Guess away

Love those CBS Sports columnists who drop the blind items. Big fun!

A recruit out West who ended up in the Pac-10 a few years ago charged schools $10,000 just to get him on campus for an official visit. I know the kid’s name — he’s in the NBA now — and I know the school he chose, but I don’t have it nailed down to the point where I can fill in those blanks for you, and odds are good that I never will. Several coaches have told me about the $10,000 price tag, including one coach who told me he turned that offer down, but there is no proof. Do I believe it? Absolutely. Can I prove it? Absolutely not.

After attempting to turn over every college basketball stone we could find, we sadly have no clues to offer. You’re on your own. The other blind item?

This happened at a restaurant at the 2007 Final Four, at a meal including 20 people, most of them coaches, a few of them NBA scouts, and me. A coach with a Final Four on his resume, a coach who has no idea I’m there, loudly accuses another coach of stealing a recruit. Better than that, this coach says he was out-cheated by the other guy — who also has a Final Four on his resume.

“I thought I had that deal all locked up,” this coach said. “But then (name withheld) comes in, does his thing, and it’s over. I’ll never recruit against (him) again.”