The College Basketball Post
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by allen3xis,
- Start date
- Sep 23, 2004
- 14,132
- 285
Those are some terrible numbers. A very difficult game to watch.Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason
Louisville first round exit.
St John's: 31%, 17%, 64%
Louisville: 39%, 18%, 77%
- Jan 13, 2001
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check out the article i posted a few pages back breaking down the conferences by efficiency... article agrees with you completely.
- Jan 30, 2006
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Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk
Is he serious w/ this %$!@?
Bro, if I was a coach and a kid said that walking towards the bench after I pulled him, I'd tell him to kick rocks... You wish you'd gone to Carolina? Go on ahead and go. Go put your stuff in the locker room and don't come back...
I don't care how good a kid is... You disrespect the program and expect it to be OK because of who you are? Nah, get the +%%# out...
Exactly. Especially in this case, you don't disrespect the team, the program, the school, etc. If he says he wants to go to the rivalschool, he doesn't care about his own team enough. I don't think he'll end up at Duke or KU for these reasons, because they wouldn't put upwith that crap. He looks like a Calipari Special to me...
- Jun 17, 2006
- 7,309
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Has anybody else heard rumors that Dwon Clifton has been blacklisted from attending practices and such at Baylor because Wall hasn't committed? It couldhave just been something that one of these dumb Aggies made up, but I've heard it a few times (including from one of my friends from Baylor).
- Apr 24, 2005
- 43,678
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I think Nowitness said something about that before....I thought he was joking...
And I assume none of you are watching Wake/BC.
BC up by 1 @ the half 47-46
Trapani w/ 15 for the Eagles and JT w/ 21 for Wake.
Good game.
- Nov 14, 2007
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Teague was doing whatever he wanted
- May 30, 2006
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Yeah, I mentioned it in the John Wall Fan Club thread...
And no, I wasn't kidding...
People I know in Waco said the rumors are running rampant about it...
- Jun 25, 2008
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That's a wild article about Wall.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
- Jan 13, 2001
- 6,597
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i have an idea of a cure for this problem, and a few others... and i actually believe somebody will handle it in the near future, but if i had thecapital and the resources i'd fix it myself.Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
That's a wild article about Wall.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
- Nov 14, 2007
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Too late, but I wish they did the football rule
- Nov 15, 2007
- 7,906
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I know I've said it before and I'll say it again, a team from that conference will be lucky to reach the Sweet 16. I know they prob will but theydon't deserve more than 4 bids. LSU, Florida, Tenn, and South Carolina. And I put LSU in there but to be honest they don't have a single impressive winand had the one of the softest out of conference schedules.
- Jun 18, 2007
- 2,779
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Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
That's a wild article about Wall.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
I think that article shows exactly why the NBA implemented that rule. People talk about his attitude problem and college coaches, imagine what he would be likeon an NBA team. Can you imagine Larry Brown or Phil Jackson or any other NBA coach dealing with that kind of bs? Can you imagine him interacting with veteranplayers?
- Jun 8, 2006
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By my count, there were five teams who have crept back into the NCAA tournament equation over the past week or so.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have won four consecutive games and appear in good shape after a home win against Minnesota over the weekend. ThadMatta's team is tied for second place in the Big Ten with a 7-4 league mark.
RPI: 19
California: A few weeks back, Mike Montgomery's squad was one of the nation's hottest teams. However, the Golden Bears lost four offive and looked to be in the NIT equation. Cal has rebounded to win four of its last five after a home sweep of the Washington schools. An 18-6 overall markand a 7-4 league record have Montgomery & Co. back in the discussion for the Big Dance.
RPI: 29
Cincinnati: The Bearcats are tied for sixth place in the Big East after a win on the road against Georgetown that gave Mick Cronin's teama sweep over the Hoyas this year. Cincinnati has won four of its last five and is now 16-8 overall in league play.
RPI: 50
Arizona: The Wildcats were in major trouble two weeks ago, but Chase Budinger has begun to heat things up and Arizona has reeled off fourstraight games to get over the .500 mark in the Pac-10. The Wildcats are 16-8 overall and 6-5 in league play after a road sweep tour in Oregon.
