The Jayhawks have steadily grown in value under Self’s reign, and they are now worth more than either Duke or Kentucky. FORBES first valued college basketball teams in 2008, ranking Kansas eighth with a value of $16 million. Kansas has since moved up in the rankings in each successive list, and in this year’s valuation it ranked third with a value of $28.2 million. Kansas’ value grew by 18% since 2010, more than double the 7% average growth experienced by the 20 most valuable teams.
Meanwhile, Kentucky has begun to slide in the other direction. The Wildcats were the second-most valuable team in 2010, worth $26.2 million, but fell to fifth in this year’s ranking. Kentucky is now worth $24.4 million, a 7% slide from two years ago. Duke’s value increased by 52% this year, but most of that growth is illusory due to recent changes to the school’s accounting policies; the team’s value fell 27% between 2008 and 2010 when accounting practices were consistent.
The simple truth is that Self has excelled at every facet of the job for nearly a decade at Kansas.
Forbes
Bill Self didn't invent the game of basketball, so he's not going to pass James Naismith at Kansas.
The building is named after Phog Allen, so Self is behind him, too.
But if the next 10 years are anything like the previous nine for Self, it will be hard to place him any lower than No. 3 in the all-time list of Kansas coaches.
And that, ultimately, could put Self on the sport's high pedestal when he's eventually done with coaching.
…I asked Self's mentor and former Kansas coach Larry Brown to put in perspective what he has done during his nine years.
Brown, now the head coach at SMU, couldn't hold back the effusive praise for how Self has handled the job.
"He's respected everything that's been done there,'' said Brown, who coached the Jayhawks to their previous national title when Danny Manning helped the Jayhawks win it all in 1988. Manning later joined Self's staff and is now the head coach at Tulsa.
"He has embraced the tradition of the school,'' said Brown. "He's made everybody that's been a part of KU basketball, a part of the program. The guy is a great coach and just an unbelievable human being.''
Brown said he's not just one of the greatest coaches at Kansas, "but one of the greatest in our sport. That's the way I feel. He worked for me, and we remained real close. I'm so proud of what he's done. What he's meant to that school. That school means a lot to me. He made us all feel so special, and he didn't need to do that. He has won a national championship and played for another and owns eight straight conference titles in a row. Nobody could have done better than that.''
ESPN Katz
But Self has taken one of the most storied programs in the country and made them into a dynasty, the kind of power that’s never before been seen in Lawrence. Kansas has never won eight straight regular season titles before. They’ve never won five conference tournaments in a six year span before. And there’s no indication that the momentum Self’s built up will be slowing down anytime soon. His Kansas team is a favorite to win the league again this year.
Perhaps the most important point to make is that Self is coming off perhaps the best coaching job of his career. Last season, Kansas was considered by most to be a top 15 or a top 20 team. They were led by Thomas Robinson, who was talented but coming off of a year where both his grandparents and his mother had passed away, and the enigmatic Tyshawn Taylor, who was about as consistent as Carrie Mathison’s mood to that point in his career. The rest of the roster was made up with career back-ups and ineligible freshmen.
And Self still took them to the outright Big 12 title and the national title game. He’s still getting better as a coach.
In an era where players leave early for the NBA Draft and transfer if playing time isn’t immediately available, Self has been able to turn the Jayhawks into a Big 12 dynasty, keeping four and five-star recruits happy even if they have to spend a year or two riding the pine.
Kansas inked him for another decade. If he stays anywhere near the pace he’s kept up — let’s say, for example, he wins eight more regular season titles, six more Big 12 tournament titles and another national title in three more Final Four trips — where does he stack up historically?
Is he the greatest coach in Kansas history?
Is he a top five coach of all-time?
Will Kansas be playing on Bill Self Court in Phog Allen Fieldhouse in 2030?
It’s not crazy to think the answer to all three of those questions will be ‘yes’.
NBC (Uh, no. It's James Naismith Court, and always will be.)
Self has coached the team to a college basketball-record 197 wins in a six-year span, from 2006 to 2012.
