Oh no. This is something that I think is every college basketball fans worst nightmare. Rumors are swirling right now that Xaiver Henry, the number two shooting guard and the number three player in the nation is thinking about leaving Kansas to go to Kentucky. All I have to say is rut roh.
I hate this shit so much and it really pains me to write about this because I hate the fact that it keeps happening in college basketball. Why cant coaches get the picture that players are "not for sale" and you cannot "buy their way" (for my friends in Lexington, love you all) into Kentucky plus other schools. I cannot stand John Calipari for this very reason. He seems to mysteriously lure players to their team that no one realizes how it happens. Just when he is ready to get caught he bolts to other teams such as the New Jersey Nets or the Kentucky Wildcats. The other thing that even more appalling is the fact that Kentucky decided to cut two players loose to make sure that they are under in scholarships. Now I realize that my Marquette Golden Eagles have done somewhat of the same things with the scholarships but its not to sign one of the best players in the nation.
The big thing I guess I want from ESPN or any other major media sports outlet is the fact that no one calls out this snake. I mean for once I want Dickie V, Jay Bilas, or Fran Fraschilla to have some balls to call out this guy. Please say what we are all thinking but this will never happen. A big reason why is because its Kentucky whose in the same realm as the New York Yankees, Notre Dame Football, and the Los Angeles Lakers. They are always in the news in college basketball but most do not choose to shine a bad light on Wildcat basketball (Once agian, for the Lexington faithful I am guessing I am not allowed in Rupp Arena anytime soon?).
The other sickening thought is the fact because Calipari brought in all of these uber athletes creating a complete all-star team with three of the top five in the ESPNU 100 (that most will bolt to the NBA in the next coming year) and now if they get the Henrys they become the number one team in the nation. You think the hype machine bad now, just wait til November.
-Charlie.
UPDATE: It appears that the Henrys are staying at Kansas. Either team would be in the top five with them and the Jayhawks look like the team to beat next season.
16 comments:
Just out of curiosity, you buffoon, what was the price tag supposed to be for Henry anyway? (the name is spelled Xavier, btw)
You half-informed net hacks kill me with this rhetoric. You have no proof of any allegations, and in this case, no allegations of any kind concerning Calipari. Maybe someone should ask how much Dwayne Wade cost you? There is no truth to it, but since we are just making things up, why not that?
We have had our share of mistakes at Kentucky in the past (20 years in the past) but some people never will let go. We were penalized pretty heavily also.
You want to put us in the same mention with the Yankees, Lakers, and the Fighting Irish in terms of tradition, go right ahead. You want to whine about budgets and spending, then you better look elsewhere, because UK does not even make the top 5 in the SEC in athletic budgets.
Recruiting all-star caliber players is Calipari's job by the way, and the main reason he was brought to Kentucky in the first place. You don't like our superstar recruiter?, get over it, or go get your own and you wont have anything to whine about. Calipari said himself that he came to Kentucky as much for the tradition as anything. He wants to restore the UK brand to the point that schools just pack up and go home when we show up to recruit a kid. Get used to "IT "(I refer you to www.aseaofblue.com for the definition of that term)
Never shed a bad light on UK? Never shed a bad light on UK? I had to read that again, and then reread it just to be sure your stupidity really does know no bounds. ESPN (Pat Forde in particular) has had nothing but junk to say about UK since Calipari's hire. Not just one article, but several. Look for yourself. While you're at it, go look on Duke blogs, Kansas blogs, Louisville blogs, UNC blogs, etc...they all shed "bad light" as you say, quite frequently. You should also look at the various sports columnists of those respective areas cause I'm pretty damn sure they shed as much bad light on UK as possible. Go head, compare us to the Yankees and the Lakers. Why? Cause they win? This talk never came before Cal was coach and that was because no one respected us. That's all about to change. I'll leave you with a quote that pertains to this situation very well. "Let them hate us as long as they fear us". See ya in november.
I do agree with the sentiments of my fellow Wildcat above; however, I would like to take a more civil tone in my refutation of your post.
The news this morning seems to squash the rumors that Xavier Henry is planning on attending Kentucky, but nevertheless, I would like to ask you where you get your information?
The subtitle for your blog is "The sports knowledge you wished you had," and indeed, if you have knowledge of any specific allegations of wrong doing by Calipari, I really hope you will share same. The last time I checked Coach Calipair has never been sanctioned for NCAA violations. And futher, he has never been investigated for even possible violations.
He has what is called a "spotless record".
Soooooo, I would hope that you do have some inside knowledge, otherwise you appear to be someone that doesn't know what they are talking about. And disparaging the good name of someone to boot.
