The College Basketball Post

[woody2626]

Karl Towns announcing Dec 4th.

On his last Duke visit he told the staff "it's Duke and UK" and that he wouldnt announce til next summer at the earliest. Then he goes to the UK game at Barclays and all of a sudden a date gets set. FOH. Can't tell me Wes and his connects havent done anything since Cal gas been at UK.

Yea i knew he was basically a UK lock but after the WWW news with Randle I find this shady.

 

[jpzx]

Allen... or anybody, you guys think there's any chance UAB pulls out an upset over Creighton tonight?

 

[al3xis]

No.

 

[jpzx]

Perfect

 

[wildkycat]

Karl Towns announcing Dec 4th.
On his last Duke visit he told the staff "it's Duke and UK" and that he wouldnt announce til next summer at the earliest. Then he goes to the UK game at Barclays and all of a sudden a date gets set. FOH. Can't tell me Wes and his connects havent done anything since Cal gas been at UK.
Yea i knew he was basically a UK lock but after the WWW news with Randle I find this shady.

 

[アミーゴ]

Good win last night.

 

[al3xis]

Perfect

Sorry.

Nvm, starting to pull away. Creighton just doesn't defend though

 

[wildkycat]

Good win last night.

indeed.

 

[gatorb807]

Whats the WWW and Randall news?

Gators looked good tonight. Erik Murphy has developed into a solid player.

 

[romedadude]

ryan harrow is such a vagina but its to be expected, he from marrietta for christ sakes

You a fool bruh

 

[アミーゴ]

And here we go...


Overheard conversation suggests NCAA prejudged Shabazz Muhammad case

A lawyer says she heard a man say on Aug. 7 that his girlfriend was an NCAA attorney investigating Shabazz Muhammad and that he said, 'I can guarantee you that he's not going to play.'

By Baxter Holmes

November 14, 2012, 9:24 p.m.

A conversation overheard on an Aug. 7 commuter flight from Chicago to Memphis, Tenn., has prompted attorneys representing UCLA basketball player Shabazz Muhammad to call for the NCAA to drop its investigation and declare him eligible.

The conversation came to light in an email from an attorney who said she was seated behind a man who was speaking loudly about the work of his girlfriend, an "attorney with the NCAA."

The girlfriend, whom he identified as "Abigail," was investigating Muhammad. The man made it clear that the NCAA would find Muhammad ineligible and not allow him to play this season, the email said. Abigail Grantstein, an assistant director of enforcement, is the NCAA's lead investigator on the Muhammad case.

The attorney, who confirmed her story in a telephone interview with The Times on Wednesday, said in her email that she was concerned with the lack of confidentiality and "the cavalier discussion of this young man's future being tossed about for everyone to hear."

The email was sent to Dennis Thomas, a former chairman of the NCAA's infractions committee. The attorney said she also sent a copy to UCLA and to attorney Robert Orr after learning that he was Muhammad's personal attorney. The Times also obtained a copy of the email.

Orr and attorney Bill Trosch, who is representing the Muhammad family, said this revelation was reason enough for the NCAA to declare Muhammad eligible immediately. The NCAA announced last Friday that the 6-foot-6 swingman was ineligible for violating its amateurism rules.

"This puts a far brighter light on the failings of the NCAA process, and it calls into question the impartiality of the decision," Orr said. "They have prolonged this investigation, trying extraordinarily hard to find some basis to rule Shabazz ineligible — for whatever reason, and I don't know what that reason is."

The NCAA had not seen the email and did not know it existed until it was brought to the organization's attention Wednesday, spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said. "While we cannot comment on specifics, we expect our staff to protect the integrity of the process and any credible claims to the contrary are taken seriously," the NCAA said in a statement.

Osburn would not confirm nor deny whether the NCAA was investigating the matter.

The timing of the incident is key, according to Muhammad's representatives. The flight was only eight days after NCAA investigators say they first requested documents from Muhammad's family. The first installment of what was thousands of pages of documentation was not delivered until Sept. 25, and Muhammad's parents, Ron Holmes and Faye Muhammad, were not formally interviewed until Nov. 1 and 2.

"This confirms our greatest fears, that this case was decided long before the facts were gathered," Trosch said. "This taints the whole process, and I think Shabazz should be able to play immediately."

The attorney signed her name to the email but requested anonymity from The Times to avoid an onslaught of media attention. Her email to Thomas was dated two days after the flight.

In her email, she explained that she did "not follow college sports regularly and had to ask if Muhammad played football or basketball."

"I do not have any interest in this matter," she wrote.

A spokeswoman in Thomas' office — he is commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference — referred an inquiry to Osburn of the NCAA.

In a telephone interview, the attorney expanded on what she heard: "He was insistent that, 'My girlfriend is investigating him and he's dirty' and … 'I can guarantee you that he's not going to play.'

"He talked specifically about taking money. That's what he kept saying: 'Abby knows it' and 'They're dirty and they were taking money and she's going to get them.'

"I was more offended in the delight he seemed to take in something that was very serious and could ruin this man's life, which is the reason that this stuck with me."

