Al Harrington was well known to college basketball recruiters. When Lenn Robbins of the New York Post visited him at home, Harrington showed Robbins 16 Nike shoe boxes filled with letters from colleges and more than 300 FedEx overnight envelopes.

"His parents had to have a separate phone line installed in Big Al's room," Robbins wrote.

Enthusiasm

Villanova's coach was enthusiastic during his visit to the Harrington home, ending every sentence with, "Al! You the man." The Kentucky coach was armed with 16 cards with facts about the university. "He read every word on front and back. That's 32 cards. Then he said. 'Would you like to see the highlight tape?' We all said, 'No!'"

Sincerity

The Seton Hall coach's hour-long presentation was a hit with Harrington's mother. "He was real sincere. To me, it was heartfelt, the things he feels he can get accomplished for Al. He just talked to you like, 'I know this is your baby and it's his first time going away and you want the best for him. Believe me, we can be the best for him.'"

The North Carolina State coach had a 6-foot-high cardboard sign "with a picture of the student body and the words, 'We want Harrington' emblazoned across the top," Robbins wrote.

Georgetown coach John Thompson was also a visitor and awed Harrington with talk of the NBA players who had played for Georgetown.

Tattooed

The St. John's coach removed his jacket, shirt and tie to reveal on his left shoulder a tattoo of a basketball and above the ball were the words, "Big Al. S. J. U."

The story ends with Harrington saying:

"It's amazing how they're all No. 1 in something. Whether it's this part of their education or that part of their education. All of them are No. l, so I don't really know who No. 1 in the country in anything is."

Against the advice of his mother and his high school coach, Harrington decided not to go to college. Big Al was drafted 25th by the Indiana Pacers and made the team.

Get'Em Young

"In basketball, more than in most other sports, the recruiting process starts early. Talented players are drafted into elite club and scholastic programs in elementary school and junior high. When a star reaches high school, college coaches try to get close to the people who have his ear: parents, friends, a high-school coach, or a summer-league coach. These people often put themselves in a position to act as players' agents, and many of them have their hands out for a commission. College coaches, on occasion, have been all too willing to pay for their services."

—The Chronicle of Higher Education