(AP photo)
Duke announced Saturday that is looking into a possible recruiting violation by basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
(Yes, you read that line correctly.)
CBS Sports reported that Nashville prep star Alex Poythress, who is being recruited by Kentucky, said that he spoke with Krzyzewski during an AAU tournament in the Orlando and the Duke coach offered him a scholarship. Coaches are not allowed to contact recruits during tournaments.
According to AP, Duke issued a statement Saturday it is investigating the matter and that “proper adherence to NCAA bylaws has always been, and will continue to be, a cornerstone of Duke Athletics.”
Excerpt from CBS story:
As Alex Poythress continues to expand his game, his recruitment is also widening.
On Tuesday night, after the AAU Super Showcase, the 6-foot-7 Northeast (Tenn.) forward picked up an offer from Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“It felt pretty good,” Poythress said Thursday morning. “It was pretty exciting to talk to Coach K. He said he saw me play at the Super Showcase and Peach Jam, and he liked what he saw.”
I realize I’m posing three questions to a Kentucky journalist, but..
Do you honestly believe that Krzyzewski would blow a 30+ year career on Alex Poythress?
Do you know for a fact that Krzyzewski didn’t wait until after Poythress’ Georgia Stars team was eliminated from the tournament?
Will it be a local yokel or an outsider (NY Times, SI, Yahoo Sports, etc.) that ultimately breaks the inevitable story that takes Calipari down?
If you read the post, it merely says that Duke is looking into it. I didn’t announced that. Duke did.
It’s not a question of whether Coach K “would blow a 30+ year career Alex Poythress. The question is how many times has Coach K done this in the past? So when you look at it that way, he’s not blowing his career on one player, it could be a repetitive action that’s just now being uncovered. It reality he has probably been “blowing his career” all a long.
Better yet, which team will send man boobs and his team full of NBA players home next season?
He could always arrange for free plane rides for Poythress’s family members.
“I didn’t announced that”? And we are supposed to respect you as a journalist? Are you an investigative jounalist? Look around in your own backyard- there is a great odor there
You boys (Andrew and Bob)are being quite catty. I know and read John Clay and he is one of the most eloquent reporters in the country. You obviously generalize your dislike for Kentucky. It’s possible that he hit an extra letter when typing his reply. If you read John’s blog or articles with any regularity you would know this. Play nice!!!
Andrew, that’s an impressive amount of fallacious reasoning you packed into one post. First there’s your tacky ad hominem slur on southerners, and then you follow it up with a lick-spittle citation of K’s authority as evidence of his innocence. Life must be rather miserable for one who navigates it with such poor thinking habits.
And, Bob, isn’t it odd how people who call out other people for petty errors almost invariably do so in posts laden with mistakes of their own? Or does your keyboard lack a period key, and do you just not know the difference between a hyphen and a dash?
I’m sorry, I did not realize it was Duke fan night on your blog. Glad to see you are reaching out beyond the bluegrass state.
It’s great when your petty enough to hope a team get slapped around because they are making your team seem less important.
Now if they can find some way to shut down Connecticut, Ohio State, and a few others, the Cats may actually win with the one and done idea. Or maybe Cal can find a way to bring in a few more pros from Europe. Heck, enough of them and maybe the NCAA will let one slip through
Seems like the “little brothers” are out tonight. (Don’t buy that they are Duke fans – has the smell of Louisville…)
Mark Liptak
I find it comical that a UK crack head would quote a known cheating drunk by using the outdated “Little Brother” garbage. Not surprising though considering the source.
June 29, 2011- Fomer UK thug, Antoine Walker, pleaded guilty to passing bad checks in the form of unpaid gambling debts in Las Vegas yesterday. The Las Vegas Sun reports the former All-Star, who now plays for the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede, will be put on probation and work toward paying off $750,000.
March 4, 2011- Former UK basketball player Rekalin Sims, who spent just one year at UK under coach Tubby Smith, was arrested Friday morning and charged with trafficking drugs within a thousand yards of a school. According to Lexington Police, Sims allegedly had marijuana shipped to him from California via Fedex to the “Fedex Express” shipping center on Mercer Road. They say someone else picked up the package, but that person led police to Sims.
