Why Recruiting Business Is Tricky -- Ex: Kirk Bunn

It would not have been fair to judge Kirk Bunn, the 6-5 junior forward from Bishop Loughlin on his performance against Xaverian High School last Friday night. Bunn was given the unforgiving task of guarding 6-9 junior star Chris Taft. Bunn gave away 40 pounds and four inches and never received help defensively in guarding one of the country's top players in the 2003 class.

Bunn recovered yesterday from that nightmare by scoring 19 points to help lead Bishop Loughlin past All Hallows, one of the nation's best teams, in a CHSAA battle.

Bunn is being seriously looked at by Syracuse University as well as some Big East, ACC, and Big Ten schools. Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Villanova had coaches on hand last Friday to watch Bunn. It's why this recruiting business is so tricky. And it's why you really have to watch a player seven to 10 times before having a fair read on a player's ability.

Bunn, who is sometimes overshadowed by Curtis Sumpter (who plays on the same team), is one of the top players in the class of 2003. Seton Hall, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Rutgers, St. John's, and Connecticut have also expressed early interest in Bunn.

Kirk has grown several inches over the past two years. So his handle for a swingman is very good since he played mostly the guard position when he was smaller.