You want more? He's got more. Since he arrived in 2003, KU has has averaged 30 wins a year. Just a ridiculous number, even in this modern era of hoops where Final Four teams will play just shy of 40 games in a season. What else? Well, Kansas has never earned less than a four seed under Self, and he's brought the team to five Elite Eights in nine years. Finally, allow me to free my tempo here; since he got to Kansas, Self's teams have been seventh-best in defensive rate nationally over the course of nine years. All, not most, coaches can only dream of being that consistent on defense while continually having All-American options on offense -- because Self has no equal in efficiency over the past five or 10 years.
Get ready for more, starting with this season -- which begins in less than two weeks. Kansas is easily a top-10 preseason team. There's a load of new talent coming (get to know the names Perry Ellis, Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor) on top of guys like Jeff Withey, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, the elder statesmen who will help Kansas stay afloat atop the league and bring Self yet another one, two or three seed on Selection Sunday.
CBS
“Cindy (wife) and I love it here. Both our kids are going to graduate from Kansas, hopefully, if my son can get through,” Self joked of freshman Tyler Self. Daughter Lauren is starting her senior year at KU. “We love it here. I don’t know if it is better than I thought because I thought it was great before I got here,” added Self, who replaced Roy Williams 10 seasons ago after working three years at the University of Illinois. “The way we’ve been treated and the success we’ve had has been absolutely fabulous.”
Contract tidbits: ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell did some numbers crunching and revealed that Self will make $14,978 a day if he remains KU coach through the 2021-22 season. ... Self is provided 10 tickets to each home game and six tickets to each away game at no cost for allocation at his discretion. The contract states that KU “allots at least 100 tickets to the men’s basketball program for each home game in the following categories: high school recruits, high school coaches, former players, coaches or managers and business and community relations. These tickets shall be provided to the men’s basketball program and shall not be for the personal use of the head coach or the assistant coaches. As tickets for business-related purposes they shall not be taxable to the head coach.” ... Self also “receives 100 percent of athletics’ royalty payments from the sale of in-store retail merchandise sold by KUStore.com during the month of June, including the two Sunday basketball camp registrations days in June, and including dorm sales held during the two weeks of summer basketball camp in June. He also receives l00 percent of the royalty payment from the total of in-store sales during the one-day holiday clinic held over the Christmas break or as otherwise determined by the parties. Royalty payments are not calculated on sales of excluded merchandise (sales to employees, team or autograph balls, consigned items, or items sold at a discount of 25 percent or more).”
LJW
Maryland basketball fans might have received some good news Friday night – and it had nothing to do with the Harrison twins.
Bill Self signed a longtime extension at Kansas on Friday, meaning that second-year coach Mark Turgeon is not going anywhere anytime soon.
I’ve always contended since the day Turgeon was hired to succeed Gary Williams in May 2011 that the only place I could see the former Kansas point guard and assistant coach going was back to Lawrence.
…But now that Self agreed to a contract that runs through the 2021-22 season – at nearly $4 million a year – I think Turgeon is going to be in College Park for a long time.
Baltimore Sun
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Top-NBA-Draft-Prospects-in-the-Big-12-Part-Two--4026/ (Withey #3)
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Top-NBA-Draft-Prospects-in-the-Big-12-Part-Three--4027 (Johnson #4)
TSN Five Breakout Stars for 2012-13
Elijah Johnson, PG, Kansas
Coach Bill Self says Johnson is “really good” and has the opportunity to blossom in the same manner as so many Jayhawks who waited their turn. Last season, Johnson averaged 10.2 points operating as a shooting guard asked to shoot mostly when Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor couldn’t get open. Johnson probably will play the point as a senior and could be terrific.
TSN
Mario Chalmers spent some of his summer getting his body weight down, while strengthening his legs, after feeling himself tiring late last season.
Something else was getting built up:
His confidence.
His confidence has always been strong. For instance, Friday he said that “even though we’ve got the guy with the most three-pointers in NBA history,” he expects to win most of the practice shooting contests.
That confidence was fortified, however, by so many peers saluting his performance in the playoffs, including fellow NBA players Kyrie Irving, Jared Dudley and Brandon Rush, whenever he would encounter them at workouts.
“I proved that I can compete with these guys, and I can play at a high level,” Chalmers said.
The praise he appreciated most came from one of his sports idols, Jerry Rice, while touring the ESPN campus in Bristol.