RPI: 53
Kansas State: At one point, Frank Martin's team was 0-4 in the Big 12 and wasn't even regarded as an NIT team. But that's allchanged as the Wildcats have reeled off five straight, including wins at home against Missouri and on the road against Texas and Texas A&M. Now K-State is16-7 and 5-4 in the Big 12.
RPI: 69
Ohio State: The Buckeyes have won four consecutive games and appear in good shape after a home win against Minnesota over the weekend. ThadMatta's team is tied for second place in the Big Ten with a 7-4 league mark.
RPI: 19
California: A few weeks back, Mike Montgomery's squad was one of the nation's hottest teams. However, the Golden Bears lost four offive and looked to be in the NIT equation. Cal has rebounded to win four of its last five after a home sweep of the Washington schools. An 18-6 overall markand a 7-4 league record have Montgomery & Co. back in the discussion for the Big Dance.
RPI: 29
Cincinnati: The Bearcats are tied for sixth place in the Big East after a win on the road against Georgetown that gave Mick Cronin's teama sweep over the Hoyas this year. Cincinnati has won four of its last five and is now 16-8 overall in league play.
RPI: 50
Arizona: The Wildcats were in major trouble two weeks ago, but Chase Budinger has begun to heat things up and Arizona has reeled off fourstraight games to get over the .500 mark in the Pac-10. The Wildcats are 16-8 overall and 6-5 in league play after a road sweep tour in Oregon.
RPI: 53
Kansas State: At one point, Frank Martin's team was 0-4 in the Big 12 and wasn't even regarded as an NIT team. But that's allchanged as the Wildcats have reeled off five straight, including wins at home against Missouri and on the road against Texas and Texas A&M. Now K-State is16-7 and 5-4 in the Big 12.
RPI: 69
- Jun 8, 2006
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If Missouri can beat KU tomorrow night they're gona put themselves in a nice spot.
And I don't buy LSU, at all.
And I don't buy LSU, at all.
- Mar 14, 2005
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So i'm guessing the Noles are off the bubble and most of these tourney projections have us safely in
- Nov 15, 2007
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They will not win a game in the tourney.
- Jun 8, 2006
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Melvin Tabb to Wake
- May 30, 2006
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Mizzou is good... Lyons and Carroll...
And yeah, having seen LSU in person and several times on TV this year... I'm not impressed in the least... If that's the best the SEC has to offer...
dacomeup
Supporter
- Jan 20, 2006
- 26,589
- 37,538
Originally Posted by The Yes Guy
Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
That's a wild article about Wall.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
I think that article shows exactly why the NBA implemented that rule. People talk about his attitude problem and college coaches, imagine what he would be like on an NBA team. Can you imagine Larry Brown or Phil Jackson or any other NBA coach dealing with that kind of bs? Can you imagine him interacting with veteran players?
The NBA is a whole different animal. A guy like Dwon Clifton could have little impact in the NBA because he seemingly is a no one. He is no ties to bigcorporations or anything that would allow him to be a major influence.
In terms of John Wall his recruitment seems like it is being influenced by a bunch of buffoons. It's good that he sees that Baylor hired Clifton to get tohim, but it doesn't seem like it matters that they would resort to a tactic like that any way. It's common now in college ball. As much as I hate DukeI would love to see Wall go there and take the opportunity to play under K for a year if he would allow John to be a player like Jay Williams was. However,that seems doubtful when you have Baylor and Memphis promising to just let you come in and take over the show right away.
- Jun 25, 2008
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Originally Posted by Craftsy21
i have an idea of a cure for this problem, and a few others... and i actually believe somebody will handle it in the near future, but if i had the capital and the resources i'd fix it myself.Originally Posted by JamesOnNT
That's a wild article about Wall.
I mean it is what it is though .. the NBA never should have implemented that rule.
what?
- Nov 14, 2007
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I'd still take Kentucky. At least Meeks and Petterson could win you a game or too. No way LSU is really good.
