.

Of course, no one at UConn would be so cynical as to hope a couple of kids that are not even projected to get signed in the NBDL wind up not coming back to the college ranks. Never.

UConn Would Be Lucky to Have Miles, Majok Stay in NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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