Uncategorized slimtim on 28 May 2009 09:30 am
Memphis Crying, Kentucky Sweating
Like most college basketball/Duke basketball fans, I was not surprised to wake up to the news that the Memphis basketball team is under investigation for infractions during their Final Four season.
You remember that fantastic team that coach John Calipari had, with freshmen star Derrick Rose and other great athletes. ESPN reports that the player in question is Derrick Rose himself. And that his SAT scores might have been altered and that his brother may have been given money and allowed to travel with the team. Doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but the most important aspect is that it once again shows that a Calipari run program participates in shady practices.
Lets be clear here. Calipari was told by the NCAA that he will not be in trouble, but he will be asked to testify. While I applaud the NCAA for actually doing their job, I find it funny that even though Calipari was at the wheel he won’t be given the citation.
I don’t hide my dislike of Calipari. His practices have always been questionable and if all pans out, this will be the second program he leaves with a tainted legacy. This could be his second Final Four that has been taken away (the first being at UMASS). Which would give him a grand total of zero. Not bad for one of the highest paid coaches in the NCAA.
Memphis was already a program that was trying to find a new identity after Calipari bolted for Kentucky (which I find interesting since he knew about the investigations in January), but now they will be at the center of possible sanctions when it seems the former coach was the one pulling the strings. However, the silver lining might be that Memphis doesn’t still have Calipari on the staff and eventually can move on. Memphis might be in trouble, but the media scrutiny will follow Calipari.
P.S. I wonder if A Sea Of Blue will be linking this post?
on 28 May 2009 at 4:11 pm 1.Jim O. said …
A Sea of Blue…lol…should be named A Sea with no Clue.
on 29 May 2009 at 2:35 pm 2.gabriel said …
This year’s recruits for Coach Calipari have got to be sweating if any of this holds up and they did anything themselves. I know there were questions of John Wall qualifying scholastically and also Eric Bledsoe. They better hope they studied and made the grade, otherwise this is more desperation from Kentucky and it will ruin their school forever. Kentucky wants to get a championship so badly, but they could just as easily get one stripped with Cal at the helm.
Oh and no Final Four appearances will be left on that resume once the Rose things gets confirmed. I have to wonder how he will still be worth the money and how they can turn away from all of this as nothing.
on 02 Jun 2009 at 12:27 pm 3.UKFANatic said …
Nothing has happened Dookies. It’s a Derrick Rose/Chicago issue. Calipari officially has 0 violations. Slow your fn roll guys. Drama, drama, drama. Let things play out before you start hating for no reason. Hate us for the number one recruiting class this year and maybe of all time.
Hate us for the ’98 game. Hate us for having more wins and championships. Hate us for something tangible. And I’ll continue to hate Duke because well, you are who you are.
To think your coach or my coach is completely innocent is naive. But wait until something happens. Please. No since in getting all worried about something you can’t control. So “sea of no clue”?? We’re not idiots. Just staying positive. So I hope you do when you start wishing around January that you were able to scoop Wall. Sad when you can’t keep your hometown heroes, they have to run far away to where real basketball happens.
PS Wall and Cousins will be just fine academically, so don’t worry bout that one either.
on 03 Jun 2009 at 10:21 am 4.The Big Blue Daily Mail — News for Kentucky Wildcat Fans, June 3rd 2009 | MrSEC.com said …
[...] More love from Duke fans.I love reading these pieces. Truly. [...]
on 03 Jun 2009 at 11:32 am 5.cking said …
Really? What about the Corey Magette situation? Dont remember that do you? Your 2001 final four disaster loss to UCONN SHOULD BE VACATED, but yet the ncaa does not apply the same rules to your beloved dukies. Magette admitted to taking the money, which is bush!!
on 03 Jun 2009 at 11:39 am 6.bleedinUKblue said …
I don’t recall Duke fans having much a problem with UK over the past few years. Begs the question…why? Sure, you can say “Cal is dirty” but the only reason all this hate has risen is because Cal is a great recruiter and will win. If Cal was just some other coach with a shady past, none of you would care. But no, he’s a big time coach at a big time program and you hate him–us–for it. That’s fine. Just be sure to watch Wall in action and I can only PRAY we meet you in the NCAA tourney. Singler? Now there’s a joke…
on 03 Jun 2009 at 12:27 pm 7.KY FAN.... said …
Wow… where are all the Duke fans?
