I actually caught this past Sunday morning “Outside the Lines” story on text messaging and recruiting. Nothing that was completely revealing. Text messaging has been a fairly well-known recruiting tool by coaches for the last couple of years. Though, I did not know about the prohibitions on texting freshmen and sophomores.
In recent weeks, ESPN contacted several highly recruited high school athletes who receive text messages, as well as their coaches and their parents. They describe an atmosphere where college coaches frequently text message recruits during their freshman and sophomore years. That has the attention of those who enforce the NCAA’s rules, because the same rules that allow text messages to high school juniors and seniors, prohibit text messaging to freshmen and sophomores.
Benn specifically told us he received text messages on several occasions from Penn State, Virginia, and Maryland as a sophomore. While Virginia and Penn State denied any improper activity regarding Benn’s recruitment, a Maryland associate athletic director told us she’s “spoken with the coaches involved with the recruitment of this young man. Each indicated they had not contacted Arrelious Benn at an inappropriate time.” Shortly after ESPN asked the schools about potential violations related to text messaging, Benn contacted us and changed his story saying he was never text messaged by those schools as a sophomore.
Ohio basketball standout Delvon Roe, a 6-7 sophomore forward who plays on the same AAU team as Kosta Koufos, said the text messages from college coaches started his freshman year in high school. Roe appeared taken aback when he recounted that he received a text message from Michigan on his second day of his freshman year: “Is this a joke or something?”
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When the University of Michigan was contacted about what Roe told ESPN, the school admitted he had been sent a text message too early and started an internal investigation. “This appears to be a secondary violation,” Michigan said in a prepared statement. “We are still reviewing the matter before a final report is sent to the NCAA.”
“They have the obligation to report that to the enforcement staff of the NCAA and to be handled by that appropriate group to see what type of penalties would be placed on that institution and or coach,” Lyons said.
But text messaging freshmen and sophomore prospects is not the only recruiting violation that has become a common practice. At a recent Charlottesville, Va., AAU tournament, Middletown (Del.) sophomore Jarrett Mann told us recruiters from several schools, specifically the University of Delaware and Georgetown University, text message him and his family.
“Georgetown University texts my mom, I want to say every day, every single day,” Mann said. I don’t see a problem with that because I have high interest in the school.”
But even text messaging the parent of a sophomore is against NCAA rules. Mann’s mother later told us in a phone call that Georgetown text messages her once or twice a week, not every day. Neither Georgetown nor Delaware would respond to our requests for interviews about Mann’s recruitment.
The interesting part of the televised story was the panel discussion that included some reporter from Indianapolis, Jamie Newberg of Scout.com and Memphis B-Ball Head Coach John Calipari.
I may distrust Calipari and his snake-oil charm, but the guy is so good with media appearances. He not only sucked up much of the airtime discussion, but actually directed some of the questions for Bob Ley. He dominated and impressed in the panel. This incredible mix of disarming frankness while being at ease and mixing in absolute bulls**t. While pretending to be tech ignorant with crap claims like barely being able to check his e-mail or turn on his computer, he openly said that his assistants use text messaging all the time.
He expressed surprise that the NCAA hasn’t policed it yet, and thought that they would eventually. The reason he said, is that coaches are simply not capable of moderating their own behavior without a rule against it. They are all, always looking for that edge in recruiting. It’s hard to disagree with that viewpoint. Coaches are always trying to push as far as they can.
When asked what he thought about texting he said it was a nice tool, but that a far more effective recruiting is still getting face-to-face with the kid, or doing shows like this “where I can be your sidekick, Bob.”
He’s good. Real good.
Expect texting restrictions that limit the when they can text more than the quantity. Limits that say not during school, practice and games. An effort to reduce the total volume sent because of limited hours. Of course, any smart assistant will still prepare the text messages throughout the day, but put them in a draft box to send at the right time.
