Column: Gloger to return to PU… or not?

By: Justin Feil
   "No comment," said Cindy Gloger.
   Did it hide admission or denial?
   I got a call Tuesday asking me if it was true, if Spencer Gloger, the one-time freshman standout shooting guard, was really returning to Princeton? So I called the Gloger residence in California, I called a few Tiger players, I called John Thompson, I called admissions people and I called UCLA.
   Two days later I still can’t say for sure what Gloger’s intentions are, but I don’t think I’m alone.
   One Princeton student reported, "He’s on campus. In fact, he’s in one of my classes," but other than that juicy tidbit, I have nothing to go on.
   "I don’t know," Thompson said of the otherwise unconfirmed rumor that Gloger has returned to Princeton. "I haven’t talked to Spencer."
   UCLA men’s basketball sports information representative Bill Bennett seemed unclear of any development on the Gloger front. He said that he had not heard anything about Gloger not returning to the Bruins team. Bennett is nearly done with this season’s media guide, which has Gloger displayed "prominently," he added.
   But Gloger is still listed in the Princeton on-line student guide with a phone extension and all. A similar boo-boo had Michael Jordan listed on the Washington Wizards’ 2001-02 roster. Gloger’s listing is more common as a Princeton University student that takes a leave of absence. It leaves the door open for a return, and he could return, though he wouldn’t be eligible until next season.
   Maybe he’s just visiting old friends or auditing one Princeton class. UCLA doesn’t begin classes until Monday. He could always return to West Coast this weekend in time for the first class of his junior year there. But nobody is ruling out that he might indeed stay at Princeton.
   "Rumors start because there’s usually some truth to them," one Princeton player said.
   "No comment," said another when asked he knew of a Gloger return.
   Two more just looked at me with knowing eyes — knowing the rumor is out there, knowing only what they’ve heard and maybe seen, not knowing what’s going on.
   It’s a familiar look when dealing with Gloger, who up and left weeks after Bill Carmody took the Northwestern job and Chris Young signed a professional contract. Gloger saw trouble, only to walk away from the eventual Ivy League champions and a chance to play in the national spotlight against NCAA perennial North Carolina.
   Gloger comes and goes as regularly as the tide. He’s caught now at the all-you-can-eat buffet, trying to decide between the salisbury steak and the roasted chicken. Princeton, a model of academic and athletic success, and UCLA, a sunny school with as storied a tradition on the court as any team in America.
   My mind works like most people’s when it plays devil’s advocate.
   Wouldn’t his own mom just have said, "That’s ridiculous," when asked about Gloger’s return to the East Coast?
   Why would Princeton give him a phone extension if he hadn’t given any indication that he was indeed returning this year?
   What he’ll do next is anyone’s guess, but Princeton will be fine without him.
   The Tigers have a top national recruiting class, return all but the heart of their team, Nate Walton, and now have higher expectations. Even Cameron Carr, who retired before his Princeton career ever began, is expected to attempt a return. Chris Krug is enrolled again and working out with the team.
   Maybe it’s MJ’s influence. Everybody wants to make a comeback.
   For Gloger, what does that mean? Back to Princeton where he began his collegiate playing days or back to UCLA, a short commute from where he grew up?
   Maybe somebody knows, but no one is saying. So for now, it’s just a rumor.
   Just like when Rick Reilly wrote in Sports Illustrated about the Jordan’s return to the NBA months before it’s become a distinct possibility.