Rumblings of SJ closing in on two 5 star recruits for 2015

[Lavinwood]

If I were a SHU fan I'd be a little nervous about some dirty laundry coming out from the Isaiah incident. There is little doubt in my mind that his coach will be paying him since they were a package deal. If someone finds out or reports it, SHU can be screwed. I'd rather recruit the normal way. No pimp handlers…up to the kid.

[PhillyPirate]

You sound completely bitter because you missed out on a recruit. The kid wants to be the face of a program and feels comfortable being with his coach who he has known his whole life and is probably like a father figure. I am confident SHU did everything by the book and it is gonna pay dividends down the line on the court and with recruiting.

[Hall2012]

If I were a SHU fan I'd be a little nervous about some dirty laundry coming out from the Isaiah incident. There is little doubt in my mind that his coach will be paying him since they were a package deal. If someone finds out or reports it, SHU can be screwed. I'd rather recruit the normal way. No pimp handlers…up to the kid.

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Willard did absolutely nothing wrong and it's not like Lavin's exactly the most honest recruiter in the world. Nobody even knows for sure that there's a "package deal" anyway. It's all just speculation.

But if it makes you feel better to think that there's something illegal going on, then go ahead and keep telling yourself that.

[GumbyDamnit!]

As a fan without a dog in this fight I'd say you both are looking at this with blinders on. For the SJU fans I would simply say: welcome to the world of college athletics. Willard did what he had to in order to secure the most important recruit in his tenure. Without showing much progress on the court the last few years he needed to make a recruiting splash or be left behind in this highly competitive league. Wen the pressure is on to succeed many coaches will do whatever it takes, morals be damned.
And to the SHU fan I would hope that you would see that the timing of bringing in the coach of said prized recruit, although perfectly legal, borders on slimy desperation. Will the next recruit's Aunt be brought in to the Admin area "because she was a really good at typing" and we needed someone who could type fast."???

[PhillyPirate]

And to the SHU fan I would hope that you would see that the timing of bringing in the coach of said prized recruit, although perfectly legal, borders on slimy desperation. Will the next recruit's Aunt be brought in to the Admin area "because she was a really good at typing" and we needed someone who could type fast."???

See this is where you and other critics are wrong, that is strictly forbidden by the NCAA. If you you want to do package deals it has to be one of the three recruiting assistants. This was done to prevent positions being made up to land a kid. If Tiny Morton joins the staff next year not only will he have helped bring in Whitehead but SHU will gain one of the most connected and successful New York coaches, its a win-win.

[TheHall]

As a fan without a dog in this fight I'd say you both are looking at this with blinders on. For the SJU fans I would simply say: welcome to the world of college athletics. Willard did what he had to in order to secure the most important recruit in his tenure. Without showing much progress on the court the last few years he needed to make a recruiting splash or be left behind in this highly competitive league. Wen the pressure is on to succeed many coaches will do whatever it takes, morals be damned.
And to the SHU fan I would hope that you would see that the timing of bringing in the coach of said prized recruit, although perfectly legal, borders on slimy desperation. Will the next recruit's Aunt be brought in to the Admin area "because she was a really good at typing" and we needed someone who could type fast."???

Never trust someone who says they are neutral in a fight. What I don't get about the critics of Willard's move is if it doesn't become a longer term benefit it's the school that loses out from being short-sighted, no one else. So why do non-SHU fans even care or better yet if you guys think it was a desperation move as a rival, why not be happy? But most seem critical or bitter. The NCAA set the rule up to do exactly what it's doing. If a school decides to use one of it's coaching positions to do a deal like this then it's the school's gamble. So where's the beef from the outsiders come from, unless there's some sour grapes about the recruit or school in question.

[Lavinwood]

I never said it was illegal. It wasn't. But like he said it's definitely slimy and reeks of desperation. He essentially pimped his player out. He begged SJU to take him and we said no. Let's think about that for a second: it's legal to pimp your players out. Wake up NCAA.


With that being said, I'm glad SHU ended up with him. I'd rather him stay in the Big East. You guys need him more than us anyway especially with us rumored to be in great standing with 2 top 10 players for 2015. Also so we can smack him around a bit

[FriarJ]

Any school with Steve Lavin as their coach and all the rumors about your vitamin water money should not be going after another BE school. That being said I really hope you guys get these kids! It would be huge for the conference.

[TheHall]

Not to mention Lavs getting Baron Davis and his other NBA'ers to just happen to be in Queens every time recruits are visiting SJU. I'm sure everything is all good there.

[billyjack]

Nice thing about Whitehead's recruitment was that Pitt was an afterthought, especially near the end. It was a win-win for the conference with SJU and SHU in the final 2. The future has already arrived.