Gentlemen thank you for finding this one of a kind piece.
Now when I say "price" I am using it as a metaphor for the bombardment that the Henrys likely receive. I am not saying at any point did John Calipari give these guys money or any shit like that. For you guys and the rest of Wildcat nation I will put a quotation around price to make things much easier to understand.
What upsets me is the fact these kids "all the sudden" change their minds. I feel like at this juncture (being two months or so away from school) the decision should stay Kansas (which I just read, it has. Good job everyone).
I give Calipari credit he knows how to get it done with superstars for just one year and can keep rebuilding a top five team every year in CUSA. It might be different in the SEC but that remains to be unseen.
You are right about Pat Forde and I give him kudos for stepping up the plate although guys like Vitale sign your praises like no tomorrow.
For John: "This talk never came before Cal was coach and that was because no one respected us."- Not true at all, to me growing up in the 90s its always been UCLA, Kentucky, UNC, Indiana, and Duke. I may even put UK at the top of the list too. They are considered media gold whenever a sneeze happens just like the others mentioned.
For Strangeite: Calipari has gotten in trouble at UMass with Marcus Camby and with Derrick Rose at Memphis. To say he has a spotless record is like saying Mark McGwire hit all those homers clean. Take your head out of the blue sand please.
Like I said at the beginning I will be quotes around "price" to put everyone at ease in Lexington.
Also still bitter about D-Wade's triple-double in the Elite Eight?
-Chuck
Chuck: The NCAA specifically cleared Calipari of wrongdoing in both the Marcus Camby and Derrick Rose situations. In both instances, the NCAA stated (even though they did not have to) that Coach Calipari had no knowledge of the events and was in no way involved.
For a blog that prides itself on making sure its readers know what they are talking about when discussing sports, you need to be careful and have your facts straight.
Again, if you have inside knowledge of even a single instance where the NCAA has investigated Coach Calipari for a possible violation, I would love to hear it.
Otherwise, I think you would have to agree that Coach Calipari (I am speaking of him individually) has a spotless record.
Calipari has gotten in trouble at UMass with Marcus Camby and with Derrick Rose at Memphis.
Just wow. That's akin to me getting pulled over speeding, and the police writing my mom a ticket. You just don't get it do you?
BTW, you are welcome in Rupp Arena. My father has season tickets and I would be glad to escort you to a game.
In fact, if you experience the rush of Rupp Arena first hand, you might become a Wildcat yourself.
per john getting it done at memphis with one and dones -
as a wildcat fan living in memphis, i have watched cal up close for 9 years. he did not do it "only" with one and dones. yes he had a number of guards and wings that were one and done (wagner, williams, rose, and evans come to mind) but he also did it with a number of players who were there 3 and 4 years.
not sure if you meant to put "he knows how to get it done with superstars for just one year and can keep rebuilding a top five team every year in CUSA" in quotes, but it sure sounds like you mean the entire team turns over every year -it did not.
i will wholeheartedly agree with your implication that it will be different in the SEC - it will. it was not until his last 3 years that i thought Cal had teams that could truly be competitive in the SEC - and my competitive, i mean in the hunt for a championship
and finally - you bet i am still "bitter" about dwade's throw down on us. :)
Chuck = John Chaney
you guys = John Calipari
Simple logic that I think we all can agree upon. Seriously though, which of Calipari's players do you guys think gets paid the most? My guess is John Wall but I would imagine he's paying Patterson a pretty good amount for coming back.
Then I hope Chuck doesn't send his goons after us.
If you wear the blue and white in Lexington, the respect of the Big Blue Nation is payment enough.
You're right that Calipari has not seen a violation come his way like Tim Floyd at USC, Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, and Clem Haskins at Minnesota.
I mean hell I think we can all agree that Calipari knows the rules and does a good job at getting around them. There is nothing wrong with that and MANY coaches in college sports find a ways to get out of the rules.
Therefore I give him credit but I am sorry Big Blue I just dont like your coach is that okay? I didnt at Memphis nor here at UK.
So lets all the pump the breaks and not add more fuel to the fire because I feel the topic has been exhausted.
-Charlie.
