Basketball signing (being cynical, OK?)

UTEP has signed a good basketball player, 6-foot-6, 225 pound forward Michael Haynes from Heat Academy in Martinsville, Va. He'd also spent two years at Washington High in Chicago.

Nowadays these academies are coming right out and saying what they really are — basketball factories. Here's a mission statement from Heat (via Google):

"The purpose of HEAT Academy is to train high school and graduate players. The Academy will offer very intense and comprehensive training. Heat Academy places emphasis on the player becoming a more skilled basketball player. This will increase options for college scholarship offers."

It used to be these academies tried to pass themselves off as academic institutions that just so happened to field a basketball team. An example is the infamous Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia, as exposed by the Washington Post. In reality these places have been more for laundering a player's poor high-school grades. (I'm not saying this is the case with this recruit, but it's been obvious in past years).

The Heat site on the Internet had this, too:

"Personalized academic programs, SAT/ACT prepatory classes, accredited college prep programs, small classes and courses eligible for college credit."

And with all that, Heat Academy also helped Haynes average 19 points and eight rebounds last season. The academy had a 36-4 record and was ranked fourth in the country by USPrepBasketball.com.

 

 

, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward from Heat Academy in Martinsville, Va., has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at UTEP in the 2010-11 season, UTEP athletics officials said Tuesday.

He also played for two years at Washington High School in Chicago, leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the city championship game. He averaged 12 points and 17 rebounds in his first season and 17 points and 22 rebounds in his second, according to UTEP athletics officials.

Comments

[John C]

Michael Haynes probably went there to help his SAT scores along with increasing his talent level.

In the big town it is not uncommon for an athlete to move around and play for more than one school to get the best situation. He moved from one high school to another while living in the windy City. Tim Floyd after all was the head coach for the Bulls for four years and probably has a vast network of connections there.

The issue is that this Academy is an AAU regulated facility and universities accept all credit hours earned if the student is post high school graduate.

His family has the money to send him there, it is not a free ride.

Tim Floyd knows the AAU route for obtaining players. Who cares where he comes from as long as he makes his grades and keeps eligible. Tim Floyd knows talent when he sees it!!

My question is whether he used one year of Collegiate eligibility at this academy? How many more years of eligibility left?

[John Franco]

I'm back! Good signing for Floyd, since Barbee obviously signed some kids that think they are good because they were successful in C USA. (Caracter wouldn't be a star even if he got drafted by the Clippers, Moultrie can't even rebound in C-USA). It will be good to have some players that have a good head on their shoulders and I guarantee we will see a resemblance of an offense this year. Good luck, Tim, sometimes the good guys do finish on top.

[Joe John Sr]

What JOE on UTEPIA are you not being cynical brother, let is not forget how the big colleges for years have broken all the rules on colleges being fair in the world of sports?< How Boise State beat Oklahoma and never were given a share of the College tilte, before you put your comments make sure you attack everyone, Like The Legend Don Haskins said it betterhe wishes congress would investigate the NCAA as a whole,would they even do it,not! Joe enjoy our run at tghe National title next year...Your funny and bring up great points,I like how you make people think and stir contreversy,great job Joe, Go Miners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John C]

A Billy Gillispie update:

The Des Moines Register reports that Billy is interested in the Iowa State open position. He is rumored for other schools but this is the first time that he has indicated an interest publically.

Iowa State is also in the Big 12 along with his former vacated school Texas A&M.

The Des Moines Register has indicated that Iowa State is still smarting from Larry Eustachy's post-game parties and the possibility of hiring a coach that has a known drinking problem might be too much for the school.

[Aristotle]

Joe, please just let us know when you're not cynical. You don't even know what the word means anymore.

[John Franco]

I hear they have good moonshine in Iowa, Gillespie will be right at home!

[John C]

I went to Heat website and two coaches from this years final four (Duke and W Virginia) have recruited players from this prep school. Tim Foyd knows what he is doing!!

The fact that Michael Haynes took this step to enhance his collegiate future speaks volumes about his desire. It appears that he will have four years eligibility as Rivals. com indicates that he is a three star recruit from the 2010 prep recruiting class.

Heat Basketball Academy plays an AAU schedule wiht other prep schools and community colleges. This means that Haynes was playing against players older than him. He appears ready to enter a four year college and make his grades.

[madman gunner]

Joe, notice you totally ignored the arrest and suspension of a couple of NMSU players? You tried so hard during the season to create some controversy on Caracter, but of course failed because their was none. Here you had a story right at your doorstep, and ignored it. Of course, we all know why.

[John C]

An update about Iowa State basketball coaching position.

It appears that Iowa State has hired Fred Hoiberg as head basketball coach. Fred Hoiberg has no formal coaching experience other than being a 37 year old former basketball star at at Iowa State.

Passing up on the likes of Billy Gillespie and other known candidates with considerable coaching experience.

I am sure Tim Floyd knows of him.

Why did they turn to him??

It has been published that since the last Iowa State coach went back to Creighton where he came from because of Oregon taking out current Creighton coach; alot of the Iowa State players and recruits have departed and asked for a release and transfers. Strange for a respected but fallen on hard times Big 12 school.

[John C]

It appears that Hoiberg played for Tim Floyd back in the 90's and spent 10 years in the NBA and recently was director of basketball operations with Minn Timberwolfs.

However no head coaching experience!!

