In-home recruiting visits now happening

As of September 9, coaching staffs are now allowed to conduct home visits. According to the NCAA calendar, the 9th opens a full contact recruiting period with the curtain closing on October 5.

As Charlie Zegers at his college basketball site notes so well, "...It can be difficult to decipher the NCAA guidelines for recruiting without degrees in law, astrophysics and phrenology..."

The next signing period is November 8 through the 15th.

So cross your fingers, light those candles...

Another Utah State recruiting target

Utah State needs to land a 'big' who can hopefully help right away in 2009-2010 what with Gary Wilkinson, a 30+ minutes a game center departing after this season.

Soph Modou Niang, while impressively athletic, is still raw and it's unknown how much he can contribute even with another season under his belt.

2007-2008 recruit Jordan Stone, at 6-10 and 240, is in the midst of the first year of his two year LDS mission so help needs to be landed in this recruiting go-around.

However, Texan Matt Smith, at 6-7 and 205, doesn't fit the 'big' bill as he's more than likely a wing who might spend some time at power forward in college. Utah State has offered but a little research indicates that he seems to be leaning elsehwere:

Blue Zertuche
TexasHoops.com Recruiting Analyst
September 9, 2008

6-foot-7 Smith was very excited after his trip to the campus of Arkansas-Little Rock. This was Smith's first official visit to a university and has a few more options in line.

"I have Utah State on September 19, and I'm still considering SFA..."

..."I will make my decision in the next few weeks," said Smith...

Go here for the full article if you have a Rivals subscription.

Olu Ashaolu gettin' some love

Olu Ashaolu gets a nice mention and description in SLAM.

Tech will certainly have much more talent and many more 'weapons' this season. Getting the kids to play together, sharing the basketball, will be job one for Kerry Rupp and his staff but such is a much more enviable task than what was endured last season.

adidas Nations Wrap-Up
More from Dallas, where the college kids balled out, too.
Aggrey Sam
SLAM

"...Olu Ashaolu, 6-6 freshman wing, Louisiana Tech: Olu, one of the nicest kids you’ll ever meet, redshirted at Karl Malone’s alma mater last season (Malone is actually on staff there), but the Canadian product put his off year to good use, developing a nice mid-range and slashing game to go with his power, hops and rugged low-post game..."

The above cut'n-paste was the result of this email sent to us by AJ, who deserves a hat tip for sharing the following:

"Got this nugget from La Tech's website

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/09...tions-wrap-up/

The adidas Nations camp features the world’s top 18 and under players competing. The camp runs from August 8th-11th with skills development and games between teams assembled from Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, Europe, Latin America and the United States. In addition 20 college basketball players are invited to play and go through drills in front of NBA scouts. Here is a list and team of players invited:

adidas College Players

Player School
Cole Aldrich Kansas
Antonio Anderson Memphis
Olu Ashaolu La Tech.
Tyrell Biggs Pitt
John Bryant Santa Clara
Wayne Chism Tenn
Darren Collison UCLA
Henry Dugat Baylor
Shaun Dumas Xavier ( La)
James Harden ASU
Jrue Holiday UCLA
Scotty Hopson Tennessee
Curtis Jerrells Baylor
Dominique Jones South Florida
Mac Koshwal Depaul
Gani Lawal Georgia Tech
Luke Nevill Utah
Arinze Onauku Syracuse
Quincy Pondexter Washington
Diamon Simpson St. Mary's
Dar Tucker DePaul
Jarvis Varnado Mississippi State
Terrance Williams Louisville


Team 1: Darren Collison / Jrue Holiday / Diamon Simpson / Jarvis Varnado / Arinze Onauku

Team 2: Curtis Jerrells / James Harden / Quincy Pondexter / Mac Koshwal / Cole Aldrich

Team 3: Henry Dugat / Dar Tucker / Terrance Williams / Gani Lawal / John Bryant

Team 4: Shaun Dumas / Olu Ashaolu / Antonio Anderson / Wayne Chism / Luke Nevill

How low can you limbo?

It's the unwritten 'law' of the land: regulations are to be worked around...that is, when they aren't simply ignored. The bulk of the business world runs on this premise because who gets rewarded for hewing to guidelines, aka playing by the rules? Sneering, or worse, is much more often the response to those following written and unwritten constraints and parameters.

