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Duke fans are pissed....
Tom Lemming Can Jump Off A Cliff 12/06/2004
We write this in advance of Greg Paulus' press conference, with the full expectation that he has used it to announce his commitment to Duke. We're thrilled that this is over, but we'd like to take a minute to discuss an unsavory aspect of the recruitment of Paulus.
We're not referring to anything Greg or his family or Duke did, but rather to the various comments of ESPN recruiting writer Tom Lemming.
Lemming has consistently pushed for Paulus to play football rather than (or at least in addition to) basketball, which is one thing, but as far as we have seen, he has really only pushed for him to play football at one school: Notre Dame. In fact, we can't remember him ever even mentioning another school where Paulus might play football.
The Chronicle, in an article which should have been read more widely, quoted Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker, who said Lemming had dumped on the Seminoles and urged him to attend Notre Dame.
“He was constantly saying negative things about Florida State, Washington and USC, saying, ‘They lied to their players, that Notre Dame can offer you so much more. "We knew about the academic side of it, and we knew Coach [Tyrone] Willingham was a standup guy, but he just said that, ‘All the other coaches, especially Florida State coaches, lie to the players all the time, they are never truthful and they are going to move Lorenzo to wide receiver.’”
Is this part of a pattern? It appears it may be. Let's look at the articles in which Lemming discusses Greg Paulus the football player:
Chicago Sun-Times: "'[Notre Dame doesn't] have any difference-makers. They lack speed and skilled players. They don't intimidate opponents as they once did. They aren't feared anymore.'
"Lemming predicts Notre Dame can return to glory if:
"Quarterback Greg Paulus of Syracuse, N.Y., the nation's No. 2 prospect, plays Notre Dame football rather than Duke basketball....Paulus will conduct a news conference next week in which he will reveal he still is leaning to Duke but is very intrigued by the turn of events at Notre Dame.
Sun-Times:"There are indications that this [coaching change after Tyrone Willingham was fired] will give Notre Dame a shot at one of the nation's best quarterbacks, the kind of player they desperately need,'' ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "Depending on who they bring in, Notre Dame's recruiting won't skip a beat. In fact, it probably will pick up...'It is all about perception. Notre Dame will be on the way back and attract more good prospects.''
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: "He'd probably have a tough time making an NBA roster, but he has the potential to become an outstanding quarterback in the NFL. I think it would be wise for him and his family to re-examine a decision as important as this one."
ESPN: "'Tis the season for recruiting rumors to really start flying. Couple that with the recent firing of so many college coaches and the number of rumors only muliplies. Here's the latest information on eight top prospects:
"Look for QB Greg Paulus, the nation's No. 2-ranked prospect, to hold a press conference next week to announce that he is still strongly leaning towards signing a basketball scholarship with Duke. However, the coaching change at Notre Dame has impacted the decision making process of the Syracuse (Christian Brothers), N.Y., standout. Paulus will take a wait-and-see attitude before dropping football completely.
"A recent conversation I had with Paulus' father, Dave, gave me the impression that the signal caller would like to talk to the new Notre Dame coach about playing both football and basketball in South Bend. The Paulus' are Notre Dame fans and were initially interested in the Irish. But when the father and son visited with coach Willingham and his staff over a year ago, they did not get the impression the Irish were too enthralled with his ability and would not commit to giving Greg a fair shot at the starting quarterback position.
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: "Teenagers have been known to change their minds and, for his sake, I hope he does because he is a rare football talent...The sky's the limit for this kid as far as football is concerned...It would be a terrible waste of talent if he didn't at least give it a shot at the next level. It would be a sin."
We've also linked to various other stories where Lemming makes his pitch for Paulus to play for Notre Dame.
One has to wonder what ESPN thinks about this: is their primary football recruiting analyst in fact attempting to steer players to a particular school?
Pretty clearly, Paulus has a gift for both games, and it involves the same basic things: leadership and an understanding of how events will unfold a step or two ahead of everyone else. Having it in both sports is remarkable.
The appearance is that Lemming has openly advocated for a particular sport - and far worse, argued for a particular school - is something which should give ESPN serious cause for concern. With an anti-trust investigation going on, and an appearance that an ESPN employee is manipulating recruiting - that can't possibly be a good thing.
