Coach Billy Gillispie said today that he’ll abide by a National Association of Basketball Coaches request that college basketball coaches not extend scholarship offers or accept verbal commitments from players in their high school sophomore years or younger.
“I fully support anything the coaches’ leadership and governing body thinks is best for college basketball and high-school age basketball players,” Gillispie said in a phone interview. “It’s not like you’re not going to go out and evaluate young players. They’ve just strongly encouraged us not to seek a commitment, offer a scholarship, those kids of things, which we definitely will adhere to.”
In a statement released today, the NABC Board of Directors announced that it “strongly opposes 10th grade students and younger from making commitments to collegiate institutions for the purpose of playing men’s basketball.”
Furthermore, the statement continued, “the Board asks men’s basketball coaches to refrain from offering or encouraging these young people to make such commitments.”
Gillispie said the NABC’s request won’t change the way his program goes about evaluating talent. He still intends to watch players and pinpoint recruiting targets at an early age.
“It’s just going to change the time frame as far as offering scholarships and accepting commitments,” Gillispie said.
This spring, Gillispie accepted verbal commitments from eighth-grader Michael Avery of Lake Sherwood, Calif., and freshman Vinny Zollo of Greenfield, Ohio.
But Gillispie said he “absolutely” didn’t feel singled out by the NABC’s statement, adding that NABC officials – including former UK coach Tubby Smith, the organization’s current president, and Jim Haney, its executive director – “have made sure that I didn’t feel that way.”
In its statement, the NABC Board of Directors asked that coaches not extend scholarship offers or accept commitments until June 15 following the conclusion of a prospect’s sophomore year.
That coincides with the first date that coaches are allowed to initiate contact with prospective student-athletes.
And if a high-profile young player makes contact with a coach asking to give a verbal commitment?
“You just say that the NABC leadership has asked that we don’t accept a commitment until a particular time and we don’t offer a scholarship until a particular time, and I fully support that,” Gillispie said.
The players that have commited to kentucky from 2010-2012 are at the top of the screen from top to bottom.
1.) Michael Avery (He is only a 8th Grader) Class 2012
2.) Vinny Zollo (Has a lot to work on after his recovery from an injury) Class 2011
3.) Dominique Ferguson (Best player in the Nation coming out of his class). Class 2010
4.) Dakotah Euton (Recruited also by Florida, Duke, and Xavier). Class 2010
5.) K.C. Ross-Miller (one of the best point guards coming out of his class) Class 2010
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