December 10, 2010- UK quarterback Mike Hartline was arrested on charges of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and failure to notify address change to the Department of Transportation at 3 a.m. According to the police report, he was engaged in an active, verbal disorder with several women at 1103 Crescent Ave. Hartline was yelling, screaming and cursing at UK student Samantha Sheeran who stated that Hartline struck her in the jaw
October 25, 2010- For the second time in two days, a former UK basketball player (SCRUB) is in trouble with the law. Lexington police say they arrested Souleymane “Jules” Camara, 31, early Monday morning at the intersection of New Circle Road and Alumni Drive and charged him with DUI.
October 25, 2010- LEX18.com is reporting that Kentucky junior wide receiver (SCRUB) Matt Roark was arrested and charged with DUI and failure to maintain insurance early Sunday Morning.
October 24, 2010- Former UK basketball player Anthony Epps was arrested in central Kentucky on a charge of driving under the influence. Epps, who played guard at the University of Kentucky in the mid-1990s, was stopped by Lebanon police early Saturday morning. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Epps failed normal sobriety tests during the arrest.
October 15, 2010- Former UK scrub basketball player Darnell Dodson was arrested early Friday morning on disorderly conduct charges.
August 24, 2010- Former University of Kentucky basketball player Derrick Millar has been sentenced to three years in prison in a basketball ticket scam. The 42-year-old Miller was sentenced Monday in Fleming County Circuit Court. He’s been charged with similar offenses in at least 10 other counties.
April 12, 2010- A UK assistant coach is out of jail this morning after being arrested for DUI.
Jail officials say 43-year-old Rod Strickland was arrested just before 3 a.m. Sunday at Tates Creek and New Circle Roads. In addition to DUI, he’s charged with running a red light, having expired tags and insurance violations.
September 8, 2009- Lexington Police have cited another former LPT player in connection with the fraudulent sale of basketball season tickets. Derrick G. Millar is charged with one count of Theft by Deception. Police say Miller accepted payment in advance for the tickets when the tickets weren’t actually available to him to sell.
September 2, 2009- Former University of Kentucky basketball player Ed Davender was arrested Tuesday and charged with three counts of theft by deception related to the alleged sale of fraudulent UK basketball tickets.
Lexington Police confirmed Tuesday night that Davender was arrested and that the arrest involved an alleged ticket scam but did not provide further details.
May 27, 2009- NCAA notice of allegations charging the Memphis men’s basketball program with major violations during the 2007-08 season under John “vacated final four” Calipari. The allegations include “knowing fraudulence or misconduct” on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team, widely reported to be Derrick Rose. The player’s name is redacted in the NCAA’s notice of allegations, but the description of the player in the notice also pointed to Rose. The NCAA alleged the prospective player became eligible after an “unknown individual” completed his SAT. The player, said the NCAA, “subsequently competed for the men’s basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.”
Former LPT assistant coach Rod Strickland- November 1995: Arrested for assault on former girlfriend.
September 1997: Arrested and charged with DUI and disorderly conduct. Found guilty on both charges, and ordered to complete an alcohol awareness program, along with 30 hours of community service.
April 1999: Arrested again for DUI and reckless driving. Found not guilty on both charges. But didn’t help himself by missing a court date.
September 2000: Arrested for refusing to leave a restaurant that was being closed by fire marshals.
January 2001: Arrested, AGAIN, for DUI. Sentenced to two years supervised probation, community service, alcohol counseling, and fined.
February 2003: Ticketed for a misdemeanor hit and run offense on a parked car.
In his career, has been fined over a dozen times for either missing, or being late for, team practices.
January 5, 2009- Former Kentucky player Antoine Walker was charged with suspicion of drunk driving in Miami Beach early Monday morning, further hurting his chances of playing again this season.
Walker was driving a black Mercedes without the lights on when he was pulled over at 5:39 a.m., according to the arrest report. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol and wrote in the report that Walker had a sleepy look on his face. He refused a breathalyzer test.
December 11, 2008- Former LPT Basketball player Dork Minnified charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in an alleged mortgage scheme in Houston. Minniefield and three other defendants, including Marc Jason Williams of Fort Campbell, Ky., could face up to 20 years in prison on each of eight counts of wire fraud and five years on one count of conspiracy.
September 26, 2008- LPT football thug, Ashton Cobb, arrested on charges of stalking, terroristic threatening and harassing communications (threatening to kill his girlfriend).