“That made my summer right there,” Chalmers said. “To meet him and have him tell me he’s a fan of mine, that meant the world to me.”
Palm Beach Post
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that guard Sherron Collins and center Eddy Curry have been added to their 2012-13 training camp roster. The Spurs current roster stands at 20 players.
Collins (5-11, 215) played last season for Hacettepe Universitesi of the Turkish Basketball League where he appeared in 19 games, averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.05 steals in 28.9 minutes.
Collins, who appeared in 20 games with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010-11, played collegiately for the University of Kansas. In 143 career games for the Jayhawks, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 28.5 minutes while shooting .444 (656-1,476) from the field, .377 (232-615) from behind the arc and .807 (344-426) from the free-throw line. He was named a consensus First Team All-American in 2010 and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in 2009 and 2010.
Spurs.com
The confidence survived Marcus Morris’ lost season. Playing so rarely last season — when he slipped into 17 games as a rookie — was a humbling experience but did not change his expectations or certainty about what he can accomplish this season.
“Me sitting out a year is not an option,” Morris said.
Asked how he will earn the playing time he could not last season, Morris showed the familiar confidence, but with more determination than when he struggled to understand why he had been unable to crack the rotation.
“Just bust my butt in practice every day,” Morris said. “If the coach is watching and they notice I’m playing hard, to a degree I feel I have too much talent to sit down if I’m competing and getting after guys every day.”
Morris, the Rockets’ first-round pick in the 2011 draft after an All-America career at Kansas, said sitting out most of last season was “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.”
“I never sat anywhere,” he said. “When I went to college, my freshman year I started at Kansas, which is big for a lot of people. Since I started playing basketball, I’ve never been one of those guys that sat on the bench. That’s in the past. It’s time to go after it and go hard.”
Houston Chronicle
Kansas senior Angel Goodrich was one of 15 student-athletes nationally to be named on the annual Lindy's Preseason All-America team, as she received third-team honors entering the 2012-13 women's basketball season.
Goodrich was one of four student-athletes from the Big 12 Conference to be recognized, including Baylor's Brittney Griner (first team), Odyssey Sims (first team) and Destiny Williams (third team).
Goodrich led the nation last season in assists per game (7.4) and paced KU with 14.0 points per game as she guided the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, their best postseason run since 1998. Goodrich was named All-America Honorable Mention by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and Associated Press. She also broke a Kansas and Big 12 Conference record, tallying 250 assists on the season.
KUAD
Kansas 2012-13 Schedule
Big 12/College News
The Sporting News 2012-13 preseason All-American teams were selected by SN writers and editors, in consultation with coaches and scouts.
First Team
Cody Zeller, Indiana, C, 7-0/240, Soph. (SN's preseason player of the year)
Doug McDermott, Creighton, F, 6-8/220, Jr.
James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina, PF, 6-9/230, Soph.
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State, F, 6-7/215, Jr.
C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, PG, 6-3/190, Sr.
Second Team
Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA, G/F, 6-6/225, Fr.
C.J. Leslie, NC State, PF, 6-9/200, Jr.
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State, PG, 6-1/195, Sr.
Michael Dixon, Missouri, G, 6-1/190, Sr.
Alex Poythress, Kentucky, SF, 6-7/215, Fr.
Third Team
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State, G/F, 6-5/195, Jr.
B.J. Young, Arkansas, SG, 6-3/180, Soph.
Peyton Siva, Louisville, PG, 6-0/180, Sr.
Trey Burke, Michigan, PG, 6-0/190, Soph.
Adonis Thomas, Memphis, F, 6-7/252, Soph.
TSN
Larry Brown has assembled a who’s who list of basketball names for the SMU Coaching Clinic on Sunday (Oct. 7).
Joining Brown are John Calipari of Kentucky, Bill Self of Kansas, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Mark Turgeon of Maryland.
The event includes guest lectures and Q&A sessions in the morning and afternoon.
The clinic, which is open to coaches and fans, is $75 with pre-registration or $100 at the door. For more information, contact the SMU men’s basketball office at 214-768-3501 or e-mail SMUCoachingClinic@gmail.com.
Dallas MN
Q: What’s the update on former Illini assistant basketball coach Wayne McClain?
