Rudd leaves Findlay Prep

By Rob Miech

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | 11:05 a.m.

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.”