Walter Pitchford gets his release

Twice in the last month we have discussed the plight of Walter Pitchford, Jr., a 6'10" senior that had signed with DePaul before Oliver Purnell became the head coach.

Well, Pitchford didn't want to play for Purnell and asked for a release from his LOI. He didn't get it. He appealed to the NCAA for a release, but they denied his request as well.

But over the weekend, Pitchford finally got the good news he was waiting for, as Purnell had made the decision to release Pitchford from his LOI. (For those scoring at home, Adam Zagoria had the scoop.) I'm not sure what finally persuaded Purnell and/or the DePaul athletics department to let Pitchford go, but based on a ESPN Chicago report just nine hours earlier, it seems as if Purnell still did not want to let Pitchford go:

"The bottom line of the difference here is Walter Pitchford signed with DePaul, and when I got to DePaul in conversations with he and his dad, he re-committed to DePaul. And then mysteriously, within a couple days of tremendous meetings on campus and within days of schools starting to call us about releases and so on and so forth, among a lot of other concerns that we had during that process, they wanted a release. We had some concerns about that. We simply want that process to play out, so we can have our concerns mediated."
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"We certainly have no ill feelings toward Walter Pitchford. We don't want to hold him back, but at the same time we got a basketball program to run, and you have to run that with integrity. ... He's got to want to be here. He's got to do certain things to be here like any kid. Those are two absolutes."

So, yeah, Purnell really didn't want to lose this kid, even going as far as to insinuate that Pitchford may have been tampered with. We don't know what happened, but Purnell comes off sounding like sour grapes.

Regardless of what Purnell believes, Pitchford finally did get his release and will be allowed to attend a different school without having to sit out a year and lose a year of eligibility.

According to his father, Pitchford is not yet sure where he is headed, but given the late date -- most hoopsters have already enrolled in summer classes -- we should be finding out pretty soon where Pitchford will be playing next year.
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LOI's back in the news, this time featuring DePaul and Marquette

The NCAA is far from a perfect organization, and there are quite a few issues I have with the way it is run.

But nothing, NOTHING, gets me angrier than when talking about LOI's. (If you don't know what an LOI is, go here and read this.) Essentially, an LOI is a legal, binding agreement that a player signs in order to end the recruiting process. By signing the LOI, he is locked into going to that school.

Generally, they aren't a huge problem. For the most part, if a kid is sure enough in his decision on where to go to school to put a pen to paper, then he is probably going to end up at that school. The problems arise when there is a drastic change at the school. As much as the NCAA wants to deny it, college basketball players -- especially those at the big time schools -- aren't picking their universities based on the Economics Department or on their Med School. They pick schools based on what coach they want to play for. Does the coach's system fit the player's style of play? Can the player and the coach effectively communicate? Can that coach turn the player into a professional?

The NCAA won't allow a player out of the LOI just because a coach has changed schools because they believe the player should be selecting where he will play his college ball based on the perks of the school itself. It is why kids like DePaul's Walter Pitchford, Jr., are forced to go to a school they don't want to attend. Pitchford committed to and sign an LOI with DePaul when Jerry Wainwright was still in charge of the program. Now that Oliver Purnell is running the show, Pitchford wants out, but the school and the coach won't grant him a release.

Pitchford has taken his appeal to the NCAA, but they won't be able to look at the case for 30 days. It is looking more and more likely that Pitchford is going to be a Blue Demon in the fall, whether he wants to be or not.

I vehemently disagree with the way that the NCAA handles LOI's in situations like this, but I understand. This is the rule. If a player has signed this contract with the university with the understanding that he will be locked in at the school, then can that player complain when the worst case scenario (which he should have fully been aware of) happens? And whether or not the rules are fair, and regardless of whether you agree with them, you still have to play by the rules.

But why don't the schools? Warning: If Pitchford's plight angered you, you may want to take a deep breath or smoke a cigarette before reading on.

DJ Newbill is a combo guard out of Philly who, three months ago, signed with Marquette, which he called his "dream school." Everything was going great, until Wisconsin native and former top 100 recruit Jamil Wilson decided he wanted to transfer out of Oregon. All of a sudden, Marquette needed a roster spot and a scholarship, and Newbill was the one on the chopping block.

Newbill's AAU coach Larry Waiters said that the reason for Newbill being released was because his high school had not yet sent some minor paperwork to Marquette, which is a thinly veiled way of saying "6'7" former top 100 recruits are more important than under the radar combo guards." Newbill should be able to land on his feet, as a number of D1 schools have already inquired. But Newbill will never be able to play in the Big East which, as a Philly native, has got to sting.

Now, I understand that college sports is competitive. It is cutthroat. The "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" mentality that sports fans have has put a ton of pressure on coaches to win and win now. As a result, these coaches are forced to do some things that, morally, leave a bad taste in our mouths. But hey, that is the price of winning. That's what we as fans demand, right? We've made our bed, now we have to sleep in it.

To be perfecty honest, I don't have a problem with what Williams did. Simply put, Newbill got cut. It happens all the time, in every sport, at every age group. Once you get to a level where athletics in more than your hometown's rec league, it gets competitive. If you're not good enough, you won't make the team. That is how it works, and Newbill found out the hard way. And if he was "cut" for a player that averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg for a bad Oregon team in a worse Pac-10 while starting 14 games and still has to sit out a year, I think we can assume that Newbill's impact at Marquette would have been negligible. Would he have even seen time this season? Darius Johnson-Odom, Vander Blue, and Junior Cadougan is one heck of a backcourt.

No, my problem isn't with Buzz Williams. I don't think he did anything wrong, ethically, morally, or legally. This is big time college basketball, and while I feel for Newbill (I've been in his shoes before, it sucks), he's a D1 athlete. He's a big boy. He can handle this.

My problem is with the LOI's, as usual.

Marquette is free to drop DJ Newbill because a better player comes along, but Walter Pitchford is forced to attend DePaul when that situation turned sour? How is that fair?

It seems like a constant. College athletes, especially those that play the revenue sports at a big time level, are always going to be taken advantage of. They are the ones that generate the massive sums of money that nearly destroyed the Big XII and almost blew the NCAA Tournament up to 96 teams. We've all heard the ex-players comparing college athletics to slavery, and while that is a bit extreme, its not all that far off.

LOI's are exhibit A.

Hopefully, the press Pitchford and Newbill have gotten will be a warning. So all you high school stars, runners, AAU coaches, handlers, and agents take notice -- don't sign an LOI. Give yourself options. Financial Aid Agreements lock in the school, but don't contractually bind the athlete. That's the route you want to take.

One day, you may thank me for that advice.
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