A: McClain went underground after Illinois fired basketball coach Bruce Weber in March. Understandably, the dismissal was hard to swallow for a man who became a legend in Peoria by guiding Manual High School to three consecutive Class AA state titles in his first three years as head coach after serving as an assistant to Dick Van Scyoc for the first of the Rams’ four straight championships. Then he played a key role in helping the Illini get within one win of a national title.
It’s no secret Weber has been talking with McClain about joining him at Kansas State, and indications point toward McClain reuniting with Weber. An announcement could come today.
Kansas State has three full-time assistants, including former Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery and Chester Frazier, an Illini point guard under Weber.
McClain would fill a role on the staff such as special assistant to the head coach. Thus, he wouldn’t handle any off-campus recruiting in order to concentrate on the X’s and O’s.
Perhaps the only thing that would change McClain’s mind is the distance between Peoria and Kansas State. McClain would rather stay closer to home, but the offer from Kansas State might be the best thing on the table. According to sources, McClain’s severance package with Illinois was a six-month deal.
Springfield JR
NCAA president Mark Emmert told CBSSports.com on Monday that the NCAA hasn't yet determined whether North Carolina will face additional sanctions because of allegations of academic fraud pertaining to former student-athletes.
"We'll continue to monitor the situation and see what the facts are as they unfold from the investigations that [UNC] is involved with," Emmert said. "... And [then we'll see] if there's anything further that we need to do at that time."
Emmert's comments represent the first public confirmation from the NCAA that North Carolina remains susceptible to further sanctions because of previously undiscovered but now documented classes that featured little or no instruction and appear designed to do nothing more than keep student-athletes eligible. In light of the developments, UNC chancellor Holden Thorp announced last month that he will step down at the end of this academic calendar.
"[North Carolina is] working very diligently to get to the bottom of it," Emmert said. "We'll just have to see what the facts are as they become clearer."
CBS
More suspicion
Consider a course titled AFRI 370, an upper-level course for seniors in African and Afro-American Studies that was listed as including “lectures, readings and research projects.” But there were no lectures and no required reading, and among the students enrolled were several freshman football players who struggled to read and write on a college level. This in a seniors’ course.
Although the information examined by The N&O didn’t by any means include all football players, it does rightly raise suspicions and deepens the cynicism of those who wonder how many more problems will turn up as investigations proceed.
The N&O’s latest dismaying report should get the attention of the NCAA, college sports’ governing body, which, according to UNC-CH officials, did not believe the issues that have arisen constituted violations.
And yet, thanks to these documents, we see that some of those involving in tutoring or supervising tutors characterized Nyang’oro as being very “reasonable” when it came to athletes, that tutors in some cases provided more “help” than was appropriate, and that for football players who were not good students, the solution to academic difficulty often was a “paper class,” where only a paper was required and there was no class attendance.
NCAA interest?
It’s hard to imagine how this kind of thing doesn’t constitute athletes getting special treatment, or “improper benefits,” which is supposed to be an NCAA violation.
These documents show that at least in the cases of those athletes mentioned in them there was a pattern of low standards for courses, that there were too many athletes who were poor students and clearly couldn’t do university-level work, and that advisers were there to keep them eligible.
For his part, Chancellor Holden Thorp says he’s passed along the information to former Gov. Jim Martin and auditors who are reviewing the troublesome events involving academics and athletics. Martin is leading a probe into the situation which Thorp promises will be thorough.
News Observer
Former Duke basketball player Lance Thomas said Monday that he doesn’t believe he broke any NCAA rules with his 2009 jewelry purchase and that he plans to eventually discuss the situation with Duke officials and the NCAA.
Thomas, entering his second season with the New Orleans Hornets, spoke at the team’s media day and, for the first time, addressed his $97,800 purchase from a New York City jewelry store during his senior season with the Blue Devils.
When asked if he was involved in an NCAA violation, Thomas said, “No. I don’t think so.”
…Thomas said he has not talked to the NCAA or Duke officials about the situation, though he plans to.
“I’m still working on that, but I’ll eventually speak to them,” Thomas said.
