Davis Inks with Seton Hall

Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball47

He finally got his wish.

After some bumpy roads, former NC State recruit and signee Larry Davis has signed with Bobby Gonzalez’s Seton Hall Pirates.

For a little bit of fun, we thought that we would highlight this blog entry that discusses provision #19 in the National Letter of Intent that high school recruits, including Larry Davis, sign.

19. If Coach Leaves. I understand I have signed this NLI with the institution and not for a particular sport or individual. If the coach leaves the institution or the sports program, I remain bound by the provisions of this NLI. I understand it is not uncommon for a coach to leave his or her coaching position.

The ACC Area Sports Journal detailed some of Davis’ ‘recruitment’ from Bobby Gonzalez. Mr O summarized it as follows:

The ACC Sports Journal explained the potential tampering involved with Seton Hall and Davis. Gonzalez delayed hiring his coaching staff even though it was well known who he was going to hire so that these guys could make contact with recruits during a quiet/dead period. One of the guys on his staff is a NYC AAU guy that is close to Davis. If Gonzalez had hired him officially right away, then this AAU guy would have had to follow NCAA regulations and he could have had no contact with Davis. Instead, Gonzalez waited or hasn’t even announced his staff yet.

Even Greg Dickhead referenced the situation; We refer you to this entry for the following on how Bobby Gonzalez recruits:

3. Seton Hall’s ruse: The worst secret in college basketball is that new Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez will complete his staff with former St. John’s assistant Dermon Player. Why hasn’t Gonzalez gone ahead and hired Player? Because he needs Player to stay with his AAU program, the Metro Hawks, as long as possible. Some of the best players in the area are playing for the Hawks, which means unlimited access for a future Seton Hall assistant. Is this legal? Sure it is. Should it be legal? Of course not.

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Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball

47 Responses to Davis Inks with Seton Hall

  1. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 07/13/2006 at 12:11 PM #

    “I’m not sure if this is the answer or not, but since Lowe attended NCSU he is automatically considered by the NCAA a representative of NCSU who cannot contact recruits without following NCAA rules.

    That rule applies to anyone who ever took one class at NCSU and your status is the same for your entire life.”

    If this is the case and it sounds very much like the NCAA then when McMillian said the other day that he was getting emails from fans I hope these fans are not breaking any rules.

  2. PackMan97 07/13/2006 at 3:12 PM #

    vtpackfan,

    My comment was mainly directed at redfred2 and his slander of Sendek’s characted. My apologies for not making that clear.

    ——————

    joe,

    In addition to being a “NC State booster”, I imagine Lowe’s restriction were also due to the fact that NC State had said he was our next head coach. I would assume that the NCAA regs come into play once a school announces their intent to hire a coach. Which is why Gonzalez held off naming the coach even if everyone suspected the asst. was gonna be hired. As long as it was never officially stated, the NCAA couldn’t do a thing. NC State loudly and publicly said Lowe is our next coach.

  3. redfred2 07/13/2006 at 4:26 PM #

    “but the recruits never panned out.”

    Still aren’t.

  4. redfred2 07/13/2006 at 4:57 PM #

    I’m just wondering how adjectives and statements like “pretty smart”, “cunning”, “leg up”, “Most coaches would do what Gonzales did”, come flowing out like water on this site and then the next minute you read this:

    “Why wasn’t Sidney Lowe, with his NBA coaching experience and connections, and his storied past with NC State not able to retain the guys who had already committed? That worries me.”

    No, that worries ME!

  5. redfred2 07/13/2006 at 9:50 PM #

    vtpackfan

    “My comment was mainly directed at redfred2 and his slander of Sendek’s characted.”

    I am not attacking the man’s character, I am stating an opinion that says he did not promote NC State University, the place where he was employed, as a great place for these kids to attend college and get an education. They have no idea about the school itself, so they don’t think they’re loosing out on anything by walking away and forgetting all about it.
    I don’t think Sendek was too enthused with the university or the area, he surely could have fooled me if he was, so I don’t think it was ever a part of his sales pitch to these young high school recruits.

