OT: NCAA and Duke investigate Coach K recruiting violation
Duke and the NCAA are investigating whether an NCAA recruiting rule was violated when coach Mike Krzyzewski reportedly offered a scholarship to a recruit during a summer tournament.
The scholarship offer to five-star prospect Alex Poythress came on Tuesday night, after Poythress’ AAU team was eliminated from the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla.
NCAA rules prevent coaches from contacting players before they are finished playing in tournaments. While the Georgia Stars were indeed eliminated from the Super Showcase, they were still in Orlando for the AAU Nationals. Players have to be dispersed from the team in order for a coach to talk to them.
I know this sounds minor and tick-tacky to some, but come on, can Coach K really say he did not know this was a violation? Especially when a coach contacting a recruit during an AAU tournament is a blatant and obvious violation. It's time the NCAA starts to bring the hammer down a little harder. Then coaches would think twice before trying to gain an unfair advantage by breaking the rules.
I'm curious to hear Coach K's rebuttal to this. My guess is he pleads ignorant to the rule.
http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26…
should be, "I don't need to cheat to get the best talent in the country here." And I will buy it.
But maybe it was just a mistake? I don't see a lot of benefit for him to offer early. I can see why the NCAA doesn't want the kids hassled, but I don't think Duke needs or gets much of a recruiting advantage from doing this. He'll still think Duke is a great offer after the Tournament too.
He's the greatest coach alive IMO, so I'll just wirte it off as an oversight on his part. He seems like a high character guy to me. But then again, we said that about Tressel for the longest time.
I doubt this is a new rule, so I don't know if he can plead ignorance on this. Don't think it's a huge violation though.
I'm a N. Carolina fan and I know this isn't major, but I would love so much to see them put on probation.
I would expect the NCAA to come down hard on Duke in this case... 1 extra schollie for Duke in the 2012-2013 season plus extra practice time.
Does anybody really expect the NCAA to do anything at this point to any major program in any sport ever again?
The NCAA is a bunch of wimps
The NCAA is a bunch of wimps
I wonder if they know that this is how they are perceived?
Wait until the team disperses versus not 'dispersing'? Come on, that's beyond ticky-tack. Define 'disperse'. No matter how much people dislike Coach K, this cannot in good conscience be used against him.
Well if they lose and are out of the tournament it's easily possible he was dispersed from the team. "Ok guys we lost go back to the hotel and fly home tomorrow.". BAM dispersed.
This is a secondary violation at most, and it won’t result in Duke being hit by any NCAA “hammer” or the program being put on probation. See this article from the Durham Herald-Sun:
If a violation of this nature did occur, college basketball sources said, the NCAA would likely consider it a minor violation resulting in the offer being rescinded or Duke's coaches losing a day or two of off-campus recruiting.
He's Coach K... He'll get the best players no matter what.
What if Coach K is as big a phony as Tressel is? What if Duke has been cheating all along? If they were, would Duke now get called for fouls like everyone else when they hack, reach, or just plain mug someone, instead of it being seen as "that great Duke defense?"
As for Coach K, he is a great coach, but so is anyone who can sit McDonald All Americans on his bench while they "wait their turn."