Well folks, here's post 2 for The Letter of Intent, and I've gotten a lot of props for post 1 so thanks to all who showed feedback. I've had this on my mind for a while, and I've argued day and night about it so I thought I'd bring it to the LOI.
Kentucky. Home of the Wildcats. Home of Adolph Rupp, one of the winningest (and most racist) coaches of all time. Home of the infamous Ashley Judd. Home of 7 National Titles. Where Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, Tayshaun Prince, and Rajon Rondo donned the blue and white.
There is no doubt Kentucky has it's place in history. They've been known for their winning...and for other things as well. After the 1989 season with Eddie Sutton, UK was slapped with NCAA sanctions stemming from their involvement of extensive payments to recruits and improper assistance on college exams.
They were also the "other team" in the infamous 1966 National championship game that lost to the all-black starting 5 of Texas Western. Ultimately cementing themselves in the pantheon of other teams you love to hate including, the 1980 USSR hockey team, the 2004 Lakers, and the 2009 New York Yankees. Well actually, make that just the New York Yankees period.
That's right Kentucky has their fair share of pride and history, but also a history of turning an eye to questionable practices.
Enter...John Calipari.
Now regardless of your stance on John Calipari, the one thing you must admit is that the man wins ball games. At UMASS he finished with a 189–70 record overall, 3-time A-10 coach of the year, a NPOY in Marcus Camby...
...And sanctions from the NCAA for Camby receiving $28,000.
At Memphis he was equally as successful, acquiring a 252-69 record overall, 3-time C-USA coach of the year, 2008 National Coach of the year, and a record 4 STRAIGHT 30-WIN SEASONS...
...And potential sanctions from the NCAA for a certain 2007-08 player who got a little "help" on his SAT's (Cough, Derrick Rose, Cough, Cough). Not to mention a certain little job he got Dajuan Wagner's Father as Coordinator of Basketball Operations in 2001 so that his son would show up on campus.
Catching onto the pattern here?
This guy is the ultimate slime ball. A coach who literally will do anything it takes to win, even if that means crossing the line. When you start paying players, and you turn a blind eye to tampering with entrance exams you develop this reputation yourself. Many of the coaches I have found myself surrounded with all laugh when they hear his name come up. He's a JOKE. In every sense of the word. But what does he do year in and year out? Top 5 recruiting classes. Easily.
Look at his 2009 Class...keep in mind he's been on these kids for a couple months at most.
http://kentucky.scout.com/a.z?s=48&p=9&cfg=bb&c=4&yr=2009
#1 PG ***** John Wall
#2 C ***** Demarcus Cousins
#4 C ***** Daniel Orton
#6 PG **** Eric Bledsoe
#10 SF **** Jon Hood
Juco SF *** Darnell Dodson
That incoming class is downright silly.
The fact of the matter is, this is what the state of recruiting is in 2009. This slime ball has finally gotten the job that he has wanted in one of the premiere hoops programs in the country and look what he does. How do classy programs with no NCAA blemishes keep up with this?
"Well, Son. You could come to (Insert Big 10 School here) and work your butt off in the classroom, earn your way onto the floor by beating out upperclassmen, and go through the rigors of the big-10 season...OR..."
You could go to Kentucky. Where no one expects these kids to go to class. No one expects these kids to graduate, or even give anything back to the community. They are expected to WIN, at any and all costs. And after a year of showcase, you tiptoe to a lottery pick in the NBA and a career of making millions.
It's disgraceful. And as a passionate lover of the game of basketball it sickens me to see what he is able to accomplish. To let him off the hook at UMASS and Memphis, and allow him to just do what he wants is despicable. the NCAA needs to crack down on this, and soon.
And to add insult to injury, I logged into my twitter today to find this gem from Coach Cal,
"...Create relationships that go beyond your family and take pride when good things happen to others as if it were your own success."
W. T. F.
I hope that one day Coach Cal finally gets his due. I hope that every single time he makes it to the championship game he chokes it away ala 2008.
I once asked a close friend of mine that if I were offered a job in Kentucky's program under John Calipari, should I take it?
His Response...
Never. Once you become associated with that clown, you become forever tainted. You represent all that is wrong with college basketball, and you'll never live it down.
Kentucky's Shame?
I think it's only just beginning...
Here's your Letter of Intent Clip of the day...
(I Love John Chaney.)
Now do you think that Coach Cal will start issuing academic violations to his players now ,after being caught for his second offense, to make it seem like he actually cared about his players getting a decent education or does he still not care cuz he knows that he only has some players for one year and then they go and make millions in the NBA, so why bother?
ReplyDeleteDoubtful. The one and done player is his bread and butter. It's the one card he can play to take a kid from the dukes the uncs and the uclas of the world. No other coach has been as successful with the one and dones. Just ask Dajuan Wagner...or Tyreke Evans...or Derrick Rose. Fact is, that's the reasons kids like John Wall picked UK over Duke and UNC. They want to be the next derrick rose.
ReplyDeleteWell done, lil bro!! I enjoyed it from top to bottom. That John Chaney video is pretty awesome; I don't think I've ever seen it before. Now what does remain to be seen is: he can win games, he can outrecruit even Duke and Carolina but...Mr. John Calipari has exactly ZERO national championships. Read that last part again, because it's sweet. He has not yet shown that he can win the big one with his style of coaching (ahem, recruiting), so at this point he does not deserve to lift his eyes off the floor when talking to K-rat and Ol' Roy (five natties between them). Definitely keep 'em coming, but change your profile pic. I see Dickie V enough on ESPN.
ReplyDeleteOK! I am a new reader to this BLOG and I want say first off I love the opinions and views of the author, but I do object to the Calipari take. Calipari has won everywhere he has been(Excluding the NBA) and has brought instant success to all programs. He doesn't do anything Duke, UNC and all other programs do to get recruits. He has just needed to polish his tatics to draw major talent. Now that he has learned how to draw major talent and he is at a place where they look the other way of minor infractions for the program to win and will protect their coach for as long as he wins. This is a perfect fit in for Calipari but Kentucky is and will always be dirty even if Calipari has never been hit with any major violations.
ReplyDeleteRemember any program that is clean can cast the first stone. Calipari has a very clean record on paper!!! How many other coaches can say that?
His job is to WIN games. His job is to develop basketball players CAREERS. IF he is slack on the academic side it is only because of the corruption of the SYSTEM, not one coach.
ReplyDeleteI hear two things from you:
1- That you hate UK, to which I say GOOD. The more of you haters out there the more I know Kentucky dominates.
2- That you will find anything that you can to complain about anything possible about UK
You mention the 1966 game. Is it the Cats fault they were there? As I recall TW had THE FIRST all black starting team. If another team had played them would they then be as "racist" as Kentucky? Der, pathetic.
As far as one and done, yes it is a little sad, for us fans who don't get to watch a kids whole career, but that's the way the system is set up. College is merely farm teams for the NBA. Not Cal's fault. He just figured out how to win with the new system. Can it be done old school? Yes, by Duke, but that is it.
With that said, I do have/had concerns about Cal, and if it turns out he breaks the rules then he should be out and the Cats sanctioned.
But I will still love my Blue, even more because of people like you.
GO BLUE!!!