Nova Marquette should be great
Nova Marquette should be great
- Sep 1, 2004
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[h1]Critics shell Williams[/h1]
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 4 hours, 58 minutes ago
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - He ate dinner with North Carolina's Roy Williams and toured the Villanova campus on a golf cart driven by Jay Wright.
But when high school standout Kendall Marshall went to Maryland for an unofficial visit, he never met the head coach. Instead of Gary Williams, Marshall and his parents were greeted at the Comcast Center by a Terrapins assistant.
After asking Marshall's mother to wait outside, the assistant escorted Marshall and his father, Dennis, into a musty men's dressing room, clearing away clutter so the two could sit. Using a dry erase board, he gave the Marshalls a short presentation about how Kendall would fit into Maryland's program.
And then?
"That was it," Dennis Marshall said. "The whole visit was over in 20 minutes. No tour of the campus, no tour of the facilities … nothing. We just walked back to our car and went home."
A few months later, Marshall - the fifth-best point guard in the Class of 2010, according to Rivals.com - committed to North Carolina. Instead of making the 40-minute drive from Arlington, Va., to watch his son play at Maryland, Dennis Marshall is preparing for a lot of four-hour treks to Chapel Hill.
Marshall
"Kendall would've considered Maryland - definitely, without a doubt," Dennis Marshall said. "But to never speak to the head coach, not one time, not through a phone conversation or in person … I just don't get it.
"I'm not sure Gary Williams would know who we were if we sat next to him on a bus."
Marshall is not the only person questioning Williams' recruiting practices. Criticism of the coach, who won a national championship with the Terrapins in 2002, is growing as top players continue to sign elsewhere.
This past summer, Maryland lost two touted recruits - forward Gus Gilchrist and guard Tyree Evans. Williams and Maryland athletic department officials clashed over who made the decision to part with the players. Gilchrist, who originally signed with Virginia Tech, was concerned with the number of semesters he could play under ACC rules and was released. He transferred to South Florida. Evans had criminal issues that both the university and Williams were unaware of and his scholarship offer was rescinded. He now plays at Kent State.
Requests to interview Williams for this article were not granted.
Still, some facts can not be debated. Williams, 63, led Maryland to a Final Four in 2001 and 11 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Now struggling with a 15-8 overall record, 4-5 in the ACC, the Terrapins are in danger of missing the NCAAs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Maryland coach Gary Williams celebrates with the team after winning the men's NCAA Championship game against Indiana on April 1, 2002 at the Georgia Dome.
(Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images)
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Since winning the national title in 2002, Williams has signed just one prospect ranked among the nation's top 50 in Rivals.com's annual recruiting rankings. Even worse, critics said, is that he continues to show little interest in high-level players who attend high school less than an hour from Maryland's campus.
"There's so much talent around here that you could build a Top 25 or a top 15 team using nothing but kids from this area," said Curtis Malone, who runs one of the area's most successful AAU programs, the D.C. Assault. "But [Williams] let's them get away.
"It's frustrating … especially when you can look and see that [Maryland] doesn't have the kind of talent you need for that level, for the ACC."
The Terrapins suffered a 41-point loss to Duke earlier this month and were defeated 108-91 last week by North Carolina. Neither was as devastating as Maryland's nonconference loss to tiny Morgan State.
While some fans remain hopeful that Williams can resurrect the Terrapins' program, others have grown discontent and are calling for Williams' dismissal. Their wish may not be granted.
Athletic director Debbie Yow told reporters last week that she fully expects Williams, now in his 20th season at Maryland, his alma mater, to serve the remainder of his contract, which has three-and-a-half years remaining.
"He's [going] after it with as much enthusiasm and passion as I've seen in my 15 years here," Yow said.
Others don't seem as convinced.
Prior to his hiring at Maryland, Gary Williams spent three seasons as coach at Ohio State. Before a game against top-ranked Iowa in 1987, Williams gave a speech that one of his former assistants will never forget.
Despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big Ten, Williams had the Buckeyes convinced they were better than Iowa and that they would emerge with a victory.
