How long will Zeke last at FIU?

Last week, we wrote about how Isiah Thomas got off on the wrong foot when dealing with high school coaches in Florida. Long story short, Chris Rozier, a kid who committed to FIU under their previous coach, was essentially dropped by Zeke without so much as a phone call.

This isn't that big of a deal, right? It is just one pissed off coach/player from the other end of the state. I mean, players go back on their commitments and LOI's all the time when a coaching change is made. As long as Thomas makes it known that he made a mistake in the way he handled the situation and keeps this incident from becoming a Florida HS coaches vs. Isiah Thomas battle royale, he has no problems, right?

Well, it appears as if Rozier wasn't the only recruit that was toyed around with by Thomas. From the NY Post:

in Orlando, Olympic High coach Mark Griseck was upset at how his player was treated by Thomas. Jamel Marshall signed a letter of intent to FIU in November. Marshall received a call from the FIU assistant, telling him Thomas wants him to sign a "release" form.

Two days later, Thomas finally called Griseck, who told him he should call Marshall directly. Thomas, finding out he was able to contact high schoolers that week, made the call then.

"My biggest complaint was not that he didn't want him, but he didn't call him," Griseck said.

Things turned out alright for Rozier (who signed with Jacksonville), but as of April 20th, Marshall was still trying to find a place to play. From the Orlando Sentinel:

Marshall is now considering Colgate, Eastern Kentucky, William & Mary and Northeastern, according to Mark Griseck, Olympia's coach.

And if that isn't enough, read the comments from our post last week. Terrance Beasley, a 6'5" wing from Pensacola high who had also committed to FIU, was turned away by Thomas.

So if you are keeping track, that is three players from three high schools in three completely different areas of the state (Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Orlando) that Thomas has tossed aside (apparently, Olympia High in Orlando, where Marshall played, is a powerhouse. They were the Florida's 6A runner-up and have five guys going D1 this year. That is exactly the kind of high school program you want to alienate).

Like I said last week, all Thomas needed to do was shake hands, smile, and politic his way through the high school coaches in the area, and there should have been no problem with him scooping up Florida HS ballers that had no business playing in the Sun Belt; the second tier of recruits, that otherwise would be headed to SEC and ACC schools to sit the bench for year or two before becoming productive role players.

Kids of that caliber could go to an FIU, play under Thomas, (hopefully) star there, and then utilize and network through Zeke's limitless NBA contacts. Using that exact line, how hard would it be to recruit?

I just hope that Marshall and Beasley land on their feet with a scholarship somewhere else. I'd hate to find out that they lost out on an opportunity to play D1 hoops because Isiah Thomas reneged on his predecessor's commitments.