(08-22-2009 10:27 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(08-22-2009 06:17 PM)Original Sabretooth Wrote:  Dozier went to prep school and qualified after being snubbed by UGA.

As Knightlight noted, the 'prep school' was Laurinburg Institute. Here's the relevant information on that place:

"In 2007, the NCAA launched a three-year investigation of Laurinburg Institute during its review of college prep schools around the country. In May, the NCAA announced it would no longer accept courses, grades and diplomas from Laurinburg Institute because of concerns about its academic programs and oversight."

Also, as the NYTimes noted about Laurinburg Institute, "the school that helped nearly half of Calipari’s Memphis players qualify for scholarships...

On the topic of Memphis, Memphis Columnist gives several good reasons why Memphis AD RC Johnson should resign.

Geoff Calkins: Time for R.C. Johnson to bow out at Memphis
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/200...o-bow-out/

Geoff Calkins: Time for R.C. Johnson to bow out at Memphis

By Geoff Calkins

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Think University of Memphis president Shirley Raines has a list of five names in her pocket?

R.C. Johnson said he always did.

A list of basketball and football coaches, just in case he needed to find a quick replacement.

Maybe Raines has a similar list, just in case she needs a new athletic director.

This would be the time to pull it out. This would be the time to start making phone calls.

The new person doesn't have to be on board tomorrow or anything. But it's time, isn't it? No matter what happens with the Memphis appeal of NCAA sanctions?

Let Johnson pick a day in the next few months to announce his hard-earned retirement. Give him a lifetime pass to Graceland for all the good work he's done.

See free link for the rest of this article:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/200...o-bow-out/

Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

(08-22-2009 07:03 PM)Shannon Panther Wrote:  This is exactly why Pitt wouldn't even talk to Calipari despite his desire to replace Ben Howland. Pitt has done fine with Jamie Dixon, but Cal really wanted the Pitt job. He is a former assistant who is from the Pittsburgh area, but Pitt wouldn't return his calls. If Memphis was notified that there was a question about Rose's eligibility and they played him anyway, they are 100% responsible and deserve everything they get. If the NCAA clearinghouse said OK and then never said anything about Rose until he was gone, then Memphis has a right to cry foul.

As far as how this effects the possibility of Memphis joining the Big East, I think that it puts it on hold for sure. Memphis is a tier 4 school. There are no tier 4 schools in any BCS conference. It is well out of the Big East footprint. They have a so-so football team and now there are questions about whether they will bend the rules. With Cal leaving there are additional questions about whether their basketball success will continue. Of course I don't really believe the BE will be expanding anytime soon, so the point is moot.

I remember hearing from people that Calipari put on a fullcourt press to get the Pittsburgh job but Pitt wouldn't leven listen to him. I also remember that when expansion came and Louisville was a lock and Cincinnati wasn't that Calhoun said that he and Boeheim would "talk to some people" to see to it that Cincinnati was on good terms with the Big East. Remember, Calhoun and Huggins are good friends, Huggs is also friends with Boeheim. The reason I bring this up is because I remember hearing from various outlets or "sources" that Calhoun couldn't stand Calipari and didn't want to be in the same conference as him, and that a number of other Big East coaches felt the same way. I'm guessing that Boeheim was one of them.

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

Look, I'm as big a supporter of Memphis as a non-Memphis fan can be, but you're delusional if you don't think this will have long lasting ramification for the University of Memphis. It's going to hurt your chances of getting into a BCS conference, it's going to hurt on the recruiting trail, and it tarnishes Memphis' tradition meaning that's one less thing they can market. I mean, lets be real here. As someone who has played some competitive athletics it would but a hole in my @ss if you told me that I couldn't recognize past championship accomplishments. And if a run to a national championship game means sacrificing a shot at a BCS conference I sure as hell wouldn't take it. Especially if I'm not allowed to recognize that run.

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

So Josh Pastner cheats as well? Thanks for the heads up.

(08-23-2009 07:48 PM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

So Josh Pastner cheats as well? Thanks for the heads up.

No, but it does help that the 2010 class has 4 Memphis area players(Joe Jackson(12), Tariq Black(47), Casey Prather (64), Chris Crawford (67), in the top 70 not to mention the Barton brothers who've already committed. This year will be a struggle, but next year should be just fine.

(08-23-2009 07:48 PM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

So Josh Pastner cheats as well? Thanks for the heads up.

