Well, we got SubGod to go from calling us paranoid WSU haters with cheap conspiracy theories to saying merely we're stretching things to fit our narrative, so I consider that progress.

In the absence of a smoking gun emerging, or Smart making a new commitment, I figure that's about as much progress we can expect for now.

Time to talk about Ron Baker being grossly overrated...

As long as WSU did nothing outside of the rules, I've got no issue if they were still on Smart. Recruiting doesn't end with a verbal and schools can still target players (remember Bielema at Wisconsin a couple years ago complaining about Urban Meyer). It's disappointing to lose out on a prospect but I'd rather have him back out now than sign and change his mind later. At least now Porter and Co have the season to evaluate & hopefully sign another player in the spring period.

Of course you're right that technically it's within the rules for a school to continue to recruit a player after he's made a verbal commitment to another school, but I think most coaches subscribe to a gentleman's agreement that it is bad form to do so.



I like to use the analogy that a verbal commitment is like announcing one's engagement to be married, and signing the LOI is the wedding.

I suppose it's not technically adultery to hit on somebody who's engaged, even when he or she is walking up the aisle, but it is considered by many to be knavish, the act of a scoundrel.

Plenty of schools place kids at prep schools. The most common reasons are the kid doesn't qualify academically or the kid's current high school team doesn't play against good talent. It's not incredibly common for colleges to stash a kid because he's not good enough, not gonna get playing time in his first year, or they don't have a spot on the roster. That's the whole purpose of a redshirt. If Eric Hamilton committed to Duke, he would have either redshirted or not gotten in. But because WSU is over the scholarship limit, somebody has to leave. And when they leave, they just happen to go to a prep school that is a training jog away from WSU? So, sure there's some plausible deniability by sending the player who could most use the prep year, but it's not a crazy conspiracy theory.

Plus of all those prep powerhouses (Oak Hill, Hargrave, Findlay, Prime Prep, Brewster Academy), is there a college that's almost synonymous with them? Sunrise has 3 kids in 2 years going to WSU; and despite being in the MVC's footprint, hasn't sent 1 kid to the other 9 schools. If you looked at Oak Hill's roster, is it just Kentucky recruits and no other player going to an SEC school?

And again, I'm not implying WSU is cheating. It's clearly a beneficial setup for them. Plenty of other big time programs probably do similarly shady things. If that's his prerogative, Marshall has every right to keep talking to Smart up until he signs a LOI. I get it. Until Smart signs a LOI, we lost. We are bitter about it because it hurts and he was going to be a really good get for us.

But is it that much of a stretch to think that part of his reconsidering is due to the WSU influence at Sunrise and all around Wichita? We all know how 99.999% of WSU's fanbase thinks of us, so how many eye-rolls did that kid get from the locals when he said he's committed to Loyola? How much "you could do better than Loyola" and "you don't want to play in the same conference as WSU" do you think he heard from other SCA playe and other college coaches? WSU is 2 over the limit, has that ever stopped them from recruiting? What coach do you really think had more contact with Roosevelt Smart in the past 3 months: Porter Moser, who lives in the north suburbs of Chicago, or Gregg Marshall, who lives in the same zip code as the prep school Smart goes to?

So swella, you're saying I'm a divorced man? I did, after all, back out of an LOI to come to LU...

I get what you're saying, but it's just not something I can get too bent out of shape about. Given this guys propensity to transfer high schools, I'm honestly not all that upset to end up missing. We've had such an issue with transfers the past few years that better off losing a recruit well before he enrolls. Who knows maybe he goes somewhere - Loyola included - and plays for 4 years, but I won't be surprised if he transfers during his career.

Ha ha, I forgot about that.

But you had a legitimate reason; Whitesell leaving Lewis for Loyola. I know there have actually been some proposals to change NCAA regulations to specifically allow a player to revoke his LOI unilaterally when there is a coaching change.

Remember I said his Instagram page still said Loyola commit? Well that's been changed. So I guess he's reopening his recruitment. I still want to hold out hope that he eventually comes to LU but it's time for Porter to camp outside of his room and hold a boom box playing Peter Gabriel over his head

The one good thing that might come out of Smart decommitting is that it puts us in the position again of being able to offer Harrison Niego and Matt Rafferty a package deal.

Niego and Rafferty were longtime AAU teammates for Lockdown, and appear to be close, as this recent Instagram post from Niego shows: http://instagram.com/p/vuOtBKS-UL/

We are the only school that I can find who has offered both of them. They are both smart kids with Ivy League interest. If they want to play together, attend a school with good academics, and don't mind staying close to home, Loyola would be a good choice for them.

On edit: I double checked, and found that Dartmouth has offered both of them as well.

No offense meant, but I think I'd rather have Roosevelt Smart than Niego and Rafferty.

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I'm going over to LT to watch my Lions play on Friday. I'll let everyone know how Harrison plays.