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UNC's Williams gives Wall a callApr 04, 2009 (The News & Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams called Raleigh Word of God point guard John Wall on Thursday night, but Wall said the Tar Heels are not recruiting him. "It wasn't anything major," Wall said. "He just called to check in, see how I was doing, what was going on. It's nothing big. North Carolina is not recruiting me right now." Asked if he would be interested in North Carolina if it began recruiting him, Wall said, "That's something we'd just have to wait and see." Brian Clifton, who heads the summer basketball program for which John Wall plays, was clear that he wouldn't be thrilled about Wall's involvement with UNC. Clifton has said he's not on speaking terms with the coaches. "I have no desire to talk to, to be involved with, to visit, to contemplate in any shape, form or fashion John Wall going to play for Roy Williams. Zero," said Clifton, who runs the D-One sports program and has been advising the Raleigh Word of God senior but has insisted that the decision ultimately is Wall's to make. Wall said earlier this week that Memphis was his leader, but that was before coach John Calipari left for Kentucky. After Calipari's exit, Wall said Memphis was no longer his leader and that he had added Kentucky to his list. He was emphatic that Kentucky was not his leader and that he has no top candidate. Kentucky may be a possibility, but Clifton said Friday that he had not yet discussed UK with Wall, though he regularly stays in touch with Josh Pastner, a Memphis assistant coach who may join Calipari at Kentucky. Friday, Wall said he is still considering Memphis and is waiting to see who it names as head coach. Clifton, who has accompanied Wall on campus visits, described Sunday's meeting with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as "very good." When asked whether Wall's list of choices had changed, Clifton replied: "The emergence of Duke as a viable option, that in and of itself has caused a change." "We all left the meeting with the conclusion that it was worth exploring further," Clifton said. "I respect Coach K and the way that he goes about business. ... He was enough of a professional to deal with people based on who they really are, not on what he's heard they might be. I'd be comfortable with any of my guys learning from and being shaped and molded by a guy who's got that in his character." In a previous interview, Clifton said he received a cool reception from UNC when he brought another potential recruit there. Williams' call came Thursday, the same day the NCAA began a one-week dead period of recruiting. The dead period prohibits in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations, unofficial visits and complimentary tickets, but not a telephone call or letter from an institutional staff member. The only permissible communications during a dead period are phone calls (limited by NCAA regulations to one call per week) and correspondence. [email protected] or 919-829-4558 To see more of The News & Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |