Tubby Smith to Minnesota?

[Dback Jon]

Frank Broyles continues to be an idiot.

 

[Renz]

Frank Broyles continues to be an idiot.

How so? Gillispie is quite an upgrade over Heath, IMO. Losing Gillispie is a huge blow to A&M.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Wow he's done a great job at A&M, seems like Arkansas has been down for awhile but I guess it's got more tradition.

UCLA was on the downside when they hired Howland, didn't mean much when it came to luring him away from a surging Pitt program. If you got people willing to pay the money you'll always be fine when hiring a coach in college sports. Stan Heath was mediocre at best, winning twenty and getting bounced in the first weekend is not good enough in Little Rock.

Donovan won't go to UK, Florida has got all sorts of revenue flowing in right now and he can win and get paid as much going forward in Gainesville as Lexington. Look for Calipari, UK fans want to win at all cost.

 

[Renz]

One rumor that Bruin fans are hoping is true is Donovan to UK. Of course hoping that it will distract Donovan and Florida players before they play UCLA but apparently the source of the rumor is somewhere in SEC country as a couple of Bruin fans who live back there said it's being openly discussed on talk radio that he and Calipari are UK's first 2 choices and both might be interested. I guess Billy would figure he'll lose 3 starters early this year in all likelihood?

I don't see it. Donovan isn't going to want to go head-to-head in recruiting against his friend and mentor Pitino.

 

[Dback Jon]

How so? Gillispie is quite an upgrade over Heath, IMO. Losing Gillispie is a huge blow to A&M.

IF they can get Gillespie, it may turn out ok. But Heath had done a decent job, and things were looking up for Arkansas.

But, Broyles is still an idiot - he has mismanaged the Arkansas athletic department for years.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

IF they can get Gillespie, it may turn out ok. But Heath had done a decent job, and things were looking up for Arkansas.

It's pretty obvious they waited to see who they could get before firing Heath or else he would've been toast two weeks ago. Heath has underachieved, barely squeaking into the Tournament two years in a row in his fourth and fifth years after missing his forst three attempts with all the recruiting success and Arkansas money and tradition is unacceptable.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI Memphis extended Calipari through 2012. Donovan is still the hot rumor someone named Darrell Bird who works for the Cats Pause says the rumor is they have a 7 year deal at 3.5 million a year already agreed upon by Donovan he'll take over after Florida's season ends. the Kentucky Scout.com message board has a huge thread on it and several Kentucky papers are reporting that Donovan is the lead candidate. One paper even quoted Joakim Noah saying he won't blame Donovan at all if he leaves.

Gillispie is apparently denying rumors about Arkansas at the moment.

 

[Renz]

I heard on Fox Sports Radio that Arkansas has offered to double Gillispie's A&M salary. They also said Gillispie is a candidate for the Kentucky job, as well.

 

[Skkorpion]

Very interesting. Kentucky used to have an incredible recruiting advantage with their lodge for basketball players on the lake. What went on there stayed there.

Nobody ever flunked out or got into trouble. The problem now is that most programs cheat just as much and the whole SEC (except Vanderbilt) offers the same kinds of bennies.

 

[Southpaw]

Very interesting. Kentucky used to have an incredible recruiting advantage with their lodge for basketball players on the lake. What went on there stayed there.

Nobody ever flunked out or got into trouble. The problem now is that most programs cheat just as much and the whole SEC (except Vanderbilt) offers the same kinds of bennies.

What is the Lake Lodge that you mentioned?

 

[DWKB]

It's Fayetteville, not Little Rock.

 

[Russ Smith]

The Kentucky and Donovan thing is apparently THE hot topic at the McDonald's game this week(game is tonight 5pm PST). Nick Calathes who is in the game is going to Florida and he said yesterday if Donovan takes the UK job he will follow him to UK, that's why he signed he wants to play for Donovan. Another UF signee that he knows well will likely do the same thing said Calathes. Then there's the case of Patrick Patterson who played on the same HS team as Mayo and is also in the McD's game. Patterson is the highest rated unsigned senior, purportedly down to Duke, Florida and UK although there are rumors Mayo is trying to get him to sign with USC.

Patterson was expected to announce today what his college choice was and prevailing opinion was it was Florida. But now the rumor is he's holding off because if Donovan takes the UK job, Patterson would sign with UK. I have no idea how many scholarships UK has but they clearly have one for Patterson(they're recruiting him) and since Morris left they have at least one more.

So Donovan's situation is going to have a huge impact on recruiting.

To be honest the main reason I'm interested is I hope the whole thing distracts Florida from preparing to play UCLA on Saturday.

 

[Dback Jon]

Does any one know how the SEC would handle these commits? Would UK be able to sign them right away, since they have committed to another SEC school?

 

[Russ Smith]

Does any one know how the SEC would handle these commits? Would UK be able to sign them right away, since they have committed to another SEC school?

UF would have to release them from an LOI or else they'd have to sit out a year as a transfer.

Last year when Sampson left Oklahoma, OU let Scottie Reynolds and Damion James out of their LOI's and Reynolds went to Nova and James to Texas.
Florida would not be "required" to let them out, and might not if they felt UK had somehow tampered with Donovan in the hiring process.

Vitale has been lobbying for years for a rule that when a coach leaves any signed recruits should be allowed to opt out of their LOI, the rare case where I agree with Vitale.

 

[Dback Jon]

UF would have to release them from an LOI or else they'd have to sit out a year as a transfer.

Last year when Sampson left Oklahoma, OU let Scottie Reynolds and Damion James out of their LOI's and Reynolds went to Nova and James to Texas.
Florida would not be "required" to let them out, and might not if they felt UK had somehow tampered with Donovan in the hiring process.

Vitale has been lobbying for years for a rule that when a coach leaves any signed recruits should be allowed to opt out of their LOI, the rare case where I agree with Vitale.

I disagree on that point - athletes are "supposed" to be recruited to the school, not the coach. It could lead to schools "buying" players by getting a coach that has had a great recruiting year.

 

[Russ Smith]

I disagree on that point - athletes are "supposed" to be recruited to the school, not the coach. It could lead to schools "buying" players by getting a coach that has had a great recruiting year.

Sure but the counter is a lot of these kids have no intention of playing 4 years they're not picking the school they're picking the coach who can help them get to the NBA. Mayo for example while I think half of what he says is spin, he said he wants to play for a coach with NBA experience, and picks Floyd. Suppose UK hired Floyd, would it be fair to Mayo to make him stick with USC and have no idea who the coach would be?

It goes both ways but the reality is a lot of these kids are picking the coach not the school. The way to get what you're talking about is to say they're not locked into the schoo, but they are NOT allowed to follow the coach to
a new school. So Donovan can leave but no kids he signed at Florida can follow him without sitting out a year. That makes hiring a coach to get recruits less attractive?

I just think it sucks when coaches leave and the school won't let the kid make up his mind if he wants to stay. When UCLA fired Lavin and brought in Howland they had I think 2 kids signed, Trevor Ariza and a kid who's name I'm blanking on. Howland went to both kids and said if you want out of the LOI I'll let you out. He told Ariza I want you, he told the other kid to be honest I would not have recruited you myself, and I doubt you'll play much, but I'll honor the scholarship if you want it. The kid opted out of his LOI and went somewhere else.

I liked how OU handled it last year too they let 2 top recruits out of their LOI when Sampson left, and neither one followed Sampson. Because of timing, usually schools don't have enough scholarships to just cherry pick an entire class by hiring the coach.

 

[Dback Jon]

I would agree with allowing the kids to change their minds as long as they don't follow the coach. That would remove the major objection/temptation for coach/player buying.