Friday, January 23, 2009
Forget the names. Forget the situation.
Just read the conversation below and determine whether or not it is a “cordial greeting.”
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The Brew goes digital
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Coach: “Great win, man. You really played well.”
Player: “Thanks.”
Coach: “I’m not supposed to be talking to you, and you know that, but I just wanted to tell you that was a great win.”
That’s the exchange the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader reported between Kansas coach Bill Self and John Wall, the nation’s No. 1 high-school recruit from Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C.
That’s the exchange that some are alleging breaks NCAA recruiting rules by going beyond a cordial greeting.
In the four days since the conversation after a basketball tournament in Springfield, everyone has been talking about it. Radio shows have designated segments to ripping on or defending Self. It even made it onto ESPN.
Odds are, we’ll never hear about the encounter again because there’s really nothing to it. Not if you believe Self’s version of what happened.
“By no means am I going to deny that it happened,” Self said. “But the reason I was in the back was to go say ‘hi’ to the coaches.”
Self said it was common procedure for college coaches to bid high school coaches farewell after watching their teams play. Nothing to it.
But last Friday, Wall walked out of the locker room while Self walked back to talk to his coach. Self is a friendly guy. He basically told Wall, “Good game.”
In sports, “great win” is about as common a greeting as asking, “What’s up?” Maybe Self will be more careful next time. Maybe the NCAA will tell him to ignore the recruit next time. It will end at that.
“If what has happened here is an issue — which I’m not saying it is by any means — then you’ve got to do better,” Self said. “The thing has gotten a little more play than a lot of situations have or more play than it’s deserved.”
Related?
Charles Boozer, who will play for Iowa State when it meets Kansas on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, is the brother of NBA star Carlos Boozer, who plays for the Utah Jazz.
At least, the Iowa State media guide says he is. These things have to be checked out now after the farce pulled by Missouri freshman guard Miguel Paul.
Paul claimed to be a first cousin of New Orleans Hornet star Chris Paul and Missouri even listed it in the media guide. Miguel recounted made-up conversations he had with Chris to Columbia reporters.
Then, someone asked Chris Paul about it and he said he had never met Miguel. Oops.
Did I mention my uncle is Kiefer Sutherland?
Recommended
Reading
All this recruiting talk calls for a shout-out to Bruce Feldman’s book entitled “Meat Market.” Feldman spent a year following around football recruiting guru and former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron. Feldman’s book reveals a number of secrets and is a quick read.
— — Edited by Justin Leverett
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