Recruiting Thread

[Jimbo's Drinker]

No talk of mcdonalds all american game....

 

Cole Aldrich getting tons of attention for his work against Kevin Love.

[He_Gawn]

Mackey's not going anywhere.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...ID=200770321049

 

 

Derek Rose News

 

March 26, 2007

Rivals.com

 

Jerry Meyer

 

"So what if John Calipari goes to Kentucky?"

 

"I hope he doesn't," said five-star Tigers signee Derrick Rose. "Then I would have to do the recruiting thing all over again. I'd have to look at Memphis and decide if I still want to go there because they still have a good team. Or do I follow Coach Calipari. Or do I go somewhere else. I would have to reconsider everything."

Edited March 27, 2007 by He_Gawn

[thedoctor]

rose isn't going anywhere.

 

calipari agrees to extension

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Any Hamga news? He'd be a heck of a get for ISU.

 

Yeah, but no mention of your iowa st. or my Blue Demons who were recruiting him early on.

 

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=2&c=630304

[aboz56]

Mackey's not going anywhere.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...ID=200770321049

There's been several articles like this recently in the Louisville paper. That doesn't mean it can't change before November. Anything can happen in recruiting.

[whitesoxfan101]

Mackey's not going anywhere.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...ID=200770321049

 

Well 1 coach that coaches his home games at the Assembly Hall in the Big 10 can keep a recruit....

[whitesox61382]

There's been several articles like this recently in the Louisville paper. That doesn't mean it can't change before November. Anything can happen in recruiting.

 

Exactly! Wasn't Gordon saying the similar things when asked about his commitment to UI up until he changed his commitment to IU? In most cases, these guys stay true to their word, but you never know for sure until they sign that dotted line.

[whitesoxfan101]

Exactly! Wasn't Gordon saying the similar things when asked about his commitment to UI up until he changed his commitment to IU? In most cases, these guys stay true to their word, but you never know for sure until they sign that dotted line.

 

Bruce Weber isn't recruiting this kid, Sampson is. Big difference.

[CanOfCorn]

Bruce Weber isn't recruiting this kid, Sampson is. Big difference.

 

 

Yeah...Sampson cheats.

[IlliniKrush]

Bruce Weber isn't recruiting this kid, Sampson is. Big difference.

Weber can't afford that big of a phone bill

[aboz56]

EJ clears the air about his recruitment, sounds like he told the Illini coaching staff that he was going to consider IU after the coaching change...

 

Gordon ‘I’m just looking forward’

Hype surrounds Hoosier star wherever he goes

 

By MIKE HUTSELL

Mike.Hutsell@newsandtribune.com

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

 

Eric Gordon is relaxed now.

 

To him, it’s just a matter of what’s ahead. It’s not what happened.

 

Perhaps the most talked about men’s basketball recruit in a much- heralded Class of 2007, the Indianapolis star doesn’t like to discuss much about the past.

 

He’d rather not talk about his much-debated switch on a verbal committment from Illinois to a signed letter of intent Indiana University.

 

“To me, that’s all behind me,” said Gordon. “I know there’s questions about that wherever I go. People want to talk about it, I know it’s going to happen. But for me, I’m working toward moving ahead.”

 

At Tuesday’s McDonald’s All-American Media Day, Gordon was quiet, almost soft-spoken. Almost an exact opposite of the public perception of the North Central star — who said following his junior season that he would attend Illinois but then started visiting Indiana following the hiring of new head coach Kelvin Sampson in the summer before his senior year.

 

After a full summer and fall of questions concerning the status of his commitment to the Illini, Gordon announced on the day of Indiana’s Midnight Madness that he his mind had switched and he would sign with his homestate Hoosiers on signing day.

 

The changed sparked a nation-wide debate that spanned from message boards to national news outlets about his recruiting saga. The questions centered around him visiting other campuses while being committed to another school. About accepting phone calls from another coaching staff without letting the school he committed to know his decision was wavering.

 

“The decisions that I made, I made because I thought they were what was best for me and for my family,” Gordon said. “When I said Illinois, it was what was best for me at that time.

 

“I talked with my family when Indiana made its coaching change and I visited the school a few times. After I weighed everything, it just seemed more like the program that I wanted to be a part of. It was the most comfortable fit for me.”

 

And about that perception that Gordon left Illinois hanging in the wind while deciding to make the change — he swears it was never the case.

 

“The people that needed to know what I was doing, I was up front with,” Gordon said. “All of the coaches knew what I was doing. The people that were most upset about it were the ones that had no idea what was going on the whole time.”

 

Those people were also likely the most vocal about the whole ordeal. Within days of his switch being made final, Gordon started receiving letters from the disgruntled fan base. It was within minutes of the choice that he started hearing media debates about the ethics of the whole process.

 

“People were mailing me quotes from newspapers saying ‘this is what you said’”, and basically calling me a liar,” Gordon said. “That type of thing hurts when you hear it because I honestly wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. I was just doing what I thought was best for me.”

