Calipari's dirty dealings

[volmeister]

should not be rewarded with a national title.  They are going down today.

[WoodstockVol]

It'll have to be something big to bring UK down. The NCAA loves to look the other way with Kentucky

[Black Diamond Vol]

The two pillars of UK's basketball tradition: Racism and cheating.  Not necessarily in that order.

[volmeister]

The two pillars of UK's basketball tradition: Racism and cheating.  Not necessarily in that order.

I would love to see Louisville take them out.

[Volznut]

I'm afraid no one will beat them. UK is basically fielding an NBA team

[VinnieVOL]

Imo, I don't think anyone can beat them.  They'll have to have an off night and the opponent will have to be on fire.

That's doubtful since it's seems any one of UK's 5 starters could take over the game.  Like Nut said, they're paid professionals.

[Ridge Runner]

Imo, I don't think anyone can beat them.  They'll have to have an off night and the opponent will have to be on fire.

That's doubtful since it's seems any one of UK's 5 starters could take over the game.  Like Nut said, they're paid professionals.

It would have to take something like about 3 of UK's starters getting into severe foul trouble.

[RockyMtnVol]

Ya gotta be impressed with his ability to field such a team, year in and year out.  Basically half the team moves on to the NBA each year.  That implies an amazing ability to idenfiy the best talent, and to get it into the system.  The latter may well involve "extracurricular" support, but the former is pure.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Ya gotta be impressed with his ability to field such a team, year in and year out.  Basically half the team moves on to the NBA each year.  That implies an amazing ability to idenfiy the best talent, and to get it into the system.  The latter may well involve "extracurricular" support, but the former is pure.

Identifying talent is for coaches that actually recruit.  What most coaches call recruiting, Cal calls a shopping spree.  UK's current starting lineup looks like this:

Marquis Teague, #1 PG, Class of 2011
Doron Lamb, #3 SG, 2010
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, #1 SF, 2011
Terrance Jones, #4 PF, 2010 (The "sleeper" of the group.  Good thing Cal was able to "coach him up".)
Anthony Davis, #1 PF, 2011

Talent evaluation is indeed a special skill.  A skill that coaches working with a hard salary cap have to hone every day.  But not Cal.  Even my mother could cherry-pick from Rivals position ratings.   

[Volznut]

Identifying talent is for coaches that actually recruit.  What most coaches call recruiting, Cal calls a shopping spree.  UK's current starting lineup looks like this:

Marquis Teague, #1 PG, Class of 2011
Doron Lamb, #3 SG, 2010
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, #1 SF, 2011
Terrance Jones, #4 PF, 2010 (The "sleeper" of the group.  Good thing Cal was able to "coach him up".)
Anthony Davis, #1 PF, 2011

Talent evaluation is indeed a special skill.  A skill that coaches working with a hard salary cap have to hone every day.  But not Cal.  Even my mother could cherry-pick from Rivals position ratings.  

Yep.. this is possibly his best team though, as his next class so far is...

Alex Proythress, #8 PF
Archie Goodwin, #2 SG
Willie Cauley, #6 C

Of course he is likely losing 6 guys this year, so he'll probably land three #1 guys-  like Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett...but if Teague leaves, it would be interesting to see what he does there, because there isn't an uncommitted PG that is very high in the rankings right now.

Gasp. He seems to be slacking  

[volsboy]

would care too much if he wasn't regularly kicking most teams butts on the court. In the not too distant past every one was singing Pearl's praises. Look where Pearl is now. Imagine if he still had Wall and Cousins.

[volmeister]

would care too much if he wasn't regularly kicking most teams butts on the court. In the not too distant past every one was singing Pearl's praises. Look where Pearl is now. Imagine if he still had Wall and Cousins.

Are you really a Tennessee fan?  Seems like every post of yours, is polar opposite of what most UT fans think. 

[BanditVol]

Are you really a Tennessee fan?  Seems like every post of yours, is polar opposite of what most UT fans think. 

I have noted the same in the past.

[EmerilVOL]

would care too much if he wasn't regularly kicking most teams butts on the court. In the not too distant past every one was singing Pearl's praises. Look where Pearl is now. Imagine if he still had Wall and Cousins.

Are you jsut generally challenged as a Vol Fan....let us give you a test...

Which UT coach beat Alabama's butt regularly in football? (there are two)

What Vol Fan thinks Steve Spurrier loved UT while at UF?

