The Morning Dish – Thursday, July 22nd
No Celebrity Cruises: The NCAA Management Council announced Tuesday a package of recruiting proposals that can be approved by early August by the NCAA Board of Directors. The big feature is the granting of a fifth year of eligibility, and allowing coaches more freedom to speak with recruits. However, some of the restrictions would include the elimination of certain recruiting perks, such as flying recruits on private jets, housing in resort hotels, or even extravagant meals. Some of the more celebrated presentations, such as the handing out of personalized jerseys, customized scoreboard videos, or the use of specialized vehicles (read: “Pimp My Ride” hoopties) will also be prohibited. Some of these changes stem from the football recruiting scandals at Colorado and Miami. Miami linebacker recruit Willie Williams dazzled readers with his accounts of his official recruiting visits to Auburn, Florida State, and Miami, and he was arrested and charged with a felony and two misdemeanors during his Florida visit. Schools will review the new proposals, and they could be enacted by April.
Bruin Surgery Successful: UCLA junior center Ryan Hollins underwent successful knee surgery Tuesday. Hollis, who averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest last season, had loose cartilage removed from his right knee. Hollins, a two-year starter, is expected to be fully recovered in time for the start of practice in mid-October.
New Tiger in Baton Rouge: LSU recruit Glen Davis, a 6-foot-8, 310 pound forward from University High School in Baton Rouge, has completed his coursework needed to meet NCAA standards for freshmen. Davis, recruited nationally for both basketball and football, averaged 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds per game last season, leading his school to the Louisiana State Championship.
Leaving the Pride: Hofstra yesterday announced that sophomore center Omar Alston has left the men’s basketball program due to personal reasons. Alston, who appeared in 21 of the Pride’s 20 games last season, averaged 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest, down from his freshman averages of 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Jackson Six: The College of Charleston has announced that forward Bernard Jackson has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. Jackson, who missed two seasons due to season-ending knee injuries, averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds last season in 29 games. In 2001-02, Jackson only played two games due to injury, and in 2002-03 he played eight games before re-injuring the same knee.
New Tiger in Baltimore: Towson Univeristy announced the hiring of Rob Norris as an assistant coach on Pat Kennedy’s coaching staff. Norris worked with Kennedy for two seasons at DePaul as a film coordinator and the past two seasons at Montana, where he was director of basketball operations. Norris graduated in 1999 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, after playing two seasons at Fairleigh-Dickinson, where he was on the NEC’s All-Freshman squad after averaging 11 points per game.
