On the first night of their recruiting visit to Illinois, Niles West running back Walter Mendenhall and his younger brother, junior All-Stater Rashard Mendenhall, joined about 300 other guests at a dance an African-American sorority sponsored at a campus gym.
That was after they attended a party with Walter’s host, defensive back Kevin Mitchell, from about 9-10:30 p.m. The party was at the apartment of an Illini player, and Walter Mendenhall estimated more than 100 revelers squeezed into the five-room dwelling.
There was beer present, but Walter Mendenhall said he and his brother don’t drink, so they didn’t imbibe.
Their experience, though, underscores a dilemma facing the recruiters who set up campus visits for prospective players. They want the athletes to experience a “normal” slice of campus life and come away with a favorable impression of the school. But they don’t want 17- and 18-year-olds getting in trouble or breaking the law.
Respect for recruits
“Certainly our athletic department does not condone underage drinking,” said Cassie Arner, a spokeswoman for Illinois football. “We expect our student hosts to show respect for our recruits and not put them in a position where they are in jeopardy of breaking a law for underage drinking.”
The University of Colorado is facing more serious problems on the eve of national letter-of-intent signing day. An alleged rape victim has sued the university, charging the football program used sex parties to entice recruits. Coach Gary Barnett vehemently denied the charges, but the suit feeds the perception that in the highly competitive world of recruiting, certain teams will pull out all the stops to attract top talent.
Jim Jadron of Joliet Catholic visited Colorado on Dec. 12-13, but didn’t encounter anything close to a sex party, and neither did any of the other seven recruits who visited that weekend, he said.
Jadron said he was looking forward to going out on his campus visits.
“That’s when people tell you the truth about the school, what it’s like to live there,” he said.
The Colorado players who entertained him “were watching TV, playing cards and drinking beer,” Jadron said. A non-drinker, Jadron said he didn’t feel he fit in at Colorado. He’ll sign with Indiana.
Nightspot trip
Bolingbrook’s Kyle Williams, an All-State linebacker, said a trip to an Iowa City nightspot was part of his visit to Iowa. School spokesman Phil Haddy said such an outing would not be authorized and that the Iowa coaching staff wouldn’t condone it.
According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia paid more than $15,000 for charter flights to bring in three of the South’s top prospects. Georgia officials defended the expenditure, saying the charter flights were necessary because the athletes had basketball games on Friday night and would not have arrived on campus until late Saturday afternoon if they had not flown charter. The NCAA allows 48 hours for an official visit.
Walter Mendenhall will sign with Illinois, and Rashard is expected to join him next year.
“I didn’t know Illinois was that diverse,” Walter Mendenhall said. “That turned out to be a pretty big part of my decision.”
Williams will sign with Iowa, although a recent visit to Oregon with its mountain scenery almost changed his mind.
“That Oregon visit was tight, and it made my final decision real close,” Williams said. “But I felt more comfortable with Iowa’s coaches and players.”