"After he talked to the team I said, 'It's amazing you can get those guys to believe we can win this game,' " said Rick Barnes, now the head coach at Texas. "Gary just smiled and said, 'No one is asking us to win four out of seven. They're just asking us to win one game, one 40-minute game. It can be done.'"
Williams has always relished those kinds of situations, always taken pride in using intensity and guts and strategy to beat teams with superior talent.
Even when Williams led Maryland to the national title, the Terrapins weren't exactly stocked with highly touted recruits. Players such as Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter were considered second-tier prospects coming out of high school, but under Williams they became tough-minded overachievers who believed they couldn't be beat.
"Gary isn't a good coach, he's a great coach, one of the best in the game," said Lew Perkins, the former Maryland athletic director who hired Williams in 1989. "He prepared his team for games as well as anyone I've ever seen.
"Whatever is going on at Maryland now … I wouldn't worry. Maybe he's just hit a spell of bad luck."
Perhaps, but another problem has been the decision of the NBA in 2005 that prohibits players from entering the draft until they're at least one year removed from high school. All of a sudden, a batch of players who would've never thought about playing college ball began showing up at rival schools across the East Coast.
Smith
The rule was a jolt to a coach such as Williams, who had always recruited kids who yearned to be coached and taught and prodded. Dealing with prima donnas who would surely have problems with his yelling and screaming and intensity during practices - guys who looked at college as a one- or two-year pit stop to the NBA - hardly seemed appealing.
And apparently it still doesn't.
Small forward Roscoe Smith is the 11th-ranked player in the Class of 2010 and lives in Baltimore - less than an hour from Maryland's campus. Schools from all over the country (UCLA, Kansas, LSU, Florida, Georgetown and others) have gone out of their way to be at Smith's games, but Smith's father said he hasn't seen Williams since the end of the summer.
"I've seen some of the assistants, but they haven't been around as much as some of the ones from other schools," said Brian Thompson, Roscoe's dad. "I like the Maryland coaches, but I can't say they've been around as much as the others."
Thompson said he's been a lifelong Maryland fan, but he doesn't sound too convincing when asked if the Terrapins have a chance at signing his son.
"Yeah," he said, "I guess they're still in it."
Maryland's Greivis Vasquez against Duke on Jan. 24.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Failing to land Smith will be seen as another ding against Williams when it comes to signing high school recruits from the Baltimore, Virginia and Washington D.C. area.
Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant both played for the D.C. Assault. Neither considered signing with Maryland.
More recently, Maryland watched as Silver Spring native Dante Cunningham signed with Villanova, where he's averaging 17.1 points as a senior. Connecticut junior Jerome Dyson, who hails from Rockville, is one of the main reasons the Huskies are ranked No. 1.
It's not as if Williams has totally ignored the Maryland/Washington D.C. area. Greivis Vasquez, the only top-50 player Williams has signed since 2002, attended Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md.
"I'm an old school guy, so I believe in Gary Williams," said David Atkins, a former Montrose assistant who now coaches at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. "When he recruited Greivis he was at the gym all the time and at games. It stayed that way even after he signed him.
"It's not [Williams] has something against local guys. He's just looking for players that fit his style, his system."
Certainly, though, there are more of them than Vasquez.
"This area has more talent than any place in the country," said Marshall, the father of the North Carolina recruit. "And Maryland has great facilities and a great atmosphere during games. All these guys that are going off to all these other schools … I mean, Maryland could be a top-five program year in and year out if [Williams] could convince some of them to stay at home.
"I just can't understand why he doesn't get out and recruit these kids."
In most cases, it might be because he doesn't want to.
As much as he takes pride in Maryland's 2002 national championship, friends said there is one thing Gary Williams cherishes even more: his integrity.
Barnes noted that, throughout his entire career, Williams has never been accused of a major impropriety. Not only will Williams not circumvent any rules, he won't even go near an area that could be construed as shady.
"Recruiting is different now," Barnes said. "The AAU stuff has changed a lot of us, whether it's paying AAU coaches big money to come speak at camps or any of that other stuff that goes on.
