Earlier this week, Andy Katz of ESPN wrote about a subject that I have covered many times on this blog: the proliferation of runners in the college basketball community.  The main subject of the article was Blake Griffin, who every analyst and self-proclaimed analyst has being picked by whatever team ends up with the #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.  While Blake and his family have warded off runners and the agents who employ them, many top athletes and their families do not make the same intelligent decision.  I believe that education is the answer, and as more high-profile writers at the largest media empires begin to discuss the state of college athlete recruiting, perhaps more athletes and their families will begin to see the light and place the important decision of picking an agent back in their own hands.

Coaches can also be a major help or burden to an athlete’s education.  Coaches like Jeff Capel at the University of Oklahoma are doing their due diligence by actually helping his players on and off the court.  Instead of being an accomplice in “the game” and strengthening certain runners’ and agents’ abilities to access his players early, Capel tells his players to be aware of any new friends that try to come into their life.  Good advice.

Not to be outdone by ESPN, Yahoo! Sports had its big dogs do some investigative reporting (it took six months of research) and came up with quite the interesting story concerning recruiting of college athletes by agents and their runners.  Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel wrote the story that shocked the nation yesterday: Probe: UConn violated NCAA rules.  It all started with Josh Nochimson, the former basketball agent who was decertified by the NBPA in 2008.  In his hayday, Nochimson was team manager for UConn and possibly stole $500,000 from Rip Hamilton.  Wojnarowski and Wetzel report that Nochimson also funded lodging, transportation, and restaurant meals for Nate Miles while Miles was a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut.  That’s a big no-no according to NCAA rules and Section 14 of the Uniform Athlete Agent Act (which Connecticut has adopted).

In the Yahoo! article, Rip Hamilton is quoted as saying,

“[Josh Nochimson] admitted to stealing…I always remember my agent saying, ‘Rip, don’t put your hands on him because he’ll be able to sue you. [Nochimson] was doing everything off of me. He looks like a high roller. It’s hard for a kid because you may not have anything and you see this guy.”

I have to think to myself, how many other talented student-athletes think the same thing when an agent or his runners approach the athlete blinged out with a nice car and offer to take the athlete to an expensive dinner at a high class steakhouse (which would be a violation if the athlete is still a student)?  Nochimson is not the only one out there putting up a facade.

And agents are not the only ones to blame for this terrible state of recruiting.  As always, Marc Isenberg put his valuable two-cents into the recruiting issue.

The NCAA, college programs and coaches can shift the blame to the agents, but ultimately it takes two to tango. What’s so damning in this investigation is the volume of calls between the agent and the UConn coaching staff. According to Yahoo!, there were “1,565 phone and text communications with Nochimson, including 16 from head coach Jim Calhoun.

The agents and their runners need to be threatened against committing violations, not egged on by NCAA institutions.  Besides that point, though, I remain in my statement earlier this month, the answer to these recruiting problems is education.  If you are a talented student-athlete that possesses the attributes to make it in professional basketball (overseas you can make a ton of money, as well), then why take the risk of working with guys like Josh Nochimson who are only going to threaten your brand?  There is nothing wrong with listening to people you trust, but in the end, the decision you make on an agent should be your own.  It all starts with the athletes.  If the top picks in each draft begin to ward off runners and wait to make agent decisions until their college eligibility has expired, NCAA institutions will find no need to work hand-in-hand with agents, and runners will no longer be on agents’ payrolls.  It all starts with the athletes.  It all starts with education.

Besides worrying about the state of the Miami Heat, what will this move mean for the future of Joel Bell and Bell Management International?  Beasley was definitely the staple of Bell’s client list, although he does have solid clients in guys like Jamario Moon and Steve Blake.  But this year has definitely been a huge setback for Bell.  Not only has he lost Beasley, after definitely putting a lot of time and money into the former Kansas State stud, but he also witnessed his other drafted client, DeAndre Jordan, drop him for WMG after Jordan was selected in the second round.  Jordan was definitely disappointed at the position he was drafted, and Beasley seems to have been upset with Bell’s success in landing him strong endorsements (I am sure the shoe deal is a major part of that).

Wojnarowski hypothesizes that Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management has the best shot at landing Beasley.  A lineup that includes Kevin Durant, Al Horford, and Michael Beasley looks pretty sexy.

“The sports agent business has become so corrupt — I would not encourage anyone to try to become an agent right now.” – 4/22/08 [Short and Sweet]

“Instead of evolving, the sports agent business has devolved. We’re talking about reverse evolution. It’s basically unregulated and there’s wholesale cheating going on. I’m not angry about it. It’s just that it’s about buying clients instead of building relationships.” – 5/2/08 [Another Darren Interviews An Agent]

Not knowing anything about the speaker, the quotes would seem to show true concern about the devolving of a profession that was once bound by integrity, but is now being corrupted by newer entrants who have little values and show no concern for others.  In fact, I partially agree with his statements.  I definitely see corruption in the industry and hope that we, as a community, can do something about it.  I would not discourage people from entering the profession, but instead encourage the entry of new professionals with brilliant minds and innovative spirits.  Enough with that…what about Brand?

The Los Angeles Clippers really have done a remarkable job with their offseason signings.  The last piece of the puzzle that would ensure them a chance to at least compete for a playoff spot was Elton Brand.  This is a guy who averaged a double-double last year on a sub-par team.  LA is a hotbed for athletes with extracurricular intentions (TV, movies, nightlife), so if the team had a chance of winning and the Clips were willing to pay Brand, why not stick around for a bit longer?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports calls David Falk the empowered Bald Eagle.  I won’t go there.  Where I will go is to break down what occurred.  Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers for 5-years and $82 million.  Apparently the Clippers and Brand had agreed in the past that both parties would be happy with a 5-year $70 million.  As far as I am concerned, that does not mean crap.  Verbal agreements are just that.  There is a reason that nothing was ever put in writing.  But what about the fact that the Clippers were actually willing to throw Brand more than $70 million…something close to what the 76ers offered?  Was this payback from Falk or are the Clippers now saying that they presented a larger offer when none was actually proposed to Camp Brand?

I honestly do not know what to think.  I believe that the 76ers will be a much better team with Elton Brand and that the Clippers may have lost the piece that would have finally taken the club out of the depths of the Western Conference.  We may never know if Brand would have stayed in Los Angeles had Falk relayed a late Clippers offer to his client (if Wojnarowski’s statements are true).  All we do know is that a lot of people in Los Angeles are upset with the idea that their Clippers may have another disappointing season.