Interview with 2012 commit, Rasheed Sulaimon

[KevinDhoops]

I recently had the opportunity to talk with the Duke commit. We talked about everything from a possible Fab 5 at Duke!, his summer, goals, position he'll play at Duke, how long he'll stay at Duke, and more.

Please check it out &tell me what you think!

http://duffyhoops.blogspot.com/2011/...t-rasheed.html

[mikegismynewhero]

'Sheed is a great interview, can't wait for him to get to duke!!

[coldriver10]

I gotta say, just hearing a well-regarded player say that he's going into college expecting to stay all 4 years gives me a great feeling. He seems very grounded and like the ultimate student athlete, one that I bet will be an excellent ambassador of the university.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Great interview. Thanks for linking it. And I must say, I like this Rasheed a whole lot more than the last Rasheed that played in the Triangle! He sounds like a really great person. I was going to say kid, but he's far more mature and intelligent than someone I want to call a kid.

[uh_no]

I gotta say, just hearing a well-regarded player say that he's going into college expecting to stay all 4 years gives me a great feeling. He seems very grounded and like the ultimate student athlete, one that I bet will be an excellent ambassador of the university.

While that may be his attitude now, I'm not sure we can lock him up. Often times athletes say that only to renege later. Now, I don't want to question his integrity (which i invariably did :P) but oftentimes people start with the best intentions only to change the later. Take nolan, for instance. He claimed for the longest time that he was going to stay 4 years and graduate. After he decided to stay for his senior year, though, he said his decision was highly contingent on Kyle's decision to stay. Now, the point here isn't that he said he would stay 4 years and did, the point is that though his intention was to stay for four years, he experienced extreme forces pulling him to the NBA, and ultimately stayed NOT because it was his original intention, but because Kyle stayed.

That all said, I like this kid and hope he stays for 4 years (much like any Duke player...), but don't put too much weight on his current intentions.

[coldriver10]

While that may be his attitude now, I'm not sure we can lock him up. Often times athletes say that only to renege later. Now, I don't want to question his integrity (which i invariably did :P) but oftentimes people start with the best intentions only to change the later. Take nolan, for instance. He claimed for the longest time that he was going to stay 4 years and graduate. After he decided to stay for his senior year, though, he said his decision was highly contingent on Kyle's decision to stay. Now, the point here isn't that he said he would stay 4 years and did, the point is that though his intention was to stay for four years, he experienced extreme forces pulling him to the NBA, and ultimately stayed NOT because it was his original intention, but because Kyle stayed.

That all said, I like this kid and hope he stays for 4 years (much like any Duke player...), but don't put too much weight on his current intentions.

I understand what you're saying, but my point was only that I like it when guys come in with the intention of staying 4 years. Heck, he openly admitted that this (as with any decision) is subject to change, but his goal was to finish out his Duke career and graduate. And I like it when that's the goal.

Also, I hear that a lot about Nolan (and I know he said it in some interview), but if I remember correctly he reported he was coming back far before Kyle did. So I'm not sure it really had much of any impact on his own decision.

[uh_no]

I understand what you're saying, but my point was only that I like it when guys come in with the intention of staying 4 years. Heck, he openly admitted that this (as with any decision) is subject to change, but his goal was to finish out his Duke career and graduate. And I like it when that's the goal.

Completely agree. Given, in the end, I'm happy for any kid who goes to college and is actually a student, regardless of how long they've stayed.

Also, I hear that a lot about Nolan (and I know he said it in some interview), but if I remember correctly he reported he was coming back far before Kyle did. So I'm not sure it really had much of any impact on his own decision.

I'll admit, I don't remember the exact timeline, but I had always thought he was returning due to his stated intention to graduate. I also distinctly remember him being quoted as saying he likely would have been gone had Kyle left.

Either way, always good to see a kid with that mind set coming in, but does not guarantee he won't change his mind, even as early as after his freshman year.

[NovaScotian]

Can we start calling him sulaimon the magnificent yet? Or shall we wait until he actually plays a game?

[MCFinARL]

Completely agree. Given, in the end, I'm happy for any kid who goes to college and is actually a student, regardless of how long they've stayed.


I'll admit, I don't remember the exact timeline, but I had always thought he was returning due to his stated intention to graduate. I also distinctly remember him being quoted as saying he likely would have been gone had Kyle left.

Either way, always good to see a kid with that mind set coming in, but does not guarantee he won't change his mind, even as early as after his freshman year.

Yes, my recollection is that he made some reflexive "I'm staying all four years" statement sometime during the season, before it was really crunch time, so everyone assumed he would stay. But then later he did say that he had seriously considered leaving after the tournament and that Kyle's decision to stay was a big factor in his decision to stay.

[Devilsfan]

He is the "class" of 2012.