"Gary will never sell out. He'll go to his grave protecting his integrity."
- Texas coach Rick Barnes on Gary Williams.
"Even though it's technically legal, Gary isn't going to go there because, to him, it's a gray area."
Barnes paused.
"Gary will never sell out," he said. "He'll go to his grave protecting his integrity."
Admirable as that might be, it could be costing Williams on the recruiting trail. Friends said Williams believes pursuing a recruit should involve contact with a prospect, his guardians and no one else.
These days, though, simply talking to a high-profile recruit requires going through layers of AAU coaches, mentors, handlers and advisors - some of whom expect perks such as getting a job on a college coaching staff. It's a situation that disgusts old-school coaches such as Williams, but it's also a situation that isn't going to change.
"The game is different now," said Boo Williams, who runs one of the country's most successful AAU programs. "With some of these kids, it starts as far back as elementary school. There are a lot of people you have to touch hands with to get in on a recruit.
"I sure hope [Gary Williams] changes, because that's how it is now."
Malone, the D.C. Assault coach, agreed. He called Williams' approach to recruiting "puzzling."
"Regardless of how you feel about AAU guys … I mean, you have to learn to deal with people," Malone said. "The same kid that's playing 23 games a year for his high school coach is playing 80 games for his AAU coach. They're traveling all across the country and spending time together and getting close.
"Those coaches become mentors and, at some point, if you're a college coach, you have to deal with them. It's not the 80s anymore. That is over. You have to adjust. It can't be personal with people."
Slowly but surely, Williams might be beginning to change.
Keith Stevens, who runs the AAU program Triple Threat, said Williams has been more visible at high school events in the last few months. He attended a recent game at DeMatha and last week brought in one of the nation's top unsigned seniors, Lance Stephenson, for an official visit.
"The mystery question for all of us has always been, 'Why doesn't Williams go after the top guys?' " Stevens said. "Maybe now you'll see him change a little bit. [Williams] is a competitor. He's not going to lay down for anyone.
"I wouldn't count him out just yet."
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 4 hours, 58 minutes ago
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - He ate dinner with North Carolina's Roy Williams and toured the Villanova campus on a golf cart driven by Jay Wright.
But when high school standout Kendall Marshall went to Maryland for an unofficial visit, he never met the head coach. Instead of Gary Williams, Marshall and his parents were greeted at the Comcast Center by a Terrapins assistant.
After asking Marshall's mother to wait outside, the assistant escorted Marshall and his father, Dennis, into a musty men's dressing room, clearing away clutter so the two could sit. Using a dry erase board, he gave the Marshalls a short presentation about how Kendall would fit into Maryland's program.
And then?
"That was it," Dennis Marshall said. "The whole visit was over in 20 minutes. No tour of the campus, no tour of the facilities … nothing. We just walked back to our car and went home."
A few months later, Marshall - the fifth-best point guard in the Class of 2010, according to Rivals.com - committed to North Carolina. Instead of making the 40-minute drive from Arlington, Va., to watch his son play at Maryland, Dennis Marshall is preparing for a lot of four-hour treks to Chapel Hill.
Marshall
"Kendall would've considered Maryland - definitely, without a doubt," Dennis Marshall said. "But to never speak to the head coach, not one time, not through a phone conversation or in person … I just don't get it.
"I'm not sure Gary Williams would know who we were if we sat next to him on a bus."
Marshall is not the only person questioning Williams' recruiting practices. Criticism of the coach, who won a national championship with the Terrapins in 2002, is growing as top players continue to sign elsewhere.
This past summer, Maryland lost two touted recruits - forward Gus Gilchrist and guard Tyree Evans. Williams and Maryland athletic department officials clashed over who made the decision to part with the players. Gilchrist, who originally signed with Virginia Tech, was concerned with the number of semesters he could play under ACC rules and was released. He transferred to South Florida. Evans had criminal issues that both the university and Williams were unaware of and his scholarship offer was rescinded. He now plays at Kent State.
Requests to interview Williams for this article were not granted.
