Oh, wait -- you mean that the evil La Cosa Nostra John Calipari has NOT made Josh Selby an offer? Really? Well, none that we know about, at least.
The sturm und drang from the decommitment of highly coveted Josh Selby from the Tennessee Volunteers has been incredibly predicatable, and I just want to remind everyone in the Big Blue Nation that we will be hearing this same story over and over and over again. The William Wesley-Nike-Calipari connection will, from now on, pop up every time UK beats out a non-Nike competitor for any recruit. You have been warned.
Not only that, but on the flimsiest of evidence, every Calipari hater out there is absolutely falling all over themselves to hype this as a clear instance of Coach Cal breaking the rules. Unfortunately, the facts that are currently available not only don't bear that out, they make a mockery of it.
First, and most important, Selby has not committed to UK. That's right, folks, despite the hand-wringing and vitriol out there over this situation, UK has not gained anything so far. Second, if a kid like Selby changes his mind over a conversation with a guy like William Wesley (a conversation his mother said was "not a connection" that all the finger-pointers are suggesting it was -- and she had the virtue of actually being present!) was all it took to get Selby to change his mind, it is clear that The Sweaty One had not been taking care of business. His sudden desire to run off and coach in Israel instead of babysitting his apparently wishy-washy star commitment in the middle of one of the hottest recruiting periods of the year is, shall we say, looking rather ill-advised, no matter where Selby winds up. Last time I checked, UT was paying Pearl millions to look after their basketball interests, not to be conspicuously absent and allow others to whisper in Selby's ear.
But hey, with that big, fat juicy contract Brucie just signed, he probably won't get too worked up. And besides, I think this is a payback for the Scotty Hopson situation -- you know, the guy who committed early to Mississippi State and then decided Brucie was prettier in orange? Karma, Bruce, Karma.
If Kentucky gets Selby, it will no doubt turn the current rivalry between Pearl and Calipari into a cold war, and frankly, that's fine with me. Anybody Bruce Pearl hates is a friend of mine, because he is the one coach in all of the SEC that I truly despise. His own words condemn him, and even though I rarely miss a chance to hate on him, at least I have genuine, indisputable evidence of his loathsomeness, unlike the Calipari detractors.
Me, I hope Selby comes just to piss off Bruce Pearl and his assistants. I don't hate the Vols, but I do despise Pearl, and seeing him in a huff over one of his players leaving UT and coming to UK would make me smile, big and wide for days.