FanPost

Donovan Strikes Gold

Donovan Strikes Gold

 

I know this has been talked about at length on this site, but this article came out yesterday.  Dick Vitale is amazing

He can flat-out recruit … he's a salesman deluxe, baby! You'd better believe his reputation helps as players have an incredible desire to compete for him. It is a great asset in the recruiting wars.

While I won't argue against that statement, this is what got me riled  up

Recently he received a verbal commitment from Doc Rivers' son, Austin, to attend Florida. That's right, the same Doc Rivers who stood tall with the gold trophy as the Celtics responded from a disastrous season in 2006-07 to capture the NBA championship in 2007-08! Austin, at age 15, is a future PTPer.

 

He goes on to say

It is a win-win situation for the Gators, the Rivers family, and a young man who gets to play for a coach that relates well to the modern-day athlete.

 

Here is what he had to say about Avery

I'll tell you what is next. We are going to have some coach looking at a great athlete who just produced a child. The coach can go to the nursery, check out a true diaper dandy, look at the size of his feet and offer him a scholarship! Yes, I am just kidding, but you have to wonder to what lengths people will go to recruit!

Think about what can happen for an eighth grader between now and college. It is five years, but the kid has lock city with a firm offer of a scholarship. Gillispie made the offer, but I don't think it is healthy and good for college basketball.

And concludes with this

Kentucky got a lot of headlines out of the Avery story. The bottom line is that this is not good for the game.

Once again, another biased article at ESPN.  Didn't that NABC ask coaches not to do this? A little less than 2 weeks later, Billy Donovan spits in their eye. wasn't it just a few weeks ago Kentucky caught so much grief after accepting a commitment from a 15 year old Michael Avery? A little Biased here don't you think? Serious, why is Gillispie the sinful one that is now making the NCAA thinking about changing the rules, and the other Billy praised as the golden child?