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 'Timing couldn't be worse' Recruiting at Minnesota will be hurt by investigation
Posted: Wednesday May 19, 1999 11:07 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The investigation into academic fraud allegations at the University of Minnesota has already hurt recruiting efforts, and could do more damage, according to state prep stars and a national recruiting expert. Coaches can begin evaluating firsthand the nation's top high school players on July 8. Most of the Gophers' focus will be on high school juniors. On Tuesday, university president Mark Yudof described coach Clem Haskins' status as "in a sort of limbo." That isn't the sort of thing that sells prospective recruits. The university launched an investigation into the men's basketball program March 19 after a former office manager in the academic counseling office said she wrote papers for current and former players. Jan Gangelhoff, of Danbury, Wis., said she did more than 400 pieces of course work for 20 players from 1993 to 1998. The investigation is supposed to finish in the fall, and the NCAA might not rule until next spring, university officials said. The Gophers will have six juniors on scholarship next season, meaning the program will need to recruit six members of this year's high school junior class as incoming college freshmen for the 2001-2002 season. National recruiting expert Bob Gibbons of Lenoir, N.C., said waiting almost a year for the investigation to reach the NCAA's infractions committee -- as university officials now predict -- could have long-lasting ramifications. "The timing couldn't be worse," Gibbons said. "It's going to affect an entire year's recruiting, which you can ill afford this day and age. That certainly damages your future." Minneapolis Henry junior Johnnie Gilbert, a 6-9, 230-pound center, is considered one of the nation's top recruits. Gilbert said Tuesday that Minnesota was his top choice before the allegations of academic fraud broke. Now, he says Minnesota is just one of the schools he is considering. The state's most high-profile rising junior is Duluth East's 6-10 center Rick Rickert, who has already heard from dozens of major colleges. "It's kind of put a damper over it," Rickert said Tuesday of his interest in attending the university. "But I haven't totally closed them out. It's still an option, but there's just a lot of other options out there." "It's not a good situation," said Duluth East coach Bob Kunze. "It's not doomsday, because we don't know the end result. But certainly what it's done is make him look more seriously at some other schools. You have to cover your bases." The Gophers' recruiting might already have suffered a blow. Haskins last month hoped to fill the team's most glaring weakness by offering his only remaining scholarship to point guard DeMarcus Minor of Barton County Community College in Kansas. But Minor chose Baylor and told Gophers coaches one factor was the uncertainty over what would happen to Minnesota's program if the allegations are proven true. Top recruits such as Gilbert and Rickert look at several basketball-related factors in making their decisions, such as the head coach and his style of play, the prospect of competing for a national title and national television exposure. Each of those factors could be affected by the outcome of the investigation and possible NCAA sanctions. The early signing period for players who will be seniors next year is Nov. 11-18, and many top recruits sign during that time. The problem for the Gophers is that by November, it's unlikely anyone will know what penalties, if any, the NCAA infractions committee will hand out. And it's not certain whether anyone will know in November whether Haskins will be around to start the 2000-01 season. Gibbons said that for the sake of recruiting, university officials must make a decision on Haskins' future soon. "One way or the other," Gibbons said. "They're going to have to give him a vote of confidence, or the alternative."
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