The attorney said the man referred to his girlfriend by name, mentioned a connection she had to Kansas and said she was a former college athlete. Abigail Grantstein was a member of Ohio State's swimming and diving team and attended law school at Kansas, according to her biography on LinkedIn.com.

In its ruling against Muhammad, the NCAA said that in addition to other "pending issues," he accepted airfare and lodging for three unofficial recruiting visits. The visits were to Duke and North Carolina and were paid for by financial advisor Benjamin Lincoln.

The Muhammad family has said Lincoln is a longtime family friend whose assistance should be allowed under NCAA rules.

UCLA on Wednesday appealed the NCAA's decision. The case is expected to be heard by an appeals committee on Friday.

If the committee sides with UCLA, Muhammad would probably become eligible immediately. If the committee denies the appeal, Muhammad would have to go through a reinstatement process to regain his eligibility.

[email protected]

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Why can't they let Bazz be great

 

[bigmike23]

he took money everyone knows it, his trips to UNC and DUKE got paid for and the NCAA said also a 3rd trip. UCLA and everyone around UCLA figure he would just get a few games and have to pay the money back. and not be out the whole year. not sure how that story changes anything

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

he took money everyone knows it, his trips to UNC and DUKE got paid for and the NCAA said also a 3rd trip. UCLA and everyone around UCLA figure he would just get a few games and have to pay the money back. and not be out the whole year. not sure how that story changes anything

If the lead investigator reveals that they've prejudged the case before hearing evidence then it's a show of bias and the case can be thrown out. Not saying that this is going to happen for sure in this situation, but that's the reason the story is important.

 

[wildkycat]

Wall had to repay his $ and only missed two games.

the ****** up thing is how long the NCAA ***** around on this ****.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Yea i knew he was basically a UK lock but after the WWW news with Randle I find this shady.

 

[tmay407]

he took money everyone knows it, his trips to UNC and DUKE got paid for and the NCAA said also a 3rd trip. UCLA and everyone around UCLA figure he would just get a few games and have to pay the money back. and not be out the whole year. not sure how that story changes anything

Third trip = TAMU?

 

[User 15002]

Karl Towns announcing Dec 4th.
On his last Duke visit he told the staff "it's Duke and UK" and that he wouldnt announce til next summer at the earliest. Then he goes to the UK game at Barclays and all of a sudden a date gets set. FOH. Can't tell me Wes and his connects havent done anything since Cal gas been at UK.
Yea i knew he was basically a UK lock but after the WWW news with Randle I find this shady.

Please elaborate.

 

[seymore cake]

USA staff over heard WWW at the Olympics saying it was a done deal that he was going to UK. At that point Duke was considered to be neck & neck with UK.& UNC, but a UNC lean. All reports on Randle was that he absolutely loved Capel was willing to committ to Oklahoma when Capel was there. Coupled with Capel joining Dukes staff and his OG reportedly being enamored with K, then out of the blue communication stopped and he cut both Duke & UNC.

A move that completely shocked every recruiting analyst & caused a lot of eyebrows to be raised.

 

[russelltrillson]

Top 10 classes of the past 25 years

[h3]Where do the Fab Five, Kentucky and other recruiting hauls rank historically?[/h3]

Updated: November 14, 2012, 10:57 PM ET
By Dave Telep | ESPN RecruitingNation

end mod-article-title begin story body

When the assignment came in to rank the top 10 basketball recruiting classes of the past 25 years, I was not excited. More than once I looked at the list and just cringed. This project made me nervous. Reading the final list still does.

But with all the hype about Kentucky assembling perhaps the best class of all time this year, the questions were begging to be answered. Where does this UK class rank historically? And if not No. 1 -- yet -- then who was?

Before we get into the list, let's define the criteria. This is the 10 best classes of the past quarter century as they looked on paper at the time of their signing. That's how we rank classes in the recruiting world. No benefit of hindsight, no factoring in how the players turned out in college or the pros. This is recruiting classes at the time they signed. (Of course, easier said than done. You try doing this without having a bias of how the players eventually turned out seep into your mind.)

With the help of my former-intern-turned-graduate-assistant at Butler, Drew Cannon, a massive list of recruiting classes was compiled. There are all kinds of variables that make this challenging: The No. 1 player one year might be No. 5 another year. Sometimes there's not a consensus No. 1. Not to mention I've been covering firsthand for only the past 16 years, and we see players way more in 2012 than when I began in 1997.

After a few days of revising (and I probably should have just used the original list anyway) here's what I have: on paper, the 10 best recruiting classes of the past 25 years before they ever played a game in college.

Want to rank the top recruiting classes yourself? Have at it with our SportsNation Rank 'Em.


[+] Enlarge
AP PhotoMichigan's Fab Five ranks as our No. 1 recruiting class of the past 25 years.
[h3]1. 1991 Michigan[/h3]Key recruits: Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson
This class played in two national title games and had a major cultural impact on college basketball. A more talented group might one day be assembled, but it'll be unlikely to have the overall impact this class had on the game.