We hope the network will take a good, careful look at what Lemming has done in the recruitment of Paulus and decide if his efforts reflect well on his employers. One would expect that their clients, i.e., NCAA schools, will not be pleased to find an ESPN representative appearing to manipulate recruiting to a particular school's advantage
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/ourcall/415.html
Tom Lemming Can Jump Off A Cliff 12/06/2004
We write this in advance of Greg Paulus' press conference, with the full expectation that he has used it to announce his commitment to Duke. We're thrilled that this is over, but we'd like to take a minute to discuss an unsavory aspect of the recruitment of Paulus.
We're not referring to anything Greg or his family or Duke did, but rather to the various comments of ESPN recruiting writer Tom Lemming.
Lemming has consistently pushed for Paulus to play football rather than (or at least in addition to) basketball, which is one thing, but as far as we have seen, he has really only pushed for him to play football at one school: Notre Dame. In fact, we can't remember him ever even mentioning another school where Paulus might play football.
The Chronicle, in an article which should have been read more widely, quoted Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker, who said Lemming had dumped on the Seminoles and urged him to attend Notre Dame.
“He was constantly saying negative things about Florida State, Washington and USC, saying, ‘They lied to their players, that Notre Dame can offer you so much more. "We knew about the academic side of it, and we knew Coach [Tyrone] Willingham was a standup guy, but he just said that, ‘All the other coaches, especially Florida State coaches, lie to the players all the time, they are never truthful and they are going to move Lorenzo to wide receiver.’”
Is this part of a pattern? It appears it may be. Let's look at the articles in which Lemming discusses Greg Paulus the football player:
Chicago Sun-Times: "'[Notre Dame doesn't] have any difference-makers. They lack speed and skilled players. They don't intimidate opponents as they once did. They aren't feared anymore.'
"Lemming predicts Notre Dame can return to glory if:
"Quarterback Greg Paulus of Syracuse, N.Y., the nation's No. 2 prospect, plays Notre Dame football rather than Duke basketball....Paulus will conduct a news conference next week in which he will reveal he still is leaning to Duke but is very intrigued by the turn of events at Notre Dame.
Sun-Times:"There are indications that this [coaching change after Tyrone Willingham was fired] will give Notre Dame a shot at one of the nation's best quarterbacks, the kind of player they desperately need,'' ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "Depending on who they bring in, Notre Dame's recruiting won't skip a beat. In fact, it probably will pick up...'It is all about perception. Notre Dame will be on the way back and attract more good prospects.''
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: "He'd probably have a tough time making an NBA roster, but he has the potential to become an outstanding quarterback in the NFL. I think it would be wise for him and his family to re-examine a decision as important as this one."
ESPN: "'Tis the season for recruiting rumors to really start flying. Couple that with the recent firing of so many college coaches and the number of rumors only muliplies. Here's the latest information on eight top prospects:
"Look for QB Greg Paulus, the nation's No. 2-ranked prospect, to hold a press conference next week to announce that he is still strongly leaning towards signing a basketball scholarship with Duke. However, the coaching change at Notre Dame has impacted the decision making process of the Syracuse (Christian Brothers), N.Y., standout. Paulus will take a wait-and-see attitude before dropping football completely.
"A recent conversation I had with Paulus' father, Dave, gave me the impression that the signal caller would like to talk to the new Notre Dame coach about playing both football and basketball in South Bend. The Paulus' are Notre Dame fans and were initially interested in the Irish. But when the father and son visited with coach Willingham and his staff over a year ago, they did not get the impression the Irish were too enthralled with his ability and would not commit to giving Greg a fair shot at the starting quarterback position.
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: "Teenagers have been known to change their minds and, for his sake, I hope he does because he is a rare football talent...The sky's the limit for this kid as far as football is concerned...It would be a terrible waste of talent if he didn't at least give it a shot at the next level. It would be a sin."
We've also linked to various other stories where Lemming makes his pitch for Paulus to play for Notre Dame.
One has to wonder what ESPN thinks about this: is their primary football recruiting analyst in fact attempting to steer players to a particular school?
Pretty clearly, Paulus has a gift for both games, and it involves the same basic things: leadership and an understanding of how events will unfold a step or two ahead of everyone else. Having it in both sports is remarkable.
The appearance is that Lemming has openly advocated for a particular sport - and far worse, argued for a particular school - is something which should give ESPN serious cause for concern. With an anti-trust investigation going on, and an appearance that an ESPN employee is manipulating recruiting - that can't possibly be a good thing.
We hope the network will take a good, careful look at what Lemming has done in the recruitment of Paulus and decide if his efforts reflect well on his employers. One would expect that their clients, i.e., NCAA schools, will not be pleased to find an ESPN representative appearing to manipulate recruiting to a particular school's advantage
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/ourcall/415.html