  6. vtpackfan 07/13/2006 at 10:40 PM #

    ^Good point. I thought you were aiming more at the beggining of thread so that clears that one up. On your point, we did get one of the three that signed, and Horner sounded like he wanted to come no matter what. Herb uprooted to the left coast so that explains somewhat why none of these recruits wanted to bother following. But I find it a bit odd that none of the three that signed and neither Wright or the “sure thing” pf from Chicago bother mentioning that they even know there is another school in AZ besides the one Lute coachs. Look, Fowler holds the reigns when he knows that a head coach is looking to move on and another is not just going to step in and take the wheel. He sits on the porch of this fine institution to welcome in all future academic athletes, especially in turbulent times such as a coaching transition. I think he may have done the best he could do.

  7. duckmanjw 07/14/2006 at 12:42 AM #

    If you think these coaching hires don’t mean big things for these schools, check out this on the guy at Pitt.

    Wednesday, July 12, 2006
    Cox paying dividends already

    New Pitt director of basketball operations has not even started yet, and can’t even recruit off campus when he does, but he is already starting his new job off in scintillating fashion. Cox was originally expected to start his new position this past Monday, July 10th, but because of vacations at Pitt, he will now start this Monday, July 17th. His soon to be presence already helped land sleeper wing Darnell Dodson, who played for Cox at DC Assault. And that’s just the beginning.

    Three other very prominent players associated with Cox are suddenly interested in Pitt. Included in that list is 6’1″ PG Chris Wright of St. John’s College HS in Washington, DC. Wright, an offensive force at point guard, is considered one of the top 20 players in the country. He originally signed with North Carolina State but changed his mind after Herb Sendek left for Arizona State. Now Wright is wide open, according to his father, Orlando, though he admits that it may be tough to get his son away from Georgetown now, which is only 20 minutes form where the Wrights live.

    “When he decided not to go to NC State, he got closer with everybody at Georgetown,” says Mr. Wright. But the elder Wright says Pitt is coming on strong.

    “Pitt wasn’t even recruiting him before but now that they have Cox, they have become interested,” says Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright thinks Pitt may have thought they didn’t have a chance before, but now with his son’s closeness to Cox, Pitt could be a major player. “Pitt is a great program,” continues Mr. Wright. “Chris owes it to himself to look at them.”

    According to a source close to the DC Assault program, Wright will indeed take a serious look at the Panthers. When asked if Pitt could get a visit from Wright, the source replied, “Oh, they’ll get a visit.” That is directly attributed to Cox who as an assistant principal at St. Johns College HS, was responsible for Wright enrolling. “He is like a big brother to Chris,” says the source of Cox.

    Dodson’s teammate at DC Assault was 6’9″ 240 pound center/power forward Julian Vaughn of South Lakes HS in Reston, VA. Like Wright, Pitt did not recruit him much prior to Cox’s arrival, but like Wright, Pitt is now one of Vaughn’s favorites. Vaughn is also a top 20 player.

    However, the biggest addition on the Panthers watch list is 6’9″ 240 pound Michael Beasley of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA. According to the same DC area source, Beasley, one of the top four players in the country, is very interested in the Panthers even though he is currently committed to Kansas State.

    “He is going to visit Kansas State and if he doesn’t like it, he already told Cox that he will go to Pitt,” says the source, who also stated that Cox was hired a day after Beasley committed to Kansas State. “If Cox was hired one day earlier, Beasley may have committed to Pitt. They won the (AAU) National Championship together and are very close.”

    Beasley has confirmed that the source’s information is correct. When asked if he was interested in Pitt, despite being committed to Kansas State, he replied “Yes, I’m interested in Pitt a lot”. When asked if it was because of Cox, Beasley simply replied, “Yes”. Beasley stated that he was still committed to Kansas State, but said a visit to Manhattan, KS could change that. Beasley says he will visit next month and is unsure if he will visit Pitt if he likes it at Kansas State.

