… Is [UK basketball coach John] Calipari shady? No question. Everybody knows that the two college programs he coached prior to Kentucky — Massachusetts (1996) and Memphis (2008) — both had their Final Four appearances vacated by the NCAA. And, yes, there are already TMZ reports that NCAA investigators are snooping around Kentucky.
Who knows what the NCAA might find.
Agents paying players?
Players with bogus SAT scores?
A university administration that admits athletes who don’t have the academic credentials or desire to be in college?
Sounds about like every other big-time program to me.
The only difference is John Calipari understands that his program is nothing more than an NBA developmental league.
He is at least honest about the dishonesty that contaminates college athletics.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:36AM
It takes years and years for the NCAA to discipline a football program (as at USC)but basketball is simple — both of Calipari’s previous Final Four teams got nailed within a year.
Here’s the real question: Do Calipari’s teams succeed (initially) because he cheats more than other coaches? Or is he an exceptional coach but an inept cheater?
July 8th, 2010 at 8:16AM
Calipari’s kind of offense depends on having several blue-chip athletic players who can drive to the basket and either get a lay-up/dunk or draw enough of the defense so that someone on the perimeter is open for a kick-out pass if the lane to the basket is closed. The player getting the pass usually does another drive to the basket (unless he has a really open shot), and the process repeats. It is not a highly controlled system on the coach’s part during the game–it’s pretty much “let’em play.” Calipari has to take chances on the recruiting: he pretty much lives or dies on the athleticism/ball handling of his players. Calipari’s approach is attractive to the type of player we called a “hot dog” in my day.