Fans Contacting Recruits

[gametime]

I thought this was relevant enough for its own thread.

Beas Hamga, a talented post player searching for a college, made an official visit to the University of Kentucky this weekend.

 

But his AAU coach and legal guardian, Mark Adams, is questioning some of the motivation behind the Cameroon native’s sudden interest in the Wildcats.

 

Adams said when word recently came out that he was considering UK, Hamga had his MySpace and Facebook Web sites bombarded by messages from fans claiming to be from Kentucky.

 

“I think it’s pretty pathetic, but it’s true,” said Adams, who estimated Hamga had “between 100 and 200” of the messages on the sites.

 

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/SPORTS11/70512018

[gametime]

I think it's as simple as this. You are a fan. You are not actually affiliated with the program no matter how much your life revolves around it...

[Son of Bear]

I'm not the least bit surprised by this. What do people expect to happen when every move made in recruiting is posted all over the internet....

[gametime]

I'm not the least bit surprised by this. What do people expect to happen when every move made in recruiting is posted all over the internet....

Why has there been no other similar stories that involve any other schools? Not even one. But yet this is two for UK in a year...

[MBWC41]

I wonder how many of these fans that are contacting recruits through these social networks are kids ? Like in the 17 and under age range... I don't have a myspace,face book or xanga page, I just never was interested enough to make one. However, my younger brother,age 11,has a few of these and it would not at all surprise me if he thought there was no problem in sending a possible future UK player a message. I'm sure he would think it was awesome to have a UK recruit as a "friend".

[MBWC41]

I for one think the NCAA's rule on this is crazy. No, not crazy, insane. It's a public website for the general public to view and post comments or messages. If it's not someone highly ranked with the school doing the messaging then whats the big deal ? If it makes a fans day better to have a recruit on their "friends" list then let them be.

[Son of Bear]

Why has there been no other similar stories that involve any other schools? Not even one. But yet this is two for UK in a year...

 

I'm not trying to take up for UK in this, I just think with sites like Facebook and Myspace that things like this are bound to happen. In Lexington and elsewhere....

 

With the circus that recruiting has become (especially this year), crazy fans stalk these 18 year old kids and the internet is a great place to do so.

[gametime]

I for one think the NCAA's rule on this is crazy. No, not crazy, insane. It's a public website for the general public to view and post comments or messages. If it's not someone highly ranked with the school doing the messaging then whats the big deal ? If it makes a fans day better to have a recruit on their "friends" list then let them be.

Being on a "friends" list isn't the issue. Large numbers of messages are. The fans are not recruiters. They are fans. That means they don't try to recruit. Period...

[Austydak]

Why has there been no other similar stories that involve any other schools? Not even one. But yet this is two for UK in a year...

Until it is deemed illegal why worry about it. It would be a whole nother story if it was Duke, UNC, UC, or any other school for people on here. Since it is UK it is a major crime.

[dolamite]

Yes, this really has turned into a sad situation. I was hoping people would learn their lesson with Patrick Patterson, I am assuming they haven't. The fact that Beas has only been on our radar for a little over two weeks and he already has that kind of message count is what makes it so bad.

[stickymitts]

Until it is deemed illegal why worry about it. It would be a whole nother story if it was Duke, UNC, UC, or any other school for people on here. Since it is UK it is a major crime.

 

Because when someone states that they "are a graduate and you would be a rock star"...it's dang near illegal. I'm sure some of them contribute monetarily some way to the school. These people are so fanatical that they don't even listen to the pleads from THEIR compliance officer. I guess once they receive sanctions from the NCAA everyone will be calling for Barnhart's head...

 

Again, like the team/school, can't stand the majority of it's fan base...

[letabrotherspeak]

Curious about the coach's timing about this.

Hamga had a lot of interest in UK well before he began getting hit by these people on his webpage.

Once that interest was made known, did fans start going there.

 

You can't police it...all these kids need to do is make it a private forum for certain people if they dont want the messages.

I could log on as a Florida fan and say my uncle owns a boat shop and we can get you a new ride...does Florida get in trouble for this?

 

Recruits for football in Florida are inundated with these messages from fans.

[NineOh]

Anyone that tries to make this a UK specific issue is clearly a UK basher, no questions asked. It happens everywhere. I don't see it being a big deal, especially since there's no rule on it. If someone cares enough about it that they think they can affect a recruit by sending them a message, then so be it. Much ado (by UK haters of course) about nothing in my opinion.

[gametime]

Anyone that tries to make this a UK specific issue is clearly a UK basher, no questions asked. It happens everywhere. I don't see it being a big deal, especially since there's no rule on it. If someone cares enough about it that they think they can affect a recruit by sending them a message, then so be it. Much ado (by UK haters of course) about nothing in my opinion.

Show me where this has been an issue on the magnitude of Patterson and now Hamga in the NCAA hoops world...

[NHS BIG DADDY]

Anyone who posts messages on a recruits myspace or facebook trying to get them to come to their school is a loser if you ask me.