Underbelly of college basketball - 2 Questions

[SoCalDukeFan]

This article was posted by ESPN almost a year ago:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7853594/coaches-mid-major-programs-spurning-lucrative-opportunities-stay-put-men-college-basketball

The last paragraphs discuss why mid major coaches stay where they are:


Another factor that can make non-BCS coaches think twice before jumping to power conferences is recruiting. Bigger schools often pursue higher-caliber players, which sometimes means dealing with the underbelly of college basketball.

"Recruiting at the high-major level is extremely complicated and, in many cases, corrupt," said one coach from a mid-major school. "If I was to take a high-major job, I could be entering myself in all sorts of scenarios that I can usually avoid where I am now. That's a factor for certain people.

"If you go to that level and you go about it the 'right way,' the deck could be stacked against you."

It's a scenario coaches like Marshall, Smart and Stevens likely won't have to deal with any time soon.

If ever.

"I never even dreamed I'd be the coach at Butler," Stevens said. "I sure as heck never had a goal -- and still don't -- to have a BCS job. I don't have any goals written on a napkin. In a lot of ways, this has already been a fairy tale."


Question 1 - How do you think K and staff handle the corrupt aspects today?

Question 2 - Will K's successor be able to handle it the same way?

Thanks
SoCal

[dukelifer]

This article was posted by ESPN almost a year ago:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7853594/coaches-mid-major-programs-spurning-lucrative-opportunities-stay-put-men-college-basketball

The last paragraphs discuss why mid major coaches stay where they are:


Another factor that can make non-BCS coaches think twice before jumping to power conferences is recruiting. Bigger schools often pursue higher-caliber players, which sometimes means dealing with the underbelly of college basketball.

"Recruiting at the high-major level is extremely complicated and, in many cases, corrupt," said one coach from a mid-major school. "If I was to take a high-major job, I could be entering myself in all sorts of scenarios that I can usually avoid where I am now. That's a factor for certain people.

"If you go to that level and you go about it the 'right way,' the deck could be stacked against you."

It's a scenario coaches like Marshall, Smart and Stevens likely won't have to deal with any time soon.

If ever.

"I never even dreamed I'd be the coach at Butler," Stevens said. "I sure as heck never had a goal -- and still don't -- to have a BCS job. I don't have any goals written on a napkin. In a lot of ways, this has already been a fairy tale."


Question 1 - How do you think K and staff handle the corrupt aspects today?

Question 2 - Will K's successor be able to handle it the same way?

Thanks
SoCal

I do not know the answer but I suspect that Duke is unlike most other programs and have the ability to pick kids that fit and have for the most part avoided this corrupt part of the game. But that is not to say Duke is completely immune and some situations were not potential issues. I think K's successor will have many challenges going forward- but Duke has a great facility and tradition. So they are well poised for maintaining some success. Still- it is not the same world of college ball that K entered 30 years ago. It seems as if K is still motivated to coach at least until he gets 1000 wins- so this is not an immediate problem. The landscape is changing so who knows where this is all heading 3 to 5 years from now

[weezie]

After all these years, I'm sure K can smell trouble in a prospect's background. He's an intimidating character, he's the best of the best and that has to extend to his ability to read people.
As to his successor, we can only hope with the acknowledgement that Duke is watched very closely by folks dying to nail the program for missteps.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

After all these years, I'm sure K can smell trouble in a prospect's background. He's an intimidating character, he's the best of the best and that has to extend to his ability to read people.
As to his successor, we can only hope with the acknowledgement that Duke is watched very closely by folks dying to nail the program for missteps.

K's smeller must have been broken with regard to Shabazz.

[Newton_14]

K's smeller must have been broken with regard to Shabazz.

Or maybe not. There have been times where K recruits a high risk kid, with a (this is my personal opinion) thought process of "this kid needs me in his life, and needs me and our program to help give him a chance at turning his life in the right direction". One clear example of that was the John Wall recruitment. If I am right about my theory, I applaud K for the willingness to take on the challenge in an effort to help the kid find success in life. The Shabazz recruitment may have been the same type deal.

It's great to recruit the high character kid from a great family, and it is "safe" to take that route, but taking on the challenge of recruiting a kid from troubled environments is praise worthy also in my book. If you end up with success where the kid becomes a better person, student, and excels on the court, it is a good thing. If the project fails, you cut the kid loose and walk away with the comfort of knowing that you at least gave him a chance.

[Atlanta Duke]

The compromises a program is willing to make probably relate significantly to the rank of the program at that time rather than the character of the HC alone - when K was striving to return Duke to the top level in the late 1990s (no sure thing at the time) some recruiting decisions were made (William Avery/Corey Maggette) that might not have been made by K before or after that particular time

[Des Esseintes]

Or maybe not. There have been times where K recruits a high risk kid, with a (this is my personal opinion) thought process of "this kid needs me in his life, and needs me and our program to help give him a chance at turning his life in the right direction". One clear example of that was the John Wall recruitment. If I am right about my theory, I applaud K for the willingness to take on the challenge in an effort to help the kid find success in life. The Shabazz recruitment may have been the same type deal.

It's great to recruit the high character kid from a great family, and it is "safe" to take that route, but taking on the challenge of recruiting a kid from troubled environments is praise worthy also in my book. If you end up with success where the kid becomes a better person, student, and excels on the court, it is a good thing. If the project fails, you cut the kid loose and walk away with the comfort of knowing that you at least gave him a chance.

To me, the Wall recruitment showed the Duke program's willingness to play the game, not in a corrupt but in a clear-eyed manner of the present environment. I believe it was Jim Sumner who revealed on here a while back that Wall was never in any danger of matriculating to Duke. Instead, Wall's having Duke in his final two was a mutually beneficial facade put forward by both player and university. Wall got the imprimatur and heightened attention of a prime Duke target; Duke got the positive buzz of a hip, elite player at a time when image had gotten slightly musty. As Sumner said, things seemed to work out great for all involved.

That said, I think there have definitely been situations where K did as you say. It's just that John Wall was probably not one of K's missions of mercy.

[dukeofcalabash]

College basketball would get much better IF the honest, law abiding coaches would turn in recruits who in any way seem suspect when it comes to NCAA rules. Bet that will never happen.

[Willy2351]

Duke has been able to excel at the highest level of college bball without significant "compromises" happens because of one reason: Coach K and his program are outstanding enough to be able to compete with anyone on the recruiting front, even when the other guys are offering "benefits" (e.g. money or, at unc, not having to go to class and do your own academic work) and Duke is not. Being able to win enough of those recruiting battles once Coach K has retired to remain at the top of the college bball heap will be a real challenge if we continue to run the same clean program. Tough or not, I sure hope we keep the same standards.

[NovaScotian]

College basketball would get much better IF the honest, law abiding coaches would turn in recruits who in any way seem suspect when it comes to NCAA rules. Bet that will never happen.

or, this could devolve into coaches threatening to report players unless they commit to their program. see baylor from a few years ago.

[pfrduke]

or, this could devolve into coaches threatening to report players unless they commit to their program. see baylor from a few years ago.

Wasn't there a Bruce Pearl feud that had something to do with this, too?

[brevity]

Wasn't there a Bruce Pearl feud that had something to do with this, too?

That's not what happened. Bruce Pearl threatened to take his shirt off if a recruit failed to sign with his program.

Sorry. Wikipedia describes it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Pearl#Pearl.2FThomas_incident). Basically Pearl lost a recruiting battle as an Iowa assistant and tried to besmirch Illinois' successful recruitment in response. He recorded a leading question type of conversation with the recruit, Deon Thomas, and reported it to the NCAA.