Still, some facts can not be debated. Williams, 63, led Maryland to a Final Four in 2001 and 11 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Now struggling with a 15-8 overall record, 4-5 in the ACC, the Terrapins are in danger of missing the NCAAs for the fourth time in five seasons.
(Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images)
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Since winning the national title in 2002, Williams has signed just one prospect ranked among the nation's top 50 in Rivals.com's annual recruiting rankings. Even worse, critics said, is that he continues to show little interest in high-level players who attend high school less than an hour from Maryland's campus.
"There's so much talent around here that you could build a Top 25 or a top 15 team using nothing but kids from this area," said Curtis Malone, who runs one of the area's most successful AAU programs, the D.C. Assault. "But [Williams] let's them get away.
"It's frustrating … especially when you can look and see that [Maryland] doesn't have the kind of talent you need for that level, for the ACC."
The Terrapins suffered a 41-point loss to Duke earlier this month and were defeated 108-91 last week by North Carolina. Neither was as devastating as Maryland's nonconference loss to tiny Morgan State.
While some fans remain hopeful that Williams can resurrect the Terrapins' program, others have grown discontent and are calling for Williams' dismissal. Their wish may not be granted.
Athletic director Debbie Yow told reporters last week that she fully expects Williams, now in his 20th season at Maryland, his alma mater, to serve the remainder of his contract, which has three-and-a-half years remaining.
"He's [going] after it with as much enthusiasm and passion as I've seen in my 15 years here," Yow said.
Others don't seem as convinced.
Prior to his hiring at Maryland, Gary Williams spent three seasons as coach at Ohio State. Before a game against top-ranked Iowa in 1987, Williams gave a speech that one of his former assistants will never forget.
Despite being picked to finish ninth in the Big Ten, Williams had the Buckeyes convinced they were better than Iowa and that they would emerge with a victory.
"After he talked to the team I said, 'It's amazing you can get those guys to believe we can win this game,' " said Rick Barnes, now the head coach at Texas. "Gary just smiled and said, 'No one is asking us to win four out of seven. They're just asking us to win one game, one 40-minute game. It can be done.'"
Williams has always relished those kinds of situations, always taken pride in using intensity and guts and strategy to beat teams with superior talent.
Even when Williams led Maryland to the national title, the Terrapins weren't exactly stocked with highly touted recruits. Players such as Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter were considered second-tier prospects coming out of high school, but under Williams they became tough-minded overachievers who believed they couldn't be beat.
"Gary isn't a good coach, he's a great coach, one of the best in the game," said Lew Perkins, the former Maryland athletic director who hired Williams in 1989. "He prepared his team for games as well as anyone I've ever seen.
"Whatever is going on at Maryland now … I wouldn't worry. Maybe he's just hit a spell of bad luck."
Perhaps, but another problem has been the decision of the NBA in 2005 that prohibits players from entering the draft until they're at least one year removed from high school. All of a sudden, a batch of players who would've never thought about playing college ball began showing up at rival schools across the East Coast.
Smith
The rule was a jolt to a coach such as Williams, who had always recruited kids who yearned to be coached and taught and prodded. Dealing with prima donnas who would surely have problems with his yelling and screaming and intensity during practices - guys who looked at college as a one- or two-year pit stop to the NBA - hardly seemed appealing.
And apparently it still doesn't.
Small forward Roscoe Smith is the 11th-ranked player in the Class of 2010 and lives in Baltimore - less than an hour from Maryland's campus. Schools from all over the country (UCLA, Kansas, LSU, Florida, Georgetown and others) have gone out of their way to be at Smith's games, but Smith's father said he hasn't seen Williams since the end of the summer.
"I've seen some of the assistants, but they haven't been around as much as some of the ones from other schools," said Brian Thompson, Roscoe's dad. "I like the Maryland coaches, but I can't say they've been around as much as the others."
Thompson said he's been a lifelong Maryland fan, but he doesn't sound too convincing when asked if the Terrapins have a chance at signing his son.
"Yeah," he said, "I guess they're still in it."
