Two storied colleges, both with shades of red in their school colors, amassed a great deal of talent from the Class of 2008. Indiana and Harvard both had well-respected coaches at the helm and the support of school officials and both programs had the makings to develop into recruiting juggernauts in the very near future. However, both now find themselves in the red, with both programs facing allegations of recruiting violations, which has almost immediately had a negative impact on recruiting for each program.
Earlier this season, through victories on the hardwood and success on the recruiting trail, former Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson had accomplished his mission of returning the proud Indiana program back to national prominence. His team had a top-ten ranking, and he had a one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Sampson signed four players, headlined by ESPN 150 6-8 PF Tom Pritchard (Lakewood, Ohio) and 6-8 SF Devin Ebanks (Oakdale, Conn.), one of the best postgraduate players in the country.
The troubles Sampson endured at Oklahoma due to NCAA-mandated restrictions placed on phone calls to recruits seemed light years away. However, amid allegations Sampson violated these restrictions that followed him from his days at Oklahoma, Indiana's 2008 recruiting class started to experience the effects of the mounting pressures against him. Ultimately, he resigned and two of Indiana's top recruits, Ebanks and 6-1 PG Terrell Holloway (Cincinnati), requested releases from their letters of intent with plans to re-open their recruitment. Before these latest allegations surfaced, the Hoosiers probably had the inside track on 6-8 PF Kevin Jones (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), another ESPN 150 prospect, before he decided on West Virginia.
Undoubtedly, the next coach at Indiana will have to endure the effects of sanctions the NCAA will almost certainly levy upon the Hoosiers. These coming sanctions will have a major impact on recruiting in Bloomington, which will require the passionate Hoosier fan-base to exercise a degree of patience in the coming years.
At his introductory press conference, Amaker informed the Harvard faithful he intended to win, and he appeared well on his way to backing up his word. Though not having a great year on the court, Amaker through recruiting seemed destined to deliver Harvard to future Ivy League titles and an NCAA tournament appearance, where it has not gone since 1946. He managed to gather a 2008 recruiting haul that would have garnered praise for any school, but especially for an Ivy League school.
According to Bob Gibbons' ESPN.com rankings, Amaker collected a top-25 caliber recruiting class, featuring ESPN 150 6-5 SG Max Kenyi (Washington, D.C.) and highly-regarded 6-10 C Frank Ben-Eze (Arlington, Va.). However, amid allegations that a Harvard assistant visited recruits during NCAA-specified non-contact periods, the Crimson now has seen their recruiting class dwindle.
Ben-Eze, arguably their most important recruit, has decided to pursue other options and will not attend Harvard, while the recruitment of Kenyi and other talented Harvard commits will now come under increased scrutiny, which could lead the remaining recruits elsewhere for college.
Antonio Williams is a recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc. He previously worked as an NBA scout for Marty Blake Associates.