Posted on Sun, Jun. 15, 2008

UK notebook

Coaches to curb youth movement

Jerry Tipton

Herald-Leader Staff Writer

Jerry Tipton

The current discussion about recruiting ever-younger prospects will lead to voluntary restrictions, and, if necessary, legislation limiting when coaches can offer scholarships.

That's the opinion of Reggie Minton, the associate executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Publicity about Kentucky getting a commitment from eighth-grader Michael Avery this spring sparked a debate about recruiting young prospects. UK is not alone in pursuing players who have yet to attend high school.

NCAA President Myles Brand called such recruitments “untoward” and Brit Kirwan, the president of the University of Maryland, said he found it “appalling.”

Minton, who heads the NABC's Ethics Committee, said he expected the organization to seek a voluntary ban.

“We'll probably ask our coaches to refrain from it,” he said. “If that doesn't cut the mustard, we'll go to the next step: (NCAA) legislation.”

The “it” the NABC will ask coaches to refrain from is “offering and accepting” scholarships and commitments, Minton said.

The NABC has no power to enforce its wishes. The organization depends on the coaches to voluntarily cooperate with guidelines known as a “Platform of agreement,” Minton said.

Until now, the NABC Ethics Committee has not discussed the recruitment of pre-high school athletes.

A devil's advocate would ask what's wrong with offering a scholarship to, say, an eighth-grader?

To which, Minton said, “They're very impressionable. …

“Do they have enough knowledge to make such a decision? Two or three years from now, when it's time to enter (college), are they the same prospect and same person you thought they were four years earlier?”

Minton also noted that a prospect's academic standing can change dramatically over four or five years.

“I think it helps coaches, too,” Minton said of a voluntary ban on such recruitments. He meant that coaches can resist the need to score public relations points by getting a commitment from such a player.

“Players with big reputations that may be local,” he said. “As a coach, you don't want to turn off the local populace” by waiting a year or two or three to offer a scholarship.

Not just athletics

Reader Kirk Belcher recently wrote an e-mail to remind us that the athletic world is not unique in pursuing young people.

His daughter, Chelsey, received mail as a seventh-grader from such schools as Duke, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

As a seventh-grader, Chelsey scored a 21 on the ACT, Belcher said. Chesley, who has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average through her high school junior year, recently took the ACT again and scored a 30.

The mail from colleges comes daily. It includes invitations to attend summer academic camps, which carry fees as much as $5,000.

“I keep hearing that it is not ethical to go after these kids,” Belcher wrote. “I think this is one of the times when it is OK to start looking at players in all aspects, sports and academics.”

In a follow-up phone call, Belcher described his daughter, the oldest of three children and a student at Conner High in Boone County, as a “driven person.”

Of Chelsey, he said, “She'll know what year she'll have her first baby and on down the road.”

But Belcher doesn't want his daughter to map out her future too quickly. He and his wife encourage Chelsey to broaden her interests by playing the viola. She wants to study veterinary medicine in college.

Belcher wants his daughter to keep her options open. “Because,” he said, “I was one of those people thinking I was going to Road A.”

Belcher played football at Bryan Station High. Teammates included Dermontti Dawson. As a sixth-grader, Belcher stood 6 feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. “I dwarfed him,” he said of Dawson.

“But I never grew another inch.”

A car wreck in his high school senior year led to two knee surgeries. Belcher never stepped on a football field in college.

This experience leads Belcher to hope the NCAA limits the recruitment of ever-younger prospects.

Hail, UK fans

For the 12th time in 13 years, Kentucky basketball led Division I in home attendance. That marked the 20th time in the 32-year history of Rupp Arena that UK led the nation in attendance.

UK averaged 22,554 fans per home game last season. North Carolina was second at 20,497. Rounding out the top five were Syracuse (20,345), Tennessee (20,267) and Louisville (19,481).

Syracuse represents the biggest threat to UK's hold on the attendance crown. The Orange play home games in a domed football stadium (the Carrier Dome's listed capacity for basketball is 33,633).

In years Kentucky hasn't led in attendance, you could be sure Syracuse was No. 1.

A number of factors can be cited to explain Syracuse's attendance slip.

First, the non-conference schedule can be so-so. Opponents like UMass, Tulane and Rhode Island have decent RPI ratings, but they don't jazz up the fans enough for them to slog through 6 inches of snow in December for a game that's on TV.

Early-season losses can dampen enthusiasm. Unlike Kentucky, which sells out its season-ticket allotment each year, Syracuse depends on walk-ups. With a facility that seats more than 33,000, there's no pressure to buy season tickets.

Playing in the NIT didn't help Syracuse's attendance. The Orange drew 10,536 for a game against Robert Morris and 14,768 for a game against Maryland.