College basketball, being one of high finance and winning or else, is first and foremost a business enterprise and thereby operates as such despite the platitudes offered by NCAA higherups.

It's all working the angles, many of which are 'above board' maneuvers but it's a fact of life that some are not and some are obviously and blatantly related to an earlier event.

We don't get worked up over the following. It's actually funny. We offer a tip of the hat to those who can pull of such stunts with a straight and a how-dare-you-ask-such-a-question face.

Here's our weekly or so non-WAC-related post:

Bulls hire recruit's trainer as assistant
Greg Auman
TampaBay.com
August 26, 2008

One of Stan Heath's most heralded recruits now has a close friend on USF's basketball staff.

Heath announced Tuesday night that he has hired Terrelle Woody, 38, the personal trainer for freshman forward Gus Gilchrist, as the team's video and conditioning assistant. Woody has strong personal ties to Gilchrist, a 6-foot-10 power forward who opted to transfer to USF from Maryland this summer after spending one semester with the Terrapins.

Asked if hiring a close associate of a coveted recruit was something that is standard in college basketball, Heath said: "I don't think that's a reason to hire somebody, but I don't think it's a reason to not hire somebody. The important thing is his ability to help this program."

Woody, who does not hold a college degree, will earn $30,000 a year in his new job, according to USF; he replaces Jamie Angeli, who was video coordinator last season and is now coaching in Kuwait. The position was announced Tuesday, but clearly has been in the works for some time; Woody left his job as a trainer at Hoop Magic Basketball Academy in Chantilly, Va., the first week in July, telling his employer he was taking a job in Florida. He has been working in conjunction with Heath's basketball camps and open gyms in the Sun Dome since Gilchrist started summer classes at the end of June... Go here for the remainder.

George Hostetter on this season's basketball Bulldogs

Kudos to George Hostetter of the Fresno Bee for squeezing in a basketball article despite almost all attention (and rightly so after defeating Rutgers on the road) being on the football Bulldogs.

We sense it will be a tough season for Steve Cleveland, a transitional one, as the squad is just too inexperienced and an integral piece or two is still missing.

It's going to be brutal at point guard after enjoying the play of graduated Kevin Bell the last few years. Sylvester Seay will certainly help but a move forward by sophomore center Brandon Webster would be a dynamic plus this season.

Bulldogs are back for some hoops
Young basketball team begins building chemistry with preseason practices.
George Hostetter
The Fresno Bee
9/06/08

Fresno State is still a week from its second football game, yet the men's basketball team already is in action.

It's not full practice. That won't begin until mid-October. Coach Steve Cleveland's Bulldogs are in the midst of a two-month-long period called "conditioning and skill development."

But it's still basketball, and Cleveland is cautiously optimistic.

"We don't have the experience and probably the depth and overall talent that we need right now," Cleveland says. "That's what we feel we're going to be in another six, seven, eight months. But I love this team. They're coachable, they ask questions, they want to get better...."

Go here for the remainder.

Kelvin Potts to College of Idaho

This post will not interest many of you. In fact, beyond a couple of Idaho fans and, of course, the Potts family, the viewers for this will be scarce.

Anyway, George Pfeiffer signed a California junior college guard -- Kelvin Potts -- prior to Pfeiffer's departure in Moscow. Don Verlin then took over running the program and declined to keep the commitment. The kid has now signed elsewhere:

"Kelvin Potts, the Chabot College Gladiator starting point guard, has signed a scholarship to play his last two years at College of Idaho (NAIA). Potts is originally from Oakland, CA and is the second Oakland native to sign from Chabot this year. He graduated from Fremont HS (Oakland) in 2005... He averaged 9.5 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal while shooting 80 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from 3's."

A very early ALL - WAC first and second team

Okay, the WAC traditionally has five players on the first team and also five on the second. Sorting out who goes on which team is even dicier than selecting the actual 10 players but what makes this exercise even more audacious is that we haven't even seen some of the kids play! How's that for speaking with authority?

So with such a proviso, take the following for what it's worth. We'll save our list and proclaim our genius if we come anywhere close to being correct or issue a mea culpa if we stumble. We fully expect you to start saving up your rotten fruits and vegetables, razzberries included, if we fall short with our selections.