If he does, you can bet your ass a bottom feeding ECU fan would be
the last to know.

Very insightful article from the Memphis Commercial appeal on how Derrick Rose, who failed to qualify after taking the SAT's 3 times..."suddenly" was able to pass when he (and someone else obviously) "traveled" to Detroit, Michigan for a 4th and final chance to "qualify" for enrollment at Memphis.


Geoff Calkins: In Calipari's defense — oh wait, there is none

By Geoff Calkins

Thursday, August 20, 2009

One month before Derrick Rose was to enroll at Memphis, he had not yet scored high enough on his standardized test.

He had tried three times. He had failed three times.

Can you imagine the mood in the Memphis basketball offices over this? Can you imagine the mood of head coach John Calipari?

Rose was a phenom, a sensation, the best player Calipari had ever recruited.

With Rose at point guard, Calipari could get to the Final Four and maybe win his first NCAA Championship. Without Rose at point guard, he would surely fall short.

On May 5, 2007, with all this at stake, someone — the Educational Testing Service has concluded it wasn’t Derrick Rose — showed up at a test center in Detroit to take Rose’s SAT.

Rose lived in Chicago, mind you. He traveled to Detroit to watch an NBA playoff game and — doesn’t everyone do this? — take the SAT.

Care to guess what significant friend of Calipari’s has deep connections in Detroit?

William Wesley a.k.a. Worldwide Wes, the most mysterious and connected man in college basketball.
--------------

See free link for complete article.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/200...s-all-aca/

Here is my opinion on the subject.

NCAA clearinghouse - If they cleared an ineligible player to play, then they should share a good portion of the blame. Their job is to make sure these kinds of things don't happen and, IMO, the fact that the Rose scandal happened is proof enough that they failed at their job.

Memphis - Even if Rose was cleared to play by the NCAA, there should have been some very big flags regarding the differences in his test scores. The NCAA is not an infallible entity and accepting marginally qualifying kids without independently verifying their work is playing with fire. Why did Memphis not force Rose to retake the test to confirm his eligibility like UGA did to Dozier? If they had, then they could have avoid this entire situation. So while I think the NCAA shares a large amount of blame in this situation, Memphis isn't entirely blameless either (i.e. they turned a blind eye on a questionable situation in the hopes that it wouldn't be a problem later).

NCAA - The NCAA, as an entire organization, is also highly at fault for not cracking down on guys like John Calipari and Wesley Williams.

(08-23-2009 07:53 PM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:48 PM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

So Josh Pastner cheats as well? Thanks for the heads up.

No, but it does help that the 2010 class has 4 Memphis area players(Joe Jackson(12), Tariq Black(47), Casey Prather (64), Chris Crawford (67), in the top 70 not to mention the Barton brothers who've already committed. This year will be a struggle, but next year should be just fine.

Recruiting ability does not equal coaching ability

But I'm not here to argue that on a BE board

(08-24-2009 09:37 AM)UofL07 Wrote:  Here is my opinion on the subject.

NCAA clearinghouse - If they cleared an ineligible player to play, then they should share a good portion of the blame. Their job is to make sure these kinds of things don't happen and, IMO, the fact that the Rose scandal happened is proof enough that they failed at their job.

Memphis - Even if Rose was cleared to play by the NCAA, there should have been some very big flags regarding the differences in his test scores. The NCAA is not an infallible entity and accepting marginally qualifying kids without independently verifying their work is playing with fire. Why did Memphis not force Rose to retake the test to confirm his eligibility like UGA did to Dozier? If they had, then they could have avoid this entire situation. So while I think the NCAA shares a large amount of blame in this situation, Memphis isn't entirely blameless either (i.e. they turned a blind eye on a questionable situation in the hopes that it wouldn't be a problem later).

NCAA - The NCAA, as an entire organization, is also highly at fault for not cracking down on guys like John Calipari and Wesley Williams.

Good pt...as give Georgia credit...even though they were desperate at the time to enroll ANY good player like Robert Dozier...UGA did their homework and told him "no thanks".

Memphis...with sooooo many of Calipari's players using a very shady prep school that the NCAA finally had to shut down...and TWO of Calipari players seemingly have cheated on SAT tests (only about 1,000 out of 3 million are rejected each year for cheating)...it certainly seems that Calipari used every shady "tool" to recruit great basketball players who just so happened to be very bad students who obviously didn't belong at the Univ of Memphis.

