Sheldon Jeter wanted Pitt to recruit him when he was a senior at Beaver Falls. He wanted to be a Panther. Pitt didn’t have a scholarship in the fall of his senior year. And after Khem Birch left abruptly, Coach Dixon looked long and hard at Jeter before going with Chris Jones. When more scholarship opened after the season, there was some interest in Jeter but it still seemed cool. Ultimately Pitt landed (what seemed like a great transfer at the time Trey Zeigler) and Jeter chose Vanderbilt. Still there was this mix of coy interest from Pitt even after the class was filled (and while Pitt was even pursuing Savon Goodman).
A year later Sheldon Jeter had a solid freshman year for Vandy. Well liked by the coaches and fans. Looked to be a promising player. But Jeter felt that family reasons needed him back home and he opted to transfer. He even appeared to get Vandy Coach Kevin Stallings blessing. By all accounts he still wanted to attend Pitt, and now Pitt wanted him. Even if he would have to sit out the year before being eligible.
It seemed that Jeter would announce over this past weekend. Instead he just tweeted that he was leaving Vandy and would be looking at options. Mildly surprising since everyone seemed to know what he wanted to do. Now we know why the delay.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Vanderbilt is blocking Beaver Falls High School graduate Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pitt.
Jeter, who played his freshman season at Vanderbilt last season, announced on Friday that he was transferring to a school closer to home.
Jeter has several options to deal with the situation. He can appeal to the Vanderbilt athletics department to overturn coach Kevin Stallings’ ruling. He can enroll at Pitt and pay tuition for one year before being put on scholarship. Or he can transfer to a school other than Pitt.
It quickly was learned that Pitt was the only school that Vandy/Stallings was blocking Jeter. Duquesne and Robert Morris would be fine. But not Pitt. Jeter can and is appealling this to Vandy directly. Taking Stallings out of the picture.
Naturally no reason was given, but when a specific school is blocked. And it is one that the blocking school doesn’t play or have any history; then it is assumed that the blocked school is suspected of “tampering” with the player by the blocking school.
When Khem Birch was looking to transfer, Pitt initially blocked a transfer to Mizzou because they suspected some of Birch’s people were talking to Mizzou even before Birch’s decision. Pitt ultimately lifted the restriction — aided in no small part by Dixon talking to Mizzou head coach Frank Haith and especially Missouri declining any interest in Birch.
It’s something of a coward approach, though. You suspect but have no proof of tampering. So you just restrict. The fact is coaches — assistants and heads — stay in contact with former recruits all the time just in case. Is it tampering? Hard to say.
As we saw last year when Phil Martelli at St. John’s blocked a recruit from transferring anywhere, and then Bo Ryan at Wisconsin tried the same; reaction by college basketball writers was rather fierce in decrying the practice.
So it isn’t a surprise to see that dynamic in action once more.
Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News.
The tactic of declining a release often results in horrible publicity for the school—and, more specifically, the coach—that takes such an action. Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli was widely lambasted for declining to support a graduate transfer to UAB for center Todd O’Brien.
Wisconsin and Bo Ryan got it about as bad last spring when he initially restricted Jared Uthoff from transferring to 25 schools, including the entire Atlantic Coast Conference.
In the end, it didn’t matter that Ryan later told Sporting News he merely wanted to have a meeting with Uthoff before issuing a wider release.
The damaging publicity was out there.
So Vandy and Stallings reportedly are taking the same chance here, and exactly why they would is most puzzling. Stallings even acknowledged initially that Jeter wanted to be close to home.
Eammon Brennan at ESPN.com:
People get mad when they hear these stories, and for good reason. College basketball coaches are not only wildly compensated, but able to jump from job to job essentially at will, each new buyout clause superseded by the last. College players, meanwhile, must wait a year to play for a new school as a baseline, even if — as is usually the case — their request to transfer is granted and their desired school is approved. The fact that coaches have such tight control over the release and eventual destination of a player on a renewable but non-guaranteed one-year scholarship — a player who can be run off at a moment’s notice and still have to sit out a year — reeks of the NCAA’s antiquated patriarchy in its most odious form.