Herald-Sun
NCAA president Mark Emmert said his governing body "certainly could" charge a member institution with rules violations even if the involved parties refuse to cooperate, in response to CBSSports.com asking Monday about reports that former Duke starter Lance Thomas purchased nearly $100,000 worth of jewelry during his senior season.
…"We certainly could deal with a case where we don't necessarily have cooperation from the actors, but we still have to rely on facts and rely on well-established information," Emmert said while making it clear he was speaking in general terms and not specifically about Duke's situation. "It occasionally drives fans out there crazy because they'll read in a blog or some other source that this or that happened. But the standards of evidence that we use are pretty darn high because we're dealing with people's lives here. ... We have to go out and make sure we can verify all that facts, and that's always a big challenge [without cooperation]."
CBS
ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule
2012-13 Early Season Events List
Recruiting
Joel Embiid, a 7-foot, 220-pound senior center from Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., will attend the Oct. 12 Late Night in the Phog as part of an official basketball recruiting visit to Kansas University.
Embiid, who is originally from Cameroon, has a list of KU, Florida, Louisville, UCLA, Marquette, Texas, DePaul, Wake Forest and Virginia.
“I’m looking forward to the visit and I am very interested in Kansas,” Embiid told Rivals.com. “I’d also like to visit Florida and Virginia, but the only visit that I have set is my visit to Kansas.”
The 17-year-old Embiid started playing basketball just a year ago.
… No. 29-ranked Tyler Roberson, a 6-8 senior forward from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, has decided to switch the date of his KU visit from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19, Rivals.com reports. He has a list of KU, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Carolina, SMU, Syracuse and Villanova. He visited SMU last weekend.
Other uncommitted senior prospects expected for Late Night: No. 23-rated Wayne Selden, 6-5 combo guard, Tilton (N.H.) School; No. 5-rated Aaron Gordon, 6-8 forward, Archbishop Mitty High, San Jose, Calif. and No. 43 Karviar Shepherd, 6-10 center, Dallas Prime Prep Academy.
LJW
Washington rolled out the red carpet for Aaron Gordon, Darin Johnson and Nigel Williams-Goss. According to recruiting analysts the Huskies made a big impression on the recruits, but did not receive any new members to the class of 2013.
…those around Gordon say he's committed to taking trips to Kansas (Oct. 12) and Arizona (Oct. 21). He's also planning a visit to Kentucky.
Seattle Times
Kansas and Louisville were both in to see 2015 St. Ben's G Isaiah Briscoe today
https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/252913523875799041
James Young enjoyed his weekend visit to Kentucky and is considering taking an official visit there Oct. 12 for Big Blue Madness.
...The Rivals No. 2 shooting guard in the Class of 2013 out of Rochester (Mich) High, Young will also take an unofficial visit to Michigan State “within a week,” Mahone said.
“We have plans over the next week to go visit Michigan State,” he said.
Young is now working with a list of Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and Kansas — and has not cut his list to two schools, despite some reports.
“James hasn’t narrowed it down to two schools and he certainly hasn’t narrowed it down to Syracuse and Kentucky,” Mahone said. “The remaining four are Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Syracuse.”
Zags Blog
Frank Mason, a 5-11 senior point guard from Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va., is not visiting KU this weekend as originally planned, Rivals.com reports. Mason said he likely will visit next weekend. The No. 131-ranked Mason is considering KU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and others.
LJW
Top class of 2013 forward Julius Randle will be coming to Florida this weekend for his second of his five official visits this fall.
“He’ll be on campus Friday for his official visit,” Randle’s AAU assistant coach and mentor Jeff Webster said. “He’s definitely excited [about the visit].”
GatorCountry
Simeon forward Jabari Parker's recruitment is quickly picking up steam, and it was announced today he will visit Mike Krzyzewski and Duke on Oct. 27, coinciding with the team's first exhibition game against Western Washington.
CSN Chicago
Chris Thomas is one of the most talented basketball prospects in the country, but he has also been well traveled in recent years. There's now going to be more uncertainty in Thomas' basketball career.
The 6-foot-5 scorer has decommitted from Xavier and reopened his recruitment, CBSSports.com has learned.
This is just the latest in a number of destination changes for Thomas.
