UH welcomes changes in recruiting

Advertiser Staff

University of Hawai'i coaches say if new proposed rules to clean up recruiting are passed next month by the NCAA, as expected, they will likely help level the playing field.

If approved by the NCAA Board of Directors, schools would be prohibited from bringing recruits in on private jets, placing them in hotel penthouses and providing extravagant meals and entertainment.

The rule proposals come in the wake of allegations of recruiting abuses at Colorado and other schools.

"Anything that contributes to leveling the field is good," said Jackson Wheeler, prime recruiter for the Rainbow Warrior basketball team. "I think it could help some because you don't see us using a private jet."

Dan Morrison, an assistant football coach involved in recruiting, said, "We try to present our case to the kids about what the university is about without making it extravagant or anything. So, a rule like this, I think, is good because it helps level things out."

Morrison said, "We try to feature the school the way they are actually going to experience it. June (Jones, the head coach) feels like that it is the players who really sell the school."

Earlier this year, Jones said, "One school — and I won't say which one — sent the Nike jet to American Samoa for a recruit" that UH was also interested in.