So here they are:

ALL WAC FIRST TEAM (in no particular order)

*** Roderick Flemings 6-7 210 junior Hawaii

We've never seen this kid but he was a national-level junior college recruit last season and looks to be Hawaii's top scorer. The Rainbow Warriors are going to have a tough 2008-2009 as experience and firepower are lacking after the departure of five seniors so there will be a lot of shots available for the taking.

*** Magnum Rolle 6-10 220 junior Louisiana Tech

Ditto in that this kid hasn't been seen by many, including us -- he spent two seasons primarily as a backup at LSU before transferring but court time was hard to come by due to the level of talent in front of him. The LA TECH fans are talking Rolle up big-time and major minutes are certainly available on the Bulldog frontline. There is even mention that he may play some wing -- yes, at 6-10.

*** Luke Babbitt 6-9 225 freshman Nevada

Babbitt will be the go-to shooter and scorer on the Wolf Pack frontline as the remainder of the forwards and centers on the roster are more rebound-and-putback guys. But he also has remarkable shooting range. The key for Babbitt: staying out of foul trouble. If he isn't on the floor then the Nevada backcourt has to carry the offense -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing but not what Coach Mark Fox desires.

*** Gary Wilkinson 6-9 240 senior Utah State

Stew Morrill is going to want more of a consistent physical presence from Wilkinson in the coming season and we expect to see him averaging 17 and 10.

*** Adrian Oliver 6-4 185 sophomore San Jose State

A Washington transfer, he gets to step on the court after six games so he'll have plenty of minutes to shed any rust prior to conference play. He'll be the top scorer for SJSU and his presence should virtually eliminate any Spartan scoring droughts.


ALL WAC SECOND TEAM (in no particular order)

*** Kyle Gibson 6-4 185 junior Louisiana Tech

The Aggies have some other top talents but Gibson has already shown his scoring ability when he was practically the sole real shooter on the squad last season. He will get less shot attempts in 2008-2009 and the adjustment to that bears watching.

*** Jonathan Gibson 6-2 180 junior New Mexico State

His points per game average should rise this coming season and he needs to be the 'rock' on the court for Coach Marvin Menzies in keeping the young Aggies focused. Gibson is no pure point but he's the best returning assist guy for the Aggies.

*** Brandon Fields 6-4 195 junior Nevada He went from 2.1 ppg. as a freshman to 12.4 last season and also became a formidable defender. His numbers will again expand this season as Mark Fox expects and should receive greater consistency from Fields.

*** Tai Wesley 6-7 240 sophomore Utah State

Wesley could well average a double-double for Stew Morrill in the coming season and he's also the best Aggie shotblocker. Wesley is the Aggie who plays the muscle man role upfront.

*** C.J. Webster 6-8 250 junior San Jose State

The best passing big man in the WAC, Webster is a solid inside scorer and is looking to better his rebounding totals in 2008-2009.
________________________________________________

We don't see any of the Boise State players making the cut here although transfer forward Ike Okoye will come close. The same with Fresno State but Sylvester Seay and Dwight O'Neill will carry the Bulldogs. Hawaii is going to have to settle for Flemings but Bill Amis will score in double figures this coming season and get his rebounding average up to 8 or so a contest. Guard Mac Hopson is Idaho's lone hope for post-season honors but another tough season for the Vandals will curtail his chances. Jamel White will be a critical player for Kerry Rupp in the Bulldog backcourt but Tech will have scoring and rebounding numbers fairly spread out this season due to influx of new talent. Olu Ashaolu, a Canadian who redshirted last season, is another LTer worth watching. We chose Brandon Fields as Nevada's second honoree over soph Armon Johnson primarily because of Fields' defensive prowess but Johnson enjoyed a marvelous frosh season and will be even better this go-around. Troy Gillenwater is a New Mexico State newcomer getting good press but we expect him to have the usual freshman ups-and-downs. Jahmar Young will enjoy many more shooting opportunities with a load of NMSU seniors having graduated and Herb Pope now in New Jersey but we see Jonathan Gibson as the more well-rounded Aggie guard. San Jose State's Justin Graham may just play his way into post-season accolades with his well-rounded backcourt game. Chris Oakes, with more physical play, could also make some noise. Utah State's 6-4 Tyler Newbold will score much more than last season.s 5.4 ppg. now that Jaycee Carroll is in Italy but needs to demonstrate greater proficiency at taking the ball to the hoop as he managed but 31 free throw attempts last season.

