Kentucky...

[1979Shocker]

You're right, not every school is doing it. That's a pretty clear exaggeration.

But a LARGE percentage of schools are. It's not just a matter of buying off 5 stars or 4 stars ... it's the systemic poor quality education given to athletes to carry them through college to maintain their eligibility. It's the massive cheating scandal at UNC, it's Derrick Rose cheating on his SATs, it's the University of Oklahoma professor finding that ~10% of OU's revenue sport athletes read below a fourth-grade level, it's CNN's investigation that 7-18% of revenue sport athletes at most universities read at an elementary school level while scoring single digits on their ACTs and 200-300 on their SATs, Kevin Ross at Creighton, and so many other problems.

I have little confidence in the integrity of any university competing in revenue sports. Even the ones that aren't trying to buy off 5 and 4 star athletes, how many of them would be if they could even get them to pick up the phone? Is that a matter of integrity or just lack of opportunities to cheat? At this point even when there's a lack of evidence that a school is cheating I simply assume they haven't been caught yet.

And it goes so far beyond universities. The problem is how many of these kids are showing up at the universities in this condition in the first place -- they're abandoning their integrity by allowing them into the schools, but really, once they're there, how much can you really do with an 18-year-old kid in college reading at a fourth grade level? And how do you control coaches from bringing in kids that meet every NCAA requirement, when the NCAA's sitting there and going "Yeah! That's enough to play D1 sports! You're good to go!" Do you unilaterally implement harder educational requirements and put yourself at a major disadvantage to everyone else? The problem is that the NCAA as a whole has incredibly low standards for playing D1 ball. And the problem is they're graduating high school in the first place with that poor academic ability. These kids are being failed in elementary school, failed in middle school, failed in high school, and failed in college. The entirety of the "revenue sport" academic model from the beginning until the university level is corrupted. It's not EVERYONE, it's not EVERY school, but it's such a large percentage of them that it's absolutely disgusting.

So no, I'm not capable of just pointing my finger at Kentucky or UNC and going "It's all their fault!" It's the NCAA's fault. It's the high school's fault. It's the fault of prep academies and AAU squads and corrupt coaches all down the line, and especially the parents.

IMO, implement credible academic standards that reach across all universities playing D1 sports and then enforce them, with clear cut rules on punishments ... not this wishy washy crap that will give SMU the death penalty and then inevitably give UNC a slap on the wrist for 18 years of cheating on top of everything else. Player does x, punishment is y -- no room for interpretation based on the size of the school. And enforce the rules so that plays who don't meet the standards are ineligible. The system will self-correct extremely fast and new leagues will be created for revenue sports to fill the gap until players meet the minimum requirements for entry to the NFL/NBA. And college athletics will become a less valuable property, TV contracts will plummet, athletic directors and coaches will take massive pay cuts, etc. But there would be integrity.

With the new eligibility standards starting in 2016, that should help a little.

New eligibility standards start in 2016

[UKbball]

The whole thing is a sham. If a kid goes to college, he should go to college. If a kid wants to play pro ball out of high school, let him play. To send a kid to college for a year, to have him pretend to go to class, and sis boom bah the whole college thing is laughable. I'm all for giving these kids stipends, they need money. The kids that play for Kentucky aren't students. Period. They don't represent the school, it is a fraud. They represent John Calipari and his twisted exploitation of these kids for his own gain and ego. If the NBA dropped the stupid age and year from graduation requirements, Calipari is doomed.

If Anthony Davis had wanted to sign with WSU for one season, would you have a problem? He would be a senior this season, unstoppable and don't think for a minute we wouldn't love to have him. Fact is he is a millionaire who will sign possibly a super max contract next year for 100 mil+

[UKbball]

I've gotta say ... I prefer the way Calipari does it.

If you're going to do it, do it openly. Make it obvious. Make the problem with the NCAA as a whole glaring.

I have a larger problem with the coaches and schools who cheat or put athletics well over academics but then hide it and still put up this air of elitism about how they're doing it "the right way! With integrity!", while crowing that Kentucky is the problem.

If you're going to take advantage of the NCAA's pathetic "rules," grab that bullhorn and announce it to the world. Expose the fraud that is this system with your every action instead of hiding behind this game we play about the integrity of college athletics.

I agree with you except one thing, it is an NBA rule that is making these players go to college for one year or overseas. The rich owners use this as a measuring stick as trying not to get burned on a draft pick.

