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Rudd leaves Findlay Prep
Talented forward fails to meet goals for reinstatement
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | 11:05 a.m.
Findlay's Victor Rudd (23) prepares to shoot a free throw during a game at Gorman High on Feb. 12.
Standout forward Victor Rudd will not be returning to the Findlay College Prep basketball program after he failed to complete terms for his reinstatement last week.
Rudd was suspended from practice all week, and from Friday’s regular-season finale against Impact Basketball Academy, for violating an undisclosed team policy.
Findlay coach Mike Peck said Rudd never showed him a written apology, which he would have read to his teammates, that would have been a final step for Rudd to return to the squad.
Peck found out Rudd, from the San Fernando Valley area north of Los Angeles, was on a plane to Southern California last Friday morning.
Monday night, Peck had a phone conversation with Bill Hankins, Rudd’s guardian, that ended in Hankins hanging up on Peck.
“I indicated to him, Here’s our thoughts, where we’re coming from and what we foresee as happening,” Peck said. “He obviously didn’t see eye-to-eye with me. He was not happy, in a nutshell.”
Last Thursday, Hankins told the Sun that “everything’s fine” with Rudd’s relationship with Peck and the Pilots.
UNLV, Arizona and Marquette have been among the top-flight schools after Rudd. Rebels coach Lon Kruger and his assistants have been regulars at Findlay games this season.
Peck couldn’t speak about those collegiate programs’ continued involvement with Rudd, but he was adamant about his role in that process.
“I can’t put my name on it,” Peck said. “It hurts our future. That’s my name. I don’t want that school calling me next December asking me, What in the heck? I can’t put my name on it. That’s unfortunate.”
A college coach cannot speak about a recruit until that prospect has signed a letter-of-intent to attend that school.
“When coaches and people ask, I’m not going to throw you under the bus and make stuff up,” Peck said. “But I’ll tell you this, I’m not going to lie. I’m not putting my name on it.
“People who ask about him, I’ll tell them the current situation. He’s very talented. I’m not taking that away from him. He’s a very good basketball player. He has very good potential. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the right fit for him or for us at this time.”
Hankins is the father of Willie Hankins, who left the Findlay program a few weeks ago. Wednesday, Bill Hankins could not be reached for comment.
Peck said Rudd’s issues were disciplinary, not academic.
“I’ve told our guys since Day One to keep your nose clean,” Peck said. “We’ll try to help you in situations. Guys will make decisions that aren’t the best decisions of their lives. That’s part of the development process.
“At the same time, if it’s a continued pattern and there comes a point where you’re not receptive, you’re not learning, you’re not getting it, we can’t afford to be constantly spending time and energy trying to get you on board.”
Rudd averaged 16.6 points, second on the Pilots to senior guard Avery Bradley’s 19. Rudd led Findlay with 8.6 rebounds a game.
Senior guard D.J. Richardson averages 12.1 points and junior point guard Cory Joseph chips in with 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game.
The Pilots were infused with another energetic player when Tristan Thompson, a 6-9 junior forward who will play alongside Bradley in two seasons at Texas, recently left Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict’s.
Thompson landed at Findlay. In his first home game at the Henderson International School, with which the Pilots are affiliated, Thompson had 17 points in Findlay’s 107-57 rout of Impact on Friday.
Since he had left for Los Angeles, Rudd wasn’t at the game.
“What’s really disheartening is not so much that he didn’t follow the orders I gave him,” Peck said. “I have to say this, for his fellow teammates and their last home game, he wasn’t there to support them.”
Findlay is 30-0 and has taken the week off. It begins preparations next week for the National High School Invitational, which will take place April 3-5 in North Bethesda, Md.
A powerful lefty, Thompson scored a chunk of his points on dunks and looked comfortable in Peck’s offensive and defensive schemes.
“March will be good for him and us,” Peck said of Thompson’s transition to the Pilots. “It’ll give him time to get into the flow of things. Everyone got a chance to see that he has a good feel and rhythm.
“That will increase now with our current situation.”
Peck, who hasn’t heard from Rudd since Thursday, said the forward might return to Henderson International, although that seems highly unlikely.
But if that were to happen, he would not be a part of the Pilots. Peck told that to his players in a team meeting Tuesday.
Peck said he has spent an abundance of time thinking about Rudd’s situation.
“I feel like we failed to reach him in some way,” Peck said. “I go back to what we could have done differently, but that’s the nature of the beast. Some kids you’ll reach. For whatever reason, some kids you won’t.
“Some get it sooner than others. For some, it takes a boss to pink-slip him … guys’ time frames are all different, in terms of when they understand the urgency of things and life lessons. I hope he learns from this and grows from it. That’s the important thing.”