[Dr. Tina]

I'm on Twitter and I follow Rasheed. Anytime I have tweeted him or someone else has, he responds in such a gracious, humble way. Seems like a great kid!

[uh_no]

I'm on Twitter and I follow Rasheed. Anytime I have tweeted him or someone else has, he responds in such a gracious, humble way. Seems like a great kid!

I'm not sure, but I believe that is an NCAA violation as he has not yet signed an LOI.

[dukebluesincebirth]

I'm not sure, but I believe that is an NCAA violation as he has not yet signed an LOI.

How exactly would that be a NCAA violation?

[-jk]

How exactly would that be a NCAA violation?

Please read the compliance post in the FAQ sticky. Boosters are prohibited from communicating with recruits.

-jk

[oldnavy]

How exactly would that be a NCAA violation?

There is a rule (I believe) that as a representative of the university you cannot make contact with a player during the recruitment.

The NCAA regards "fans" as representatives of universities (which I think is ridiculous btw). By extending representation down to the fan level makes this a tough rule to enforce because almost anyone following a high school basketball prospect is going to be a fan of some school. So anyone who tweeted back a player could potentially be in violation of the NCAA rule. The NCAA places the responsibility for policing the fans on the school.

I would imagine that you would have to be conversing with the recruit in a way that would be attempting to influence their choice in schools before it constituted a violation, but who knows with the NCAA?

[ohioguy2]

I'm not sure, but I believe that is an NCAA violation as he has not yet signed an LOI.

Yes,I also believe it is. A fan is a representative of the university.

[darjum]

There is a rule (I believe) that as a representative of the university you cannot make contact with a player during the recruitment.

The NCAA regards "fans" as representatives of universities (which I think is ridiculous btw). By extending representation down to the fan level makes this a tough rule to enforce because almost anyone following a high school basketball prospect is going to be a fan of some school. So anyone who tweeted back a player could potentially be in violation of the NCAA rule. The NCAA places the responsibility for policing the fans on the school.

I would imagine that you would have to be conversing with the recruit in a way that would be attempting to influence their choice in schools before it constituted a violation, but who knows with the NCAA?

I'm certainly not an expert and cannot comprehend the potential ramifications of high school athlete/fan base implications...but that ranks quite highly as one of the stupidest rules I have ever heard. Maybe the NCAA should just ban potential NCAA athletes from engaging in any social media just in case they have an interpersonal connection

I realize that quite often fans go over the top in an attempt to sway high school students to attend their preferred institution, but claiming a fan is a representative of an academic institution is wrong. Unless you're being paid or attending the university you don't represent it imo.

By the way, the interview was great and Rasheed seems fantastic. Since us 'fans' can't do it...Rasheed, if you happen to read this could you tweet Tony Parker or Andre Drummondand convince them to come to DUke, much appreciated )

[dukebluesincebirth]

I'm certainly not an expert and cannot comprehend the potential ramifications of high school athlete/fan base implications...but that ranks quite highly as one of the stupidest rules I have ever heard. Maybe the NCAA should just ban potential NCAA athletes from engaging in any social media just in case they have an interpersonal connection

I realize that quite often fans go over the top in an attempt to sway high school students to attend their preferred institution, but claiming a fan is a representative of an academic institution is wrong. Unless you're being paid or attending the university you don't represent it imo.

By the way, the interview was great and Rasheed seems fantastic. Since us 'fans' can't do it...Rasheed, if you happen to read this could you tweet Tony Parker or Andre Drummondand convince them to come to DUke, much appreciated )

I agree. I don't know much about the NCAA rulebook, but I can't imagine how this would be enforced accurately. I wonder if I could pose as a UNC fan for a while on Twitter and chat with some UNC recruits and eventually get ol roy in some hot water? Sounds tempting.
Anyway, to get back on the board's topic, I liked the interview and thanks for posting. This kid sounds like another typical "Coach K" type. Welcome Rasheed and can't wait to see you play in Cameron!

[miramar]

"I can't wait to get to Duke. Each and every night I put on a Duke uniform I am going to try my hardest to win each and play my heart out for the Cameron Crazies."

Something tells me this kid is going to be a crowd favorite.

[darjum]

I agree. I don't know much about the NCAA rulebook, but I can't imagine how this would be enforced accurately. I wonder if I could pose as a UNC fan for a while on Twitter and chat with some UNC recruits and eventually get ol roy in some hot water? Sounds tempting.
Anyway, to get back on the board's topic, I liked the interview and thanks for posting. This kid sounds like another typical "Coach K" type. Welcome Rasheed and can't wait to see you play in Cameron!

I know, sometimes I wonder why I like college hoops so much with the mind boggling nature of the NCAA rules committee and the seedy side of recruiting...but then the games start and I remember why. And yes, Rasheed seems like he's going to be a special kid from day one.