So there you have it.

Have at it.

A basketball/football recruit?

Chris Murray has an interesting article today on a prepster the Nevada basketball coaching staff is wooing. But the kicker is that the recruit also plays football and is a D-1 prospect in that sport.

Coaches, basketball ones in particular, are loath to have two-sport kids on the roster if football is the other element of the menage a trois, if you will, because a player on a football squad that is playing in a bowl game (yes, doesn't that seem like 99% of them nowadays) generally isn't available for hoops until sometime in January.

In this type of an instance, the player usually comes to a school under a football scholarship because that is the sport which will most benefit from the situation.

Our guess: the kid decides on one sport come time to enter college.

Pack Basketball: Pack recruiting two-sport star
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
September 5, 2008

The Nevada basketball team's chief competition for recruit Ed Hazelett might not be other college basketball programs, but could instead be football teams.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound two-sport star out of Warren Central High in Indianapolis is being recruited by the Wolf Pack, his basketball coach Greg Graham said Wednesday.

However, many recruiting Web sites say Hazelett has more potential as a football player, with Scout.com listing him as a three-star recruit and the 26th-best tight end in his class. ESPN.com lists him as the 94th-best tight end, while Rivals.com pegs him as the 44th-best offensive lineman.

Hazelett has cut his football options to Kentucky, Cincinnati and Louisville and is waiting for potential offers from Ohio State and Oklahoma. Still, Graham believes Hazelett's collegiate future lies on the hardwood....

Go here for the remainder.

This is interesting

With the NCAA zero tolerance policy for gambling and gambling associations, this partnership raises an eyebrow. But in doing some checking, the casino in question doesn't involve itself in any sports betting.

Fresno State, tribe ink pact
Foundation to receive $1.5 million in 6-year deal with Tachi Palace.
George Hostetter
The Fresno Bee
9/04/08

In another sign that donors see a bright future for the Bulldogs, the Lemoore-based Tachi Palace and Fresno State athletics have signed a multiyear agreement that includes a $1.5 million commitment to the Bulldog Foundation.

The partnership announced Thursday night includes a $250,000 annual gift for six years to the foundation. The Bulldog Foundation is the athletic department's main fundraising organization, and its responsibilities include funding athletic scholarships.

In a brief telephone interview Thursday, Fresno State athletic director Thomas Boeh thanked the Tachi Yokut Indians of the Santa Rosa Rancheria -- who own the Palace -- for their faith in Bulldogs athletics. He said the university's athletes are excelling in competition and in the classroom, and "it's gratifying that such success is being recognized."

Associate athletic director Danny White, who heads development for the athletic department, said the agreement is a philanthropic gift, not a sponsorship deal. He said the agreement includes use of a suite at Bulldog Stadium and the access to tickets that goes with being a Bulldog Foundation member....

Go here for the remainder.

Steve Cleveland focused on recruiting backcourters

Fresno State Coach Steve Cleveland continues to aim high in his quest to bring a top backcourt talent, whether it be at the point or the two guard. Here's a Chicago prepster with a rep as a very good shooter that the Bulldogs have offered -- the competition looks fierce.

Jed Tai
RedWaveReport.com Basketball Analyst
September 3, 2008

There's always room on your roster for outside shooting, and when it's a need there's even more room. Tony Nixon proved that he was lights out on the AAU circuit all summer long and the lanky 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing from the Seton Academy in the Chicago area won't be affected by the new college three-point line. That's why a host of schools have stepped forth with scholarship offers - including one from Fresno State - and now Nixon is thinking about where he'll take his visits...

...As a result, he's picked up scholarship offers from Fresno State, George mason, UTEP, Illinois, and Drake, and schools like Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Michigan are showing heavy interest as well...

Go here for the complete article -- a Rivals subscription is required.

Fresno State loses one guard, signs another

Backcourt recruit Chris Jones of Newark Memorial High will not be at Fresno State this year, further weakening the Bulldog guard play. Coach Steve Cleveland has signed another point guard but FSU looks mighty thin and inexperienced at the position.

