15 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

Baltimore Sun / Inside MD Sports: Terps working on a DC Assault pipeline
http://www.baltimore...0,2379001.story

[Mike B]

Baltimore Sun / Inside MD Sports: Terps working on a DC Assault pipeline
http://www.baltimore...0,2379001.story

Recruiting AAU programs like DC Assault is a never ending task.  Gary did not have the stomach for the anxiety that dealing with these power programs entail.

[DJ MC]

D.C. Basketball Power-Broker Curtis Malone Charged in Drug Investigation

[You Play to Win the Game]

D.C. Basketball Power-Broker Curtis Malone Charged in Drug Investigation

 

Geez, straight out of The Wire.

[BSLMikeLowe]

D.C. Basketball Power-Broker Curtis Malone Charged in Drug Investigation

 

While it's not entirely unfair to fault him for it, it's also not difficult to understand why Gary did not want to deal with some of the shady characters that pervade these AAU programs.

[You Play to Win the Game]

While it's not entirely unfair to fault him for it, it's also not difficult to understand why Gary did not want to deal with some of the shady characters that pervade these AAU programs.

 

Fair point for sure.

[bnickle]

Listen, there is no doubt there are a lot of shadiness associated with AAU basketball but you have to make an effort to get the kids associated  if you want any chance to be relevant nationally.

[Mackus]

God dammit, Gary was right!

 

I guess at least we know that Turg wasn't paying these guys off in order to get players to Maryland.

 

Hopefully whoever replaces this guy as the head of DC Assault will carryover the relationship with Turgeon and the Terps and we can continue to get good players.

 

As far as Malone, are there stiffer penalties for selling drugs if you're a teacher or otherwise associated with youth programs such as AAU?

[JHTerp01]

God dammit, Gary was right!

 

I guess at least we know that Turg wasn't paying these guys off in order to get players to Maryland.

 

Hopefully whoever replaces this guy as the head of DC Assault will carryover the relationship with Turgeon and the Terps and we can continue to get good players.

 

As far as Malone, are there stiffer penalties for selling drugs if you're a teacher or otherwise associated with youth programs such as AAU?

If any of it occurred on school grounds then I believe so.  My wife is a teacher and all schools are drug free zones.  She said it's a big deal if you get caught in any sort of drug activity on school property.

 

I'm so torn on this.  Like other people said Gary was definitely right about this guy and could tell he was a scum bag.  And I'd like to think in my own life I would follow my moral compass and not deal with someone like this.  But it's still so frustrating how we never capitalized on winning the Natty in '02, and Gary's refusal to deal with the AAU scene is one of the biggest reasons why.

[BSLChrisStoner]

While it's not entirely unfair to fault him for it, it's also not difficult to understand why Gary did not want to deal with some of the shady characters that pervade these AAU programs.

 

I typed and deleted the same thing multiple times last night, not really wanting to get into this.... but I'm glad you and others did make the point.

[bnickle]

Gary's recruiting flaws went way beyond failing to deal with DC Assault. Besides, you can't ignore and therefore punish all the kids on that team.

[glenn__davis]

Gary's recruiting flaws went way beyond failing to deal with DC Assault. Besides, you can't ignore and therefore punish all the kids on that team.

 

Well the only way those kids would have been "punished" is if they really just wanted to come to Maryland.

 

And if they really just wanted to come to Maryland, they never would have went to DC Assault in the Gary era.  It was quite clear, if you had any interest at all in MD, don't go to DC Assault.

 

Gary absolutely gets some vindication here for his view on Malone.  Where Gary went wrong was assuming all AAU guys are shady scumbags.  No doubt that many are, but not everyone involved in that scene is a bad guy.

[Mackus]

Gary absolutely gets some vindication here for his view on Malone.  Where Gary went wrong was assuming all AAU guys are shady scumbags.  No doubt that many are, but not everyone involved in that scene is a bad guy.

 

Agreed.  Gary is vindicated a lot here in not dealing with Malone specifically, but he still shouldn't have shunned the entire AAU system to the degree that he did. 

[BSLMikeLowe]

Well the only way those kids would have been "punished" is if they really just wanted to come to Maryland.

 

And if they really just wanted to come to Maryland, they never would have went to DC Assault in the Gary era.  It was quite clear, if you had any interest at all in MD, don't go to DC Assault.

 

Gary absolutely gets some vindication here for his view on Malone.  Where Gary went wrong was assuming all AAU guys are shady scumbags.  No doubt that many are, but not everyone involved in that scene is a bad guy.

 

I'll just add that I don't think Gary shunned the AAU programs 100%....certainly not towards the very end. He nearly had a commitment from Shaq Cleare before he retired, whom he was mostly recruiting via Bino Ranson's connection with Andrew Harrison, Sr., Shaq's AAU coach in Houston, who Bino knew from their days in Baltimore. In fact, the biggest reason Gary hired Bino was probably his AAU background and what he could do for recruiting.

 

But without a doubt, Gary's refusal to deal with many of the people associated with the AAU scene definitely had a negative impact as far as the talent he brought in.

[DJ MC]

DC Assault to become DC Premier.

 

http://collegebasket...l-drug-charges/

 

Philip Morris approves

[BSLMikeLowe]

DC Assault to become DC Premier.

 

http://collegebasket...l-drug-charges/

 

Philip Morris approves

 

Aside from re-branding the program to try and distance itself from Malone, I'm sure Under Armour also likes the more PC name Premier versus Assault....kinda like the Bullets switch to Wizards.