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News Nuggets, 07.21.06
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NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Hoops recruiting thumbnail: Jontae Sherrod

JONTAE SHERROD (6-3, 180) G, Tarboro High ... Discovered by the Pirates during their team camp in Greenville during the summer of 2006. ... East Carolina coaches were impressed with what he showed and made a scholarship offer which Sherrod accepted prior to the start of the July evaluation period, according to recruiting analyst Dave Telep. ... Western Carolina, UNC-Wilmington, College of Charleston, Elon and VCU had expressed interest but ECU was the first to make an offer. ... Averaged 23 points during the 2005-06 season. ... First known ECU commitment from the 2007 high school class.

View the 2007 ECU hoops recruiting thumbnails page...

Tiger recruit says Irish used negative tactics

The Charleston (SC) Post and Courier has reported that Clemson defensive end Jamie Cumbie, an incoming freshman from Morris, IL, said Notre Dame coaches used questionable recruiting tactics before and after he committed to the Tigers in June of 2005.

"I'm not going to lie," Cumbie said in a report by Larry Williams. "The coaches at Notre Dame sent some bad letters ripping Clemson after I committed here."

That claim has particular relevance in the Palmetto State given the recent indecision of Gary Gray, a highly rated cornerback who plays at Richland Northeast in Columbia. Having announced an oral commitment to South Carolina in March, Gray has recently re-opened his recruitment and is strongly considering Notre Dame.

Commitments are non-binding until prospects sign letters of intent, and Cumbie said Notre Dame's coaches didn't back off after he orally committed to the Tigers before his senior year.

"They were sending me postcards like a month after I committed," said the 6-7, 255-pound Cumbie, who was a first-team Parade All-American. "The only school that tried to keep recruiting me was Notre Dame. It really didn't bother me."

Cumbie said the Fighting Irish coaching staff, led by second-year head coach Charlie Weis, also engaged in some negative recruiting on his visit to South Bend.

"They had a piece of paper, and it broke down advantages and disadvantages," Cumbie said. "It said Notre Dame was televised every weekend, every Saturday. Then they said Clemson has a horrible education."

Duke football hit by suspension, dismissals

Duke football coach Ted Roof has announced on goduke.com that quarterback Zack Asack has been suspended for violation of school policies and will not be eligible for the 2006 season.

"I am on academic suspension for plagiarism," Asack said.

Asack will be eligible to return to Duke in the summer of 2007.

Asack earned honorable mention freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News in 2005 after starting six of the final seven games and leading Duke in passing yards (966). The Westwood, MA, native completed 90 of 180 pass attempts with five touchdowns and eight interceptions and ranked seventh nationally among rookie quarterbacks in passing yardage.

Asack, who rushed for an additional 95 yards and two touchdowns and became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Duke since Steve Slayden in 1984, threw for a season-best 328 yards at Clemson in week 10.

Roof also announced that wide receiver Deon Adams, safety Andreas Platt and offensive lineman Joe Suder have been dismissed from the program for violation of team regulations.

Adams, a native of Greensboro , played in 27 career games with 12 pass receptions for 125 yards, while Platt, also a Greensboro product, saw action in 11 contests and recorded 15 tackles. Suder, a native of Reno, NV., did not see game action as a true freshman in 2005.

Adams initially committed to East Carolina as part of the Pirates' 2003 signing class but he subsequently signed with the Blue Devils.

UK to report itself over Internet shenanigans

The Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader has reported that Kentucky will turn itself in for a recruiting violation after Internet messages suggesting that being a Wildcats basketball player leads to the likelihood of abundant sexual favors.

The newspaper said the situation will cause UK to report a relatively minor violation of NCAA rules in its recruitment of highly regarded prospect Patrick Patterson, the school's compliance officer said yesterday.

The "secondary" violation involves NCAA restrictions on which representatives of schools can contact prospects, UK compliance officer Sandy Bell said. The self-report is not expected to affect UK's pursuit of Patterson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Huntington, WV, and a top-20 national prospect.

The prospect's father, Buster Patterson, said he was unaware of the postings and that the family's computer had been broken for about a week.

Fans tried to entice Patterson to sign with UK by posting suggestive messages on the prospect's MySpace.com Web site.

One fan entry showed a picture of the UK Dance Team with an accompanying message saying, "Do you realize how hot this girl is? And the best part about it, there (sic) gonna be all over you when you get here, good luck getting your home work done with her sitting around looking at ya."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:49 PM