There may be a valid reason for Stallings’ decision, at least by his own reckoning. Or maybe the coach just doesn’t want to lose a key piece of his rebuilding effort. Maybe he feels betrayed — “wronged,” as Martelli famously put it.
Unfortunately, none of it matters. All we see from the outside is a college coach telling a player he can’t go somewhere based on what amounts to a whim. It is the worst possible look.
Jeff Eisenberg at Yahoo!’s The Dagger.
The irony is unmistakable.
Vanderbilt football fans were irate this week over Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s decision to block quarterback Wes Lunt from transferring to any school in the SEC. Now Commodores basketball coach Kevin Stallings appears to be doing the same thing to a transfer from his own program.
…
That Stallings would attempt to block Jeter’s transfer only reinforces how disappointed the Vanderbilt coach was to lose a key piece of the Commodores’ rebuilding efforts. Jeter averaged 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman, showing comfort in the paint and on the perimeter and emerging as a likely starter next season had he remained.
Nonetheless, just because Stallings is frustrated at losing a key player doesn’t make it right for him to impede Jeter’s quest to find a school that’s a better fit, especially if there’s no evidence Pittsburgh tampered in this instance.
And you can expect more of this. This hurts Stallings more than anyone else. Especially when he hides behind a “no comment.”
Stallings could not be reached for comment, but Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams told the Tennessean Stallings “was concerned about releasing Sheldon Jeter to one of the schools.” He declined to identify the school.
Concern, but not the actual courage to file a complaint or publicly say a word.
It creates a perception of vindictiveness and hypocrisy.
So why is Kevin Stallings blocking Sheldon Jeter’s transfer to Pitt? Because he’s an asshole. That’s why.
Now switching gears, slightly to the football side. Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State is getting the same treatment because he has set loads of restrictions on a QB who wants to transfer. Including Southern Miss because OSU’s former offensive coordinator is now the head coach there.
Really, by comparison, Pitt got off pretty lightly with regards to the restrictions it placed on Rushel Shell. There was some hyperbole from ESPN.com’s Pac-12 writer but not much else. Mainly because Fraud Graham is such an extreme case of assholery that no one else was going to rush to support Graham.
Yet, keep in mind Pitt also blocked Shell from going to WVU and Arizona. Teams Pitt does not and very likely will not face in the next few years. The apparent reason, the relationship Shell might have had with former coaches.
Arizona State coach Todd Graham, assistants Mike Norvell, Paul Randolph and Bo Graham and strength coach Shawn Griswold were part of the staff that initially lured Shell to Pitt. Same goes for Arizona assistants Calvin Magee and Tony Dews and on-campus recruiting director Matt Dudek.
Coaches and staff often maintain relationships with recruits, even if they end up going somewhere else. To allow those coaches to take their pick when a player is unhappy isn’t wise. Where does it stop?
Would other Pitt players who have maintained ties to Graham or Dews try to transfer to their schools after they saw Shell do it? Maybe.
In any case, it sets a bad precedent.
Why? I didn’t post on it at the time, because I was bogged down at the time with other things. Still it struck me as a weak justification.
Pitt benefited in no small part with that prior relationship with WR Mannasseh Gardner when he left Wisconsin. Or Cullen Christian when he left Michigan. He came to Pitt in no small part because of his prior relationship with Pitt coaches that had recruited him at Michigan. And remember when we were hoping Denard Robinson might transfer because of Calvin Magee? Now that isn’t a good idea because it goes the other way?
What about Chavas Rawlins? Should WVU block him from coming to Pitt if he wants to? Or should Pitt stop Deaysean Rippy from going to WVU if he wanted to transfer there?
It’s easy to say those are different situations and should be treated individually with their own particular circumstances. I’m sure that’s what Wisconsin thought last year and Vandy would say right now.
It seems Dixon does not want wpial players going back to his relation with JOTS AAU club and that is why he spurned Jeter.
Secondly, media was out there making it sound like it was a done deal of Jeter transfering to Pitt before Jeter even announced. People like Fittipaldo of PG, Steinbrink of Rivals, etc. For it to get that far to media, people were talking and it was obvious Dixon was talking to Jeter.
Dixon is desparate for players.
It appeared to me that there was tampering. It is easy to prove, just ask for cell phone records of Jeter, his parents, his former BF coach, etc.
