CHAPEL HILL — As we reported last weekend, Duke will be holding its first so-called "elite" men's basketball camp later this month. But don't expect North Carolina and coach Roy Williams to join the fray anytime soon.
The camps, held by many prominent programs including Florida, Maryland and N.C. State, are a recruiting tool used as a way to get prospects on campus for unofficial visits.
But they have also been much-scrutinized for taking advantage of several loopsholes to NCAA rules — such as paying AAU coaches to work the camp (which the Blue Devils say they will not do) and charging relatively low camp tuition.
Williams, who is enjoying the offseason after winning his second national title, said he has "zero problems" with other programs holding such camps; he pointed out that one of his former assistants, Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M, has held them in the past. But Williams "probably" won't hold them himself, he said, because he simply doesn't want to hold another camp, and he doesn't want to deal with all of the wiggle room within the rules.
"It's so ambiguous as to what you can do,'' he said. "It's so ambiguous as how to do it. It's so much in the gray area to me .... There's a place for them, and a lot of coaches I talk to have had them. But... you're walking a tightrope with some of the issues and some of the questions, that I'm not comfortable doing that. And please understand, somebody else can do it ... I have zero problems with it. It's just I don't want to fight those questions, fight those issues, fight that step — right, left, fall off the cliff, I don't want to do those types of things.
"It was in Sports Illustrated that I watched the game tape coming back from Wake Forest a couple of years ago. And we had to answer the question, because somebody turned it into the NCAA, that I was making the team watch it, and you can't have a practice or a meeting after a game. I don't give a darn if they're asleep, if they're talking to their girlfriends — I do not care, because I never turn around. I have it on the VCR screen and I'm watching it up there. So to me, it was a pain in the read end to have to answer those questions. So an 'elite' camp to me is another opportunity for me to have to answer those pain-in-the-rear-end questions, and I choose not to do that."
Robbi Pickeral has covered ACC sports for The News & Observer since 2003. She can be reached at 
Comments
The shots given UNC's basketball program..
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 17:56 — UNC1998are to be expected. It's not often when rival fans give credit when it's due. I'll say NCSU took it to the Heels last football season. Of course, I say it with a frown. This is a fact, though. UNC has established itself as the premier men's basketball program in the entire country. Williams may be "aw shucks" and "gosh darn it", but he's not dumb. He's an excellent coach with a love for his employer that shows when recruiting players. It's no wonder players love coming to and playing for UNC. If Williams doesn't want elite camps, so be it. If others choose to have them that's their business. UNC's is winning championships.
Camps....
Thu, 08/06/2009 - 07:24 — harrill7...have been going on since I can remember. In th 60's I believe Larry Miller and Dick Grubar came to Gardner-Webb College to help out at a BB camp near Shelby. That was for the benefit of the kids. Now you'll find only the elite recruitable HS players at camp-so the attending coaches can see them all in one place. Different reasoning altogether. This absolutely gives the host staff an advantage of having contact with these players not afforded to the rest of the NCAA coaches. Now UNC does not need to manufacture an advantage in the recruiting world. Maybe though dook sees themselves as needing to catch up with UNC, and this is how they want to do that.
Jokes on you
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:34 — tarheel73Carolina is so good it doesn't need elite camps.
can you not read?
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:44 — izzykareemThat's what i said. With a bunch more cool put-downs and calling Roy's "morals" out. But that's what i said. UNCCH education i assume or is tarheel73 your walmart forums username?
what a joke...
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 16:31 — izzykareemBut its not a problem to have recruits (Iman Shumpert) play pickup games with pro players who are there taking basket-weaving classes to finish their degrees. Oh yeah, such a tight rope Roy, dadgumm NCAA and their gosh-darnit rules. Why doesn't he just say (and i'd respect him more for doing it): UNCCH is just so good (And ESPN's Stuart Scott is always homering/pimping for his school) that they don't need elite camps. They'll get a top 5 class every year and Roy wouldn't even have to leave Chapel Hole.
Pay attention..
Thu, 08/06/2009 - 07:39 — harrill7...Roy Williams still is outworking most HC's on the recruiting trail. Ask Mike Shoechefski if you don't beieve this. Williams is forcing the dook HC to fight tooth and nail for Harrison Barnes. He was almost at dook's doorstep until UNC started to go after him-and Barnes would be dook's centerpiece in recruiting. Funny thing is UNC doesn't even need Barnes. That is why Williams gets the top players - he works at getting them. Of course winning 2 NCAA titles in 5 years, and the fact that since he has been at Chapel Hill every player that has stayed 3 years has been on a team that won an NCAA title may help him a bit.
Roy is a true class act. Go
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 13:49 — peacenickRoy is a true class act.
Go Heels!
Fortunate
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 14:20 — heelsno1UNC fans consider themselves fortunate indeed that Roy Williams returned to alma mater as head coach. The two national championships since 2005 and his overall winning percentage establish Roy as the coach of this decade in men's collegiate basketball.
The Tar Heel faithful are also lucky to have Robbi Pickeral covering the UNC beat. Her articles are awesome!