You Kentucky fans...I think I bring an interesting perspective into this conversation, seeing as I'm a die hard Memphis fan who had Cal for the last few years. I am not bitter at all about him leaving, as I think any coach in their right mind would leave Memphis for Kentucky....especially for that kind of money. I'll tell you, as a fan, it's very, very exciting having Cal as a coach. He brings excellent, exciting recruits in and knows how to win. But, I will say, that the whole time I just felt he was sleazy in the way he went about things. Most fans of Memphis knew that he was bending the rules to get recruits, but we wore our blue glass and looked right past it. It was only a matter of time before he was caught for a violation or something came down upon the school, and everyone knew it. Luckily for Cal, it came down on Memphis when he left and the same with UMASS. And I'm sorry, Cal may have not gotten any punishments, but to say that he didn't know about the stuff going on at UMASS and Memphis is ridiculous. He is so involved with each and every player's recruiting process, that it is ludicrous to believe he didn't know anything. You compare it to you getting pulled over for speeding and your mom getting the ticket? I compare it to you throwing an underage drinking party at your parents house, and your ma and pa get the ticket because they were the host. You get off virtually free, but your rents get hit...hard. So, keep your blue glasses on and enjoy the next few exciting years of Kentucky basketball with Coach Cal, because I can assure you it will be exciting an successful. Just don't be naive enough to think that Cal will change his ways because he's at Kentucky now.
I would like for someone to explain to me how anyone could attribute Camby or Rose to Calipari in any way. Camby took money from an agent. Unless Calipari called the agent and arranged the payment, then not his fault or responsibility. For that matter, it was beyond ludicrous for the NCAA to penalize the other 9 or 10 guys on the team who worked their tails off to get to the Final Four and have it erased because that moron needed to get his right this minute. And Derrick Rose. How can Calipari be held responsible for controlling someone that they have limited opportunities to interact with per NCAA rules. Had Calipari had enough contact with him to know about or even control whether or not he had someone else take his test, then he indeed would have been guilty. The SAT proctors, NCAA clearinghouse and Chicago school system should be held accountable for Rose's eligibility but I don't see how anyone could penalize Calipari or Memphis for this. At some point, there has to be a line drawn. If the NCAA clearinghouse ok'd the player to play, then that should be it from any and all perspective. It is their responsibility to keep track of this stuff. And now to the subject of your article. How can Calipari be held accountable for a kid having second thoughts about his choice of college? Again, the contact with players is monitored and strictly enforced, so again if he is contacting him to sway him, then he is violating the rules (ala Kelvin Sampson) and would/should be held accountable. The kids father made a remark to a reporter about his son have second thoughts, prints it without permission and out of context and viola. Calipari is automatically a scumbag. Unbelievable. At some point, everyone needs to come to grips that they are just haters and just deal with it. I would have to have the Henry's come to UK because clearly this is a me first set of people and I am glad he will be on Kansas's team spreading discord and angst over PT etc. This kid is a prima donna and will undoutably help UK far more by messing up our main competition's team chemistry than he would ever do in a Wildcat uniform. At least you acknowledge that you hate UK and Calipari up front for no reason other than greatness. I don't guess we should hold that against you, but your implications border on slander. At some point the law is going to have to address what hack's can spew out on the internet without evidence to back it up.
Person who doesnt have the grapefruits to put your name out there, The first part of your post is very good and you provide a lot of well-thought out points but it takes a turn for the worse...
"Calipari is automatically a scumbag. Unbelievable. At some point, everyone needs to come to grips that they are just haters and just deal with it." - Many people do not like Calipari and thats fine, I had Tom Crean as my coach for years who people hated, its okay not to like someone.
"At least you acknowledge that you hate UK and Calipari up front for no reason other than greatness. I don't guess we should hold that against you, but your implications border on slander."- Never said I hated UK, thats a strong word. I just dont like them just like I dont like Notre Dame bball, Duke bball, or Louisville bball so there you go...
"your implications border on slander. At some point the law is going to have to address what hack's can spew out on the internet without evidence to back it up."- I seriously have no idea that I have to do for "Big Blue" nation to understand this... it was a f'n metaphor. I wasnt implying he was paying guys and to make that crystal clear for Big Blue I put it "." for things that seemed to be metaphorical statements. -Chuck.
"So lets all the pump the breaks and not add more fuel to the fire because I feel the topic has been exhausted."
Because this blog in no way, shape, or form added fuel to this fire. I like reading blogs like this, from haters, particularly haters whom are Louisville fans. Just lets us as UK fans know that you guys know you are back to being the little brother you've always known you are. Hope you guys had fun at the top for a few years, but the bluegrass has its real team back, and Louisville fans cant stand it. I LOVE IT, damn it feels good to be a UK fan. Keep on spewing this nonsense, you only make yourself look like an uninformed sports fan who thinks they have knowledge. Keep up the shitty work, I love having a good laugh at your expense.
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