And I believe the article is a little inaccurate. The Jeters may be trying to appeal with the Vanderbilt Athletic Department but if they dont grant his release, he can still appeal to the NCAA, which he’d easily win unless the tampering charge could be proven.
To imply JD doesn’t recruit local
players is ludicrous. Lots of unsubstantial
info as usual mentioned above.
JR, you obviously don’t know of the feud between JD and JOTS. Pryor originally committed to Pitt as frosh and Jots told him to rescind. Head case Pope committed to Pitt and Jots told him to rescind. I’m sure you can find the articles if you google. Jots was king of AAU basketball in wpial for the elite. Lots of D1 players came out of Jots.
Blair was an after-thought by Dixon.
I’m not saying wpial is a powerhouse in basketball, but there are some players that are better than what Dixon is recruiting and the wpial kids probably won’t transfer away!!
Here is a link to 1 article I quickly found on JOTS and Pitt. There are others.
CALL PITTSBURGH CSI AND GET A WARRANT TO PULL THE PHONE RECORDS!!!!! GET THE PA SUPREME COURT ON THE LINE!!!!
What a joke.
Here is a very revealing story of him
Vandy doesn’t have to do any of that. All they have to do is ask Jeter to produce them.
Blame the media for wanting to be the first with the story. It was all over that Jeter to Pitt was a done deal and Jeter didn’t even ask Vandy for a transfer yet.
Sorry, but there is clearly a tampering odor here.
Don’t blame Vandy at all quite frankly. I would want Dixon to do the same if the shoe was on the other foot like Birch.
Im not saying wpial is a top area for basketball but it clearly has a few top notch D1 prospects every year.
It seems to me that Dixon turns his nose to wpial due to Jots. Just an opinion.
2013 class. Thorpe to PSU, Wilson to Vtech, Anderson to Navy are a few.
2014 class has lots of D1 prospects. Luther brothers, Minnie, Skovranko, Porter, Pierce.
Whenever Calipari goes to LP games/practices to check out a few recruits kinda tells you something doesn’t it.
Did lunch a few times, but always with a group. Could never really delve deep into the Pitt and JOTS thing.
Always said the right thing about Pitt, and Pitt hoops, but, he always had that shit eaten grin, that, “you don’t know the whole story”.
Always wanted to ask him what’s up with all the stories that you won’t send kids to Pitt, then I walk up to get a coke at a game, and there you are attending all the games as a fan.
Never understood it, don’t know what’s true or not true. Does seem to have steered a lot of good ball players away from Pitt. Maybe not, but if you’re a top AAU coach, and you’re alma mater has a great program, seems like some of those kids should have been slam dunks (no pun intended) to come to Pitt.
I know him and Huggy Bear are tight. Still, Huggy didn’t get them all.
Maybe I was naive back then. Looking back, have the Pitt coaches not played ball (again, no pun intended) with J.O. and the “handlers”.
Always perplexing too me.
I think it’s ridiculous that coaches can move and players can’t, they need to change the rules, I understand that. Have always thought coaches should have to sit out too.
However, kids committ to schools, then they want to transfer, I think the school should be able to block some schools.
If the Vandy coach has a reason, I have no problem with it.
Brennan and Eisenberg articles above, laughable.
Saying it looks bad on the school and the coach.
Too who, and for how long??
In the cesspool of college athletics, did any of us even know Bo Ryan put some restrictions on one of his players last year. Did anyone care, besides those directly effected??
This will effect Stallings reputation to who, and for how long?? I’ll answer. To almost no one, and for about a week.
Also, if there is some smell of impropriety, these writers think they should come forward and make charges?? Are they out of their minds.
For what?? For a bunch of bad attention and trouble, for things that are almost entirely unprovable.
I thought we should block Shell from UofA, ASU, PSU and WVU and the ACC.
That still left him with about 105 other schools to attend.
Not a hypocrite. If Vandy wants to block him from Pitt, that’s their prerogitive.
Anyhow, that’s how I see it.
I’m all for some rule changes. Until they do….