Men's basketball signs guard from Dominguez-Compton
Bryce Cartwright led team to state Division I finals.
George Hostetter
The Fresno Bee
9/03/08

The Fresno State men's basketball team has added freshman point guard Bryce Cartwright, completing the Bulldogs' roster for 2008-09.

The 5-foot-11 Cartwright averaged about 12 points and six assists per game as a senior at Dominguez High-Compton. He led the Dons to the state Division I championship game...

Go here for the remainder.

ALL-WAC selections in 2008-2009?

Well, it's getting to be County Fair time and one booth we never pass by without checking in is that of the seer, he or she who predicts the future.

So we put a call in to the prophet who will be stationed at our local fair and asked what she saw coming down the pike for the upcoming WAC basketball season.

Now we didn't inquire about her college basketball bonafides and she stumbled a bit when we tested her about the three-point shooting distance this season but we pinned her down on what players she saw as most in contention for first and second team ALL - WAC honors in 2008-2009.

For reference, the 2007-08 WAC All Conference members were:

First Team - Reggie Larry, Kevin Bell, Marcelus Kemp, Justin Hawkins, Jaycee Carroll (every selection was a senior)

Second Team - Matt Nelson, Matt Gibson, Jordan Brooks, JaVale McGee, Gary Wilkinson (Nelson and Gibson were seniors, Brooks was dropped by the new coach in Moscow, McGee is in the NBA and Wilkinson is returning to Logan for his final season)

The Player of the Year was Aggie Jaycee Carroll.

Armon Johnson of Nevada was named the Freshman of the Year.


So here are the names we heard from the psychic:

Ike Okoye 6-9 230 junior Boise State
Anthony Thomas 6-0 205 junior Boise State

Sylvester Seay 6-9 220 junior Fresno State
Dwight O'Neil 6-3 190 senior Fresno State

Roderick Flemings 6-7 210 junior Hawaii
Bill Amis 6-9 220 junior Hawaii

Mac Hopson 6-2 195 junior Idaho
Marvin Jefferson 6-9 240 junior Idaho

Kyle Gibson 6-4 185 junior Louisiana Tech
Jamel White 6-3 180 junior Louisiana Tech
Magnum Rolle 6-10 220 junior Louisiana Tech

Armon Johnson 6-3 195 sophomore Nevada
Luke Babbitt 6-9 225 freshman Nevada
Brandon Fields 6-4 195 junior Nevada

Troy Gillenwater 6-8 230 freshman New Mexico State
Jonathan Gibson 6-2 180 junior New Mexico State

Justin Graham 6-4 195 sophomore San Jose State
Adrian Oliver 6-3 185 sophomore San Jose State
C.J. Webster 6-9 255 junior San Jose State

Gary Wilkinson 6-9 240 senior Utah State
Tai Wesley 6-7 240 sophomore Utah State
Tyler Newbold 6-4 180 sophomore Utah State


Keep in mind the Player of the Year always comes from a winning team but not necessarily the overall champion.

Luke Babbitt's name has already been inscribed on on the Freshman of the Year trophy -- we didn't bother consulting on that one. The freshman Babbitt will also be in the running for WAC Player of the Year.

In our next post, we will stick out our necks and 'predict' who will actually be the members of the ALL - WAC first and second teams in 2008-2009, something our clairvoyant refused to do. But we don't know if that was because there are limitations on her powers or because we declined to purchase a "Readings For The Rest Of Your Life" package deal for only $999. Maybe we'll consult another medium for that answer.

Let the squawking begin. But save enough for when you see the boiled down actual selections.

WAC & ESPN holding hands again

Here's the men's basketball portion of the announcement that the WAC - ESPN love affair is back on:

ESPN Extension Caps Off Terrific Last 20 Months for WAC
Courtesy: WAC
9/03/2008

Back-to-back BCS appearances and a National Championship in baseball over the past 20 months have culminated in a contract extension with ESPN that will provide unprecedented exposure for the Western Athletic Conference as announced today by WAC Commissioner Karl Benson and ESPN Senior Vice President Burke Magnus.