Including this “Response”; it will be, 2-Duke & 3-Kentucky “FAN” Responses.
Untill today I really didn’t realize how little the U-Duke was…
Oh well, Duke should get used to taking a beaten from Kentucky.
Go “Wildcats”
on 03 Jun 2009 at 12:31 pm 8.Jim O. said …
UKrazies…if you wonder why these articles get written, I’ll give you one reason why, $$$$$$$$$$.
You guys are like vultures, swarming around the internet, just waiting to read one bad article about UK Basketball. Once you find something, you all like to tear into it like it’s a dead dear carcass. These funny comments are an example of this.
Once this occurs, my hits go through the roof. I love it and my advertisers love it. It’s all about knowing who’s buttons to push…which is mainly yours
It’s not personal, it’s just business.
on 03 Jun 2009 at 12:41 pm 9.hoofhearted said …
Why should Calipari be given a citation? What could he have possibly done to prevent another human being from doing (or not doing) something unethical in another part of the country?? Why doesn’t the writer of this Puke Report get that? The SAT taken by a high school player in Chicago has nothing to do with a coach in Memphis. Your hoping for this scenario doesn’t make it so. Yes… your dislike of Calipari is putting it mildly.
As a parent, are you responsible for your adult child committing some heinous crime 400 miles away?
on 03 Jun 2009 at 2:59 pm 10.ATL-CAT said …
Dookie dookie dookie. You guys are about ready to get the crap kicked out of ya and you can’t stand it and can’t do anything about it other than speculate about something Cal obviously had no control over. Face the fact…we would have beaten you without Wall but now the victory will be so much sweeter knowing a kid from your back yard is why point the defecit will not just be double digits but possibly 2X what you have on the score board at the end of the game. CATS ARE BACK and WITH A VENGENCE!!!
on 03 Jun 2009 at 3:22 pm 11.Byron said …
That’s cool that you’re savvy enough to type controversial articles that raise the hits to your site. Might want to think about your credibility and lack of information, it will only hurt your internet posts as bloggers and internet reporters gain validity. Good luck though!
on 04 Jun 2009 at 7:38 pm 12.Masher said …
Hmm, this sounds remarkably like the Corey Magette incident, doesn’t it? I wonder if Memphis and Calipari will get the same pass that Duke and Coach K got? Time will tell……..
on 08 Jun 2009 at 3:43 pm 13.Gabriel said …
Okay, first off, this is the second school left with violations right after your “great recruiter” left abruptly. He got a free pass the first time and will probably get one again, although I think where there is smoke, there is fire. Obviously, in Kentucky, you are too desperate to not be a dead program (which you have been for a while now) that you are willing to ignore the violations (plural) and just hope for the best. You will likely wind up in a world of hurt since you are a big name program and this will be his third violation (think Indiana with Kelvin Sampson or Michigan with the Fab 4). I think he will be getting a lot of attention since his point guards were borderline not even qualifying academically and they both made it with Calipari. Makes you wonder.
As for the beating us, when do you play us? I haven’t seen a matchup in the last several years, but then again you didn’t even make the tournament last year. Why do you even think we are rivals? You haven’t done anything interesting in play against us since the 90s. We are the winningest team of the decade and have the coach who led the US to the gold and will likely do it again. You have a coach with 0 championships after firing a list of coaches who were going to “save your program”. Oh and this time you have one with questionable methods. That last part is the only reason we are even mentioning your worthless school.