dennis and kincade?

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Dennis & Kincade Gone? Definitely
. . .Probably. . . Maybe--(Apr. 11, 2000)

Here's some interesting news. On Sunday, we received a call from Eli Essa, head coach at Bell-Jeff and former high school coach of Kent Dennis' (6'-3" Fr. SG) who is currently at the University of West Virginia. Kent, as everyone knows, is currently on the Mountaineer team, and both he and Keith Kincade (6'-5" Fr. SG) who was a star at Compton Dominguez last year and helped lead the Dons to a State Championship in Division II, were recruited late last spring by Coach Gale Catlett.

Essa called us Sunday to say that both Dennis and Kincade had "requested their releases from the West Virginia basketball team, and those releases have been granted." Essa told SoCalHoops (and he also evidently told the Daily News and the LA Times the same thing, because they both carried the story today) that Dennis is looking to play on the West Coast, and that several schools have already expressed an interest in the former LA Cleveland HS shooting guard, including Northridge and San Diego State among others. Essa told us at the time that he had spoken with Dennis several times, but had not spoken directly with Keith Kincade but noted that Keith and Dennis were very close.

We posted an abbreviated report late Sunday night, and within a few hours thereafter, we started receiving e-mails from curious/irate West Virginia fans and news media, demanding to know the source of these "rumors". Of course, our source was attributed in the article (i.e., coach Essa), so there wasn't much else to say on our part.

This morning, someone alerted us to an article which appeared in the Charleston Gazette Online written by local sportswriter Dave Hickman. Here's the excerpt:

Dave Hickman
California connection may be dissolving
Tuesday April 11, 2000

West Virginia's California kids may be on their way back to the left coast before long.

According to reports in California, Kent Dennis and Keith Kincade are interested in transferring out of West Virginia's basketball program after just one year. An Internet site in Southern California even went so far Monday as to report that the pair had gotten a release from their scholarships from WVU.

While that's not true, there could be something brewing.

"They've not gotten releases. I've not even talked to them,'' West Virginia coach Gale Catlett said Monday night. "Now, I'm not saying that won't happen, but at this point it's not true.''

Dennis and Kincade both were in and out of West Virginia's player rotation throughout the season and both showed promise at times, Dennis as a guard and Kincade as a small forward.

Apparently, one of Dennis' former high school coaches in the Los Angeles area has been openly shopping the pair to schools on the West Coast. Whether or not he's doing so with the players' blessing isn't known.

Hmmm. Are they gone, going, or staying? Right now, we've been unable to reach either player for a direct comment, so we don't know. Apparently the players have not been granted releases, but from Coach Catlett's statement, it looks as though the releases would be granted if the players ask. And if Coach Essa's report turns out to have been premature, well, it will have been just that, another premature internet thing. . . So, until it's official (i.e., until the University of West Virginia issues a press release) don't believe everything you read or hear, not even if you read it here. . . .