  8. vtpackfan 07/14/2006 at 9:27 AM #

    Yes it is a very big deal. The NCAAs don’t know how to handle these things, and to be honest they may be just to bureacratic to do much good solving this sort of personal/institutional ethical dilema. My arguement is simple; its a one trick pony. Pitt, SH, KSU, they all know the loopholes and are praying on windfall results from a big splash recruiting class. It may be a topic worth investigating a bit more in the future, but the evidence just isn’t strong enough, IMO, that these type of hires to lure a stud class have any lasting success for a program (fab five @ Michigan, Flint-stones for MSU come to mind, but I don’t have a clue that any HS or AAU coaches were hired by the respected ADs at that time). Guys like K and Calhoun do it for the long haul, so that is what I would like to see my new director of basketball operations and new head coach making strides toward. I will be willing to lose a Chric Wright battle or this whole (incestidous) DC Assualt thing if it means winning the war. I regret the slight rant, but one more thing. Another asset to going off to college is spreading your wings and learning to take yourself to a higher level without your childhood support system. Something can be said for and against this attitude towards remaining in a tight group throughout your years.

  9. redfred2 07/14/2006 at 11:06 AM #

    Is it just me or do teams and coaches like the afore mentioned DC Assault represent an ever changing loophole to circumvent the traditions of recruiting kids directly through their parents and high school coaches. In affect becoming so-called “agents” for amateur athletes, and by doing so are they also making the air ripe for pushing the envelope further and further each year. For instance, “You get me in with this kid and maybe I’ll see about a cushy job and good salary down here at the university for a few years,” or other incentives that may be legal, but fall well short of ethical.

  10. packbackr04 07/14/2006 at 11:28 AM #

    redfred: I completely agree ^^^, and like many on here have said college bball is business, big business. And as much as i hate to see it happen and although it may not be right, if we dont take advantage of the same loopholes that other universities are using, we will soon be left in the dust, once again relegated to the les robinson invitational on a yearly basis

  11. redfred2 07/14/2006 at 12:20 PM #

    packbackr04: Although I don’t agree with new playing field, the term “taking advantage” of anything at NC State, seems to strike fear and bring out the most high and mighty attitudes which in reality have no place in college athletics today. Those attitudes benefit everyone we’re competing against, but are only to the detriment of NCSU in the end.

  12. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 07/14/2006 at 1:11 PM #

    We very well may have to wait until the mindless that were in power during the V years are retired or dead before State can be competetive in basketball again.

    These folks had the pig skin pulled over their eyes by the media, some academic types and handful of donors. In order to protect themselves from their lack of rational thinking nearly 20 years ago they must hang and advance the perception that Valvano was evil.

  13. packbackr04 07/14/2006 at 2:19 PM #

    redfred: so to play devils advocate here. what are we supposed to do as wolfpack fans, sit back and watch as the world passes us by?

  14. vtpackfan 07/14/2006 at 3:20 PM #

    It may not be a high and mighty attitude problem that some of us have but a desire (often frustrated in the past) and the will power to believe that we will see the Pack compete against highest ranked teams and be the mightiest at the end of the season once again. I think there are better ways then to hire an AAU coach that never had a criminal background check and was once arrested for selling cocaine just because its big business and now he has what we want. If the kid can’t get out from these guys sight than they are the type that are going to fold when the going gets tough. They are too afraid to get out and prove themselves without their safety net.

  15. redfred2 07/14/2006 at 3:57 PM #

    packbackr04: I agree with your earlier comment and have stated similar many times in the past. The way I see it is not up to NC State University to set a shining example for every other university in the country to follow, it is foolish nobility that nobody really cares about and it hasn’t accomplished one bit of good for anyone. It’s time to play the rules as they are written in black and white, without the delusion that we are somehow to be above all others. All that gets us is a bunch fans who wonder why we can’t compete and then continually bitch about the university’s lack lustre showings from year to year.

