I have an issue blaming a 22 year old more for the situation than a 50+ year old multi millionaire coach ($4 million/yr) who overlooked the 22 year old for well over a month until the portal was closed to pursue him. Lampkin obviously wasn’t his preference until after the portal closed, thus having lost his preferred options, is now engaging in a bidding war to lure him from his commitment (regardless if it’s considered verbal). It may be legal now, in fact what isn’t -but ethical - hardly. If I was in the coaching profession, I wouldn’t forget the coaches who engaged in these tactics. I agree that it would be great if Lampkin shut it down but when you have coaches engaging in these tactics, setting the example, I guess it’s too much to think a 20 something player would refuse to play their game that he could benefit and make more $ from. Just sad and how screwed up college athletics has become. Just my opinion.
There is so much to digest in this post.
you have an issue blaming a 22 year old? At that age, he can serve his country, live on his own, buy alcohol, make hundreds of thousands of dollars in college basketball with Nil, and sign a multi million dollar contract in a professional sport if he is good enough. At what point do we start placing blame on a person?
The coach is trying to put together the best roster he can. Maybe redirect the blame at the NCAA that they don't allow contracts to be signed or some type of Letter of intent. No player is off limits until they enroll at a college when they transfer. Its the rules you should be mad at, not a coach trying to get a player that is not off limits.
The portal only closes to enter. The portal never closes for acquiring players. Players only come out of the portal once they are enrolled in classes. Otherwise, every player continues to be available to sign until that point.
How is this ethically different than a player giving us a verbal commit, to then decomit and sign with another program? Is that also unethical? That happens thousands of times a year in college recruiting. How is that any different than this situation? Is that ethically wrong to flip a recruit that has verbally committed to another program? Because if that is unethical, then Syracuse is unethical because we have flipped many players in both sports. We don't stop recruiting players just because they verbally commit somewhere.
As another poster posted above, Fran Brown is literally doing the same exact thing. So what are your thoughts on Fran Brown? In addition, it was reported earlier this winter that Fran actively tampered with a Pitt player to get him into the Portal. That is an actual violation, albeit one that is not policed by the NCAA. But a much worse practice then the one you are mad at Buzz Wiliams for.
So again, it's not unethical or against any rules. But, if you still see it as unethical after everything I pointed out, Im not sure how you can get mad when we do the same exact thing?
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