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Failing to land Smith will be seen as another ding against Williams when it comes to signing high school recruits from the Baltimore, Virginia and Washington D.C. area.
Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant both played for the D.C. Assault. Neither considered signing with Maryland.
More recently, Maryland watched as Silver Spring native Dante Cunningham signed with Villanova, where he's averaging 17.1 points as a senior. Connecticut junior Jerome Dyson, who hails from Rockville, is one of the main reasons the Huskies are ranked No. 1.
It's not as if Williams has totally ignored the Maryland/Washington D.C. area. Greivis Vasquez, the only top-50 player Williams has signed since 2002, attended Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md.
"I'm an old school guy, so I believe in Gary Williams," said David Atkins, a former Montrose assistant who now coaches at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. "When he recruited Greivis he was at the gym all the time and at games. It stayed that way even after he signed him.
"It's not [Williams] has something against local guys. He's just looking for players that fit his style, his system."
Certainly, though, there are more of them than Vasquez.
"This area has more talent than any place in the country," said Marshall, the father of the North Carolina recruit. "And Maryland has great facilities and a great atmosphere during games. All these guys that are going off to all these other schools … I mean, Maryland could be a top-five program year in and year out if [Williams] could convince some of them to stay at home.
"I just can't understand why he doesn't get out and recruit these kids."
In most cases, it might be because he doesn't want to.
As much as he takes pride in Maryland's 2002 national championship, friends said there is one thing Gary Williams cherishes even more: his integrity.
Barnes noted that, throughout his entire career, Williams has never been accused of a major impropriety. Not only will Williams not circumvent any rules, he won't even go near an area that could be construed as shady.
"Recruiting is different now," Barnes said. "The AAU stuff has changed a lot of us, whether it's paying AAU coaches big money to come speak at camps or any of that other stuff that goes on.
"Gary will never sell out. He'll go to his grave protecting his integrity."
- Texas coach Rick Barnes on Gary Williams.
"Even though it's technically legal, Gary isn't going to go there because, to him, it's a gray area."
Barnes paused.
"Gary will never sell out," he said. "He'll go to his grave protecting his integrity."
Admirable as that might be, it could be costing Williams on the recruiting trail. Friends said Williams believes pursuing a recruit should involve contact with a prospect, his guardians and no one else.
These days, though, simply talking to a high-profile recruit requires going through layers of AAU coaches, mentors, handlers and advisors - some of whom expect perks such as getting a job on a college coaching staff. It's a situation that disgusts old-school coaches such as Williams, but it's also a situation that isn't going to change.
"The game is different now," said Boo Williams, who runs one of the country's most successful AAU programs. "With some of these kids, it starts as far back as elementary school. There are a lot of people you have to touch hands with to get in on a recruit.
"I sure hope [Gary Williams] changes, because that's how it is now."
Malone, the D.C. Assault coach, agreed. He called Williams' approach to recruiting "puzzling."
"Regardless of how you feel about AAU guys … I mean, you have to learn to deal with people," Malone said. "The same kid that's playing 23 games a year for his high school coach is playing 80 games for his AAU coach. They're traveling all across the country and spending time together and getting close.
"Those coaches become mentors and, at some point, if you're a college coach, you have to deal with them. It's not the 80s anymore. That is over. You have to adjust. It can't be personal with people."
Slowly but surely, Williams might be beginning to change.
Keith Stevens, who runs the AAU program Triple Threat, said Williams has been more visible at high school events in the last few months. He attended a recent game at DeMatha and last week brought in one of the nation's top unsigned seniors, Lance Stephenson, for an official visit.
"The mystery question for all of us has always been, 'Why doesn't Williams go after the top guys?' " Stevens said. "Maybe now you'll see him change a little bit. [Williams] is a competitor. He's not going to lay down for anyone.
"I wouldn't count him out just yet."
dacomeup
Supporter
- Jan 20, 2006
- 26,589
- 37,538
Poor relationships with DC Assault, Boo Williams, & Triple Threat says it all. Look at all the high major guys that these programs have put out in the lastfew years alone. I can't see how anyone can defend him in terms of recruiting at this point.