He started out in his hometown of Denver at Montbello (Colo.) but never played a game there. After that, Thomas attended Princeton Day Academy (Md.) and then planned to enroll at Westwind Prep (Ariz.). After deciding not to attend Westwind, he ended his high school career with a couple of months at South Kent Prep (Conn.) – before enrolling at Chipola Junior College in Florida, where he took classes but didn't play last season. Thomas reportedly obtained his GED at Chipola and is expected to begin taking classes this year.
Thomas seemed to settle down at Chipola, committing to Xavier last April. However, sources claim that Thomas wants the feeling of being recruited like some of his teammates at Chipola. Xavier has had its share of turmoil in recent weeks, with Dezmine Wells being expelled and freshmen Myles Davis and Jalen Reynolds being ruled ineligible.
One of the best pure scoring guards in the country, Thomas was rated as a five-star prospect in the class of 2013. He is long, athletic and knows how to get points at all three levels. He can create his own shot against nearly any defender. Thomas does need to keep his emotions under control, as he was prone to outbursts and had a tendency to pick up technical fouls during his time in high school.
When Thomas committed to the Musketeers, Missouri, Iowa State and Seton Hall were all involved in his recruitment.
CBS
Oklahoma State basketball landed its third prospect for the 2013 class on Saturday afternoon.
Jeffrey Carroll, a small forward from Rowlett, Texas, committed to the Cowboys, joining high school forward Leyton Hammonds and JUCO point guard Chad Frazier.
The Oklahoman
The NCAA is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Notre Dame Preparatory School just weeks after declaring two Class of 2012 basketball recruits from the school academically ineligible to play college ball this year, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
Parents of former players from the Fitchburg, Mass., prep school told Yahoo! Sports they have been contacted by NCAA investigators and asked about topics including academic and eligibility issues, financial irregularities and recruiting practices at the longtime basketball powerhouse. The NCAA has already ruled Maryland recruit Sam Cassell Jr. and Xavier's Myles Davis academically ineligible to play.
"They seemed to be focused on academic issues at Notre Dame Prep, but they asked about a number of other issues as well, how tuition payments worked, visits by assistant coaches from certain schools, the behavior of specific players and general life within the program," said Everett Swain, whose son Charles was part of the basketball program for most of the 2010-11 academic year. Swain, who is from Texas, spoke with investigators this week.
Another parent of a former player also confirmed speaking to the NCAA about similar issues. One former player said he is scheduled to meet with investigators next week.
Yahoo Sports
Last Sunday, Austin Torres committed to Central Michigan. Four days later, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey walked into Torres' house and offered him a scholarship.
Torres was still committed to Central Michigan during Brey's in-home visit and still was committed when he told Brey he wanted to go to Notre Dame.
"I told coach Brey on Thursday that this was a dream and something I wanted to pursue," Torres told CBSSports.com. "I was sure I wanted this to happen. And then I decommitted on Friday."
And therein lies the issue.
Unlike college football, commitments in basketball usually hold significance. There rarely are "soft verbals," and players often are considered off-limits once they make a college pledge. It's certainly not against the rules to pursue a committed player, but it's frowned upon by most in the college game. At least, it has been in the past.
Since there are no rules being broken, there's no recourse. Coaches have to keep recruiting their prospect even after a commitment; they still have to go their games and essentially "babysit" them to ensure other schools don't sneak in and steal a commitment. Essentially, nothing is set in stone until a player signs his binding letter-of-intent, which a prospect can't until November of his senior year.
Lately, people have talked about basketball becoming more like football in the sense that committed players aren't officially off the board until they sign. That Brey -- one of the more well-regarded coaches in the game -- moved in on a player who verbally committed to Central Michigan could be a signal that verbal commitments are not considered as strong as they used to be.
Sources close to Notre Dame confirmed the above timeline -- and also confirmed that Brey never made an effort to reach out to Central Michigan coach Keno Davis regarding Torres.
"It was a difficult phone call," Torres said about his own phone call to Davis on Friday. "But I felt like it was the classiest thing to do. It's better me than my coach."
Should Brey have done the same -- three days earlier? It's not illegal to recruit a committed player, but Brey and Davis have an established relationship -- having coached against each other in the Big East when Davis was at Providence. A phone call to Davis letting him know that the Irish were planning to offer him a scholarship really wouldn't have hurt anyone.
CBS
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