Recruiting
Links, rankings and more on high school prospects
Roy Williams likes to say his name doesn’t belong in the same sentence as Dean Smith. When North Carolina won its fifth NCAA tournament last spring – its second under Williams, matching Smith’s total – he continually deflected attention from himself to his school and his players.
“Roy Williams is not that good,” he said last April. “But Ole Roy has got some big-time players and that’s what it takes.”
Well, chalk up another big-time player. Another title may follow.
Harrison Barnes – perhaps the nation’s No. 1 recruit – committed to North Carolina on Friday. "He's the most complete offensive player in the country,” says Paul Biancardi, Scouts Inc.'s national recruiting director.
That gives the Tar Heels two of the Top 10 prospects and three of the top 32 in the class of 2010, according to Rivals.com.
It’s generally acknowledged that places like UNC don’t rebuild after winning a championship, they reload. But this is getting ridiculous.
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Kyrie Irving’s slated to be Duke’s next great guard. The 6-1, 165-pound point guard, is one of the top recruits for the class of 2010 thanks to his ball-handling, savvy passing and leadership.
More impressive? He brings actual thespian skills to Durham.
Irving acted in his school’s rendition of “High School Musical,” which is a natural for him. It’s all about basketball players and how they deal with off-court pressures. ... C’mon, don’t act like you haven’t seen it.
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The nation’s No. 1 recruit could make Friday the 13th awfully lucky for one school.
Harrison Barnes, a 6-6 swingman from Ames, Iowa, is trying to settle on announcement date where he’ll announce where he’ll play hoops next season. Six schools are in the mix: North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma and Iowa State.
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Been a lot of talk about Duke’s “demise” the last few years.
The Devils haven’t been to the Final Four since 2004. No titles since 2001. Last year’s thrashing by Villanova seemed to signal a turning point that Duke wasn’t … well, Duke anymore.
That talk is about to stop, all because of one player.
Kyrie Irving, one of the elite prospects from the class of 2010, will reportedly commit to Duke, perhaps as early as Wednesday.
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It is funny to see the Duke-North Carolina rivalry spill over into other areas. Take recruiting.
Harrison Barnes, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2010, had a home visit Monday night from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, which was supposed to be the final in-home visit of the contact period allowed by the NCAA.
Except UNC coach Roy Williams showed up a couple hours later.
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Recruits are meant to feel welcome when they visit college campuses.
Just not too welcome. Ask Duke.
Star prospect Kyrie Irving, potentially the game-breaking guard Mike Krzyzewski needs to get back to the Final Four, visited Durham last weekend.
And, like any hoops school, the students knew about the visit and wanted to do their part, posting signs around campus to welcome him. Nice, right?
Turns out it’s too nice.
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The din surrounding Rick Pitino’s last few months – the alleged extortion, the sex scandal, the strange presser – clouded that he’s still one of the nation’s top program builders. The guy knows how to recruit, coach and boost the fan base.
And sometimes, he does it in an effective, if somewhat shady way. Like hiring someone close to a top recruit.
Louisville hired Shabaka Lands, an assistant high school coach of Marquis Teague, the top point guard in the class of 2011. This presumably gives the Cardinals the inside track to signing Teague, the kind of player who can turn a good team into a title team.
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Buyer’s remorse seems likely when a 13-year-old commits to your hoops program. But it turns out Tom Floyd’s ouster gave USC a chance to re-think things.
Ryan Boatright says USC is no longer recruiting him, which re-opens his school prospects. And that’s probably a good thing. After all, a lot can change between 13 and 17, especially where a prospect wants to play and who he wants to play for.
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Tuesday’s must-read story contains so many delectable elements and features so many varied, amusing takes from the around the Internet that I’m a little sad it took this long to surface this summer.
In other words, many thanks to Anthony DiLoreto and Rick Majerus. You’ve provided me with hours several minutes of amusement on an otherwise irritating Tuesday. (The blame lies with ol’ No. 4, who finally made up his NFL mind…)
Of course, maybe I’m just going a little crazy from the Seattle heat and my sense of humor is skewed. After all, Gary Parrish’s story on a high school prospect who’s facing two felony charges for his role in a bank robbery but says he has been offered a scholarship by Majerus’ St. Louis program could be seen as a sign of the college hoops apocalypse.
Or not. Maybe it’s because the whole thing is just so ridiculous.
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Think that movie ticket for “The Hangover” is expensive? Try being a college basketball coach.
They spend most of July in the gym, watching recruits at various camps and tournaments. If they feel like paying up to $600, that is.
This great read from the N.Y. Times’ Pete Thamel illuminates the aggravating costs of summer recruiting. Forget travel and food. Some coaches have to pay $350 simply to see players in a single game at a tournament, or even more if they want extra scouting information. You know, really top-end stuff like players’ names and where they go to school.
If it sounds nuts, that’s because it is.
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