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Duke Basketball: NCAA Coaches Should Not Coach Uncommitted Players

By Kevin Connelly

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 18: A detail view of a USA Basketball hat prior to a Women's Semifinal Basketball game between the United States and France on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 18: A detail view of a USA Basketball hat prior to a Women's Semifinal Basketball game between the United States and France on Day 13 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /
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Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski coached the USA National Basketball Team for years, but he never coached a committed or uncommitted high school player and neither should any other college coach.

The United States U18 Basketball Team won the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships in Canada last week.

The team was comprised of current high school players either in the class of 2018 or 2019.

The head coach for Team USA was Kansas University Head Coach Bill Self, while Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning and Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant served as assistant coaches.

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Among the twelve players that represent the United States, only five of them are committed to colleges, four of those players are in the class of 2018 and one player, Quentin Grimes, is committed to play for Self at Kansas.

The one committed player in the class of 2019, Tyrese Maxey is committed to play at Kentucky, but he has not signed his National Letter of Intent yet and the Jayhawks were recruiting him to come to Lawrence.

Having Self and Manning coach these players are giving the two coaches an unfair advantage in the recruiting process as the players are able to see how the coaches react to in game situations and as the coaches get to see how players react to adversity.

Specifically, Kansas is heavily recruiting the ESPN No. 4 player in the class of 2019, Matthew Hunt and the No. 5 player in the class, Cole Anthony, both who were on Team USA. Self also offered No. 34 player in the class of 2019 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, someone else Self hand-picked for the team.

Manning also offered Anthony, as well as players such as the No. 18 recruit in the class of 2019 Armando Bacot.

Many are quick to point out the success Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim had as coaches for the Team USA National team, but the two never coached any incoming players.

Krzyzewski and Boeheim coached NBA players such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, but he never coached any incoming college player or even high school recruits.

As the battle for major college recruits is as heated as ever thanks to the one and done phenomena, college coaches should not be allowed to coach these young players in international competitions. Players should be influenced by the facilities of the school as well as the words of the coaching staff and other former or current players, not a first-hand experience from playing for a college coach in an international tournament.

While the FIBA Championships are a great tool for coaches to use to measure the talent level of a player, however, it is not fair for some college coaches to have to sit in the stands watching the players while a select number of coaches are on the bench getting to know the players through games and many practices.

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