Devonte Graham

[app123]

@BrewsterHoops: #UConn #Friars #Pitt #URI have all expressed interest in Brewster PG @im_dat_kid_dtae. Can't speak with him. #AppSt hasn't released him.

[HeffnerIV]

Just release him. I know this hurts our pride, but lets not have a public issue with an 18 y/o

[firemoose]

It's obivous he doesn't want to be here. No reason to believe he would give 100% to the team if we hold him to his LOI. It's in our best interest to have kids who actually want to be here. Time to end this nonsense and say good riddence.

[app123]

Agree that we move on. but why not release and replace with a kid willing to be here

[ASU@RDU]

I know the Broughton BB coach and principal very well. I saw Devonte play for four years against the high school my sons go to. Kept the scorebooks for all four years so I got to see everything up close. The kid blew up after his ASU verbal. He was a hidden gem until Broughton made playoffs and made it to state championship game. He has a great game. I honestly thought he would never play for ASU as his game is at a higher level now. I think he jumped at first big offer and then realized that Capel will not be here after next year so he would end up playing for another coach. As much as I love ASU I don't blame him for decision. He is going back to prep school and will be playing for a high level program. ASU and Capel should let him go, he is not coming to Boone and school and Capel are just looking bad now.

He will be a kid like the Michigan kid that hit all those 3 pointers in the NCAA. ASU only offer then UM at last moment they offer and he plays for NCAA title.

We also had the kid from Ravenscroft commit and not show up. I know Marki from the Finley Y where he learned to play. Nice kid but a basket case in the head on what he wanted to do.

Before you get a bad name down in Raleigh area they need to let Devonte go and wish him the best. He is actually a very nice kid when I have spoken to him.

[Maddog1956]

I've got some mixed thoughts on this. Eighteen is kind of young to know exactly what you want to do etc, but he does have parents and coaches, etc to help him. I also agree that his heart may not be 100% in it if he is forced to play for us, but I'm not sure he could go somewhere else if his numbers are down while playing for us either.

I am more concerned about our LOI's being meaningless. I don't think it would make putting a team together harder if our standard becomes "sign now, till something better comes along. I mean if that's the case let's don't give a LOI to anyone because it would only lock us in and not them. If I was a coach I'd just like to know who I "really" had next year and who I needed to pick up.

Not saying anything bad about Devonte, I'm sure he's a great kid, but I think a LOI should be a commitment at least to some degree. It's kind of a risk to him as well if he takes on another year of HS and gets hurt or doesn't do as good. Not wishing anything on him, I just hope someone tells him the negative also.

[moehler]

I agree, once you sign, is has to mean something, or kids are just going to use us until they get better offers. We are not the first to hold firm on a commitment, 4 or 5 months ago, a couple of larger BCS schools also held firm on offers to kids who changed their minds (cant remember who they were). App has spent alot of time and money recruiting this kid, its one thing to let a kid go because of personal reasons not of the control of the recruit, its totally different situation when a kid wants out of his agreement because a bigger program comes calling. If he wants that badly to play for a bigger program, let him pay the price, and sit for a year, or play at, I guess, a military school. If it means that much to him, then this isn't that big of a price to pay.

[AppHoops]

Zagsblog with an article on the whole thing.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/brewsters- ... ian-state/

[firemoose]

Zagsblog with an article on the whole thing.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/brewsters- ... ian-state/

Even though I don't want a player here who doesn't want to be here and would say "don't let the door hit you on the way out", we are being made to be the bad guys here. He made a commitment, signed a LOI, then has a good postseason and decides to break his word. And WE ARE THE BAD GUYS HERE?

[asu66]

Zagsblog with an article on the whole thing.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/brewsters- ... ian-state/

Even though I don't want a player here who doesn't want to be here and would say "don't let the door hit you on the way out", we are being made to be the bad guys here. He made a commitment, signed a LOI, then has a good postseason and decides to break his word. And WE ARE THE BAD GUYS HERE?

