AAU football
March 26, 2009 7:14 AM
Flenory understands his ambition will be met with skepticism and trepidation thanks to the reputation of grassroots basketball, which has been tainted by dirty recruiting and by coaches who exploited players for personal gain. Some worry that if grassroots football takes off, it would empower the "street agents," who in the past have shopped players to schools in relative anonymity. With a system similar to basketball's, those street agents could conceivably form their own traveling teams.
That's what worries Illinois coach Ron Zook, who pointed out that most high-school coaches are not allowed to coach seven-on-seven tournaments because of state association rules against extra practices. Zook worries that diminishing the influence of high school coaches combined with the NCAA's stringent restrictions on contact between prospects and college coaches will make it even more difficult for college coaches to make informed recruiting choices. "Once you begin to take the high school coaches out of the mix, then we're getting into the same thing as basketball," Zook said. "The NCAA must feel that what goes on in basketball is OK."
sportsillustrated.com
That's what worries Illinois coach Ron Zook, who pointed out that most high-school coaches are not allowed to coach seven-on-seven tournaments because of state association rules against extra practices. Zook worries that diminishing the influence of high school coaches combined with the NCAA's stringent restrictions on contact between prospects and college coaches will make it even more difficult for college coaches to make informed recruiting choices. "Once you begin to take the high school coaches out of the mix, then we're getting into the same thing as basketball," Zook said. "The NCAA must feel that what goes on in basketball is OK."
sportsillustrated.com
Filed under: College Football