July 26, 2008- LPT third string scrub, Will Fidler from Henderson County was arrested early Friday morning and booked in the Fayette County detention center for disorderly conduct.
According to the arrest record, Fidler was involved in a fight outside a pizza restaurant.
July 22, 2008- LPT football scrub, Curtis Pulley charged with driving with a suspended license and for having no or expired registration receipts or plates and speeding at more than 15 MPH over the speed limit. He was booked in the Hardin County jail that day and later released.
June, 2008- LPT football scrub, Curtis Pulley cited for possession of marijuana.
July 3, 2008- Former UK basketball player (SCRUB) Jules Camara was arrested by Lexington police and charged with DUI.
June 8, 2008- Kentucky football commit Jerrell Green charged with first-degree robbery after he allegedly tried to steal cough medicine.
August 31, 2007- Former UK WR Stevie Johnson was arrested for no license, no insurance and resisting arrest.
April 22, 2006- Former UK basketball player Chuck “milkshake” Hayes accused of drugging and raping a woman at nasty cat lodge.
March 10, 2006- Former UK football player Jamil Paris charged with robbery, grand theft, battery, possession of burglary tools and carrying a concealed weapon (BROKEN BEER BOTTLE).
August 30, 2004- Kentucky football players Eric Klope and Casey Shumate and Joe Razzano, charged with exposing themselves to minors.
June 30, 2004- Former UK basketball player Jack “GooseD” Givens arrested for Sexual Molesting a 14 year old girl.
August 9, 2003- Former UK basketball player haSHEmooo Evans was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with an expired temporary tag, having no insurance and operating on a suspended or revoked drivers’ license
August 2, 2003- Former University of Kentucky basketball player Wayne Turner charged with illegal possession of a firearm and a weapon with a big supply chamber.
July 17, 2003- Former UK basketball player Antwain Barbour cited for possession of marijuana.
January 28, 2003- UK basketball coach Billy “GUI” Gillispie, arrested for the second time in 16 months on DUI charges.
January 31, 2002- UK admits to over 36 violations, as a result the NCAA places the UK football program on 3 years probation!
October 1, 2001- UK awaits penalties from the NCAA regarding the LPT football team.
July 15, 2001- Defensive back Brandon Doggett, 20, and running back Martez Johnson, 21, were arrested by city police at 12:20 a.m. July 15. Doggett was charged with public intoxication, possession of alcohol by a minor and possession of marijuana. Johnson was charged with possession of marijuana.
April 17, 2001- Former UK Basketball player Marvin Stone is arrested for Public Intoxication.
February 6, 2001- Hal Mumme resigns(PUSHED OUT) as head UK football coach due to NCAA violations.
February 2001- NCAA uncovers major violations within the UK football program.
January 5, 2001- Kentucky’s former recruiting coordinator,Claude Bassett,admitted that he committed NCAA violations when he sent $1,400 in money orders to a Memphis high school football coach.
September 3, 2000- Present UK Basketball player Jules Camara arrested for DUI.
March 12, 2000- Former UK Basketball player Desmond Allison suspended for DUI.
December 6, 1998- Former UK Basketball player JP Blevins arrested for Public Intoxication.
November 15, 1998- A wreck that killed UK football player Artie Steinmetz and Eastern Kentucky University student Christopher Brock. Former Kentucky center Jason Watts, the driver of the truck who was intoxicated at the time of the wreck, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless homicide but was released on shock probation after serving four months of a 10-year sentence.
August 1997- The 1962 Kentucky football team is the subject of a book, The Thin Thirty, by Shannon Ragland, published in August, 2007. The focus of the book is the ’62 roster of players under first-year coach Charlie Bradshaw — a Bear Bryant disciple — who ended up thinning the team from 88 to 30 players via his brutal conditioning tactics and exploitation of players. The book also asserts that several members of the 1962 team became involved in a gay sex scandal involving actor Rock Hudson, and that a crucial game was fixed that year.
May 28, 1989- Eddie Sutton is fired by UK board of athletics.
May 19, 1989- University of Kentucky Cash provided to prospective student-athlete; academic fraud; unethical conduct; lack of institutional control. [UPHELD AFTER APPEAL BY COACH.]
March 3, 1988- University of Kentucky Failure to cooperate fully with investigation.
1977- The 1976 SEC title and all football games from the 76′ season were forfeited by NCAA for rules violations.