[volsboy]

1981 has lightened my orange tinted glasses. I guess not being around it constantly I just have to laugh at times when I read the posts reguarding cheating. It seems that the other programs are all dirty cheaters and the Vols are above reproach. I guess I'm not a total homer like I used to be. Being away gives me a different take on issues. The sad thing is the nature of the beast in college sports today involves winning at all costs and land the prized prospects, which invariably leads to shenanigans. I just feel one program is not a whole lot dirtier than the others. It is pretty embarrassing to be cheating and not winning.

[WoodstockVol]

1981 has lightened my orange tinted glasses. I guess not being around it constantly I just have to laugh at times when I read the posts reguarding cheating. It seems that the other programs are all dirty cheaters and the Vols are above reproach. I guess I'm not a total homer like I used to be. Being away gives me a different take on issues. The sad thing is the nature of the beast in college sports today involves winning at all costs and land the prized prospects, which invariably leads to shenanigans. I just feel one program is not a whole lot dirtier than the others. It is pretty embarrassing to be cheating and not winning.

Sounds like You might be more comfortable around Kentucky,Alabama or Florida fans. You don't sound much like a Tennessee fan

[EmerilVOL]

1981 has lightened my orange tinted glasses. I guess not being around it constantly I just have to laugh at times when I read the posts reguarding cheating. It seems that the other programs are all dirty cheaters and the Vols are above reproach. I guess I'm not a total homer like I used to be. Being away gives me a different take on issues. The sad thing is the nature of the beast in college sports today involves winning at all costs and land the prized prospects, which invariably leads to shenanigans. I just feel one program is not a whole lot dirtier than the others. It is pretty embarrassing to be cheating and not winning.

Let me categorically explain something.....

Calipari was cheating at UMass and an assistant fell on his sword.  UMass was slapped and Calipari's wins including a final four were vacated.  Years later Calipari shows up in Memphis and is instantly successful and then five years later another assistant falls on his sword in the Derrick Rose matter (SAT score irregularities).  Calipari's wins including a final four appearance during the Rose Year are vacated.  Now all the Kentucky fans will holler "coincidence" but I have an analytical mind.  If an object under the force of gravity is travelling in a vertical motion toward the ground I do not need to watch the hammer hit the ground or experience that event in any other manner to know that said hammer has hit the ground under the force of gravity.  It is a scientific fact that the hammer will impact the first available surface (ie the ground) that is underneath the hammer.  Now when a coach that is in charge of two programs has both programs go under the vacated wins knife by the NCAA it surely alarms most analytical people.  Secondly Calipari shows up in Kentucky and within five weeks brings in the number one class when Kentucky was not recruiting any of said semi pro players were being previously recruited by Kentucky there would seem to be a little smoke in the allegations.  I am not making accusations but just observations based on the history of Calipari and his ability to get wins vacated at two previous schools.  No big conspiracy theory at all jsut some observations that are not orange colored but rationally induced clear as a pane of cellophane glass.

[Volznut]

1981 has lightened my orange tinted glasses. I guess not being around it constantly I just have to laugh at times when I read the posts reguarding cheating. It seems that the other programs are all dirty cheaters and the Vols are above reproach. I guess I'm not a total homer like I used to be. Being away gives me a different take on issues. The sad thing is the nature of the beast in college sports today involves winning at all costs and land the prized prospects, which invariably leads to shenanigans. I just feel one program is not a whole lot dirtier than the others. It is pretty embarrassing to be cheating and not winning.

Calipari is very good... a MASTER in fact, of using people to get what he wants. He is also a master at using the system, bending rules to fit his agenda. He has an ongoing relationship with World Wide Wes to get him the top one and done's - and there is nothing illegal about it, it is just really shady. As long as the NCAA does nothing about it, why should he not exploit it? However, he has used people in the past and also left programs dealing with improprieties all the while appearing to come out clean in the process. He's doing the same stuff at UK, but he has gotten to the point now that he can walk into a recruit's home and say "hey, I can get you in the NBA in a year. I had 5 first round picks last year". You think that doesn't sell to a one and done? These kids have no intention of staying in school, they are doing the one year because they have to, and now know that UK will get them ready for it. The NCAA also doesn't punish a school with APR issues for this stuff either. Calipari has successfully turned UK into an NBA farm team, essentially, and he doesn't have to cheat to do it. The shadiness is build into the system.

[Black Diamond Vol]

John Wall was the #1 player in America coming out of Raleigh, NC.  Yet he wasn't even offered by UNC, Duke, NC State, or Wake Forest.  HUH?  Think those schools might've known something was up?  Remember when UT didn't recruit Albert Means?  Turns out there was a reason for that.  Oh, did I mention that Wall's AAU coach was (and is) a certified agent?  But I'm sure there was nothing shady going on there.

