SoCalHoops Recruiting News

ESPNet Recruiting: Who Writes
This Stuff, Anyway?--(Nov. 6, 1998)

We happened to be surfing around tonight over at ESPN's website, SportsZone, and couldn't resist looking at the "Recruiting" articles  in their College Basketball section.  No longer is Clarke Francis of HoopScoop contributing or editing the recruiting section; instead they've enlisted the support of Sports America, producers of FastBreak Magazine, which describes itself as "the nation's premier
recruiting publication."  Well, after reading what they've got in their "Western Report" articles for November 4, we're not so sure.

Again, these were written and posted up to the ESPN site on November 4, 1998

Here's the first item:

"It was a busy week in the West, headlined by the second "Gold Rush" at UCLA. Kansas City wing guard Karem Rush (6-6, 190) committed to the Bruins, joining brother JaRon in Westwood. Kareem Rush is FastBreak's No. 20 overall prospect. The Bruins hope Alaska power forward Carlos Boozer is next when he makes his way to campus Dec. 11 for his official visit."

Er, um, ok. Well, we guess that the FastBreak guys didn't hear about the comments of Kareem's mother, who has insisted that Kareem has not verballed to UCLA.  At the very least, whether he has or not is anything but certain, and this was made clear as early as last Friday, October 30.

Here's the next item:

"Also out West, Los Angeles wing guard Bernard King (6-5, 190), an AAU All-American this summer, chose Texas A&M, the first school to get involved with him, after attracting interest from schools such as Marquette and Tulane."

Huh? "Los Angeles wing guard?"    The only Bernard King who might have verballed is the Bernard King from Gibsland-Coleman High School, in Gibsland, Louisiana.  Ok,  the abbreviation for Louisiana ("LA") might be confused with the City of Los Angeles (L.A.), to the innocent observer, but hey, these guys obviously aren't checking with the players they're reporting on.

Hey, we don't mean to be picky or anything, but these guys are supposed to be experts, aren't they?

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