Heath: Visit confirms all fine with Famous

[Held_AccountaBull]

can't wait until the day mcmurphy loses his job

[gobulls83]

can't wait until the day mcmurphy loses his job

I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I'd prefer they just reassign him - maybe have him make sure all the editors' coffee mugs stay hot and full - and get someone competent on the USF beat.

[Cubanbull]

Well did he update his "scoop" before he went on vacation?

Since I wont waste my time looking at his blog maybe flsports can let us know.

I dont wish for him or anyone lose their jobs, but iit is obvious that he is NOT the right person to have covering USF athletics.

[aragingbull]

The story on Jarrid Famous by Brett McMurphy was nothing more than inside issues getting resolved in a public forum. Players will get opinions or suggestions from friends, coaches and others they trust.

Example: If the assistant (Mickey Carey) mentions to Jarrid Famous he should be treated a certain way, Famous will most likely agree and return a comment/agreement to (Carey) the coach that he agrees with him.

This action would give the coach (Carey) a forum (if contacted) to discuss with a writer (McMurphy) that said player said this or that. Happens every day. Now the coach (Carey) who may have another (career moving)agenda may fuel the issue publicly in order to save face with aother school (Arizona) to balance a failed attempt to deliver the player to that school.

OK, so you have a writer (McMurphy) who is always looking for the scoop taking this situation and running with what was said by(Carey)the coach. Brett did make other calls and did the best he could do to get the story out before things changed either way.

When you have two writers (and Greg Auman-St Pete Times) reporting different things on the same day it creates more confusion. Both had sources that backed their side of the issue. This situation drew Coach Stan Heath into the fray publicly which in itself is not good because he had to explain without going into full detail that he is in fact traveling to New York to meet with Famous the very same weekend.

Heath could only respond in the manner he did because there were too many voices being heard already. At the end of the day when players are around people they trust who have issues unknown by the public you will get this scenario most of the time.

At the end of the day my feelings like most were that the simple words "player is wavering" or there is "trouble in paradise" would have saved face for Brett either way. He gambled on a scoop and it went south on him.

He's a good writer just feeling the heat in these tough times and he's been trying to get the best story before his competition (Auman) does for years. That's OK. Not sure there was anything more than multiple voices being heard by player and writer in public and the lack of concrete answers made it look like there was something to this.

I can tell you from experience after signing a LOI you will always hear it from your friends, even family that you should have done this or that. Until you arrive on campus the wavering will linger (in your mind) because of the element(s) around you won't let it go away.

I'm sure the USF people are happy this has ended in their favor. Had this never hit the papers I'm sure Stan Heath would have checked in on his prize recruit to cement the deal anyway even in the mist of second guessing by the player.

Give Stan Heath credit for working things like he did. Brett McMurphy traveled down the right road but did't pay any tolls on the way and the (recruiting process) law caught up with him before he could exit.

Tony Grier

http://bullhooptalk.blogspot.com/

[nobull.Bulls]

Thats what I call quality in-depth analysis!

[gobulls83]

OK, so you have a writer (McMurphy) who is always looking for the scoop taking this situation and running with what was said by(Carey)the coach. Brett did make other calls and did the best he could do to get the story out before things changed either way.

When you have two writers (and Greg Auman-St Pete Times) reporting different things on the same day it creates more confusion. Both had sources that backed their side of the issue. This situation drew Coach Stan Heath into the fray publicly which in itself is not good because he had to explain without going into full detail that he is in fact traveling to New York to meet with Famous the very same weekend.

But the whole point is, McMurphy <i>didn't</i> have the sources to back his claim. <a href="http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/coach-top-recruit-famous-seeks-release-from-usf-loi/">Here</a> is the entire original story by Brett:

<blockquote><i>

Westchester (N.Y.) Community College center Jarrid Famous, regarded as the prize of the University of South Florida’s incoming men’s basketball recruiting class, no longer wants to attend USF and is seeking a release from his letter-of-intent.

The 6-foot-11 Famous does not “feels comfortable with USF anymore†and is prepared to sit out the 2009-10 season without playing, if USF doesn’t release him, said Mickey Carey, an assistant at Westchester.

Famous has left phone messages with Heath about wanting to get out of the letter-of-intent, but Heath has not returned Famous’ calls, Carey said. Heath has E-mailed Famous and wrote he’s “determined not to release†Famous.

Since Heath has not responded, Carey said Famous is in the process of contacting USF athletic director Doug Woolard to get his release.

“There seems to be a rift among the (Westchester) coaches wanting him to go to Arizona,†said Heath, who added he has no problem with Westchester coach Tyrone Mushat. “The dad assured me the kid is coming. I spoke briefly with Jarrid today and I am supposed to talk to him again later today.â€

Famous could not immediately be reached for comment by the Tampa Tribune.