 

And it’s those type of responses he says he’s expecting the first time he enters the Illinois campus as a Hoosier this upcoming season.

 

“It will be like I’m on America’s most wanted or something,” Gordon said, slightly smiling at the notion. “I know they’re going to be ready for me. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it, but at the same time I’m going have to realize it’s just another game. It’s 40 minutes, just like every other game we’ll play.”

 

That’s what Gordon wants to believe. That it is time to move ahead. He’d like to bury the perception of the Illini fan base and become just another Big Ten basketball player this upcoming season.

 

That could happen, if Gordon was just another basketball recruit. The reality is that Gordon is a kid who the McDonald’s All-America media guide dubs “the best all-around high school basketball player in all of the country.”

 

He’s a player likely to be the run-away winner of the Indiana Mr. Basketball vote after a senior season that saw him average 28.9 points per game while leading North Central to a 21-5 record and runner-up finish in the state finals.

 

And it definitely won’t happen after nights like the one Gordon had on Feb. 1, when he poured 47 points on a Loyala (Ill.) Academy team featuring Michael Jordan’s two sons in front of a national-television audience on ESPN with Jordan sitting in attendance — a game in which the Panthers cruised, 88-47.

 

“I knew he was there,” Gordon said about playing in front of Jordan that night. “I didn’t want to say I was putting on a show in front of him, but it was sort of neat that it happened that way. I didn’t get to talk to him that night, I would have loved to meet him but he got out of there before I had a chance.”

 

All of that though, is part of the past Gordon is trying to learn from but at the same time move ahead.

 

For now, he only worries about the things that are in his own hands. After Wednesday’s McDonald’s Game at Freedom Hall, he’ll focus on finishing out his senior year and picking up his diploma in May.

 

After that, he’s got a scheduled appearance in Michael Jordan’s Roundball Classic this June and by the time the summer semester commences in Bloomington he’ll be ready for his full-time role as a Hoosier.

 

“I’m ready,” he said. “I’m ready to get down there, to be a part of the program. To start practicing and play for a great coaching staff, to play at Assembly Hall in front of the fans.

 

“It’s where I want to be. I’m just looking forward.”

[He_Gawn]

So he is saying he did tell Bruce he was looking at IU. So this means Weber is just a sore loser.

[Soxbadger]

Or Gordon is a liar.

 

Does not really convince me months after the fact when a player all of a sudden completely changes the story that the media and everyone else has been portraying.

 

If Gordon had told people, why did he not mention it in any other interview until now?

 

Generally inconsistencies in a story over time mean that the newer story is less likely to be the true one.

 

But Im sure every Indiana fan will come in here and say this is proof positive, and every Illinois fan will say who cares what Gordon said.

 

Ive never really heard of Weber being a liar, undercutting guy, etc. From what I can tell he is a pretty respected coach. So Im gonna side with him, as I dont know Eric Gordon from Adam.

[WHarris1]

Oh Christ.

 

Of course he is going to say that, it's his way of saving face so no one says that he is the bad guy in this situation.

 

I'm not saying he's flat out lying but c'mon guys. I'm sure Weber has just been making s*** up this whole time and everyone was letting these lies be spewed for so long.

[greasywheels121]

I don't think this article says anything new Soxbadger.

 

I think everyone knew Gordon was looking and thinking about IU when Sampson became the coach. If Illinois or Weber couldn't figure that out, there's some major problems over there.

 

His visits to Bloomington weren't kept secret or anything.

[fathom]

I don't think this article says anything new Soxbadger.

 

I think everyone knew Gordon was looking and thinking about IU when Sampson became the coach. If Illinois or Weber couldn't figure that out, there's some major problems over there.

 

His visits to Bloomington weren't kept secret or anything.

 

It's like the boy who everyone tells him that his girlfriend is cheating on him, but he doesn't want to believe it. Even if the girl is telling him to his face that she's been faithful, he should know better that there's too much smoke for there not to be a fire. It amazes me how much hate Illini fans have for Sampson for this whole thing. Any coach in America would have done the same thing Sampson did, and last time I checked, coaches don't need to tell other coaches who they are recruiting or not.

Edited March 28, 2007 by fathom

[Jimbo's Drinker]

It's like the boy who everyone tells him that his girlfriend is cheating on him, but he doesn't want to believe it. Even if the girl is telling him to his face that she's been faithful, he should know better that there's too much smoke for there not to be a fire. It amazes me how much hate Illini fans have for Sampson for this whole thing. Any coach in America would have done the same thing Sampson did, and last time I checked, coaches don't need to tell other coaches who they are recruiting or not.

 

 

well put, now stop b****ing illini fans, hes going to be a hoosier.

[thedoctor]

well put, now stop b****ing illini fans, hes going to be a hoosier.

 

illinois fans will stop complaining here when indiana fans quit bringing it up. i'm guessing that isn't going to happen.

[Soxbadger]

Its always interesting how the Indiana fans phrase this scenario:

 

"Everyone knew" Find one article from when Sampson was hired where it has any information from the Gordon camp that he was waivering on his committment.