[Pugapalooza]

Hoiberg may not have much experience, but it is a safe feel good hire. The "Mayor" is still the man in Ames and hopefully they are banking on the fact that he can keep the Iowa kids from leaving the state or heading to Iowa City. Not to mention as an earlier poster said that the Eustachy factor might have come into play with Gillespie's past issues with alcohol.

[John C]

I believe that Tim Floyd made a good point today in his announcement of Haynes that when he has to enter the recuriting game late in the signing season, the only ones remaining are the players that other schools do not want or have problems with grades. All of the others have signed in November.

It seems that Haynes and soon to be announced Rashanti Harris have academic problems. Hopefully they get serious about academics or they will find themselves playing basketall in the armed forces in Iraq or Afghanistan!!

Even Polee Jr from LA has not signed yet with any school.

There seems to be a common denominator with these recruits. I hope they have good tutors and take basketweaving 101, 102, etc..

[John C]

It was interesting when visiting Des Moines Register about the recent hire of Fred Hoiberg. Most of the bloggers state that Hoiberg was a save and sober hire.

Larry Eustachy's after game trysts with weomen half his age while his family and other coaches were at home left some hard feelings about coaches character.

Evidently Billy Gillespie was turned down here at UTEP, HOuston, Oregon, and now at Iowa State due to all of the baggage he carries.

It was also interesting to read some of the blogs about Tim Floyd having turned down the Iowa STate job back in the 90s and later taking it and the Hawkeyees to several NCAA appearacnes and top 10 rankings before leaving to the Bulls.

It appears that Iowa State has a reputation of being a stepping stone for upwardly mobile coaches as has UTEP been.

We now have Tim Floyd and UTEP will have to be reckoned with at the national level and in the NCAA tournament.

[John Franco]

Was talking to someone last night who thinks Caracter will be a force in NBA because of his size, I doubt it. He'll get league minimum at best for salary and if he gets injured, he'll regret making such an immature choice.

[John C]

An interesting development:

Today and recently Tim Floyd has been escorting Gregg Foster around the "Don" and the Foster-Durham Center pretty freely as if they have struck up a working relationship.

Tim Floyd originally recruited Gregg Foster to UTEP back in the 80s and after Foster's NBA career has made El Paso home (married a local girl). Foster made it perfectly clear that he would be very interested in becoming associated withe UTEP baskeball program in a coaching capacity.

Stay tuned as I suspect that Tim Floyd will have Foster involved in some capacity to help entice aspiring recruits and current players make ready for an NBA career after collegiate eligibiity.

Foste could be a real recruiter!!

[Axe Man]

Joe~

This recruit news is last week's news. If you would have given credit to the actual news outlet that broke the story, we could have been talking about it last week. My journalism experience tells me if you can not get confirmation from your usual source (UTEP Athletic Dept), go a different route. I am not calling you out but do wish we get fresh breaking Miner news here...

[Canaima]

Joe - you should just retire now. If you won't leave to blog for NMSU then just retire.

So why attack the kid's high school? If the kid has the SAT score and grades to get into UTEP and he can play basketball then why the hell do you care about his high school? I know in Europe it is common that they have "sports academies" where you go to a school to focus on a particular sport (and academics). I don't see a problem with that conceptually. And as far as this kid is concerned, the SAT is supposed to be the equalizer right? I mean that if the two schools are different and you really can't compare them then isn't the SAT supposed to provide the common measurement? Did you expect that he should be coming ready for medical school or what? I mean, what really is your point? You are already attacking the kid before he even hits campus?

I think someone needs to start looking into your journalism credentials. Maybe we'll finally see the facts that prove that you probably couldn't even qualify to write for this kids high school newspaper.

[John C]

Not to sound repetitve but:

Tim Floyd announced his director and assistant director of basketball operations yesterday as Ken Deweese Jr and Keith Wilkinson respectively.

I think it is significant that LA Times and ESPN as early as April 7 has reported that Keith Wilkinson who was a player for Tim Floyd at USC and graduated in 2009 (went on to play professionally in the UKrain this past season) is the player who disclosed that fact that back in the 2007 Elite 8 final when USC met Memphis another point gurard for USC missed two free throws with 15 sec left in game. These free throws would have been a game changer for USC and they lost by 2 to Memphis. Memphis went on to final four that year.

Wilkinson stated that USC AD Mike Garrett (when Tim Floyd was out of the post game locker room) barged in and berated this player for missing the free throws. As per Wilkinson USC AD Mike Garrett (Heisman TRophy Winner in 1965 at USC) was notorious for this type of behavior and led to Tim Floyd barring AD Garrett from future post game locker room appearances and leading to the strained relationship between Floyd and AD Garrett.

I think it is significant that Wilkinson stuck up for Tim Floyd in his disputes with USC AD Mike Garrett with his highly publicized comment about the above incident. See ESPN April 2 Video titled "Outside the Lines" for the whole story.

The NCAA report on USC recruiting violations surrounding Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo is eminent ands when released will create a great deal of discussion.

This topic will be like bad food it will come up again and we all support Tim Floyd for his position regarding the USC NCAA probe.

[Joe]

Joe its a business big,business in fact NCAA just got $1 billion for rights to the tournament. I don't care if someone else takes tests for these kids. The schools fill their pockets with tons of money, while pretending that kids are getting educated. While I know some kids( probably most) value the education they recieve. The big stars(mostly) use the NCAA as a way station to the NBA. I wish everyone would stop kidding themselves about student athletes(football&basketball $$$sports) it's big business. I don't blame coaches for getting the best players they can get, instead of the best student athlete.

[Joe]

Excuse me $ 11 billion .