Isaac Hamilton asks out of LOI with UTEP

Hamilton is a 5 star recruit per Rivals and was expected to suit up this Fall. He’s asking out of the LOI and wants to enroll at USC per the LA Times.

Oh man, that sucks. He was a Top25 kid.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-0721-ucla-usc-basketball-20130721,0,3401999.story

Sounds like ailing grandmother doesn’t have much time left.

Not really sure how him staying close to play basketball will change the situation. Once a LOI is signed that should be official. 1) Go to UTEP OR 2) Stay at home and sit out a year

Ouch! Oh I don’t know, maybe it will allow him to be around a sick family member more.

Latest.

ESPN.com: Isaac Hamilton denied release

Don’t think he will ever play for UTEP based on that article, looks like the relationship is severed. But, I think he will have to sit out a year - neither side seems to want to budge. Which to me, doesn’t seem so unfair.

NLIs are pretty one-sided agreements. Stinks a coach can leave in July but a player can’t.

Tim Floyd is scum not surprised the release was denied.

[quote=“NLP49, post:9, topic:27975”]NLIs are pretty one-sided agreements. Stinks a coach can leave in July but a player can’t.[/quote]A recruit / multiple recruits backing out of LOI’s at the last minute can have a devastating impact on a program that can ultimately lead to a coach being dismissed, so I think both sides stand to lose.

In the case of UTEP, it sounds like they went the extra mile to make sure they scheduled as many road games in the LA area as possible for Hamilton. Now he’s backing out with a month before school starts.

If they say it is okay, then they need to just do away with the NLI. They also need to do away with tampering rules and just let recruiting be a free for all until the day school starts since USC would basically be getting away with it.

It’s essentially a contract stating your business to attend. It’s not exactly the same. Recruiting is over your papers, aid, enrollment (its still two parts: education and athletics), etc is filed and filled and there are no “openings”. Coaching is simply a business and when jobs open and start being filled at the end of the season it creates a domino effect. If a coach simply had an offer in May but waited to July to accept after “his” players had enrolled then I’d say I agree with you. Can’t recall this ever happening. I would agree that if a coach left and a player under him then wanted to leave once the new coach came in because they don’t mesh or see eye to eye I’d be all for it.

Sounds to me like they’re using it as an excuse to switch to USC after Enfield was hired. I bet the real reason for the switch was his hiring and some illegal contacts by the new coaches getting Hamilton to reconsider the hometown school’s new play style.

If UTEP releases him for this, then I agree that the NLI is useless. Might as well use any excuse whatsoever to get out of an NLI at any point.

Also, coach leaving issue is a problem to me, and should result in allowing players to transfer with no consequences if their coach leaves his/her job (for whatever reason). Programs would see a real downturn if many leave, but it also would be fair to everyone and help the old guard move on more quickly if they want to.

And now it’s Gary Parrish chiming in.

CBSSports.com: Tim Floyd is wrong (and hypocritical) to not release Isaac Hamilton