Quotin' Bob
Gibbons was interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times on the proposed reforms,
various recruits including Eddie Curry, who is getting the Big Buildup, being
called the next Shaq by some, but that's not the same as being called the next
Kareem or the next Wilt, but it's still not bad.
Aside from the other interesting points, he launches a blistering critique of
other internet recruiting rivals, saying that "[t]here is so much pressure being exerted on athletes today, much of it from Internet
wackos who call kids every day to ask recruiting questions. It is oversaturation. They are as annoying as telemarketers. They aren't using any journalistic standards or good judgment."
On the one hand, in some ways, we agree: there's a lot of bad information
online, and a lot of it gets spread around as gospel. Who needs that?
On the other hand, though, there's no denying that the internet has had an
enormous effect on recruiting. Information flows more quickly, good or
bad.
There is also a tremendous competition now for the market. There are
new guys coming on all the time, and the race for information has gotten crazy.
Gibbons, who pioneered the whole idea, is probably sick of the competition, but
things change. Gibbons can certainly compete, and complaining about lower
standards doesn't make the competition go away.