Suspicious hiring practices

Questionable ethics have always existed in the recruiting realm of college basketball. Before the NCAA started cracking down on illegal recruiting practices, recruits used to receive numerous benefits just to attend a school.

Now, universities are following the rulebook, but are gaining an advantage on the court by suspicious hiring practices.

Package deals are the latest craze among powerful college basketball programs. These schools are hiring family members, coaches or confidantes of top high school recruits to receive commitments from these players. Some schools even create positions in the athletic department for these acquaintances just to have basketball recruits join their teams.

While not an illegal action, the NCAA frowns upon this and plans to take action during the spring.

Good riddance. Programs have found another way to deprive opposing teams of the best players. It's just another way for the rich to keep getting richer.

For instance, look at Kansas State University. The Wildcats became an instant contender in the Big 12 when they received a verbal commitment from stud-prospect Michael Beasley.

But Beasley wasn't sold on Kansas State because of the campus's beauty or basketball tradition.

Beasley originally committed to UNC-Charlotte his sophomore year of high school when his former AAU coach Dalonte Hill was hired by the school as an assistant coach.

Once Kansas State hired Hill as an assistant, Beasley instantly changed his mind. The dominant high school player didn't even need to visit the campus; the hiring of Hill was enough to convince him.

It gets worse when you look at Hill's salary. Now in his fourth-year as assistant coach, Hill makes $420,000 a year. This is twice the amount of money most assistants at bigger schools like North Carolina make.

This money isn't for Hill's coaching prowess. Name another assistant from a mid-major school that signed a nearly $.5 million contract.

It's obvious that Hill makes "the big cake" because he has the ability to bring his former AAU players along with him. Along with Beasley, Hill has brought along three other players from the team he use to coach to Kansas State.

Kansas State is not even the worst example.

The University of Southern California has received two package deals to advance its basketball program. Dwayne Pollee Jr. committed to USC for 2010 before he was a freshman in high school in 2006. After receiving his commitment, the Trojans hired his father, Dwayne Pollee Sr., as director of basketball operations.

What has Pollee Sr. done to deserve such a high-ranking job? Before being hired at USC, Pollee Sr. was an assistant coach at a powerhouse - Los Angeles Southwest Community College.

If Pollee Jr. is at USC while his father is an employee, he gets free tuition. He would be considered a walk-on, meaning he doesn't receive one of USC's 13 basketball scholarships. This way, the Trojans have an extra scholarship to give another stud recruit.

Current Trojan starter Daniel Hackett is a walk-on because his father, Rudy, was hired as the team's strength and conditioning manager. It must be nice when you can get four-star prospects to walk on to your program when most schools can't even get this kind of player.

Many people don't see a problem with package deals, but by agreeing to propositions by high school players, basketball programs are unfairly picking up the best players. Not only have teams found an easy way to get the best players, but now less-than-qualified candidates are moving up to positions that should be filled by ethically sound, deserving applicants.