He clsims that coaches can ‘transfer’ without restriction. My response is a $2 million buyout is quite a restriction. Also, if a coach can be fired in the middle of his contract, then why can’t he leave for a better opportunity … in either case, there are financial reparations.
My view is that if a player wants to transfer, then he has every right to …. aren’t most scholarships a one year deal anyway that the school unilaterally renews? (BTW, there are 4 year scholarships but very few schools grant them.)
I would not want a player who doesn’t want to be here to stay … and would send him on his merry way without restriction (although I can see an argument if there was definite evdience of tampering.)
Ya, I got ya. It’s a free market and the players and coaches should be free to go where they want.
Something just seems a little different in college coaching though.
When you tell a kid and a family that you, and your staff will be there for them for four years.
I don’t know, I have no answers, just my thoughts.
He was the one taking kudos for calling it. He practically said several weeks ago, Jeter to Pitt was a lock and Jeter had yet to submit transfer papers.
His answer, all of Beaver County was talking about it?? just interesting.
I don’t know what constitutes tampering however it is naive to think there wasn’t any contact between Jeter and Pitt whether directly or indirectly. Whether that is tampering I don’t know.
A school can offer a player a 4 year, guaranteed scholarship (with morals clause for arrests and such). The downside is the player cannot transfer without permission from the school.
With a year to year scholarship, the player is free to leave at any point with no restrictions, but the school is free to rescind the scholarship for no cause as well.
A huge upside is in football and basketball, it would make smaller schools more competitive. They could offer a player the scholarship he wants as opposed to which one the school wants. If a player wants a guaranteed ride, he can take the 4 year deal. If he wants to show his stuff then leave to a different school, he can take a 1 year deal.
Hey, from the you learn something new everyday files. I always considered myself a pretty good sports fan and especially a good college football and hoops fan. Like all of us are on here.
You know what, I only heard about the year to year scholarships last year sometime.
I always thought once you got a scholarship, unless you violate the law or code of conduct, you had a scholarship for all 4 years.
Starting with Chris Jones. Jones committed at the end of February in 2012. Sheldon Jeter waited until May to make a decision. His power conference offers came late in the recruiting. Much like Jon Severe, his best offers didn’t come in until many other players came off the board. Personally I find that kind of comparisons based on offers absurd. Plus, like Jones, Jeter was a 2 or 3-star recruit depending on which service you like (Scout & ESPN had 2-stars; Rivals & 247 said 3).
“Blair was an afterthought by Dixon”
Holy shit! Where the hell do you even find that in reality? DeJuan Blair was a very important player Dixon pursued. He had to beat out Tennessee with Bruce Pearl (who Blair actually favored) and Indiana with Kelvin Sampson (and Blair was one of the recruits that Sampson made excessive phone calls to that got him fired) to get him.
Dixon went hard after the entire Schenley group. D.J. Kennedy just wanted out of Pittsburgh. DeAndre Kane struggled badly to get the grades yet Pitt kept the interest in him even after he went to prep school.
The J.O. Stright stuff is old and overblown. That was much more with the fans because of the Terrelle Pryor and Herb Pope stuff plus what he admitted to doing back when Paul Evans was at Pitt.
link to pittblather.com
link to pittblather.com
link to pittblather.com
link to pittblather.com
Pitt went after Herb Pope for some time, but had to give up because of his grades — remember how he struggled to even get eligible at New Mexico State?
Plus, Jeter didn’t even play for JOTS. He played for an Ohio AAU program.
link to buckys5thquarter.com
The whole doesn’t recruit WPIAL/local stuff still? Geno Thorpe is a nice player, but he’s a 3-star guard. Devin Wilson (VT) is a 2-3 star guard. Exactly what makes these players so special or so vital to Pitt other than being local?
Dan, you ask who cares about coaches actions when they block transfers? How about negative recruiting? Or the high school and AAU Coaches who help kids make their decisions? It may not be crucial, but it matters and plays a role.
Steven Adams rising on NBA draft boards as arguments that he was not used well at Pitt. /sigh
I just had to respond to your “Adams has a great jump shot” comment from a different post. He shot 43% from the line! He’s athletic and has good shooting form, but he was awful on everything but dunks last year.
If you’ve ever played, you would know how much that would effect your shooting.
