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This is the first Saturday without college basketball in five months. Are any of you going through withdrawal? I am a little.
Today's links include more Calipari rumors, yet another player of the year award for Anthony Davis, some fan experiences from New Orleans and plenty of recruiting updates.
Mark Story: State shone during NCAA Tournament // Kentucky.com
This truly was a great year for the state of Kentucky.
Report: LSU coach Trent Johnson hired at TCU, will be announced Monday // CollegeBasketballTalk
Surprising, but I suspect that LSU was not going to renew his contract. He's just taking the smart way out of Baton Rouge.
In a season in which a Kentucky team with five starters who were underclassmen won the national title, it should come as no surprise that one of those young Wildcats is the Yahoo! Sports national player of the year.
I was one of those who could not get into Buffett for the crowd, but hey, I've seen him before many times.
Anthony Bennett Targeting Early May Decision // ZagsBlog.com
Bennett conceded that Kentucky-bound guard Archie Goodwin was in his ear "a lot."
Go, Archie!
UK baseball 8-2 in SEC; Nike Hoops Summit tonight // John Clay's Sidelines
John Clay's Big Blue Links.
Kentucky Wildcats' Anthony Davis accepts Wooden Award in L.A. ceremony // ESPN
Anthony Davis of national champion Kentucky accepted the John R. Wooden Award on Friday night, and Brittney Griner of undefeated champion Baylor won the women's award for the nation's top college basketball player.
ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi says he’ll know where top recruits Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad are going to play college basketball at the same time everyone else does — when they announce their choice on ESPNU Wednesday night.
Muhammad says UK title does ‘affect’ his decision // Jody Demling – Recruiting
Muhammad said he watched Kentucky’s run to the national title "very close," and and said the win by the Wildcats does "affect things a little bit, yes."
It isn't likely to affect it in a bad way, either.
What to do about one-and-dones? Go back to none-and-dones // Mark Bradley
Has one-and-done cheapened the college game? Absolutely. Institutions of higher learning have come to be seen as way stations. That’s not how the NCAA would choose to have it: For institutions of higher learning, seeing a few guys go directly to the pros beat the heck out of these cameo collegiate appearances.
Even if we allow that this is right, if the NBA goes to eligibility straight out of high school, that isn't going to stop one-and-done. And how much better is two-and-done or even three-and-done? I was assured the other day that anything short of graduation with a degree makes the effort useless.
I think we need to define what is acceptable at some point. Is anything short of a four-year degree acceptable, or is it just one-and-done that's unacceptable?
Calipari is Not the Knick Answer: A Fan’s Perspective // Yahoo! Sports
If Calipari is thinking clearly, he will stay as far away from the toxicity of the Knicks situation as possible. On the flip side, if there is a person with wisdom that can penetrate the penthouse over at Madison Square Garden, perhaps they could share the following information…it's not about the coach. The Knicks have chased away all manner of coaches over the last decade. The departures are conveniently bracketed by Jeff Van Gundy, who left on his own, and Mike D'Antoni, who did the same. This is unheard of in coaching circles. How many quit?
ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES: Why I Hate Kentucky // The Cornell Daily Sun
Kentucky basketball, I will always hate you, but nothing personal. Some fans just can’t forgive.
I love the smell of hate in the morning.
Both the NBA and the NCAA Want to Keep Athletes in College for Too Long // The Atlantic
Why does the NBA care how long players stay in college or whether they are in college at all? For the simple reason that college basketball doesn't depend on the existence of the pros, but the pros could not exist without the colleges. Not only does the NBA pay not a dime in player development, it has always benefitted enormously from the fact that its best players were already household names by the time they were drafted. It costs the NBA nothing to wait another year or two to get the players and works much to their advantage if they're even more famous when they put on an NBA uniform.
An interesting perspective you don't see every day. Thought provoking.
Off the Record: Cal can coach // York News-Times
Are we supposed to believe Calipari is all of a sudden a better coach than he was a week ago? Does he know any more now then he did then, I think not.
Indeed.
UConn’s punishment: fair, or an axe to grind? // CollegeBasketballTalk
NBA Draft: The Age Limit Is High Enough Already
The other side of the coin, or at least, the argument for it.