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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Random News & Notes,
College Stuff, Recruiting, Etc.--(Sept. 4, 2001)

Kissing & Making Up:

According to a small blurb in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend which caught our eye, UCLA men's basketball coach Steve Lavin made the trip back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to watch the football team's game against the Crimson Tide (which the Bruins won incidentally). But that wasn't the only reason he made the trip. According to the Times, "Steve Lavin made the trip to Tuscaloosa primarily to spend time with Alabama basketball Coach Mark Gottfried. Both men were on the UCLA staff under Jim Harrick during the 1995 national championship season. Tension formed between the two when Harrick was fired in 1996 because Gottfried, by then coach at Murray State, was close to Harrick, whom Lavin succeeded. Time heals wounds. Gottfried is now a Southeastern Conference rival of Harrick, coach at Georgia. And Alabama will play UCLA in the Wooden Classic in December.". . . .

Orange Coast College Hires An Assistant

Former UCLA assistant men's coach Steve Spencer has reportedly hired another new assistant coach to help him with his duties as the new men's head coach at Orange Coast College. Scott Coopman has been hired as an assistant. Coopman, 28 years old, has been an assistant at the men's program at Westmont College in Montecito for the past five years. According to a press release issued on Saturday (and picked up by the Times and the Orange County Register) he graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in social ecology, and as an assistant at under head coach John Moore, helped Westmont compile a 93-34 record over the four seasons. He has also worked previously with Spencer helping to run the UCLA and Stanford basketball camps.

The Times Saturday edition reprinted some of what Spencer had to say:

"Any time you've worked under a great coach, as Scott has with Coach Moore, you're going to know a thing or two about basketball," Spencer said. "Scott has a great work ethic, a love and passion for the game, a tremendous knowledge of the game and he's very loyal. Those are the qualities you want in an assistant coach."

Official Visits Anyone?

We couldn't help but notice that someone posted a message on the board over the weekend, and while we wanted to answer the question posed about "official visits" someone else with the correct information beat us to it.....nevertheless, here's the issue and the answer:

Q: Can a prospect take an official visit prior to the start of his senior high school academic year (i.e., before classes start at his high school)?

A: No.

The rule from the NCAA on this subject reads as follows:

13.7.1.2.2 First Opportunity to Visit. A prospect may not be provided an expense-paid visit earlier than the opening day of classes of the prospect’s senior year in high school.

The question came up in particular with respect to a visit taken by C.J. Watson (6'-2" Sr. PG) to Tennessee. C.J., who played for the Pump N Run team this summer, and who attends school at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas took an "official" (i.e., all expense-paid trip) over the weekend of August 24-26 to the University of Tennessee, and he reportedly committed to Coach Buzz Peterson folllowing the visit on Monday, August 27. Some astute reader apparently noticed that high schools in the Vegas area didn't begin classes until August 30 (a Thursday no less), raising the obvious question about C.J.'s visit (well, it's obvious if you're familiar with the NCAA rule).

But we're happy to report that all is well, and no violation occurred. Even though Bishop Gorman competes against other Las Vegas public high schools in basketball, it's a private, Catholic high school, and classes started earlier there than in all the other Vegas are public high schools. Bishop Gorman's classes started the week before C.J. took his visit, so no harm, no foul.