Eric Bledsoe had a math grade changed from a D to an A.  Coincidentally, that raised his GPA just enough to meet the NCAA clearinghouse guidelines.  The state of Alabama Board of Education (oxymoron, I know) conducted an internal investigation and found that he had had several additional unexplained grade changes while in high school.  Yet in a decision that unilaterally devalued the diploma of everyone who has ever graduated in that state, they basically said "we know you cheated, but we're not going to do anything about it".  Of course the NCAA rubber stamped the decision.  I'm guessing there was at least one teacher and a handful of school board members who got nice paydays, courtesy of their good friend Uncle Wes.

Terrance Jones called a press conference and announced his decision to attend his homestate school, the University of Washington.  Smiling for the cameras, he gleefully answered all of the assembled media's questions.  Immediately after the presser ended, even as he's stepping down from the podium, Jones' phone rings.  The caller ID says "Lexington, KY".  After a brief four minute phone conversation with a certain coach 2500 miles away, Jones immediately changes his mind and commits to UK.  No, nothing strange about that.  Nothing at all.

And that's just his three years at UK.  Do I even need to mention the shenanigans at Cal's previous stops?  Again, there's no hard proof of any wrongdoing here, but that's an awful lot of smoke for there not to be any fire.

[Volznut]

John Wall was the #1 player in America coming out of Raleigh, NC.  Yet he wasn't even offered by UNC, Duke, NC State, or Wake Forest.  HUH?  Think those schools might've known something was up?  Remember when UT didn't recruit Albert Means?  Turns out there was a reason for that.  Oh, did I mention that Wall's AAU coach was (and is) a certified agent?  But I'm sure there was nothing shady going on there.

Eric Bledsoe had a math grade changed from a D to an A.  Coincidentally, that raised his GPA just enough to meet the NCAA clearinghouse guidelines.  The state of Alabama Board of Education (oxymoron, I know) conducted an internal investigation and found that he had had several additional unexplained grade changes while in high school.  Yet in a decision that unilaterally devalued the diploma of everyone who has ever graduated in that state, they basically said "we know you cheated, but we're not going to do anything about it".  Of course the NCAA rubber stamped the decision.  I'm guessing there was at least one teacher and a handful of school board members who got nice paydays, courtesy of their good friend Uncle Wes.

Terrance Jones called a press conference and announced his decision to attend his homestate school, the University of Washington.  Smiling for the cameras, he gleefully answered all of the assembled media's questions.  Immediately after the presser ended, even as he's stepping down from the podium, Jones' phone rings.  The caller ID says "Lexington, KY".  After a brief four minute phone conversation with a certain coach 2500 miles away, Jones immediately changes his mind and commits to UK.  No, nothing strange about that.  Nothing at all.

And that's just his three years at UK.  Do I even need to mention the shenanigans at Cal's previous stops?  Again, there's no hard proof of any wrongdoing here, but that's an awful lot of smoke for there not to be any fire.

Lots of shenanigans. No doubt. Bledsoe actually magically got an "A" in a math class that he supposedly took out of order. Not to mention Demarcus Cousins had academic issues getting in schools like Memphis state and UAB, but somehow manages to get into UK, an SEC school who is supposed to have tougher guidelines. The NYtimes article here covers some of the Bledsoe crap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/sports/ncaabasketball/29recruit.html?pagewanted=all

[BanditVol]

Exactly.  In the case of Calipari, this isn't all just speculation.  He has been censored by the NCAA, not once, but TWICE.  He has had to vacate Final Four appearances, not once, but TWICE, with TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS.  Add all the circumstantial evidence cited by Nut and BDV, and this isn't just bitterness by opposing fans.

Google "Occam's Razor".  Or to put it in layman's terms, if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, quacks like a duck.....

[Volznut]

Exactly.  In the case of Calipari, this isn't all just speculation.  He has been censored by the NCAA, not once, but TWICE.  He has had to vacate Final Four appearances, not once, but TWICE, with TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS.  Add all the circumstantial evidence cited by Nut and BDV, and this isn't just bitterness by opposing fans.

Google "Occam's Razor".  Or to put it in layman's terms, if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, quacks like a duck.....

Also, I know that even UK fans were saying that Bledsoe, Wall, and Cousins didn't go to class while they were at UK, especially not the spring semester. They were "UK students" officially to be able to play.

[Inspector Vol]

Kentucky cheats in basketball like Alabama cheats in football. I think that covers it.