I am leaving Myrtle Beach this morning, and only have time for a quickie.
John Clay has an excellent editorial this morning discussing the NBA's one and done rule. I highly recommend that everyone read this and commit most of it to memory, because I think he is right on the money. To wit:
David Stern got it right, as he usually does, when the NBA commissioner said the league's 19-year-old age limit is a "business decision" that has nothing to do with the NCAA and everything to do with the league making good talent evaluations of prospective players.
And Jay Bilas got it just as right, when he wrote for ESPN.com, "No NBA rule encourages anyone to change grades or cheat on tests."
I think this dispenses with most of the argument, represented today by Adam Climer, that the NBA is somehow responsible for all the recent spat of academic fraud on entry exams. Clay also deals with other parts of the argument, such as the age limit as a valid consideration. He also points out that the NCAA has the financial wherewithal to crack down on the problem any time it wants.
Another thing I would like to quickly comment on is this article in the Herald-Leader discussing the different amounts of data that schools release upon a FOIA request. The disparity is astonishing, with the schools (and UK is notably one of them) who release less citing privacy laws that don't appear to clearly say what these schools claim. In other words, there is no uniformity whatsoever, and nobody seems to either know or want to know what is and is not legally responsive.
Even worse, the article reveals that UK does not monitor the summer employment of athletes. I find this very troubling -- $100 handshakes, anyone? Didn't Oklahoma get in big trouble in its football program just recently for this very thing?
I think that needs to change, and pronto. And now, the rest of the news:
UK Basketball News
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UK hoops notebook: Responsibility vs. Deniability
Len Elmore, a very smart and savvy guy, questions whether or not coaches like Calipari can really say they had no idea when something is wrong with a recruits academics. I think Elmore is right that if a coach can sense something may be amiss, he has a duty to investigate. That is what we call, "due diligence," and it is an important part of any compliance effort. In today's environment, a coach who turned down a star player because of unproven allegations on an entrance exam, he is unfortunately risking his career, in many cases.
This is what we call an ethical dilemma, when a powerful non-ethical consideration conflicts with the ethical thing to do. I won't comment more on this except to say that I hope that our fans and university can give Coach Cal the confidence to do the best thing for the school, rather than worry about his continued employment or legacy. -
Memphis hearing lasts only 4 hours
Jerry Tipton sees something significant in the brevity of the Memphis NCAA hearing, but has no idea what it may be. I'm not convinced it means anything at all. -
UK 2010 Basketball Recruiting Targets
This will get you up to date on the 2010 situation, post-Barton. -
The C-J's Sunday College Basketball Notebook
Tons of good stuff in this piece. -
Restore the NBA draft eligibility of high schoolers?
I say yes. Many problems would be helped for the NCAA, but problems created for the NBA. That's why I expect it won't happen.
UK Football News
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Cats eyeing 2 QBs from 2011 class
Could UK become Quarterback U in the SEC? Kentucky's offense, in eschewing the trendy Spread Option, could be part of the reason. -
Danny Jett wonders if a Kentucky boy will lead us to a national championship.
Seven of the eight national championship teams had a player from Kentucky who provided the leadership or spark.
Other UK Sports News
NCAA Sports News
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Louisville eliminated after two routs
Congratulations to the Louisville Cardinals on an outstanding year in baseball. Well done, gentlemen.
Other News of Interest
- None today
The Daily Schadenfreude
- None today