dirk605

SoCalHoops College Recruiting News

Dirk Nowitzki Still May Play At Cal??
That's The Word On The Street--(June 5, 1998)

It seems that Anil Podduturi of the Daily Cal has some info which no one else seems to have, and so as not to keep it a secret, he published most of what he knows today in the Daily Cal. And according to Podduturi, it appears that Dirk Nowitzki will apparently withdraw from the June 24 NBA draft with the intention of attending either Cal or Kentucky this fall.

Podduturi writes that "sources close to the Bears program say Nowitzki is having second thoughts about the NBA and still has a strong desire to play for an American university." The Daily Cal article says that although there's nothing definite yet, (and of course the Cal coaches absolutely can't comment on the situation, so everything else is just rumor), Podduturi expects to see some movement by the end of next week.

The conventional wisdom is that Nowitzki destroyed his chances of playing college basketball when he declared himself available for the draft last month. However, according to Podduturi, Nowitzki "is confident that he can clear any NCAA eligibility hurdles that may arise from his expected decision to maintain amateur status."

What that means is that if necessary, Nowitzki will challenge the NCAA rules. Apparently, even though he was currently enrolled in college, his German club coach and advisor Holger Geschwindner says that in Germany, military service is mandatory, and since Dirk originally enrolled in college before entering the German army as part of his obligatory military commitment, the NCAA should consider him the equivalent of a college student-athlete. Under the NCAA rules, only a current "student-athlete" can enter the draft and withdraw early from it and still retain college eligibility; high school players or non-student athletes (i.e., those not currently in college) lose their eligibility. Likewise, under the NCAA rules, a student-athlete who hires an agent give up his elgibility.

But according to Mike Sullivan, a recruiting analyst quoted by the Daily Cal, "The rules haven't been tested yet with a foreign player. Dirk would have been in college, but he had his military commitment, and in Germany that's something you can't get out of. It's not like the Army R.O.T.C. program in the United States where you can do college and your military service at the same time."

According to Podduturi, both Bears head coach Ben Braun and members of the Kentucky Wildcats coaching staff consulted the NCAA before Nowitzki's declaration, and both apparently "assured the 19-year-old that any potential draft announcements would not jeopardize his collegiate eligibility." Geschwindner also checked with the NBA to get their reading before advising Nowitzki to declare for the draft.

According to the Daily Cal article, "with the lack of precedents regarding professionalism for foreign players, both the Nowitzki camp and the Cal coaching staff strongly believe the NCAA will reinstate the recruit's eligibility if in fact any violations have occurred."

So at least according to Podduturi, Nowitzki has until June 17 (a week before the draft) to withdraw his name. According to Sullivan, "If anything, it sounds like this kid is leaning toward college. Holger still doesn't think Dirk is ready for the NBA and says (the American audience) has only seen him play once or twice. In Germany, he's not that big of a deal. They're more interested in soccer."

If you want the full link, to the Daily Cal, click here.