[h3]2. 2006 North Carolina[/h3]Key recruits: Brandan Wright, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Deon Thompson, Alex Stepheson, Will Graves
This group sneaks into the conversation based on the strength of having three players who were No. 1 at their position: Wright, Lawson and Ellington. The depth of this class is undeniable.

[h3]3. 2011 Kentucky[/h3]Key recruits: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Kyle Wiltjer
Davis was the best player in the country and Kidd-Gilchrist played the game as hard as any player we've seen in the past decade.

[h3]4. 1998 UCLA[/h3]Key recruits: Dan Gadzuric, JaRon Rush, Jerome Moiso, Ray Young, Matt Barnes
The Bruins scored three players ranked in the top 10 and Moiso was the most notable hoops Frenchman until along came a guy named Tony Parker. This class was a Steve Lavin special.

[h3]5. 2009 Kentucky[/h3]Key recruits: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe, Jon Hood
John Calipari's first recruiting class at UK was assembled weeks after he got the job. The value recruit in the class turned out to be Bledsoe, and four of the five left after one year, thus creating the blueprint for Calipari's revolving door at the point and big man positions.

[h3]6. 1999 Duke[/h3]Key recruits: Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, Casey Sanders, Mike Dunleavy, Nick Horvath
It was a great class on paper at the time, and it matured on the court at Duke with a national title and in the NBA for three of the guys.

[h3]7. 2013 Kentucky[/h3]Key recruits: Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, James Young, Marcus Lee, Derek Willis
Hard to believe this class is on the list and it's still not finished. Play a fun game with your friends and insert No. 1 recruit Andrew Wiggins or No. 4 Julius Randle into the class and see where it ranks.
[h3]8. 1993 North Carolina[/h3]Key recruits: Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Jeff McInnis
This group will be remembered fondly for Stackhouse's famous dunk against Duke and not so fondly for ending Dean Smith's run of Sweet 16 appearances with a loss to Boston College in the 1994 tourney.
[h3] [/h3][h3]9. 1997 Duke[/h3]Key recruits: Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Chris Burgess, William Avery
This is what makes ranking the classes based on paper and not what happened afterward both interesting and difficult. Had Burgess met expectations -- he's considered one of the biggest recruiting flops -- this team could have been even better.

[h3]T-10. 2005 Kansas[/h3]Key recruits: Julian Wright, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Micah Downs
Bill Self got some mileage out of this bunch. This is one of the most athletic classes you'll see on the list.

[h3]T-10. 1989 Indiana[/h3]Key recruits: Lawrence Funderburke, Pat Graham, Chris Reynolds, Calbert Cheaney, Greg Graham, Chris Lawson
IU's best recruiting class might have been 1979 with Isiah Thomas, Jim Thomas and Randy Wittman, but this one wasn't too shabby.

[h3]Honorable Mention[/h3]1990 Louisville
1990 North Carolina
1992 Kentucky
1994 Michigan
1999 Kansas
2002 North Carolina
2002 Duke
2006 Ohio State
2008 UCLA
2010 Kentucky
2012 UCLA
2012 Kentucky

[h3]For your consideration...[/h3]
While constructing this list, it hit me: Where is Florida's 2004 class? Remember that quaint little recruiting class that produced two national championships and pros Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah? It's hard to fathom now, but that class was not a consensus top-five group coming into college. Only Brewer was a top-25 player.

If we're factoring in post-signing success, I think there's a reasonable argument that can be made for that trio plus Taurean Green as possibly the best recruiting class of the past 25 years given the national championships.

See, that's the dilemma of making a list like this. It's also the fun. There's no right answer and endless debate. Recruiting junkies will blow up the list and come up with their own. And honestly, isn't that the fun of recruiting anyway?

[h4]Head Of The Class[/h4]
Here's a look at the No. 1 recruiting class each year since ESPN began ranking.
[table][tr][th=""]Year[/th][th=""]No. 1 Class[/th][/tr][tr][td]2007[/td][td]USC[/td][/tr][tr][td]2008[/td][td]UCLA[/td][/tr][tr][td]2009[/td][td]Kentucky[/td][/tr][tr][td]2010[/td][td]Kentucky[/td][/tr][tr][td]2011[/td][td]Kentucky[/td][/tr][tr][td]2012[/td][td]UCLA[/td][/tr][tr][td]2013[/td][td]Kentucky[/td][/tr][/table]

{C}

 

[shannonscrooks]

4. 1998 UCLA
Key recruits: Dan Gadzuric, JaRon Rush, Jerome Moiso, Ray Young, Matt Barnes
The Bruins scored three players ranked in the top 10 and Moiso was the most notable hoops Frenchman until along came a guy named Tony Parker. This class was a Steve Lavin special.

 

[young thundercat]

my boy micah never panned out.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

JaRon leaving early and not getting drafted
JaRon leaving early and not getting drafted

 

[shannonscrooks]

JaRon being a huge booze bag........

 

[venom lyrix]

Boston COllege gave Baylor a scare