Dad recruits son, who’s downstairs, on Zoom
Kentucky lands 7-foot Wake Forest transfer
CHICAGO — What do you get when you take a blue-chip recruit, add a rulesabiding coach father and throw in a dash of social distancing?
You get what transpired in the Wisconsin home of Patrick Baldwin on April 28.
Baldwin is the nation’s No. 3-ranked junior, a smooth operator with the frame of Scottie Pippen and an emerging skill set likened to that of Klay Thompson. His father Pat, the former star Northwestern guard, just completed his third season as head coach at Milwaukee.
With the NCAA prohibiting coaches from “face-to-face” contact with recruits through May 31, the Baldwins did something that reflects the times. Pat, who is recruiting his sought-after son, interacted with Patrick via a Zoom video call. The father was upstairs; the son down in the kitchen with his mother, Shawn.
“It was quite emotional for everyone,” Shawn said by text. “Lots of tears, laughs and excitement.”
Patrick said he went into the call with a “lighthearted” attitude but that changed once his dad, who walks with the posture of an army general, got serious. Pat told him he’d waited 17 years for such an opportunity.
“He told me about the progress he has seen in me from the time he put the ball in my hands,” Baldwin said. “He said whether I decide to play for him or not, he will always love me. He really does hope I choose to play for him.”
Baldwin told the Tribune he is having most frequent contact with six schools: Milwaukee, Duke, Northwestern, Michigan, Georgetown and North Carolina. Milwaukee is believed to be in the lead.
“You don’t see many coaches’ sons not play for their father,” he said. “The conference (Horizon League) is a little bit of a drawback but at the end of the day you know he will always have my best interests.” KENTUCKY: Former Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr said Wednesday he is transferring to Kentucky, giving the Wildcats an experienced 7-footer after the team’s entire starting lineup declared for the NBA draft.
“He gives us a veteran, established player who has not only played on a big stage and played well, he wants this next challenge,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said in a statement.
Sarr, a 255-pound junior from France, will have one season of eligibility remaining. He would have to sit out the 2020-21 season under NCAA transfer rules, but Kentucky said Sarr will seek a waiver for immediate eligibility because of the coaching change at Wake Forest. Danny Manning was fired and replaced by Steve Forbes, who spent the previous five seasons at East Tennessee State.
OLLIE: An NCAA panel has rejected an appeal by former UConn coach Kevin Ollie, who sought to overturn findings that he violated ethical conduct rules while leading the Huskies.
The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee ruled Ollie failed to prove that information he presented alleging witnesses against him lied outweighed the information that supported the violation findings.