December 1, 1976- University of Kentucky Improper entertainment, financial aid, lodging and transportation; extra benefits; out-of-season practice; complimentary tickets; improper recruiting entertainment, inducements and transportation; excessive number of official visits; outside fund; questionable practice; institutional control; certification of compliance.
October 13, 1974- Kentucky All-America tight end, Elmore Stephens was arrested with two other men, one being a former Kentucky assistant team manager, and charged with kidnapping and murder.
April 19, 1964- University of Kentucky Out-of-season practice; questionable practice.
January 10, 1953- University of Kentucky Improper financial aid; eligibility.
1952-53- Basketball Season canceled due to NCAA Suspension.
Here’s a little history lesson about UK:
One of only two schools in NCAA history to get the NCAA death penalty (the other was SMU)
Point shaving scandal involving Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Bill Spivey and Dale Barnstable in 1952
Emery air freight package breaking open to reveal cash payments to prospective player Chris Mills in ’88
Joe B. Hall offering Kent Benson’s dad a brand new tractor to come and play at UK
Rex Chapman’s free UK blue Iroc Camaro (pictured in Sport Magazine)
Shawn Kemp’s free Chevy Cavalier (pictured in the Louisville Courier Journal)
17 NCAA violations alone during the next to last year of Eddie Sutton’s tenure (1988 or 1989)
2004 3 NCAA violations committed by booster Brain Poe by emailing recruits and other boosters, offering $$$ and other incentives to go to UK
2006 1 NCAA violation involving Patrick Patterson and boosters contacting him via email and his myspace page
Over 36 violations committed between 1998-2000, placed on three years probation for 2002-2006 seasons for the Claude Bassett fiasco where he handed out money to players—the NCAA said in a statement “This was one of the more serious cases heard by the committee in recent years in terms of the scope and breadth of the violations”. I read Tony Franklin’s book on the whole ordeal (he was UK’s Offensive Coordinator), and he pretty much says that AD Larry Ivey, CM Newton and everyone below them in the UK AD department knew what was going on and turned their heads….
Academic fraud involving Eric Manuel in 1987-88
Adolph Rupp’s racism (see extensive article, below, with accompanying footnotes)
The infamous Sports Illustrated cover “Kentucky’s Shame”
And these are just the ones that I could remember off the top of my head: there are literally DOZENS MORE!!!!
Here’s the list of major infractions from the NCAA.org LSDBi database (these do not list all of the secondary violations:
Institution: University of KentuckyDate: January 31, 2002
Violation Sumary: Recruiting inducements for prospective student-athletes and high-school coaches; impermissible tryout; unethical conduct; academic fraud; falsification of recruiting records; institutional control of recruiting funds; failure to control salary of employee; violation of supplemental pay provision; failure in fiscal control of outside agency; failure to monitor and a lack of institutional control. Also, numerous secondary violations.
Penalty Summary: Public reprimand and censure; three years of probation; postseason ban for 2002, reduction of initial grants in the sport of football for 2002-03 to 16, in 2003-04 to 18, and in 2004-05 to 22; reduction in the total number of football counters from 85 to 80; show-cause provision for the former recruiting coordinator for a period of eight years; signature control of all booster club accounts and annual reporting. [UPHELD ON APPEAL]
Involved Sports:
Football
Involved Penalties:
Television: 0 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: Yes
Postseason: 1 yrs Recruiting: Yes
Probation: 3 yrs Show Cause Action: Yes
Vacation of Record: No
References
Legislative References
Div. Number Title
I 10.1 UNETHICAL CONDUCT
I 11.3.1 Control of Employment and Salaries.
I 11.3.2.2 Supplemental Pay.
I 13.11.1 Prohibited Activities.
I 13.15.1 Prohibited Expenses.
I 13.2.1 General Regulation.
I 13.2.1.1 Specific Prohibitions.
I 13.2.3.4 Transportation to Summer Job.
I 13.6.2.1 One-Visit Limitation.
I 13.6.8 Entertainment on Official Visit for Spouse, Parent or Legal Guardian of Prospective Student-Athlete.
I 13.7.2.1 General Restrictions.
I 2.2.5 Fairness, Openness and Honesty.
I 2.5 THE PRINCIPLE OF SOUND ACADEMIC STANDARDS
I 2.8.1 Responsibility of Institution.