Men’s Basketball: Quadruple the number of games per year with a minimum of six regular season games each year on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 (three must be conference games). The conference championship game and one semifinal will also be shown on one of the three networks. A minimum of six regular season games each year on ESPNU plus one quarterfinal game from the tournament. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.....

Go here for the complete announcement on all the WAC sports.

Herb Pope talks

Herb Pope reached out to Jason Groves yesterday. Our commentary will follow:

Pope commits to Seton Hall
Former Aggie player thanks NMSU fans, coaches, teammates
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
9/02/2008

LAS CRUCES — Herb Pope confirmed late Monday that he is taking his services to Seton Hall.

"I am going to Seton Hall," said Pope, the day after New Mexico State University had announced that they had parted ways with the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward from Aliquippa, Pa.

Pope was on the Seton Hall campus last week. Since NMSU granted him the opportunity to seek another school, Pope said he also received interest from Duquesne, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Robert Morris and West Virginia. But it was Seton Hall that had an available scholarship and Pope said the other pieces fit as well.

"I have family matters back home and I wanted to get closer to the east coast," Pope said. "I am a father and I want to get closer to my daughter because I don't want her to go through the same things that I went through..."

Go here for the remainder.

It's all water under the bridge at this point and we extend best wishes to both Pope and to the players on the New Mexico State basketball team -- may they all have the best of college experiences from here on out.

The truth will never be known about what was decided when and by who and how so -- and maybe shouldn't be.

But that doesn't stop us from offering these comments:

But Pope came to NMSU because of Reggie Theus -- no Theus would have meant no Pope in Las Cruces. But it was that AND reduced interest from a number of other teams in the East. So why the pulling back? Certainly some of Pope's personal troubles were a factor plus also that while Pope was a talent, he wasn't going to be an immediate program changer. All this combined to provide the Aggies a toehold that was capitalized on quite well.

But we still think it's doubtful Pope would be at New Mexico State even if Theus was still there. Pope's limited post-high school options probably even surprised himself so playing for a former NBA star was enticing, as it would for most young men. It was the best situation available at the time but one that was going to be shaky despite the best of intentions and any coaching staff makeup.

It's curious that a number of those same coaches/teams who ended up shying away from Pope were now reaching out once it became known that Pope wasn't returning to Las Cruces. But that's the sometimes bizarre nature of recruiting.

We also believe that the sports administration at NMSU was less than forthcoming throughout this matter the last few weeks. Now maybe it was to protect Pope but some of the comments that were made seemed quite self-serving.

We also wonder (granted, this may be getting way too speculative) if Coach Marvin Menzies' greater media assertion of late changed the power equation at least to some degree in NMSU athletics? We offer this because generally, it is the head coach who handles media matters involving players but AD McKinley Boston was the primary 'source' of information early on until Menzies became quoted in the last few articles from the L:as Cruces Sun-News.

Our sense -- albeit an unprovable one -- is that Menzies himself made the determination that Pope was no longer to have the opportunity of remaining an Aggie, shutting down the seemingly daily 'shuttle' of Pope between staying and going. A coach has to have the ability to control his roster in order to retain overall respect and it appears Menzies finally decided enough was enough, asserted himself and made the call. Why this decision didn't happen earlier is curious.

Maybe we are way off base with all this but that's our sense. Again, we offer our hopes that Herb Pope succeeds handsomely in his future endeavors on and off the court and that the Aggie basketballers enjoy a wonderful college tenure.

Utah State to get a visit from Brandon Davies

IN an AW Prince/Rivals article on-line today, it's mentioned that Utah prepster Brandon Davies just completed a weekend recruiting visit to Cal. Plus, straight from the 6-9 Davies is that he will be tripping to Gonzaga next weekend, followed by visits to Utah State and hometown BYU.

We obviously have no insight into what Davies and his family are thinking so, with that proviso, it's going to be hard to top the hometown school (he is of the LDS faith), a PAC-10 program with a major need for bigs (and his game is very similar to a number of the post players Mike Montgomery had at Stanford) and the 'owner' of the West Coast Conference.

Supposedly, Utah and Santa Clara have also offered but there was no mention of them in today's article. Davis does need to up his ACT score but not by much.

Davies has previously set the end of October as the time to make his choice and he wants to sign in November. The talk has been that he would play two seasons before fulfilling his LDS mission duty.