Recordpub.com - Flashes could lose prized basketball recruit

Dwain Williams would have fit right in with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby on the sets of their classic “road to” films.

The supposed Kent State recruit appears to have the same type of wanderlust.

Hope and Crosby chased fame, fortune and beautiful women to Morocco, Singapore and Zanzibar.

Williams’ college basketball career has has taken his to less exotic spots like Miami of Ohio, Providence, Long Beach State and Oregon State.

That list was extended to Kent State last month, and now possibly to Hawaii.

Williams signed late to play at Miami as freshman, then left before attending a class. He ended up at Providence, where he was a starter at point guard for the better part of two seasons before leaving when the Friars fired their head coach. Last year, he reportedly committed to play for both Long Beach State and Oregon State before choosing not to attend either school.

After a year off, the California native verbally committed to play his final two seasons at Kent State, where he would step right into a starting job and fill a team in need of another outside shooter. Williams reportedly re-confirmed that commitment during a visit to Kent in early March.

Now, apparently Williams has verbally committed to play at two schools next season.

According to a story in Friday’s Honolulu Advertiser, Williams has told the University of Hawaii he plans to be an Islander in 2009-10.

Typically, coaches stop recruiting a player once he has verbally committed to another school, but there is no NCAA rule against it.

There is still a chance that Williams still plans to attend to Kent State.

A source close to the KSU men’s basketball program said Williams has not contacted the Golden Flashes’ coaches to say he has changed his mind and will attend Hawaii.

In fact, according to another source, members of Williams family told KSU head coach Geno Ford the report in the Honolulu Advertiser was erroneous and Williams still intends to play for the Flashes.

The Advertiser story quotes Williams’ AAU coach J.J. Santa Cruz, but not Williams.

So, who knows?

Williams may very well end up at Hawaii. He may follow through on his commitment to come to Kent State. He may end up being linked to an entirely different school at some point. But based on Williams’ past, the Flashes should already be hard at work getting a backup plan in place.

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VOTE FOR GERWIG — Nate Gerwig’s professional basketball career is flourishing in Europe.

In fact, the former KSU center is a candidate for Most Valuable Player of Germany’s Bundesliga.

Gerwig is averaging 15.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for Chemnitz in the the Pro-A League.

KSU fans can help Gerwig to the MVP in the Bundesliga’s online voting.

For the link to the Bundesliga’s website, check out my blog at www.blogs.dixcdn.com/kentstatesports.>

Ironically, Chemnitz happens to be a sister city to Akron, Ohio.

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OLE MISS AT KSU? — Kent State will open the 2009-10 men’s basketball season with a three-day, four-team, round-robin exempt tournament at the M.A.C. Center, and the event may bring a better field to Kent than Golden Flashes’ fans would have expected when it was first announced a few months back.

According to a KSU source, Mississippi is close to signing a deal to play in the tournament. If that happens, Ole Miss would become the first SEC team ever to visit KSU.

Louisiana Lafayette is also rumored to be close to signing to play in the event.

The Flashes’ schedule already includes road games at Pittsburgh, Xavier, Robert Morris and Morehead State. The Flashes will also play at the Cable Car Classic at Santa Clara.

Norfolk State and another ESPN BracketBuster game are set for KSU’s non-conference home schedule.

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David Carducci can be reached at dcarducci@recordpub.com