I was in Chicago last March and got to witness two of the University of Illinois' top basketball recruits battle for a trip to go downstate. Illini head coach Bruce Weber was in attendance as Brian Carlwell went up against Derrick Rose. Carlwell had already signed with Illinois, but Rose was the bigger recruit. Rose, a year younger than Carlwell, was waiting on whether or not Eric Gordon, a prized recruit from Indiana, would commit to Illinois before he did. Together, the two would make up possibly the best guard tandem U of I had ever seen.
Now those dreams are over.
In a matter of two weeks, Weber lost both the No. 2 and No. 3 recruits in the nation in Gordon and Rose, respectively. Technically, Rose had never given Weber a verbal commitment, but Gordon went back on his word and left the orange and blue in the dust.
So when does recruiting stop?
""Just ask anybody that's ever been around me,"" UW head coach Bo Ryan said at media day last week. ""If somebody says they're going somewhere, they're off the list.""
Unfortunately for Weber, Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson and Memphis head coach John Calipari didn't stop. Gordon continued to be recruited even after verbally committing to Illinois.
If you're Sampson, it's probably not the best way to walk into the Big Ten. Weber certainly wasn't happy, and Ryan made it clear that he does not recruit players who make a verbal commitment.
""I haven't done it,"" Ryan said.
The bottom line is that they should not do it. In the coaching profession, recruiting is where competition between coaches is bigger than it is on the court.
Players can't backstab players, so why can coaches backstab coaches?
There are many reasons why it shouldn't happen, so let's start with a reason that is beyond the individual athlete but probably affects them the most.
Eric Gordon is receiving death threats.
Now, Illini fans who are sending death threats to the Gordon family are idiots. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones who would react like this.
Gordon is probably headed to Indiana or Memphis, and personally, I think he will be a Hoosier. So, obviously Illini fans have a right to be upset. Not only is he ditching out on Weber, but he is crossing the dangerous college basketball border between Champaign, Ill. and Bloomington, Ind.
If we are talking about brilliant coaching moves to break up a potential dynasty, then Sampson is a genius in recruiting Gordon after the verbal commitment. Rose and Gordon have been texting each other and planning on committing together for a while. That is part of the reason the Illini nation has been getting so excited. The second coming of Dee Brown and Deron Williams was on its way. Now it's not.
But Sampson should know better. Unfortunately he has continuously shown that when it comes to recruiting, he's ignorant. He left Oklahoma behind with numerous recruiting violations, and now he enters the Big Ten and wastes no time causing a stir.
Weber has a right to be upset. He lost his top recruit and a possible four year reign on top of the Big Ten. Beyond that, however, is the reality that the players are now stuck with controversy.
Rose is somewhat off the hook because his commitment was based more on the fact Gordon was set to be wearing orange and blue. But Gordon's basketball career and life is going to be tampered with now.
We can't forget that both of these kids still have to finish their first year of high school. Now Gordon has to deal with harassment all season. Not to mention he has a showdown scheduled against Michael Jordan's son Jeffrey when his team takes on Wilmette, Ill.'s Loyola Academy Feb. 1. Luckily for Gordon, the game will be played at Indianapolis North Central instead of in Illinois. It will be aired on ESPN, however, and the network is surely already drooling over the storyline.
Gordon's decision was his alone, but we're not stupid. Basketball coaches are known for their mentoring skills and convincing speeches. I don't want to call it brainwashing, but when you visit Indiana and see thousands of fans screaming at you to change your mind you might do it too. Gordon should never have been in that situation in the first place, and Sampson was behind it.
On the bright side, however, the Badgers will now have a better chance of dominating Illinois the next few years.
—Hoge is a junior majoring in journalism. E-mail him at hoge@dailycardinal.com
