tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7340889888833193780.post-68087034820168854632008-03-05T17:55:00.001-05:002008-03-05T18:05:39.186-05:002008-03-05T18:05:39.186-05:00Amaker trouble?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.thecrimson.com/3-4-2008/pic-500-1207470.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://media.thecrimson.com/3-4-2008/pic-500-1207470.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I of course don't know him personally, but I've always liked Tommy Amaker, and hated seeing him have trouble turning the corner at Michigan. I hoped and still do hope he'll find success at a lower profile place like Harvard. Now this. Links to the stories are below, but the basics are:<br /><ul><li>Amaker supposedly has a top25 recruiting class coming in next year, which is a miracle at a school that doesn't offer scholarships</li><li>They have supposedly lowered academic standards to get some of these kids in, which happens at most schools, but not usually in the Ivy League</li><li>Their current number 1 assistant, BEFORE he signed on to be an assistant at Harvard, visited and played pickup ball with one or more of the recruits during a time when recruiting contact wasn't allowed. This may be a gray area, but IF he was recruiting on behalf of Harvard at the time, regardless of his employment status, it is a violation.</li></ul>I hope there isn't a violation there, but if there is, this would be the 2nd former Coach K assistant to run into trouble with the NCAA. You possibly draw one of the following conclusions from that<br /><ul><li>They learned from the best, just aren't as good at hiding it.</li><li>They learned at a squeeky clean program, but the pressure put on them by others and their own desires to get to that high level drives them to play on the edge of the rules</li><li>These 2 instances are not a reflection on Duke and coach K at all.</li></ul>I'll leave that up to you.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/1i-0&fp=47cfe94f0b0d425e&ei=eSTPR5L7OoquygTR4LX0CA&url=http%3A//www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx%3Fref%3D522285&cid=1139547658&sig2=jPzeTarPpkwr-_s1MJSYSQ" id="s-jPzeTarPpkwr-_s1MJSYSQ:r-1i_1139547658"><br /><span style="">Harvard Crimson</span></a><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3278340" id="s-3XcKBnnD1jV6ujVc_KJ4Sg:r-1_1139547658">Ivy, <b>Harvard</b> to look into possible NCAA recruiting violations</a><br /><span style=""><span style="color: rgb(111, 111, 111);">ESPN -</span> <nobr>1 hour ago</nobr></span><br /><span style="">The Ivy League and <b>Harvard</b> Crimson will review whether recruiting violations were made by the Crimson men's basketball program. A story in Sunday's The New <b>...</b></span><br /><span style=""><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/sports/ncaabasketball/05harvard.html?em&ex=1204866000&en=dffbf982de4ef57e&ei=5087%0A" id="s-vzCB0s3LH5_AKSNdwMJtiA"><b>Harvard</b> and Ivy League Will Review Recruiting</a> <span style="color: rgb(111, 111, 111);"><nobr>New York Times</nobr></span></span><br /><span style=""><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a_bLKsIIgVaI&refer=us" id="s-28EdO6pkdwB2pRF9G_4Ojg"><b>Harvard</b> to Review Possible Basketball Violations, NYT Reports</a> <span style="color: rgb(111, 111, 111);"><nobr>Bloomberg</nobr></span></span><br /><span style=""><a href="http://origin.mercurynews.com/morningbuzz/ci_8446548" id="s-ov95POeI5hof-DeyvaxtAA">Morning Buzz: Stripping away facade of <b>Harvard</b> basketball</a><span style="color: rgb(111, 111, 111);"><nobr>San Jose Mercury News<br /><br /></nobr></span></span>Ken Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196005991325229413noreply@blogger.com