What scandal? It hasn't slowed recruiting for Louisville basketball

Courier Journal

The mistake is to look too far into the future, to think of a basketball star’s choice of college as a long-term commitment rather than a fleeting impulse.

The mistake is to believe an ongoing FBI investigation and the potential for NCAA penalties somewhere down the road has direct bearing on big-time recruiting right now.

Auburn, Louisville, Oklahoma State and Southern Cal all had staff members implicated in the great college basketball scandal of 2017, and yet all four of those schools rank among the top 10 in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings for the class of 2019.

Either someone missed a memo or the memo did not matter.

“It’s a little bit eyebrow-raising that these are programs that one year ago, almost to the day, were thought to be dead,” said Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans. “And now their future is very bright.”

Tracking:Big Board 4.0: Prospects rise on 2019 Louisville recruiting wish list

On the surface, it seems counterintuitive. When the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the arrest of 10 individuals associated with college basketball last September — four of them Division I assistant coaches — numerous verbal commitments were rapidly revoked.

Within 24 hours, U of L lost both of its 2018 commitments — Courtney Ramey and Anfernee Simons — and was eliminated from consideration by New Albany’s prolific Romeo Langford. With the firing of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, it appeared the program would have to be rebuilt from a foundation of rubble.

But despite the potential infractions entailed in Brian Bowen’s recruitment and a position made more perilous by U of L being on probation for previous sins, new Cardinals’ coach Chris Mack has been able to hit the ground sprinting.

Mack and his staff have made an impressive start, earning commitments from three Top 100 prospects: Josh Nickleberry, Samuell Williamson and Jaelyn Withers. That incomplete recruiting class was ranked No. 4 nationally by both Rivals and 247Sports as of Thursday.

Also:Louisville basketball lands commitment from forward Jaelyn Withers

Earlier:Scouting breakdown: Louisville basketball commitment Josh Nickelberry

Going miles:Louisville coach Chris Mack flies to Ireland to visit recruit's mom

Southern Cal, with two five-star and two four-star recruits, is ranked No. 1 following the firing of indicted assistant coach Tony Bland.

These rankings will fluctuate as more players make their commitments and as some committed players change their minds. Still, U of L fans who feared recruiting fallout from the FBI’s probe should already be greatly relieved.

If the worst is not yet over — if the Bowen case still leaves U of L at risk of severe sanctions — the danger seems more distant without new developments.

“Their recruiting never slowed down,” said Brian Snow, a recruiting analyst for Rivals. “The more trouble they got into under the previous regime, the better it got. ...

“A lot of the time, all publicity is good publicity. And the moment you have stability and no (new) sanctions, no one cares.”

This is where college basketball and college football differ. While football players cannot enter the NFL draft until after their junior year, college basketball players are eligible to turn pro after one season. Many of them do not expect to stick around long enough to be concerned about the consequences of NCAA investigations.

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“Twenty years ago – even five years ago – it was all about winning, winning, winning and the NCAA Tournament,” Evans said. “Now, all they’re worried about is one year on campus. It’s not that they don’t care what happens when they leave, but it’s not as important to them as it is to a three- or four-year prospect.”

Just as out-of-town athletes regard local rivalries with more detachment than do many fans, players approach college basketball with different priorities than the paying customers.

The mistake is to think players are as worried about their school’s ability to recruit as they are about some other recruit infringing on their playing time.

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tims.