Bill Self Recruiting Secrets
I must state that as an Illini fan, who was spurned when Bill Self left for Kansas, I’m not the biggest fan of the guy. I believe him to be an average coach but an excellent recruiter and the other day we learned one of his secrets for recruiting. Please read this as not being completely serious at all but there is a little something there.
In case you didn’t hear, Self was watching John Wall play the other night. When the game ended, Self approached the coaches to wish them well. That is well played by Self and well within the rules of recruiting. While the mix was going on a hand was extended and words were exchanged that went like this “i can’t talk to you but you played really well’. I admit this is something that the NCAA shouldn’t really worry about and the spirit of the law wasn’t violated here, but the letter was. Coaches can’t talk to prospective players during certain portions of the year and this was one of them.
What i like is this line “i can’t talk to you but…”. That is the best recruiting line ever and I use it on people all the time. How often do we say that line to someone when trying to compliment them or tell them something that we don’t want accountability for. I do it all the time. “I shouldn’t say this but you look really good in that outfit” or “I’m not telling you that my computer password is 88888.” The list goes on and on. The line “I can’t talk to you but…” clearly signifies the desire to shake off accountability for what was about to take place. The best part is that it really shouldn’t matter. We know that shoe companies can funnel money to these kids and have been for a while. We know that the AAU circuit gets these kids cash if they are good enough and willing to take it. I just have a hard time believing that OJ Mayo didn’t take a pay cut going to the NBA. I don’t have proof though.
Bill Self is not a rule breaker and his intention wasn’t to break the rules. In reality it may end up costing him John Wall as a recruit. Can Wall sign with Kansas now that many programs would love to see Kansas lose out on some kids? If he does sign with Kansas it may open up more doors and windows into the program and you never know what you’ll find. That’s why i’m most interested…I want to see how Bill Self plays this one the rest of the way because he is a good recruiter.
