Gerhart dumps CU, Dempsey on Buffs

If it's expected is it really news?

Colorado lost center prospect Garth Gerhart to traveling salesman Dennis Erickson and Arizona State, leaving Buffs' coach Dan Hawkins wondering what happened to all that hard work he and his staff put into getting verbals from Gerhart, guard Adam Tello (also now a Sun Devil) and other defections.

BGT: This is the world of 18-year old boys figuring out what they most want in a school, football program and social scene. Some kids are flighty while some think they are trading up. In the end, it's the player's choice, one they fly or die with, the consequences all their's to own.

More on recruiting later this week.

Dempsey back to talk Buffs

Chris Dempsey is back. The Black and Gold Truth and C.D. have talked CU football but the man has moved from the Boulder beat to professional basketball, reporting the news on the Denver Nuggets for the Denver Post. Just got done talking Buffs, Nuggets and NBA with him, with the CU conversation printed here and the rest posted at NuggetsNoise.blogspot.com (Thursday).

Knowing that Dempsey knows what he knows and what I don't know, it was determined that a visit to his door was in order.

Read on, amigos.

BGT: You're a recruit, Chris -- from what you've seen, where is CU lacking as far as being able to attract you and a greater volume of top talent?

Dempsey: The facilities have something to do with it -- the support has a lot to do with it.

One of the things that really wins kids over is they want to come in and the arena is full, the place is rocking and they know they are going to get a lot of love and support from the administration, the fans, students, from everybody and that enthusiasm for basketball is here. When you get on campus (at CU), it's a turn-off. It's kind of blah to play here.

BGT: Let's say Colorado does raise the level of commitment towards the program. How does a guy like Ricardo Patton handle that after he's gone, wondering "hey, where was that for me?"

Dempsey: That's what's gonna happen. That's absolutely what's gonna happen. I think he knows it's coming. With a little more help from the administration, Ricardo might have done some really great things.

I guess I'm one of the few people who thinks he's done a really good job. That program got almost zero players of moderate to high caliber (before Patton), didn't win many games, didn't go to the NCAA tournament. He's going to look back and say I did the best I could do with what I was given and that will put his mind at ease.

BGT: There have been some questions, some doubts about Ricardo's coaching acumen -- however -- let's say he has the budget at Colorado during his tenure that Texas or Kansas or Oklahoma has, are we having this discussion right now about him moving on?

Dempsey: I don't think we'd be talking about it. Things would have been a lot better.

I've thought Ricardo is probably best as your no. 1 assistant because he can recruit. The coaching is something that can be debated.

Ninety percent of what you do -- you need players to be able to do it -- and if you're working with a bigger budget or more support, it's easier to get better players. With what he was given he almost went to three NCAA tournaments. Take that and you think, well, if he gets more (support), then maybe that's four or five NCAA tournaments and at Colorado, that's all that should really be asked for. If you can get that program into the NCAA tournament every other year, I think most people would be happy about that.

Big 12 courts

Nebraska hollas all the way back to Lincoln after a surprising win in Lubbock over Texas Tech, 61-59, when Charles Richardson closed the deal with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Red Raiders bounced both Kansas and Texas A & M earlier this season but you wouldn't know it was the same team lately as they have lost four-straight games. Richardson led the Huskers with 15 points while Martin Zeno had 18 for Texas Tech.

BGT: Nice moment for Nebraska but it doesn't mean much as the Red Raiders were never as good as those upsets of the Jayhawks and Aggies indicated.

Missouri put it on Iowa State in Ames, 77-55, with hot shooting (53 percent) and strong defense (35-percent Cyclones shooting). Stefhon Hannah had 15 for the Tigers while freshman Wesley Johnson had 17 for ISU.

BGT: Missouri offered some payback Tuesday, as they lost in Columbia to the Cyclones on Jan. 6. ISU is having a tough stretch, losing six of its' last seven games. Neither team is much this season, bland as can be and likely first-round fodder in the conference tournament.

Note: Nuggets news, NBA notes found daily at NuggetsNoise.blogspot.com