(08-24-2009 09:37 AM)UofL07 Wrote:  Here is my opinion on the subject.

NCAA clearinghouse - If they cleared an ineligible player to play, then they should share a good portion of the blame. Their job is to make sure these kinds of things don't happen and, IMO, the fact that the Rose scandal happened is proof enough that they failed at their job.

Memphis - Even if Rose was cleared to play by the NCAA, there should have been some very big flags regarding the differences in his test scores. The NCAA is not an infallible entity and accepting marginally qualifying kids without independently verifying their work is playing with fire. Why did Memphis not force Rose to retake the test to confirm his eligibility like UGA did to Dozier? If they had, then they could have avoid this entire situation. So while I think the NCAA shares a large amount of blame in this situation, Memphis isn't entirely blameless either (i.e. they turned a blind eye on a questionable situation in the hopes that it wouldn't be a problem later).

NCAA - The NCAA, as an entire organization, is also highly at fault for not cracking down on guys like John Calipari and Wesley Williams.

I've often wondered if Louisville had a relationship with WWW prior to Calipari coming to Memphis. Louisville always seemed to get all the really good players out of Trenton NJ prior to that.

Most Card fans assumed Juanny would follow in Milt's footsteps and play for Louisville. Denny Crum must've really pissed off Milt for him to come to Memphis and complete his education and work here.

Any idea about this?

Quote:He was better known in the area for his job at a local shoe store, Pro Shoes, where he sold the hottest sneakers to local athletes. He mingled with coaches, college players and professional athletes.

''It wasn't just a sneaker store,'' said Billy Thompson, who starred at Camden High and the University of Louisville, and later played in the N.B.A. ''It was the sneaker store.''

As the local stars he met through high school and Pro Shoes went off to college, he would visit them. Two incubators of Wesley's connections were the University of Miami football program and the Louisville basketball program.

Wesley also became close to the Louisville basketball program. He is as much a part of the Cardinals' famed Camden Connection as Milt Wagner and Thompson, two close friends.

Wesley's emergence in the recruiting world coincided with the recruitment of Dajuan Wagner, Milt's son and Wesley's godson, by Louisville's rival Memphis in 2001.

When Louisville made the 1986 Final Four in Dallas, Wesley and Vespe, who was still in high school, celebrated the Cardinals' title on the floor. Vespe even ended up behind Coach Denny Crum in a Sports Illustrated picture. ''Everyone knew Wes, because he was with us,'' Thompson said. ''He was part of the team, man.''

.

(08-23-2009 07:36 PM)CatsClaw Wrote:  It's going to hurt your chances of getting into a BCS conference, it's going to hurt on the recruiting trail, and it tarnishes Memphis' tradition meaning that's one less thing they can market.

Yep! Some Memphis fans seem to have the impression that winning and FedEx is all it takes to bring them to the BCS level. However, if you look at the history of conference membership, there's a clear tendency of conferences invited similar instititutions. That means not only playing and focusing on similar sports, but also being located in a similar region and holding similar academic reputations (Tier 4 academics may be comparable to some individual Tier 3 schools in the Big East, but it's far from the norm).
There's another critical test as well. Conferences invite schools that have similar standards on athletic eligibility and the role of student-athletes. That is the entire idea behind college athletic conferences! The Big East may forgive cheaters, some schools may even hire them, but the conference as a whole will not invite a school into their midst that it suspects will undermine the standards of the conference.

(08-24-2009 09:50 AM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:53 PM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:48 PM)PGPirate Wrote:  

(08-23-2009 07:27 PM)Bambu Wrote:  Watching you clowns catch wood over this is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me.

Like it or not, the tourney runs and beat downs will continue.

So Josh Pastner cheats as well? Thanks for the heads up.

No, but it does help that the 2010 class has 4 Memphis area players(Joe Jackson(12), Tariq Black(47), Casey Prather (64), Chris Crawford (67), in the top 70 not to mention the Barton brothers who've already committed. This year will be a struggle, but next year should be just fine.

Recruiting ability does not equal coaching ability

But I'm not here to argue that on a BE board

If you don't want to argue then keep your opinion to yourself and go on your merry way.

Listen, we've had a coach for 9 years who had no coaching ability. Pastner will have to be an upgrade in terms of X's and O's and game management. If he can recruit at a level just below X Coach then we'll be just fine.

Jeez guys...

1. Calipari is a great coach.
2. Please take this elsewhere.
3. Closing thread.