http://espn.go.com/college-sports/ba...ntrezl-harrell
the top recruit for VT this year decides not to come now.. 8 scholarship players now
Harrell will NOT be transferring within the ACC.
The conference has in at least three instances in the last three years blocked players who have signed LOIs from transferring from within the conference:
(1) Gus Gilchrist tried to transfer from Virginia Tech to Maryland and was even willing to sit out a year -- the ACC ruled that he would have to sit out two years and lose a year of eligibility.
(2) When Oliver Purnell left Clemson Marcus Thornton tried to get out of his LOI and go to Georgia Tech. The ACC said no and he went to Georgia.
(3) When Al Skinner was fired at BC, Minnesota big man Kevin Noreen announced he was not going to BC and he wanted to look at a number of ACC schools. The ACC said no -- and he wound up at West Virginia.
On the record, a number of ACC coaches have complained about this practice -- and you'd think that the ACC would want to keep the best players in the league -- but the policy has not changed.
Besides, in the case of Duke, there are academic concerns that make it most unlikely that the Blue Devils would be involved even if the ACC would allow it.
As for Virginia Tech -- I think this is a devasting loss for a team that I thought might be a sleeper in the ACC. A week ago, they looked great in the post with Cadarian Raines (who played well after replacing Davila at center), Dorian Finney-Smith (not much of a scorer, but a great rebounjder/defender) and the incoming Harrell. Now Finney-Smith and Harrell are gone, meaning C.J. Barksdale has to move up from the No. 4 to the No. 2 post player -- and I don't even know who is No. 3.
They still have a solid PG in senior Erick Green, but their wings are weak (Eddie is okay, but Brown didn't show much as a freshman and Wood is just a so-so prospect) and now their post is Raines and not much else. They are no longer one of my sleepers -- I see them battling Wake Forest and BC for 10th-11th-12th place.
Haven't researched so this is just my understanding... a player cannot just "back out" of an LOI, he has to request and be granted a release from the school. The school could say no, in which case he'd have to come. So the school can also grant a conditional release and stipulate what schools he cannot sign with.
I wasn't aware of the ACC also getting involved in these types of situations. Good info.
And yeah, forget about him coming to Duke.
Harrell signs on with Pitino. Note, however, the interesting discussion of the scholarship "logjam."
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebaske...lle-bonus-size
riddle me this....did he actually SIGN the LOI? or just agree to financial assistance?
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
Dave Telep uses the word "signed," but signed what, exactly, I can't tell.
https://twitter.com/DaveTelep/status/209626625497767936
Pitino also after Finney-Smith.
http://www.zagsblog.com/2012/06/04/f...to-louisville/
Logjam "solved:"
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...sfers/related/
Looks like Pitino is taking a year of eligibility from Stephen Van Treese, who redshirted last year because of knee issues. Forcing him to transfer "for his own good" - because he won't get the 30 mpg he can get elsewhere. Van Treese has two years of eligibility left, but won't he lose one to transfer?
The author correctly notes that "Pitino is going to be ripped for this," proceeds, appropriately, to rip him, but then, surprisingly, softens the criticism by saying "Pitino does have a point" and "I don't have a major problem with Pitino telling Swopshire to transfer..."
The author's emphasis on how the coaches have the power and the players get screwed is surely accurate. This case is pretty ugly.