Devin Ebanks to Memphis?

by Ryan Corazza in Recruiting | February 27th, 2008

According to Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal it’s looking like a distinct possibility. Remember, it’s been reported that Devin Ebanks, IU’s top recruit next year via New York, has an out clause in his LOI that states he can be released if a coaching change was to occur.

The quick details from Bozich:

I talk to a lot of people in the college basketball game. Heard Ebanks to Memphis as a live possibility yesterday from a friend who is hot-wired into John Calipari’s program. Ebanks and Tyreke Evans. Those are the names for Memphis.

Oh Rob Senderoff, it’s looking like all your hard work might be for naught. Now, the interesting part of all of this is that today on Louisville’s 93.9 the Ticket, recruiting guru Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal said signees aren’t allowed to have this kind of language written into a LOI. He talked to a few people in the know and verbal agreements on that kind of talk is about as far as it can go.

We’ll see in the coming weeks and months how this one shakes out.

Tags: Devin Ebanks

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Alex

This is what I found from the official National Letter of Intent Web site:

Is a National Letter of Intent binding if the coach of my sport leaves the institution?

Yes. The National Letter of Intent you signed with an institution is valid if the coach who recruited you leaves the institution with which you signed. When you sign a National Letter of Intent you sign with an institution and not with a coach or a specific team.

http://www.national-letter.org/faq/

Doesn't seem like they'd include something like this as a rule if they were going to allow clauses to easily get around it.

Jay

Good points. Thanks for the research.

Patrick Donohue

My thought when talking with a colleague of mine about what Dan Dakich had to do to be hired on permanently as IU head coach. And I thought that if he could do three things the job was automatically his. They were: 1) Win the Big Ten Tournament, 2)Advance to at least the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, 3)Keep all of IU's recruits for next season because it shows he has some skills in regards to recruiting elite talent. Now mind you, I didn't say he could do 1 of 3, 2 of 3 may cut it but 3 of 3 makes the job his, in my opinion. If Ebanks leaves to go to Memphis or anywhere else, it's a major blow to Dakich's permanent future as Indiana's head basketball coach.

patrickdonohue.freedomblogging.com

MJR

I was an NCAA athlete, who signed an LOI, and I distinctly remember the heading included, "NON-NEGOTIABLE." I have been wondering how IU and Ebanks were getiing around this. It may have changed since I signed my letter, but my playing days have not been long over. We may get him after all.

Alex

Even if it's not written into the LOI, IU would most likely let him out. It'd be a PR nightmare if they forced him to come if he didn't want to.

tberry

I would not release him until he had a chance to know who IU's new coach will be and had talked to him.

That is why I think IU needs to move ASAP on hiring or getting a name coach lined up. There are lots of good up and coming coaches who would be keepers but if we want to keep any recruits we need a recognizable name.

Raymond

MJR, I do not know specifically about the "Non Negotiable" print on the LOI, however, a relative of mine was formerly an attorney for the NCAA and we talked about this issue the other day.

Apparently, you can NOT put any type of opt out clause into a LOI. The NCAA has a policy for the "Qualified Release Agreement" in which the School and Player can MUTUALLY agree to release both parties of their duties required by the LOI. There is NO other policy in the LOI framework to allow for the release by NCAA rules. Any agreement reached about the ability to be released from the LOI would be verbal only and would still require the Qualified Release Agreement to be reached by both player and school.

Ricky

If he doesn't want to play here, its his loss. I'd love for him to come to IU because I think he has a Rudy Gay type of ability, but he has a constant knack for getting into trouble. That is not something that will magically disappear when he gets to college, if anything it will become a bigger problem. And it is not like his talent is so great that he would save our program. Good, yes, but he is not even top 5 in his class, a class that is worse than this years. He won't make or break IU. Without him it will take the new coach, if he is good at what he does, a year to get this team back to the tournament, but that is it. Maybe not even that, if said new coach can turn Eli Holman into something useful. So if he doesn't want to come play for IU, fine, don't let the door hit you on the way out Devin

Jay

I hope he at least meets with the new coach before making a decision. Who knows? It might even be a better fit now. If not, we part ways and all move on. I think he'd be terrific at IU, though, and have an outstanding career here before he moves on to the NBA.

xxZPxx

So without Ebanks were looking at a starting 5 of Armon, Jordan, Ellis, Thomas and Holman....with McGee, Pritchard, Taber and Roth on the bench....so how is losing him not going to hurt us? You have me confused. This is assuming that no one transfers from IU as well.
Rumors are also telling me that if Calipari was offered IU's job he would take it in a second. Then we would keep Ebanks and maybe Tyreke Evans, interesting....

Timmy

...and we'd have a lot more beatdowns on Kirkwood.

Matt J

Rumors, rumors, rumors. Calipari played this crap the last time. He threw Indiana's name around to get a raise out of Memphis and he gave NC State a Dirty Sanchez in order to secure that extra money. Calipari is a slimeball. You think he wasn't on the phone with Ebanks and anyone else he thought he could swipe the day the allegations came out against Sampson? If so, then you've got a long way to go, my friend.

ricky

hurts in the short run, perhaps, but not in the long run. he is not a program savior. he probably is not even one and done. not all 5 star recruits leave after one year. only the best (or the stupid). he might be stupid, but he isn't the best. and i also don't think Calipari would leave Memphis, he has it too good down there. IU is obviously a good gig, but he has William Wesley (if you don't know who he is, go find out) telling great players like Dajuan Wagner and Derrick Rose to go to Memphis, and he probably wouldn't get that to come with him to IU. although maybe, what do I know

hoostheman

The fact that he may not be one and done is the exact reason we have to make every effort to keep him. He's a natural scorer that would help tremendously compensating for DJ/EJ's soon-to-be-gone 35+ per night. Some scouts say he's the best player in the country with the ball, and has a skillset that projects tremendously at the next level. The thought that we can take or leave a talent like Ebanks, especially with the current state of Hoosier basketball, is completely misguided.