 

"It's like the boy who everyone tells him that his girlfriend is cheating on him, but he doesn't want to believe it."

 

Once again this is an absolute fantasy situation. Who is this "everyone". IN fact the person who should have undeniably told Weber is Sampson, and not one person will come in here and say "Sampson told Weber that Gordon was re-opening recruitment."

 

So sorry I dont buy the "everyone" it was kept secret on purpose by Indiana and the Gordon camp. They knew that if recruiting was really "opened", that not only would it be a fight between Indiana and Illinois, but that other schools would come calling too. There is no way that Sampson could risk a full on assualt from the top programs around the country recruiting Gordon, so it was purposefully kept out of the public, and I can almost gaurantee that Gordon was explicitly told not to tell Illinois what was going on.

 

Weber may not be able to recruit, but if Thad Matta stepped through Gordon's door with recruitment reopened who knows if Gordon isnt the next Indiana recruit to play for the Buckeyes.

 

As for b****ing, I dont see any from Illini fans. Im not an Illini fan, I am a Big 10 fan. I dont care what Sampson did, I dont think you will find anywhere that I have said it was unethical, etc.

 

What I have said is that I dont believe Gordon or that article, and that in my experience Weber may be a lot of things, but one thing most people can agree on is that he is a well respected coach.

 

And of course Hoosier fans are going to bring this up, until next basketball season they have nothing to talk about. This whole saga is pretty nonsensical anyways, Gordon is most likely a 1 and done, and if you look at the vast majority of 1 and done players, their overall impact on the conference and NCAA is somewhat negligeble.

[greasywheels121]

You're asking for articles older than six months now. All I can really point to is the blog posts on the IndyStar's site.

 

The IU beat writer had articles discussing EJ and Rose's visit to Bloomington back at the beginning of September.

 

http://blogs.indystar.com/hoosiersinsider/...d.html#comments

 

That's proof it wasn't secret. He wasn't visiting Bloomington for the hell of it, or for the sole purposes of going to a football game. Everyone knows he was on the IU campus, because he was thinking about coming here.

[Soxbadger]

And that proves exactly what im saying.

 

Sampson was hired as Indiana basketball coach on: March 29, 2006.

 

The first reports of Gordon having contact with Indiana are on Sept 1, 2006.

 

That is nearly half a year later, are you saying that during that time Sampson was not at all recruiting Gordon?

 

Or does this prove that he was being recruited in secret and it wasnt until Sept (very late in the recruiting game) when it started to become public that Indiana was after Gordon?

 

(EDIT)

 

From your own article:

 

"The last time they were spotted in Bloomington they were able to pass it off as the player being there to watch his brother play at one of IU's Elite camps. But this time, especially if he participates in that scrimmage, all bets are off. This time he's got some explaining to do."

 

Basically shows that the Gordon camp was not being honest with Weber and Illinois at all. They were purposefully misleading them on the nature of the visits.

 

Not sure how with this information you can say "Gordon was being upfront".

Edited March 28, 2007 by Soxbadger

[WHarris1]

Not to mention September is only 2 months before LOI day, leaving plenty of time to move in another direction.

 

But seriously, this is my last post on EJ ever. I don't know why it keeps getting brought up but it's pointless.

Edited March 28, 2007 by WHarris1

[Soxbadger]

Well if you read the article carefully it completely destroys the credibility of Gordon saying:

 

"I was telling Illinois up front".

 

Because if he was opening recruiting as soon as Sampson was hired, then over that summer when he visited Indiana (prior to Sept 1) it would not have been under the pretext of "seeing his brother" it would have been a "recruiting trip". And I guarantee that Illinois would have been on his ass that whole summer.

[thedoctor]

You're asking for articles older than six months now. All I can really point to is the blog posts on the IndyStar's site.

 

The IU beat writer had articles discussing EJ and Rose's visit to Bloomington back at the beginning of September.

 

http://blogs.indystar.com/hoosiersinsider/...d.html#comments

 

That's proof it wasn't secret. He wasn't visiting Bloomington for the hell of it, or for the sole purposes of going to a football game. Everyone knows he was on the IU campus, because he was thinking about coming here.

 

sure, it was known that they were both visiting the school. but at the same time, it was passed off differently to illinois's staff and by gordon and his father, who at that time were both posting on illinois's message boards. and everything i have heard from people i trust suggest that gordon was not at all straight with weber and even called him a week before the decommit to give weber a list of reasons why illinois was a better fit.

 

but really, it doesn't matter. what's done is done and he'll be a hoosier, not an illini. that's all fine, but no one is going to convince me that gordon and family (who had a LONG relationship with weber, btw) were straight with illinois. now, it can be argued that weber should have "read the writing on the wall" but it was probably easy to ignore that writing when there were behind-the-scenes assurances happening.

[Soxbadger]

I dont see how an unbiased observer can believe any of the bulls*** coming from the Gordon camp.

 

Even the old Indiana articles paint the picture horribly for him.