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I'm guessing this means he doesn't go to UNLV.
Actually, I guess it means he doesn't go anywhere. He obviously won't finish his classes at Findlay now. I doubt he'll be able to qualify anyway.
Have fun in Juco, Vic.
Nothing new here. An inner city athlete who will eventually be a headline in the LA Times on Sunday. In the death notices. Sad.....
bd, that's a tad harsh, to say the least. death notices? I don't think that's called for. I think Vid has a lot on his mind and is a bit rudderless, regardless of Bill Hankins's influence -- which doesn't seem in the kid's best interest. True, I'm not sure if he won't go anywhere. But you are correct in surmising that if he doesn't achieve qualifying scores on his SAT or ACT he is, uh, in a tough place. JC land, perhaps. But plenty of coaches out there will take a stab at such a talent regardless of past indiscretions or potential chemistry issues. We know who those folks are.
I highly doubt UNLV will continue its courtship.
It said plenty, I think, that no UNLV coach was there Friday night at the final home game.
Brandon, I would highly doubt he'll wear the scarlet and gray next season. Do not count on it. But chemistry will be better without him. Point blank. He has been confident about his test scores, but that's nothing UNLV have to worry about, is it? Great talent, no doubt. But this was a series of events that led to his ouster. A pretty good series of events. Hankins Sr. talking to Peck the way he did Monday night solidified everything. Some people expect to be catered to. Actually deserving what you get and working hard for it gets lost along the way, often, with young bucks who are lavished with so much attention and accolades at a young age. Guess what? It's a tough world. But he's young and certainly has time to straighten himself out.
We don't need him. Sounds like those headcases Kruger had brought in last year from Houston- the me first, look at me, chest thumping bs. Sorry- I'll pass. I agree- have fun in JUCO Vic.
What was Peck babbling about, he's not putting his name to it, not putting his name to what??
What was Rudd supposed to apologize for? This article was confusing and incomplete.
No it wasn't Lenny. Peck wasn't babbling. He said he wouldn't want to be associated with the kid, as in promoting him, etc., to college coaches, etc. That's not difficult.
And the article was as complete as it was going to be. Obviously, he violated an "undisclosed" team policy. So do you think Mike Peck is going to come out and say exactly what he violated, thus, why the apology to teammates was necessary?
I'll answer that for you. No.
If an apology was required, that's probably not minor, is it? You are not going to get the entire story because an abundance of it is behind the scenes, in private. Others can speculate all they want. In addition, it'd be something else if it were an isolated incident. It wasn't. There was a build-up that led to the dam breaking.
Another case of Talent being put off for a later date due to outside influence. I'm intrigued to see how things turn out for him in 2 to 3 years. I side with Peck on this one. Regardless if Rudd thinks what he did was wrong or not, he should've done what he was told for the sake of the team. If his basketball career doesn't pan out like we hope it will, there will be a lot of regret.
Why would a kid like Rudd bother moving away from home to attend an elite prep school if he wasn't willing to do what was necessary to be successful? It doesn't seem that the kids moving from their home schools to these prep schools do their research prior to attending, because if you look at Findlay alone, they have had numerous kids leave the program for other prep schools. it seems a lot of these kids are just trying to find whatever program will get them a scholarship and be the easiest route to D1.
Thanks Rob. What a shame. Hankins sounds like a real doosh but whatever, we've got Chace anyway. Let Rudd be someone else's nightmare. Looks like he's gonna be playing JUCO and not Division I so good luck to him.
Hey Rob,
Any idea if we have any other recruiting targets left for this season? Or are we going to save the scholarship for 2010? Have you talked to Corey Joseph at all? Is he interested in coming to UNLV or does Pitino have the upper hand?
Please keep up the great work. We are all very appreciative of your comprehensive coverage. It is extremely well done!
Bdover,
Seriously? a headline in the LA Times? I'm a die hard rebel fan and have been since birth, but the guy is still a kid for crying out loud. Try to put this in context of his real life.
Victor
"Never let someone else's opinion of you become your reality"
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn"
If in fact you do go the JUCO route, UNLV has a long history of welcoming JUCO transfers into the program including:
Larry Johnson
Shawn Marrion
JR Rider
If you decide UNLV is not the place for you, best of luck in your future endeavors and I hope and pray that you find a spot and more importantly your own way someplace.
The Pilots are 30-0 this year and they along with the rest of the Vegas community is appreciative of your efforts. I sincerely encourage you to make amends if not with your coach then your teammates. You all did something special this year and it would be a shame for you not to be able to look back fondly at this experience.