Facebook App
In the last several weeks, there have been many rumors, innuendos, falsehoods and unsubstantiated reports posted on the Internet and published in newspapers about the recruiting of Oak Park basketball star Iman Shumpert.
Let's deal with the facts:
The 6-4 guard skyrocketed to national attention with outstanding performances in the spring and summer. One scouting service hailed him as the 15th best player in the country. All agree he is a legitimate candidate for McDonald's prestigious 25-man All-America squad. Quite an impressive move for a youngster who wasn't even ranked among the nation's top 200 after last season.
On July 16, Matt Ryndak, Shumpert's AAU coach and the newly hired coach at Johnsburg High School, called me to announce that Shumpert had narrowed his college choices to five--Bradley, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Marquette and North Carolina--and was in the process of calling other schools, including Illinois and Notre Dame, that he had scratched from his list.
Ryndak, who said he was acting in consort with Oak Park coach Al Allen and the Shumpert family, requested that the news be held for one day to allow for Iman to inform all of the colleges that had offered scholarships. He said the youngster wanted to trim his list at that point "as a gesture of respect to all the schools recruiting him, thus giving them an opportunity to shift their focus on otheer prospects."
The Chicago Sun-Times agreed, then jumped the gun and published the news on his Website. Why? In the very competitive journalism business where the Internet and radio deal in minutes while newspapers deal in hours, even days, it was argued that Shumpert's decision would become public knowledge on someone else's Website if the Sun-Times chose to wait. As soon as Shumpert told one school of his decision, everyone would be alerted. That is the nature of recruiting.
No sooner had the Sun-Times released the information that it had obtained from Ryndak, he called to say that he and the family already had received several calls to inquire about Shumpert's decision. Minutes later, Ryndak called again. The telephone was jumping off the hook.
Ryndak said he and the family wanted the news to be removed from the Sun-Times Website, that Shumpert wouldn't have anything more to say about his recruiting until he narrowed his list to three. Later, Al Allen compounded the problem by claiming that the Sun-Times report wasn't true, that it never happened, that there never was a list of five. He knows better.
Respecting Shumpert's wishes, the Sun-Times pulled the story. It shouldn't have. The story was accurate and the news was out of the bag. You can't put ketchup back in the bottle. The backlash was the Sun-Times took some unwarranted criticism for its decision from some sportswriters and Internet contributors who were clueless.
Later, Shumpert announced his final three--North Carolina, Marquette and Georgia Tech. He plans to make official visits in the next two months, then make a decision.
The Shumpert case serves as an example for all of us. Why make an announcement that you have narrowed your list of colleges from 10 to five, then make another announcement that you have narrowed your list from five to three, then call a press conference to announce your final choice? Why not wait until you are ready to make a final decision and avoid all the hoopla? This is supposed to be an important decision, not an ego trip.
For their part, the newspapers and recruiting services and college Websites won't stop doing what they are doing. In some cases, it's about making money. Some call prospects every day. Everyone wants to beat the other guy for a story. Who will be the first to announce Shumpert's final decision?
You can bet that, no matter which school he chooses, the winner of the Shumpert sweepstakes will be revealed on somebody's Website before he calls all of the coaches involved.
Cell Phone Alerts
You hit it on the head with these immature recruits AND their families in your explanation about why they deal with the media and the coaches the way they do:
"This is supposed to be an important decision, not an ego trip."
Regardless of your explanation, it was unethical of the SunTimes to immediately publish the report after agreeing to the delay.
Iman Shump will end up just being a middle of the road player anyway. Illini Fans shouldn't stress. The kids head is getting very big.
Mr. Bell
I could not believe what I was reading. You are telling the world that (a) you obtained valuable and (at least at the time) confidential information from a source by promising the source that you would maintain the information confidential for one day; (b) you betrayed that trust and broke the promise by breaking the story earlier than you had promised because you were afraid that someone else might beat you to it; and (c) YOU ARE NOW ATTACKING YOUR SOURCE FOR BEING ON AN "EGO TRIP."
I don't need to add anymore to the story to show how wrong and pathetic you are as a journalist. Your story says it all.
I truly feel sorry for you and, yes, it is shocking you continue to hold a job at a major newspaper like S-T.
Gee, let me see if I have this right. "We gave our word not to tell, then broke it because this is a competitive business, which of course, is more important than our word." Hopefully everyone will read your article here and never talk to you or your paper again. You prove your word is worthless and then try to blame it on a 17 year old, who at least tried to do the right thing. Pathetic...
If you had followed the wishes of Ryndak and the Shumpert family in the first place, this issue would have never ocurred. Being privy to information does not necessarily give journalists the right to immediately publish the information, especially if given specific directions to wait. Unfortunately, the journalism business has devolved into continually creating news instead of reporting on it. I long ago realized that respect had become a four letter word to most journalists (with the Sun-Times Jay Mariotti at the top of this list), but it wouldn't kill you to exercise that option occasionally.
In the suntimes on September 23,2007 you Taylor Bell published an article of my son Christopher Sesson playing for Robenson High School and i am trying to find it to recieve to oringal picture how do i recieve that picture and the article.
We just couldnt leave your website before saying that we really enjoyed the quality information you offer to your visitors... Will be back often to check up on new stuff you post!