At 12:42 AM -0400 8/24/96, J. Michael Jackson wrote:
> Curtis T wrote:
>
> > According to "Eagle Notes" in yesterday's Boston Herald, Bobby Allen of
> >  Cushing has committed to BC for 1997-98.
>
> I would bet that this isn't ironclad.  The Gopher basketball team had a
> player commit for the 1997-98 season who has since backed out.  Minnesota is
> still high on his list, but nothing's guaranteed.  Bobby Allen still might
> reconsider.
 
Yes, until a SA signs a letter of intent, he can still go elsewhere.
There's no way Allen can have signed a LOI at BC yet.  Doesn't mean he will
go someplace else, but you are right, it is possible.
 
I admit I don't understand the reasoning behind having players verbally
commit since nothing is yet official and the player isn't bound to
anything.  This also happened when Jayson Philbin verbally committed to UNH
last September and wound up at Merrimack instead.  However, I am not sure
that in that case, it was UNH who announced the commitment...I believe the
announcement may have come from Philbin or his parents.
 
I guess I don't see how it benefits a school to announce a player has
verbally committed - and indeed, it may not have been BC who furnished the
information about Allen to the Herald; the recruiting process is a two-way
street and the SAs and their parents often talk to the papers for whatever
reason.  For the SA, it could help if he is still hoping to get a sweeter
deal from another school, as Philbin apparently hoped for.  But I cannot
see why any coach would not wince at the knowledge that a recruit has
announced his intent to the world before he has actually signed the LOI.
 
And also, it is my understanding that schools are prohibited from talking
publicly about players until they have signed the LOI, thus I have to
believe the Herald's info did not come from BC.  Even if a school or coach
leaked the info to the press, I believe that would be a violation.  Most
coaches I know will not say one word to the press (or any facsimile
thereof) about any player until he signs.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
*****       Unofficial Merrimack Hockey home page located at:       *****
*****   http://www.tiac.net/users/machnik/MChockey/MChockey.html    *****
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.