It's not a surprise that a school like UConn or WKU or NC State would point the finger at us after meddling with Devonte's "contract" and his word of honor. It happens all too often. I say, hold Devonte to his word and let him decide if two years in a power conference is better than four years in the SBelt.

He may even learn as he grows that a man is no more reliable than his word!

[AppHoops]

Yea to say "I don't know how App stole a guy like that" is pretty disrespectful. Devonte isn't property. Capel clearly saw something that other coaches that are so fixated on rankings and players that play in all the national showcase tournaments were too blind to see. Don't fault a program for recruiting a kid and building a trust with him and his family thus creating a partnership. Zagoria should know better, but I view him as kind of a basketball elitist so it's not a shock that he would sort of cast aside App.

[app123]

Dont think us the fans are being made the bad guy, "Capel" is the bad guy. He saw talent and hopes of keeping a job. Thus the reason he hasn't released him yet. 16 year old kids are going to make decisions that aren't for the best of them at times. Especially, when pressured, promised and offered things. Let the kid go, Should have to suffer for changing his mind. Just because someone else behind is on the line

[app123]

****Correction*


Shouldn't have to suffer for changing his mind. Just because someone else behind is on the line

[Maddog1956]

Dont think us the fans are being made the bad guy, "Capel" is the bad guy. He saw talent and hopes of keeping a job. Thus the reason he hasn't released him yet. 16 year old kids are going to make decisions that aren't for the best of them at times. Especially, when pressured, promised and offered things. Let the kid go, Should have to suffer for changing his mind. Just because someone else behind is on the line

He might be 16 but I'm sure he had parents, coaches, etc to help him make the decision. If he didn't maybe the one he's trying to make now is really a bad decision also.

What Capel should do is announce that he's going to ask the NCAA to look into the issue of the kid being poisoned by some of these other schools. I bet their tone would change, because I don't believe there is any way this kid came up with the idea to go to one of these schools without someone talking to him. If I was Capel, I'd start with a Public Records request to the coaches at these schools for emails and phone records. I bet there wouldn't be another peep out of them.

[TheMoody1]

****Correction*


Shouldn't have to suffer for changing his mind. Just because someone else behind is on the line

Then I guess they should do away with signing day. If the contract means nothing, why bother. I assume you would have felt the same way if App would have been the one changing their mind and dropped him.

[AppGrad78]

If we make it convenient for athletes to bail on a binding letter of intent -- after we've invested considerable time and money in his recruitment -- then we're inviting future athletes to do the same thing. This isn't about Capel or even Appalachian State. This is about honoring a signed contract and the consequences that come to bear if that contract isn't honored.

[moehler]

These schools claim that they didn't directly contact him, and technically, they are probably right, but I suspect that all these schools know people not officially an employee of the school that can get messages to these kids about their interest in the player. I agree we are not the bad guys here, said it before, if it means that much to the kid that he plays for a bigger school, then going to a junior collage for 2 years is a small h price to pay

[Maddog1956]

These schools claim that they didn't directly contact him, and technically, they are probably right, but I suspect that all these schools know people not officially an employee of the school that can get messages to these kids about their interest in the player. I agree we are not the bad guys here, said it before, if it means that much to the kid that he plays for a bigger school, then going to a junior collage for 2 years is a small h price to pay

If they are considered boosters it's still wrong, but yes it's hard to prove. I'd just make enough stink that it wasn't worth the effort to go after him.

[app123]

So they're penalizing a kid because of a booster or coach's alleged act?

[appgrouch]

If this was some case of needing to be closer to his family or some other issue besides that a bigger school offered then he would have his release.

Having to sit out a year is just the price of doing business if you want to get out of your commitment on a whim (which I am happy to call this).

I would say that he will get a release around Feb 1, 2014, which will give him the normal years time for sitting out for a transfer and make him able to play in the 2014-15 season for any school that would have him.