I 6.4.1 Independent Agencies or Organizations.
I 13.12.2 Employment at Camp or Clinic.
I 6.01 GENERAL PRINCIPLE
I 13.7 UNOFFICIAL (NONPAID) VISIT
I 13.6.7.5.2 Multiple Hosts.
I 13.8.1 Entertainment Restrictions.
I 13.1.3.1 Time Period for Telephone Calls — General Rule.
Date: May 19, 1989
Violation Sumary: IMPERMISSIBLE RECRUITING: assistant coach sent twenty $50 bills to prospective student-athlete’s father; athletics representative provided lodging, improper transportation, clothing and meals to prospective student-athletes. ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY: academic fraud on precollege entrance exam; improper certification and participation of ineligible student-athlete. LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL. UNETHICAL CONDUCT. EXTRA BENEFITS: improper lodging and credit arrangements. [UPHELD AFTER APPEAL BY COACH.]
Penalty Summary: Public reprimand; annual reports; maximum of three initial grants for 1989-90 and 1990-91; return of revenue for 1988 NCAA championship; disassociation of athletics representative. [UPHELD AFTER APPEAL BY COACH.]
Involved Sports:
Men’s Basketball
Involved Penalties:
Television: 1 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: Yes
Postseason: 2 yrs Recruiting: No
Probation: 3 yrs Show Cause Action: Yes
Vacation of Record: No
References
Legislative References
Div. Number Title
I 10.1 UNETHICAL CONDUCT
I 13.1.2.1 General Rule.
I 13.2.1.1 Specific Prohibitions.
I 14.1.2 Validity of Academic Credentials.
I 16.11.2.2 Discounts and Credits.
I 2.1.1 Responsibility for Control.
I 31.2.2.3 Participation While Ineligible.
I 31.2.2.4 Institutional Penalty for Ineligible Participation.
I 13.14 USE OF RECRUITING FUNDS
I 13.5.1 General Restrictions.
Date: March 3, 1988
Violation Sumary: Failure to cooperate fully with investigation.
Penalty Summary: Public reprimand; annual compliance reports for 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Involved Sports:
Men’s Basketball
Involved Penalties:
Television: 0 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: No
Postseason: 0 yrs Recruiting: No
Probation: 0 yrs Show Cause Action: No
Vacation of Record: No
Date: December 1, 1976
Violation Sumary: Improper entertainment, financial aid, lodging and transportation; extra benefits; out-of-season practice; complimentary tickets; improper recruiting entertainment, inducements and transportation; excessive number of official visits; outside fund; questionable practice; institutional control; certification of compliance.
Penalty Summary: Maximum of 25 initial football grants for 1977-78; maximum of three initial men’s basketball grants for 1977-78 and 1978-79. FOOTBALL: one-year postseason ban and television ban.
Involved Sports:
Football, Men’s Basketball
Involved Penalties:
Television: 1 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: Yes
Postseason: 1 yrs Recruiting: No
Probation: 2 yrs Show Cause Action: No
Vacation of Record: No
Date: April 19, 1964
Violation Sumary: Out-of-season practice; questionable practice.
Penalty Summary: Probation.
Involved Sports:
Football
Involved Penalties:
Television: 0 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: No
Postseason: 1 yrs Recruiting: No
Probation: 1 yrs Show Cause Action: No
Vacation of Record: No
Date: January 10, 1953
Violation Sumary: Improper financial aid; eligibility.
Penalty Summary: Basketball schedule boycott for one year. Death penalty.
Involved Sports:
Men’s Basketball
Involved Penalties:
Television: 0 yrs Reduction in Financial Aid: No
Postseason: 1 yrs Recruiting: No
Probation: 1 yrs Show Cause Action: No
Vacation of Record: No
COPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service
Byline: John Stamper and Linda Blackford
LEXINGTON, Ky. _ The new coach hired to lead the University of Kentucky’s football program out of probation has an NCAA violation record of his own, something UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart didn’t tell UK leaders about before making the hire.
Rich Brooks and his University of Oregon Ducks were slapped with stiff penalties more than 20 years ago for academic fraud and operating a “secret” travel fund.
That came as news to top UK officials, including university President Lee Todd and Steve Reed, chairman of the Board of Trustees. And Brooks said Monday the subject never came up during his hiring process.