[UKbball]

I am a firm believer in a player stipend and I am a firm believer in dropping the NBA'S silly age and year from graduation rules. You let kids that want to go to school, go to school, and kids that want to turn pro, turn pro. The kids at school don't starve, and if a kid is stupid enough to overestimate his ability, then it's only his own fault.

instead, we end up with a joke of a system and John Calipari is the head ringleader. Here is where I think the whole thing is funny, Calipari can't win if he doesn't cheat. I know the NBA and the NCAA are two different animals, but he is the poster child of the college coach that couldn't do it at the NBA level. He made a mockery of the Nets, lasted only three years and was run out on a rail. Then he returns to college ball with this whole new schtick, the guy That knows how to make successful NBA'ers. The guy is a fraud. He simply buys one and dones,plain and simple. Always has, always will.

If the NCAA just lifted everything and turned recruiting into a bidding war, he and Kentucky would be done. They would get outbid by everyone as KU has fewer resources than many other institutions. John doesn't want change, he can't win in a free for all. John wants to be like Capone and flaunt it, never get punished. Calipari flourishes in this environment. So getting past all this debate, yeah, crown Kentucky's ass right now.

Cal took New Jersey to the playoffs one year, his star player.....Sam Casell. Look at Brad Stevens, in the NBA you win with talent. Unfair to judge a scrap team.

[UKbball]

Mary Willingham who blew the whistle at UNC has a book coming out in March. UNC hired PR firms and this poor lady was attacked and they tried to discredit her. Her life has been threatened, and God bless her for standing up. Her book will be out in March. The fraud at UNC was more than AFAM, and you know the culprits went higher than a secretary grading papers. It goes to Roy, Dean (who set it up).
Dean Smith would rat on any program while never turning in as much as a secondary violation in all those years. No play lost eligibility and a 96% graduation rate.....give me a break. Athletes who go to the powerhouses for 4 years may get a diploma and appear to satify the masses, but they are cheated out of an education for $$$$ it is always $$

Calipari and his wife offered to set up a fund to pay for the college education of EVERY player he has every had children's college education. Any player he has had was offered to the same, from UMass, Memphis, and UK players can come back for life anyway.
The NCAA said no. Are they about education? All of the children had the possibility of going for free and it was a big NO. He was going to start this with 5-10 million of his own money.

[AZ Shocker]

Look, I'm in the middle of a strange weekend with kids traveling and my wife working nights and I'm getting like zero sleep. If I miss a word here or there, I'm sorry. Infrequent was a bad word.

There will never be a "good enough excuse" on this particular board MoValleyJohn. Out of the thousunds of message bards I have frequented over the years....ShockerNet has one of the WORST messege board police rekords out there. Lol Prepare to be callud out on any mispellings and or the misuse of a wurd. Therre are quit of few "superiorities" on this board that love to attak gramer any chunce the'y gett. ;)

[another shocker]

Mary Willingham who blew the whistle at UNC has a book coming out in March. UNC hired PR firms and this poor lady was attacked and they tried to discredit her. Her life has been threatened, and God bless her for standing up. Her book will be out in March. The fraud at UNC was more than AFAM, and you know the culprits went higher than a secretary grading papers. It goes to Roy, Dean (who set it up).
Dean Smith would rat on any program while never turning in as much as a secondary violation in all those years. No play lost eligibility and a 96% graduation rate.....give me a break. Athletes who go to the powerhouses for 4 years may get a diploma and appear to satify the masses, but they are cheated out of an education for $$$$ it is always $$

Calipari and his wife offered to set up a fund to pay for the college education of EVERY player he has every had children's college education. Any player he has had was offered to the same, from UMass, Memphis, and UK players can come back for life anyway.
The NCAA said no. Are they about education? All of the children had the possibility of going for free and it was a big NO. He was going to start this with 5-10 million of his own money.

oh, i hope roy boy/unc gets got. he needs put in his place and it goes well beyond just college sports. i'm not holding my breath, though.

if they get too close to unc, moorehead state may have to be sacrificed as an offering to the overlords.

[Rlh04d]

I agree with you except one thing, it is an NBA rule that is making these players go to college for one year or overseas. The rich owners use this as a measuring stick as trying not to get burned on a draft pick.

I'm aware it's an NBA rule. I'm talking specifically about the focus of athletics over academics.

Calipari strictly recruits players on the ability to play one year and go to the NBA. He's taking advantage of the NBA rule, but the real point is that he's putting together a program that doesn't graduate any of its best players.

And I'm fine with that. I want him to keep doing it, blatantly and loudly. Scream it from the mountaintops that none of the players he relies on will ever get a college degree, and make the NCAA's claims that it is "paying" its players with a free college education as blatant of lies as possible. Good for him. I'm glad that he continuously exposes the ridiculousness of the NCAA every year.

The ones I have a problem with are the ones that hide the fact that they take advantage of the system without ever really educating their players behind a facade of integrity. I have no problem with what Calipari does, because it works to further what I want, which is the further exposing of the NCAA. I have a massive problem with what UNC has done.