The bottom line is that this practice happens often in Division I and is an accepted practice. After getting a verbal commitment, the school continues to recruit/babysit the athlete until the signing date to make sure he/she doesn't change her mind.
In the Upper Midwest, we (in general) normally respect other's decisions and once you give your word, it is assumed that you will keep it. Therefore, this type of behavior is somewhat foreign to us.
I do believe that it is normal practice for a coach (for a school not getting the commitment) to: 1) contact the recruit and congratulate them on making his/her decision, 2) thank him/her for considering their program and 3) tell them to call if anything happens that might cause the athlete to change their mind about their commitment. There is nothing wrong with that!
That being said, I also feel that Ruley's actions are a bit unethical. However, we better get used to it. We will likely experience a lot of this - in all sports!