Overall in 2007-08, a record 28.1 million attended Division I games. That was an average of 5,524 per game.

The Southeastern Conference ranked second in average attendance (12,140). Only the Big Ten (12,978) drew more fans.

NBA Draft

Len Elmore, the former college All-American and NBA player, previewed the June 26 NBA Draft for sportswriter Gregory Clay.

Among Elmore's observations:

■ Who is the most underrated player in the draft?

“There are two guys: One is 6-11 freshman Anthony Randolph of LSU. He can play down low, can use his body. He can power around the basket. He's someone who has that kind of potential and can be as good as anybody. The other is 7-foot sophomore JaVale McGee of Nevada. He's slender, but he has great timing and is a good shot-blocker. He has tremendous potential. He has excellent potential offensively. And he has the potential to be an impact player in the next couple of years. All it takes is repetition for development. You have to play the guy. Give him some minutes. The key is to practice them properly. A lot of these guys are athletes. The key is whether they can grasp the principles of the NBA game and their positions. Some guys can, but some guys aren't developed properly. Some NBA coaches can teach and can develop guys. But some coaches can't. It's as simple as that.”

■ After the highly touted Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose, who is next?

“The third guy should be Brook Lopez (of Stanford). You have a 7-footer who has some talent. The Timberwolves have the third pick. If I were them, I would take Lopez. He's a guy who can complement the team's strengths. ... Lopez is the most polished offensively of the big guys in the draft. He knows how to score.”

■ Did All-America forward Tyler Hansbrough make the right decision in returning to North Carolina for his senior season?

“He made the right decision because it's the right decision for him. With the cultural leanings today, guys think they have to go right away. But he is a familiar face. He has copped just about every major award. From being around the kid and seeing him enough, Tyler Hansbrough has enough pride that he will be a solid player in the NBA. I did enough Carolina games, so I have seen his work ethic. He does have skill. I think he's increasing his marketability by returning. He's coming back to the state of North Carolina. He's setting himself up for after the game. He will always be welcomed back at North Carolina and deservedly so. He will be hailed as a hero for being true to his school and staying for his school and bucking the trend. And he's working toward his education. I wish other kids would watch and understand that you can get an education and a diploma, too, and still develop your game. And STILL play in the NBA. You're better prepared in the long run for staying.”

NBAdraft.net

For what it's worth, the Web site NBAdraft.net projects former UK guard Joe Crawford as a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 58, overall). The site did not mention another senior leader on UK's team last season, Ramel Bradley.

To further suggest that the SEC had a down year in 2007-08, the site mentioned only two players as first-round picks: Anthony Randolph of LSU (by the New York Knicks with the sixth pick) and Marreese Speights of Florida (by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th pick).

Besides Crawford, three other SEC players got a second-round mention: Sonny Weems of Arkansas (by Milwaukee at No. 37), Richard Hendrix of Alabama (by San Antonio at No. 45) and Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State (by Seattle at No. 46).

Mambo jambo

To say hello in Tanzania, you say, mambo jambo.

We learned this by reading a diary kept by former UK player Kelenna Azubuike. He recently completed a five-day tour of Tanzania and wrote daily about the trip on the Golden State Warriors Web site (warriors.com).

“Considering my parents are from Nigeria and this being my first trip to Africa, I am truly humbled and excited to experience Africa and all it has to offer,” he wrote on the day he left the United States.

According to the Web site, Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete personally invited Azubuike to participate in a summit held to improve Africa's economic and social development.

A highlight of the trip was a safari to the Ngorongoro Crater, which Azubuike wrote was formed by a volcanic eruption more than three million years ago. During the safari, the travel party saw zebras, wildebeest, flamingos, elephants, hippos, warthogs and lions.

Much like current UK players Ramon Harris and Jared Carter, Azubuike was touched by the poverty he saw.

“It was poverty like I had never seen before,” he wrote. “I think living in America we can all say we've seen some sort of poverty. But not all of us can say we've seen poverty without hope. That is a sad thing.”

Museum piece

If the UK Basketball Museum is to be saved, that saving must take place in the next two weeks. The financially plagued facility must raise about $400,000 by the end of the month to pay off debts dating to its inception in 1999.

Museum officials continue to accept pledges on the Web site www.ukbb.org.

Meanwhile Executive Director Van Florence prepares for the worst by alerting those who have donated exhibits to come to the Museum and collect their memorabilia by June 30. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Happy birthday

To former UK guard Joe Crawford. He turns 22 on Tuesday.

Crawford hopes this June contains two special dates: His birthday and the NBA Draft. As of last week, he had worked out for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. He had six more workouts scheduled.

When asked if he'd prefer to play for his hometown Pistons, Crawford minced no words. He chuckled and said, “Yeah.”