During Baltimore riots, college coaches and ADs tried to persuade recruits to stay

CSU ATHLETICS

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The riots that gripped the city late last month were taking place just a few blocks away when Coppin State men's basketball player Christian Kessee received a phone call from his mother.

"She wanted to know how quickly I could get to the airport," the junior guard said.

Kessee said that he and his teammates stayed together on campus and vowed to "take care of each other and ride it out together," but despite attempts by coach Michael Grant to reassure members of Coppin's eight-player recruiting class, some future teammates made a different decision.

"The parents were very, very concerned," said Grant, whose team went 8-23 in his first season. "Some dealt with it pretty well, and a couple of kids we ended up losing because of the activity going on. They said that they didn't want their kids in that type of environment.

"We tried to explain to them that 'this can happen anywhere and by the time your kids get back here in late August, it all should be done.' But they just didn't want to deal with it at all. They know what's best for their kids and their families, and what environment they want their kids in."

CSU ATHLETICS

CONTINUE READING