On Monday afternoon, Barnhart said he knew about some of the rules violations before hiring Brooks, but did not tell Todd about any of them.
“I probably did not mention that to him,” Barnhart said. “I probably should do that.”
Todd, who has advocated changing UK’s “sleazy” sports culture since his arrival in 2001, agreed.
“We should have known about this,” he said Monday evening after reading the 1981 NCAA report for the first time
And an interesting article excerpt:
Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Mike Miller MSNBC
The NCAA’s penalized the school three times for serious violations, including two instances where Kentucky was prohibited from playing games. (But the winning never stopped.)
College basketball’s point-shaving scandals from the early ‘50s affected Kentucky when three players, Ralph Beard, Alex Groza and Dale Barnstable, were arrested in the fall of 1951. They were barred for three years. In ’52, Bill Spivey, despite never being implicated in point shaving, also was barred. As a result, the NCAA suspended Kentucky’s 1952-53 season. (Amazingly, the ‘Cats went 25-0 in the ’53-’54 season, but declined an NCAA bid.)
In 1976, Kentucky was placed on two-year probation because of improper benefits to players. (Two years later, the ‘Cats won the NCAA title.)
In 1989, the NCAA gave Kentucky three years’ probation and barred it from postseason play for the 1990 and ’91 seasons for recruiting and academic violations. (The ‘Cats reached four Final Fours and won two NCAA titles between 1993 and 1998.)
This isn’t to hammer the ‘Cats. Nearly every program has been hit with some kind of NCAA probation. But it’s important in Kentucky’s history for when it occurred (during some of the ‘Cats’ best eras)…..
Adolph Rupp’s Racism (offensive language noted)
Rupp allowed Sports Illustrated writer Frank Deford to stand in the Wildcats’ locker room at halftime. Deford said he was stunned by Rupp’s racist halftime exhortations.
“He said, ‘You’ve got to beat those c**ns, ‘ ” Deford said. “He turned to (center) Thad Jaracz. ‘You go after that big c**n.’ . . . He talked that way all the time. . . A chill went through me. I was standing in the back of the room, and I looked around at the players. They all kind of ducked their heads. They were embarrassed. This was clearly the type of thing that went over the line.”
The second documented racial slur attributed to Rupp is found in a quote from Harry Lancaster, long-time assistant to Rupp, in his book Adolph Rupp As I Knew Him (Lexington Productions, 1979). Rupp said after a meeting with Dr. John Oswald, UK President at the time, “Harry, that son of a ***** is ordering me to get some ni**ers in here. What am I going to do ? He’s the boss.”
One story which does indeed demonstrate that Rupp was prejudiced against blacks is related by Ron Grinker in the book Loose Balls. This book, by Terry Pluto, attempts to harness the flavor of the ABA during its short-lived life. Grinker relates a story when he was escorting the aging college coach down to Memphis for a promotion of the local ABA franchise.
Once, I was on a flight with Rupp and sat with him in the first-class section. He had about six Kentucky bourbons in less than an hour and was about halfway to the wind. I told him that I was an attorney who represented some basketball players. Now, I had never met the man, and the first significant thing he said to me was, “The trouble with the ABA is that there are too many ni**er boys in it now.” I sat there just stunned. That just killed my image of Adolph Rupp the great coach. Maybe it was because he had too much to drink, but even so… – Loose Balls by Terry Pluto, Simon & Schuster, 1990, pg. 241.
Rupp reportedly told Western coach Don Haskins before the game that he (Rupp) would not allow five black kids to beat him, which Haskins promptly informed his team of during the pregame (Bergen Record, March 3, 1996). Another version mentions that Haskins heard that Rupp had said “no five blacks are going to beat Kentucky” after which Haskins informed his team. (Curry Kirkpatrick, Sports Illustrated, April 1, 1991.) This is supported by an article which made it a point to say that Rupp did not tell Haskins directly. “He [Haskins] had heard before the game — not directly from Rupp, though — that Rupp had said something along the lines of, ‘There’s no way I’m going to let five black players beat my Kentucky team.’ – (by Jo-Ann Barnas, Detroit Free Press, “They Changed the Game: Texas Western,” March 29, 1996.)
