Tales from the recruiting trail

Sporting News, The, August 9, 2004 by Mike DeCourcy

The seats are too hard. There's no time to get a decent meal. The travel is murder. There are too many tournaments, too many teams, too many suspect players. The games start before breakfast and end after last call. It's so sunny and hot in Las Vegas that merely stepping inside your rental car gives you that Dale Earnhardt Jr. feeling. It's so far from one high school to another that, as Vegas sportswriter Steve Carp says, you've got to clear customs along the way.

Coaches complain a lot about summer recruiting. Those who have been doing it long enough, for too many years at too many different colleges, easily can forget this part of the job can be a pleasure. Here's the funny part, though. They're allowed to gripe. But if one of them talks excitedly about a great shooting guard prospect, the coach is in violation of NCAA bylaws.

So if you want to know what happened during the summer evaluation period, aside from the inconveniences, this is the place to check:

Most dazzling performance: O.J. Mayo, 43 points for D1 Greyhounds vs. Los Angeles Stars, Reebok Big Time Tournament. Soon to be a sophomore at North College Hill High in Cincinnati, Mayo was playing against some of the best players from Los Angeles' Westchester High. Mayo displayed at least eight NBA-caliber moves.

On one, he picked off a steal and changed directions at full speed with a behind-the-back dribble. My favorite involved a pass fake to the right that put his defender off balance, then a 360-degree spin-dribble to the left into a quick launch of a 3-pointer. The shot connected. Mayo left no doubt he is a future NBA point guard, and his performance suggested he might be the best prospect at the position in more than 20 years--since Isiah Thomas was playing at St. Joseph near Chicago.

Highest climb: Scouts who saw him regularly during his junior year questioned the consistency of Duke recruit Josh who watched him in the spring--unaware he was bothered by a back problem--began to doubt his ability. Healthy, he went from a borderline top 10 player to the head of the 2005 class. At 6-11, he is extremely graceful and can pass, shoot and handle the ball.

Hardest fall: You've got to like Keith Brumbaugh's consistency. He was listless on two continents this summer--Europe, on a Nike-sponsored tour, and back here in North America. A 6-8 small forward from DeLand, Fla., Brumbaugh might have seen the last of his top 10 ranking.

Most preposterous question: Will Tyler Hansbrough consider entering the draft next spring? One reporter asked him that at the Nike All-American Camp. If you've seen Hansbrough and don't love him, you either don't care for the game or are miffed he got 30 against your team. He is rugged and aggressive with great footwork and finishing skills. But he is a 6-9 power forward without great athleticism. The NBA never has drafted any prep like him.

Least necessary question: Will Greg Oden play college basketball? Everywhere this 7-foot phenom went on the circuit, he was asked that by reporters determined to make him into a symbol for the talent development battle between college and the NBA. The problem is, he is going to be only a junior at Lawrence North High in Indianapolis.

If my past is any guide, there are some things a typical high school junior might not have experienced: chemistry, the SAT, the state driving test, second base, Catch-22, a steady job, prom night. Oden will not be a normal teenager. But is there any reason he should be forced to abandon the chronology of a typical high school career?

Best Trajan Langdon Impersonation: This might drive North Carolina fans crazy, but that's the best comparison for Tar Heels prospect Bobby Frasor. He has point guard skills but not the extra gear necessary to create offense at the ACC level. But Frasor is an exquisite shooter who always is square to the goal and has an ideal release.

Best Quincy Carter impersonation. Point guard Greg Paulus, a Duke recruit from Syracuse, N.Y., was guilty of at least seven turnovers against Dallas Pump N Run--many on intercepted passes. Scouts say that's a developing problem--that Paulus isn't consistently taking care of the basketball. He is terrific at operating a pick-and-roll, but he must run his team better.

SPEED READS

* The resignation of LaSalle coach Billy Hahn was the result of poorly handling sexual assault allegations against an Explorers player. But the entire mess of this once-proud program can be traced back to its move from the Metro Atlantic to the Atlantic 10. Once a mid-major power, La Salle is 48-96 in nine A-10 seasons. La Salle needs a new direction more than it needs to lure Fran Dunphy from Penn.

* The class of '05 prospect mentioned most as a possible NBA draft entrant is Brandon Rush, brother of Kareem (Lakers) and JaRon (formerly UCLA and an NBA bust). The problem is, no one who mentions Brandon's name thinks he's up to the task. Although physically gifted, Rush is not a great shooter and often plays indifferently.