Big Blue Links for Thursday:
- At A Sea of Blue, top recruit Harrison Barnes voices some worries about John Calipari.
- Mike Fields of the Herald-Leader writes on Darius Miller and Shelvin Mack, Kentucky buddies competing for spts on the USA Under-19 National Team.
- My notes column, which leads with Rafael Little.
- Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Jodie Meeks will work out for the Nets on Friday.
- The New York Daily News reports that Lance Stephenson is running out of options.
- ESPN’s Andy Katz also talks to Darius Miller.
- Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes that Miller is confident about life after Jodie Meeks.
- Steve Moss of WKYT says hypothetically Meeks can return to UK.
- The C-J’s Jody Demling talks to recruit Jesse Berry about the “coaching trade-off.”
- Tom Leach points out that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi already has UK as a No. 1 seed for next season.
- ESPN’s Pat Forde ranks Kentucky No. 6 for next season.
- Inner Circle on where UK wants to be next season.
- In the Maysville Ledger-Independent, blogger Ron Bailey has a short note on Jodie Meeks.
John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky and graduate of UK, he covered UK football for 13 seasons before being promoted to columnist in 2000. He lives in Lexington with his wife and two sons. You can e-mail him at jclay@herald-leader.com.
Boxomess-How has the departure of John Calipari from Memphis to Kentucky impacted you?
Harrison Barnes-It hasn’t really. HE IS A GOOD COACH. I don’t know if I like the way they’re doing things right there now though. Seems like he left Memphis kind of in a bad situation and then guys at Kentucky are getting their scholarships taken back. I don’t know yet. It’s a competitive place though, you know college basketball, and it’s only getting more and more competitive.
Barnes is only concerned about a lack of a scholarship. Barnes has said nothing negative about Calapari. Any student athlete should be concerned about scholarships and the policies of the administration, especially with Mitch at the wheel. Barnes just states his dismay about Mitch and his policies.
He should be concerned. Kentucky has historically, every decade since the thirties, been involved in some major violation of the rules.
I mean, really, does anyone think that the culture at UK is going to change under Calipari?
If he’s as smart as reported, he’ll pass on the Wildcats and pick Kansas or North Carolina — two programs that do things right.
Enlighten me here. Exactly how does the non-renewal of scholarships fall back on the athletics director?
I would think Barnes’s comments would be attributed to the fact that Kevin Galloway was his player contact on the UK team–that and the fact that we was never high on UK anyway. Big deal. Cal will get kids that want to play in the DDMO for UK, and we will be fine.
The Barnes comment is a product of other coaches’ sales pitches, namely Coach K.
“You don’t want to go there. They may pull your scholarship for another player.”
It’s something we’re going to be dealing with for a couple of years. Trust and security are big issues with these kids, deservedly so.
For federal fiscal year 2008 $1 billion in athletic scholarships were awarded to over 126,000 student-athletes through either a partial or full athletic scholarship. These scholarships are awarded and administered directly by each academic institution, not the NCAA. I suggest reading The Thin Thirty (Shannon Ragland) as to how an athletic director directing influences the awarding and administering of athletic scholarships.
The Provost receives the Athletic Budget and reviews it with the Athletic Director, including the total available for athletic scholarships. The Athletic Director determines scholarships allotments to each team. The head coach and assistant coaches for that sport recommend to the Athletic Director which student receives what amount.
Prior to the start of each semester, the Financial Aid Office will generate a “Focus Report” on all Student-Athletes for that semester and submit it to the Director of Athletics, who in turn reviews the report and forwards it to the Provost and President for approval.
I am so enlightened now. Duh—Mitch and Lee Todd call all the shots unless some alumnus or booster with big bucks says otherwise. Coach Calipari only recommends players for scholarships. GO BIG BLUE!
I get so sick and tired of everyone talking about Duke, NC, Kansas, Indiana, etc and their unblemished record. The NCAA turns a deaf ear and a blinded eye to anything which involves those schools. I’m not saying the coaches are involved, but in watching college basketball for 60 years, you can’t tell me they can get all those top players just because of the coach and the school. If an in- depth investigation were to take place into those schools on the same level they do to schools who have violations in the past, you will find some booster club or some wealthy person connected to families enticing them to go to those colleges.
Sometimes I wonder if the people writing these comments actually believe them or if they feel writing them down will just make them more believable. Do you really believe the NCAA allows certain schools to break the rules, but our beloved UK has the spotlight perpetually shined on it? If so, you sound like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory.
I am a die hard UK fan/alum and it’s true, we have a long history of breaking the rules. And as a famous tv shrink oft says, “past actions are the best indicators of future performance.” Well, I couldn’t agree more and until we can go 15-or 20 years without repeating our past transgressions then we have to live with the legacy and the expectations that go along as the result.
Quit whining and denying the truth. To forget is to deny, to remember is to grow.
Well, Brad, I generally agree, but there are some curious rulings/non-rulings from the NCAA with certain schools. We know players at UCLA were paid under Wooden. No action. We know Maggette was paid as a HS player. Duke went to the FF with him. The NCAA opened an investigation - still no ruling years later.
Why is that?
hes going to minnesota