Alexander Wolff reported that Rupp called up a young sports reporter (Jimmy Breslin of the New York Journal-American) in New York in the early 60′s and asked him to “kindly indicate ‘colored’ high school players with asterisks so Rupp would know where not to bother to send his recruiters.” This was first mentioned in the book Raw Recruits, (Pocket Books, (1991) pg. 102-103)
A common charge against Adolph Rupp was that he didn’t recruit black players “hard enough” during the 60′s. Kentucky generally recruited in the state of Kentucky and in border states such as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. During the mid-60′s there were a number of high profile black players in the state including Clem Haskins, Mike Redd, Dwight Smith, Butch Beard, Wes Unseld, Jim McDaniels etc. so it was a perfect time to integrate UK. Rupp, however, seemingly didn’t feel the pressure to do so from the community, the league or the media. (Billy Reed, Lexington Herald Leader, “30 Years Later, A Runt and a Miner Talk Hoops,”January 19, 1996.) Probably the only source of pressure to integrate the team at the time came from Dr. John W. Oswald, the president of the University who took this position in 1962. (Billy Reed, Lexington Herald Leader, “Basketball’s New Face Part of Runt’s Legacy,” February 15, 1991.)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010
Mayer
Kentucky basketball victories tainted
By Bill Mayer
Kentucky with its tainted history has registered 2,011 victories to sit atop the college basketball heap. Now North Carolina (1,997) and Kansas (1,993) are neck and neck in an exciting race to the 2,000 level.
As we all know, there are countless, indelible KU-UK-UNC connections. It’s regrettable that KU grad Adolph Rupp factored so heavily in a shady Kentucky march to glory. Kentucky may have hit 2,000 first but KU and UNC will do so more honorably. The Wildcats got there with considerable assistance from cheating and NCAA criminal indifference and oversight.
In his 1931-72 reign at Kentucky, the abrasive Rupp became noted for his ability to disregard and flaunt recruiting legality and remuneration limits for his players. As Ken Johnson, the incomparable KU court historian in Des Moines, points out: “In the 1930s and ’40s, 386 of the Wildcat wins were generated when there was virtually no oversight in college basketball. Transgressions never were penalized. Since then, though, the Kentucky basketball program has continuously been documented as one of the most criminal of all NCAA Division I schools.
“Rupp’s 1952-53 squad was nailed with what amounted to the NCAA’s first death penalty (cancelled season) because of payments to players. It all came to light during an investigation into a point-shaving scandal involving players during the ’49 season.” Kentucky won the NCAA title in ’48, ’49 and ’51 at the height of the horrendous fixing scandals; the NCAA never rescinded a trophy or a single victory.
A judge called Rupp’s UK program the acme of commercialization and overemphasis. He said he found covert subsidization of players, ruthless exploitation of athletes, cribbing at examinations, illegal recruiting, reckless disregard for physical welfare, matriculation of unqualified students and flagrant abuse of the athletic scholarship concept.
Rupp retired, but in 1976 the NCAA said the Wildcat scholarships would be limited for two seasons because of recruiting violations by coach Joe B. Hall’s staff. A handslap; UK won the ’78 NCAA title. In 1985, the Lexington, Ky., Herald Leader broke a story about UK paying players and recruits, documented by 31 former player admissions. Recruit Sam Bowie reportedly was handsomely rewarded.
There were recruiting, ineligibility and payoff scandals during the Eddie Sutton tenure and Eddie had to resign. An assistant was banned from coaching in the NCAA for five years. Boy, did the NCAA get tough on that one!
Historian Ken Johnson offers a kicker on the Kentucky outlawry so often ignored by the NCAA. He says UK periodically has tried to clean house but questions if that will continue.
“ . . . with the history and culture of cheating, there is probable doubt a clean program will continue under the stewardship of John Calipari. It’s hard to overlook the corruption of the athletic department when they sign a basketball coach to the richest per year contract in college hoops within two months of the coach’s second school being stripped of a Final Four appearance by the NCAA.”
Where was Calipari once an assistant? At KU, of course. Yet any barrel can have bad apples, including “alumni” who create programs with notably less honor and dignity than the source of their apprenticeships.
Troy of Lousville.
-Yawns-
UK will make it to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament again, and you would be very lucky UL to make it to the Final four of the NIT. At best going out for the third year in a row in the first game. LOL
Wow, Troy, tell us how you really feel? How do you have time for a job or career when you’re so busy doing full-time research as a UK hater?