I had my first one-on-one interview with Mike Dunleavy this week, but I didn't get to talk much about Tulane hoops because there was limited time and I was working on a Mother's Day story about his wife that will run in The Advocate on Sunday.
I did ask him about the status of Justin Moore, the 3-star California point guard who signed with Tulane under Ed Conroy but has reportedly asked for his release. Here's what he said:
"We've had conversations with him. I know that his mom and his AAU coach and his high school coach think this is the best place for him, but particularly when you don't recruit somebody, you basically put all the real facts on the table and you hope that it will resonate. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Basically what I've told him was to think about it, and here are all the pluses that I see, but ultimately that if he wants his release, we'll give him his release."
Dunleavy said he expected Colin Slater, the other player who signed in Conroy's last class, to come.
I had time for one more question--how quickly did he think he could turn it around at Tulane.
"It has to do with how many scholarships you have and what you can bring in. We've got a lot of positive traction right now for next year with guys we're dealing with that we like and the potential chances. There's guys we're looking at even for this year, but it's not the normal situation. Obviously I'm getting into that part of the game a little bit late, but we think there are pieces to be added that hopefully will come to fruition pretty quickly. I'm extremely pleased with the staff. We did it in a timely fashion, hit the floor running and the chemistry is pretty good."
I did ask him about the status of Justin Moore, the 3-star California point guard who signed with Tulane under Ed Conroy but has reportedly asked for his release. Here's what he said:
"We've had conversations with him. I know that his mom and his AAU coach and his high school coach think this is the best place for him, but particularly when you don't recruit somebody, you basically put all the real facts on the table and you hope that it will resonate. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Basically what I've told him was to think about it, and here are all the pluses that I see, but ultimately that if he wants his release, we'll give him his release."
Dunleavy said he expected Colin Slater, the other player who signed in Conroy's last class, to come.
I had time for one more question--how quickly did he think he could turn it around at Tulane.
"It has to do with how many scholarships you have and what you can bring in. We've got a lot of positive traction right now for next year with guys we're dealing with that we like and the potential chances. There's guys we're looking at even for this year, but it's not the normal situation. Obviously I'm getting into that part of the game a little bit late, but we think there are pieces to be added that hopefully will come to fruition pretty quickly. I'm extremely pleased with the staff. We did it in a timely fashion, hit the floor running and the chemistry is pretty good."