The Hlog

It's Curious ...

that one of Steve Alford's University of Iowa basketball commitments for 2007 said this to the Indianapolis Star Tuesday:

"I knew for about a week it was a good possibility (Alford would go to New Mexico) from him and my AAU coach, who's good friends with him," said Jake Kelly of Carmel, Ind. "But (Alford) called me the day he signed with them and just told me that he wanted me to come with him, and that they needed me and that he thinks they've got a good future there with some of the recruits that he thinks will follow him."

Tuesday night, Kelly told the Gazette's Jim Ecker ``He said he'd like for me to come and that he thinks he's got a good future here.''

Uh, Steve, you can't do that. Not with players who have signed a national letter-of-intent. You knew that, too. At the very least, you tell a kid not to say anything like that to reporters.

It wouldn't be shocking if young Kelly will amend his story sometime soon. You know, something like "Coach Alford never asked me to come to New Mexico." Who knows, maybe Kelly was just confused.

But the words are out there, and the kid would have had no reason to make them up. Just like he had no reason to make up that part about Alford telling him the New Mexico move was a possibility well before Alford told the current Iowa players that he was leaving for the Lobos' job.

I'd be amazed if anything ever came of this NCAA-wise. It's the kind of thing that seems like it can easily be tap-danced around. Plus, why would Iowa want to retain recruits who don't want to be there?

But it seems a little iffy, no?

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