He should have been sat for awhile to let it heal, however JD needed him in there for the defense and rebounding he provided.
I’m sure that makes it tough to shoot. And perhaps Jamie should have sat him for a while. But to say his offensive talents were hidden by Dixon is ridiculous — not your words I know. I’ve read on here from several people that the offense should have been run through Adams and I think those people watch a different game than me.
On top of that, half the time he put the ball on the floor he turned it over.
No – in double elimination baseball tournaments, you always start with your best pitchers. You do not want to be in the loser’s bracket after 1 game. You may end up out of the tournament before you even play one of the best teams like Louisville. Now that would suck.
Hypocrisy in college athletics? Oh, the horror of it all.
JO the Pitt fan and contributor who knows by that status alone can land Pitt on probation.
The day I worry about losing WPIAL recruits in hoops is the day Mike “Yinzer” White wins a Pulitzer and Stan Savran stops spitting while talking.
I would have saved Mildren, call me crazy.
How many “at-large” bids are there for regionals? 64 teams, right? How many projected from Big EAst?
least 10 storys out there.
that is the point he did not show that at pitt becuse of his role in the system,
just read the posts stop talking sabought what he did at pitt.
The Big East is very possibly a 4 bid league this year. Louisville and Seton Hall are locks. Pitt and South Florida are bubble…. Notre Dame has some nice wins and a strong RPI but they finished 7th in the league and may need to win the tourney.
Perfect Game had us as the first team out entering the tourney…
I think if we knock Notre Dame off tomorrow that we are a lock to make the tourney.
moved up from the 28 pick to 10 becuse of a offence
game that they did not know he had.
becuse of a skill set that was not shown all year.
i wont talk abought it with any of you any more but
i think the NBA GM know what they are talking abought.
if you all wont read the posts abought adams
at NBA COMBINE. that is up to you but iam done with it.
i wont waste time with people who wont look at
facts and they are not my facts they are what NBA
people say but you all know more then themi get it
but i will have no more to say abought it so dont ask me.
As I blogged several dozen times since January, Adams wasn’t put in a position to show us his ‘face up game’. He was buried in the Paint with his back to the basket. I suggested they move him to PF and put Sleepy and/or Zanna at Center. I also suggested they try to isolate Adams on one side of the floor instead of him trying to bang bodies and being double teamed in the middle, as he mentions in this article.
But what do I know (this is for you Frankie)
Before the combine most mock boards had Adams slated to be picked in the 20s, but Ford was impressed enough to propel him to No 13.
However it’s nice to know, paid experts saw what a lot of us saw several months ago.
Adams last game was probably his best, 13 & 10.
He was actually fed the ball correctly by JR for some easy hoops.
Chaster:
Applause to Blather’s sales-marketing team..
Cougars to LEARCAPITAL, and now we hit rock-bottom low In: San Diego Christian Colleges..
— wait..
Oh Sh*t.. Immediate Update @3a EST:
Sudden complete turn of events @right column. Aldo Shoes Sl*t makes entrance.
I am again a sponsor and donor to blog..
And for all you out there who cannot keep your heads from doing 360z over Dixon & Chryst. Let me remind that we’re in the midst of the annual DEAD PERIOD so far as sporting news goes.
Cue EDSBS (lighten up)
Rightfully, though, supposing one of our teammates gets arrested et al., permissions exist to go ballistic and sound off accordingly.
HTP
With a 2 guard like Woodall Pitt did not need to use the best offensive center in college. As the year before with Gibbs Birch was despensible.
Taylor could be played at the 5 if he spent most of his time at McDonalds.
Adams left because of Dixon not his family.
Woodall played over 30 minutes against W.S. shot 1 for 20, 5 here you take the ball. For
A player of Adams quality this last foot up the ass of favortism was enough.
He did not throw Jamie under the truck because he felt he owed it to Dixon.
Under different circumstances he would of stayed [circumstance would not have changed]. Robinson, Adamss, Young and most importantly Wooddall graduated that’s a final 4 or National Championship team (make Robinson captain/continue to let him coach the guards).
I guess if there was definite evdidence of tampering, but I don’t consider it to be tampering if the player himself makes the 1st step and contacts the people from other schools that he may be interested in.