I remember Ellerbe's response after Crawford was suspended. UM was playing OSU and he said something to the effect that half kids on the other team would have to be suspended if the rule were enforced for everyone. The point was that UM had decided there could be not the least sign of impropriety at any point. Most coaches in college basketball could simply remain willfully ignorant and continue to recruit the top kids without questioning themselves.
And anyone who thinks Coach K isn't among those who know how to keep themselves ignorant would have to explain how Duke went from struggling to get the "inner city" kid to being able to get any kid they wanted. Coach K understands the landscape and knows how to navigate it: AAU, shoe companies, Olympic team?, etc.. I'm sure it was no shock to him when Piggie got in trouble or Maggette was found to have taken cash but he insulated himself and his program well enough to not be impacted. This level of not doing it the right way is pretty obvious to anyone paying attention.
The Avery and Boozer stories would take it to another level and would tie Duke directly to infractions. What's most concerning about those stories is that it didn't seem like the NCAA did much to follow up. Just no infraction but no answers to the questions raised by the hiring of these parents.
Which brings us to Beilein. He simply won't go where Coach K will/can go. He takes enough time to find out what these kids might bring with them and refuses kids with the warning signs Maggette had. It's interesting to look at the list of kids who got excited about UM after the Final 4 and see which ones UM never seemed to pursue.
This isn't a holier than thou post. It's the reality of how it works and pretty easy to see when you follow which kids go to which schools.
And anyone who thinks Coach K isn't among those who know how to keep themselves ignorant would have to explain how Duke went from struggling to get the "inner city" kid to being able to get any kid they wanted. Coach K understands the landscape and knows how to navigate it: AAU, shoe companies, Olympic team?, etc.. I'm sure it was no shock to him when Piggie got in trouble or Maggette was found to have taken cash but he insulated himself and his program well enough to not be impacted. This level of not doing it the right way is pretty obvious to anyone paying attention.
The Avery and Boozer stories would take it to another level and would tie Duke directly to infractions. What's most concerning about those stories is that it didn't seem like the NCAA did much to follow up. Just no infraction but no answers to the questions raised by the hiring of these parents.
Which brings us to Beilein. He simply won't go where Coach K will/can go. He takes enough time to find out what these kids might bring with them and refuses kids with the warning signs Maggette had. It's interesting to look at the list of kids who got excited about UM after the Final 4 and see which ones UM never seemed to pursue.
This isn't a holier than thou post. It's the reality of how it works and pretty easy to see when you follow which kids go to which schools.
