[ When news of Kansas coach Roy Williams' departure reached Pete

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Apr 15, 2003 by Ric Anderson Capital-Journal

By Ric Anderson

The Capital-Journal

LAWRENCE --- When news of Kansas coach Roy Williams' departure reached Pete Padgett's home on Monday, his mind raced back to three conversations.

Two of them happened months ago, while Williams was recruiting Padgett's son, 7-foot McDonald's All-American David Padgett.

"Coach sat in my living room and sat in my office and said he was going to be there for four years to coach David," Pete Padgett said by phone from the family's residence in Reno, Nev.

Those broken vows stung, but a final disappointment came Friday.

"They assured me Friday that we would not hear about this from the media," he said. "But that's what happened. We're really, really disappointed that they didn't contact us."

David Padgett is among four prep players signed by Williams in what has turned out to be his last KU recruiting class. Whether all four actually will end up in a KU uniform was unclear on Monday.

McAlester, Okla., guard Jeremy Case, a 6-1 guard Williams called the best shooter he ever signed, admitted he was bothered by the lack of a phone call from Williams --- but said he's not interested in going anywhere else.

"I love KU," said Case, who averaged more than 25 points a game during his senior year. "I love they way they are."

Los Angeles guard Omar Wilkes' family did not return telephone calls, but Pete Padgett and Charles Giddens, father of Oklahoma City guard J.R. Giddens, said their sons were still evaluating their options in the wake of Williams' departure.

"When J.R. gets home, my wife and I will look him in the eye and talk to him about what he wants to do," said Charles Giddens, whose son was away at a high school all-star game. "Right now, we want him to focus on what he's doing now."

Pete Padgett said he planned to wait a day or so, allow the family's emotions to settle, then begin discussing the future.

"This was 2 1/2 years of intense scrutiny we put into the recruiting process and we thought we'd done our homework and had done a good job," he said. "When a majority of the reason (David chose KU) leaves, you've got to take a step back and re-evaluate."

David Padgett chose KU over North Carolina, citing Williams' integrity and reputation as the deciding factors. When he heard that Williams was leaving, Pete Padgett said, "it broke his heart."

"He's really hurting," he said. "I guess the reality of it set in when David came home and turned on the TV. You walk in the door, and you can tell right away he was emotionally spent. When you see your kid like that, as a parent you get a little defensive."

Under NCAA guidelines, players sign with institutions and not coaches, meaning the signees would be penalized if they transferred without getting either a mutual release or a conditional release from KU. Players with conditional releases lose a year of eligibility and are forced to sit out a year. If no release has been signed, a player who enrolls in another school forfeits two years of eligibility.

Pete Padgett said he was unsure whether his son would seek a release.

"But we're not going to go through the recruiting process again, I'll tell you that," he said. "If David is to decide that Kansas is not an option, then we're going to sit down and figure out where he's going to go.

"He (David Padgett) has talked to Omar on the phone and received a voice mail from J.R., and they're just frustrated and probably a little bit unsure right now what's going on."

See RECRUITS, page 5D

Recruits: Kansas signees now weighing their options