Last season as a sophomore at Westchester, Famous ranked among the nation’s top three in the junior college ranks in points (25.2) and rebounds (13.7). He also averaged 2.1 blocks.

He committed to USF on April 20 over Arizona, Missouri and Seton Hall and signed on April 23.

The week before Famous committed, USF assistant Byron Samuels, who was involved in the recruiting of Famous, was fired by Heath. A few days later, USF assistant Dan Hipsher left for Alabama. Famous was not notified about either coaching change by Heath, Carey said.

“Jarrid’s mind is made up,†Carey said. “Last week, he got really fed up. It got to the point … Heath says I’m going to come see him on this day and then he says he can’t make it. After a while that gets old. I think the situation at USF doesn’t look good.

“I was concerned when you have half your staff leave in a week. Now a month and half later and there’s still uncertainty who will be on staff. Plus Heath only has two years left (on his contract).

“Since Jarrid signed, he hasn’t seen Coach Heath, Coach Heath hasn’t called him. He doesn’t know anything about the coaching staff. He didn’t feel comfortable with the situation anymore. It seems to be very unstable.â€

Carey said Famous is undecided where he wants to attend college. He said he likely would consider the same schools – Arizona, Missouri and Seton Hall – he did before he signed with USF.

If Famous does not receive his release from USF, he would have to sit out the 2009-10 season and then would have two years eligibility remaining at a new school in 2010-11 and 2011-12.</i></blockquote>

McMurphy has two sources in this story: Mickey Carey saying Famous wants out, and Stan Heath saying there is no problem as far as he knows. Brett in the very first sentence, however, says this:

Westchester (N.Y.) Community College center Jarrid Famous, regarded as the prize of the University of South Florida’s incoming men’s basketball recruiting class, no longer wants to attend USF and is seeking a release from his letter-of-intent.

... with no mention of either source. He simply states as fact that Famous has made up his mind and is leaving. It would have been so simple to throw at the end the clause, "according to one of his current coaches." McMurphy would have still looked stupid, but now he looks even stupider because he clearly gave this coach WAY more credibility than he warranted. If McMurphy had waited to talk to Famous' father, he never would have been made to look like such a fool, but he decided getting the story "first" was more important than getting the story "right," and all he ended up doing was providing more ammo to the "Brett McMurphy is ******* ****** reporter" crowd. Because Brett McMurphy is a ******* ****** reporter. His after-the-fact attempts to defend his ******* ****** reporting make him an even ******* shittier reporter.

[aragingbull]

This was the source:

Example: If the assistant (Mickey Carey) mentions to Jarrid Famous he should be treated a certain way, Famous will most likely agree and return a comment/agreement to (Carey) the coach that he agrees with him.

Enough to start such a scenario. If this was a fact it should have been confirmed by direct contact with player. That was Brett's wrong doing. But truthfully  gobull83- the source never "really" existed.

[Bullpride08]

Tony, respect your posts and opinions but whole heartedly disagree.

I know to many instances in which McTurd was reckless, and malicious in his reporting.  A fine example that dealt with the hoops program was the mostly erroneous insinuations on Bob Huggins.  Yet again in that instance McTurd was used by someone trying to validate another, as in this situation, yet again McTurd chose to run with the story because it served an agenda and seemed to be a 'scoop'...yet again he was very wrong and took a very faulty source as his primary tool for a very sensitive and serious topic.

I can go on and on about probably a dozen or so identical situations like this that have occurred between McTurd, the Tribune and USF.  It isn't about Leavitt, it is a full-fledge issue.  McTurd won't get in trouble with the Tribune, they don't care...they're all desperate for reads and subscriptions these days so factual accuracy is no longer the flavor of the month in the reporting world.

You definitely humanized and simply explained the probable circumstances with this Famous thing, but McMurphy made this much more of an issue than it should have been.  His 'credible source' had to many degrees of separtion to be counted on as credible enough to run a report, and headline (and yes they did put it in the paper when they thought it was a story-- who cares no one is reading the tribune anymore annyway) that could have been damaging to USF.  He should have secured a more credible source, most papers will only quote a family member (direct family member), a HEAD COACH, or the player....anyone else is strictly hearsay except in very limiting circumstances....and this wasn't one of them.

[smazza]

i have been saying heath needs an extension to compete

[USFFan]

...all he ended up doing was providing more ammo to the "Brett McMurphy is ******* ***** reporter" crowd. Because Brett McMurphy is a ******* ***** reporter. His after-the-fact attempts to defend his ******* ***** reporting make him an even ******* shittier reporter.

It's kind of funny that with all of the anti-swearing filters that block out words that include nicknames for Richard and the like, that such a blatant one can get through...

USFFan