    I am not saying break the rules, or even bend them, but don’t read things into them that no one else follows. Just use those same rules to their fullest when they benefit the university.

  16. duckmanjw 07/14/2006 at 5:00 PM #

    Anybody know if we are interested in the Bush kid (2 star PG) that just decommitted from New Orleans after Lowe left. CNNSI is reporting both he and a juco guy have been released from their LOIs.

    Wonder if they plan to follow Towe to Raleigh???

  17. duckmanjw 07/14/2006 at 5:01 PM #

    Anybody know if we are interested in the Bush kid (2 star PG) that just decommitted from New Orleans after Towe left. CNNSI is reporting both he and a juco guy have been released from their LOIs.

    Wonder if they plan to follow Towe to Raleigh???

  18. redfred2 07/14/2006 at 6:24 PM #

    duck, I remember hearing the Bush kid’s name mentioned on here before but only in relation to Towe’s recruiting skills. Don’t know if he’s anything to consider or not. Why didn’t New Orleans release them a long time ago?

  19. duckmanjw 07/15/2006 at 1:05 AM #

    Red,

    They just recently hired Buzz Peterson to replace Towe, so I guess it was like Lowe wanting to being able to talk with his players first.

    Bush was only a 2 star guy but was supposedly the “gem” of the class.

  20. redfred2 07/15/2006 at 10:59 AM #

    vtpackfan: “If the kid can’t get out from these guys sight…”

    I don’t think that is exactly the case. It’s almost a requirement to attend these camps nowdays, where the emphasis is solely on basketball and nothing else. The travel also separates the kids from their homes for longer and longer periods of time which gives the supposedly amateur “coaches/agents” more influence over these young wannabe’s than anyone else involved. It’s a change that removes parents and high school coaches further and further from the process.

  21. vtpackfan 07/17/2006 at 8:55 AM #

    ^That is a good point, and one that gets swept away with all of the competitive recruiting against one another for these guys. I still think that with the ever changing environment that goes on in this sport that the same old rules apply. A seventeen or eighteen year old has a shot at maturing in ways that vastly differ if he opens his mind to cutting the ties with that which is comforting. I’m not someone who would suggest that this reasoning is enough to give up on these guys. Quite the opposite. I want to see Sid put up a fight for for every guy who has proven his excellence on the court. At the end of the day I’m not going to be too disappointed with losing a recruit to a situation as we’ve been describing above. Instead I am looking forward to the guys who will look to “break out” on their own with Lowe, even if they have less stars next to their name.

  22. redfred2 07/17/2006 at 3:27 PM #

    ^vt, I think Sidney will be more than able to get his in the foot door, sideways so to speak, with some very talented recruits by promoting the fact that these kids will be able to showcase their talents from day one at NCSU. And that their talents won’t be swept up or go unnoticed in the smug complacency that the fans and media seem to think is the eternal right of our two closest neighbors nowdays.

    The problem with these amatuer players, and the amatuer coaches involved, is that the NCAA is way behind the curve in their rulings regarding where the proper boundaries lie. The programs that are willing to make use those current inadequancies are going to use them to their fullest advantage and take what they can, while they can, and while it is still totally legal to do so. While others out there, and I can speak of one university that I am aware of, or care about, are steadfastly clinging to even older NCAA rulings and gamesmanship that were antiquated well before these leagues ever came into prominence.

    All I am saying is that don’t expect success while competing under the rules as the other teams on the basketball court, if you are afraid to compete under the same rules that everyone else follows while assembling your talent. That is the single and only showcase where the misplaced nobility of yesteryear becomes evident, and the same fans who fought to keep that nobility intact, will be the first to question it’s unsatisfactory results on the court.

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