The good news is he and his mother have stated he won't make any decisions until they speak with the new coach. That's just one more reason to perform an efficient search (unlike last time) and get the right HC in Bloomington as soon as possible.

kelin

I want these blue chip recruits, but to be honest I have been more excited about A Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard inside outside game since they signed. Ebanks is good, I don't want IU to become a ONE and DONE factory....Like Memphis....more importantly with NOTHING to show for it...like Memphis. If we lose Ebanks it would suck but that is part of the KS fallout.....

Timmy

This will be bigger than losing Josh Smith if he decides to go elsewhere. Greenspan needs to do the right thing and fire himself so we can let Reynolds pick the new coach of IU and save the '08 class.

If in tact, next years team will be better than this year based on what I saw during the MSU game when DJ went out.

JamesHardy

I see a couple of things on here that I agree with...

1. If he doesn't want to play for INDIANA UNIVERSITY...oh well...see ya!
2. I fear the day that IU becomes a one n done or dos n adios kind of place.

ALH_00

I hope the University simply lets him go if he so chooses.

I hope Coach Dakich is calling him. I hope Coach McCallum is calling him. And, I hope he sticks it out with the confidence that IU is going to hire a coach who will give him the opportunity to thrive, because I believe that will happen. But, its important not to hold Ebanks accountable for the current coaching situation. He could have no idea when he signed the LOI that any of this would be happening.

Many of us were just clamoring about "doing things the right way" in support of an immediate dismissal of KS. For the University, I think its only right to let this kid consider the issue and make a decision he is comfortable with.

Matt J

"I hope Coach Dakich is calling him. I hope Coach McCallum is calling him"

But, uh, not too much.

ALH_00

Seriously!

Buckwheat pancake

Let him go if he wants to after he sees who our new coach is. He signed with Sampson and now he's gone. Forget what the letter says, he signed with a coach. Give me some solid 4 year players that stay and win. I'd love to have Ebanks, but won't miss him if he doesn't come. Any kid that would turn down a chance to play at IU, with the greatest fan support and athlete adoration, is nuts.

kelin

Can we chill out with the THUG comments they are so so uneccessary...seriously. Ebanks is no more a thug than EJ....

Jay

Thank you! Devin, we'd love to have you. You're a terrific talent, and you will do very well here. If you decide to go elsewhere, best of luck.

BriscoeDisco

I got a way to keep him, get John Calipari.

Tom

First, I am not sure if he's qualified yet which means Memphis would give him an academic scholarship. Second, I know Holloway has not qualified yet. If they have the right to opt out, tell them not to let the door-you know the rest. Sampson got into phone trouble recruiting marginal students-- check the names. We don't need to continue begging for basketball players.

JamesHardy

Has anyone heard anything about Roth, Holloway, or Pritchard? I realize that Ebanks is the 5-star recruit in the group, but what about the other 3? You don't think Weber would swoop in and try to steal Roth...do you????

Alex

I feel good about the chances of Roth and Pritchard coming to Indiana. Holloway, I'm not so sure.

JamesHardy

A...did you see my replies on the other thread? Was my comment the one that was removed?

Alex

If you were the one that was calling people a thug, then yes, it was removed.

Go Hoosiers

Holloway is a STUPID JEW, hes a dick anyway..........

BriscoeDisco

No wonder players like Ebanks don't wanna play here

JamesHardy

I seriously doubt that an 18 year old high school kid is going to make his decision on a college based on the vocabulary of a single human being who's located some 700 miles away from where he lives. And further more, if you would have been open-minded enough to read my response/apology, you'd understand what I was implying with the word. Get a clue...i'd love to call you a tool right now, but BIG A would probably remove that. SO I won't....

plane1972

The obvious question I have that has yet to be asked is, if true, isn't this a huge NCAA violation for Calipari to be making overtures to Ebanks with a signed LOI in place with IU?

I don't see how Calipari is even on the radar screen for the IU job, even if he was interested, which he is certainly not. He apparently has the run of the place in Memphis, takes chances on questionable character kids, cuts them free when need be, and makes no bones about running an NBA prep factory. IU would not want him, and he would not want IU. Particularly when IU will be working to get back in the good graces of the NCAA over the near term.

Bham

It is not a violation if Ebanks contacted Cal, which is what happened.

Go Hoosiers

Hey Devin, its me again..... I dont think you should go to the Tigers, i mean you are a stud and everything but man IU is the place to be..... Memphis dont even play anybody that good anyway since theyre in Conference-USA, they played Tennessee and got their ass beat 66-62 well thats not an ass whoopin but you know what i mean Big-E. So you should DEFFINETELY re-consider your commitment to Indiana and stick with it dawg......

BriscoeDisco

If Dakich is the coach next year I think we can all agree that theres about a 10% chance Ebanks will come. He came here to play for KS, and with him gone and NCAA sanctions (for Ebanks' season) potentitally coming he'd be wise to reconsider his decion now while he can.

If we go out and get a qualified coach, Tony Bennet, Al Skinner, any one with experince I think Ebanks would consider staying, but if Dakich is the coach here next year simply cuz #3 and #23 carried us to a big 10 title, Ebanks will go

Deundrae Coles

You can not opt out of your LOI. Just like others that have poster, I know. The NCAA can grant you a release, but it has to be some extreme circumstances. I could sit out a year because I wasn't going to be a starter anyway, if you don't have a year to give up to the NCAA, you are just about stuck.

Devin Ebanks to Memphis?

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