Coach Cal confronts a coach for bad mouthing him

[orangefog]

No I mean that the idea that it's "implausible" that a program of UKs caliber could suddenly start hauling in blue chips.

I think that the notion that he doesn't have to recruit a player, all he has to do is show up and the kid commits the next day, is implausible. Tubby Smith is a good coach, and he didn't pull in all 5 star players. Pitino got great players, but he had to recruit them. 5 star players being recruited by all top notch schools typically don't just fall all over themselves to go to any school. Dakari Johnson doesn't say one day that he is waiting until the spring to decide and then the next day commit to Kentucky after WWW pays him a visit without some incentive.

 

[reedny]

I think that the notion that he doesn't have to recruit a player, all he has to do is show up and the kid commits the next day, is implausible. Tubby Smith is a good coach, and he didn't pull in all 5 star players. Pitino got great players, but he had to recruit them. 5 star players being recruited by all top notch schools typically don't just fall all over themselves to go to any school. Dakari Johnson doesn't say one day that he is waiting until the spring to decide and then the next day commit to Kentucky after WWW pays him a visit without some incentive.

Of course it's shady. And the statistics would back me up, if I had time tonight ... miraculous, stupendous, improbable, implausible .. all those adjectives apply to UK recruiting. Every other college program (including Duke) pales by comparison. Does this really make sense ... in an age when the NBA literally scours the earth for talent, that suddenly all these top players independently decide that they have to go to UK to get drafted? (lol). And it's not only one or two of the nation's highest-level kids (which would be unusual in itself); it's nearly all the TOP KIDS AT EVERY POSITION . .. INSTANTANEOUSLY, the moment PayPal took over. So the people citing jealousy (e.g., claiming "hater") can ask themselves ... is this a coincidence? Paypal's transcendent coaching talent? UK's amazing dorms? Paypal's treasure trove of NCAA hardware (when he arrived)? Or is he just cheating again?

 

[orangefog]

Of course it's shady. And the statistics would back me up, if I had time tonight ... miraculous, stupendous, improbable, implausible .. all those adjectives apply to UK recruiting. Every other college program (including Duke) pales by comparison. Does this really make sense ... in an age when the NBA literally scours the earth for talent, that suddenly all these top players independently decide that they have to go to UK to get drafted? (lol). And it's not only one or two of the nation's highest-level kids (which would be unusual in itself); it's nearly all the TOP KIDS AT EVERY POSITION . .. INSTANTANEOUSLY, the moment PayPal took over. So the people citing jealousy (e.g., claiming "hater") can ask themselves ... is this a coincidence? Paypal's transcendent coaching talent? UK's amazing dorms? Paypal's treasure trove of NCAA hardware (when he arrived)? Or is he just cheating again?

That's the thing, some people say "well, it's Kentucky". The last two coaches at Kentucky didn't recruit nearly as well. As you said, Cal was not considered a great coach either. So the fact that it started at Kentucky as soon as he got there, kind of speaks volumes. A guy with a history of cheating (the previous two schools he coached at got slammed as he walked out the door, so apologists please don't say he never got caught) goes to a school with a looooong history of cheating and the NCAA doesn't care, perfect recipe for what has been going on.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Pounding your chest proclaiming that you can get any player you want in a loud, public argument is a much bigger move, and it isn't even close IMO.

Not that whining about getting beaten out is anything to trumpet, either.

If Cronin said it to some "associates", it sure doesn't speak highly of his associates to be the ones spreading it around either.

 

[SUintheVille]

I liked Tubby Smith when he was at UK, but he didn't excite the fans or recruits even though he compiled a .760 winning percentage in 10 yrs (the post-season results weren't there consistently). Then Gillispie came and went quickly - nutcase. UK was longing for excitement and lured Cal to UK, and fans and program were quickly reinvigorated given his recent success (137-14 in his last 4 seasons at Memphis), whether legit or not. UK is a blue blood, and I can see recruits wanting to come quickly with the new perceived high profile coach and an aggressive AD. Was there underhanded/corrupted stuff going on? I live close to it, and just don't hear that much about it, but certainly there's rumors and people thinking surely there was (with hard opinions), and I'll just leave it at that. Ryan, you have an interesting theory about it in an above post.

I used to loathe Cal, and still am not a fan for sure, but he doesn't bother me as much now. Maybe it's perspective and better wisdom. This current year, Cal will have another really good team, but he did miss out on a number of very top recruits who went elsewhere, despite UK offers. Interesting.

I guess the moral here is, I still don't like the team down the road, I have friends who love the team down the road, it is what it is, and I'll just root for Cuse and who cares about Cal and UK.

 

[LoudHouse]

It's not as hard to believe .. now that he's gotten all those recruits and has the NBA street cred that he has developed. But as you know, I was arguing in the earlier post that it's implausible that, without cash being involved, he instantly walked into UK and suddenly the recruiting vaulted to the top of college hoops (and it wasn't close).

I absolutely agree with this. Let's face it, the 4 years before Cal signed on, UK was mediocre at best. Then all of a sudden, Cal comes and they almost instantaneously become #1 recruiting, and not just by a little. They're pulling in historical recruiting classes almost every year. And it miraculously happens with a coach who's last TWO schools were caught cheating as he exited the program. The coincidence starts to get pretty far fetched when you spell it all out...
UK is definitely a blue blood, but it doesn't add up that all of a sudden every top recruit decides last minute, hmm, I'll just give up on months/years of recruiting by other coaches and pick UK. Has that ever happened elsewhere? Not that I have seen.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Tubby Smith is a good coach.

Let's just say there's certainly room for debate there.

 

[tep624]

Anyone who thinks Calipari isn't a cheater probably doesn't think that Barry Bonds used Steroids or Lance Armstrong Blood doped.

 

[longtimefan]

Anyone who thinks Calipari isn't a cheater probably doesn't think that Barry Bonds used Steroids or Lance Armstrong Blood doped.

You forgot ARod. Although, he did cop to his misdeeds. Or at least, some of his misdeeds.

 

[Briancuse]

Effin weasel wouldn't have the stones to confront boeheim.

He also has a ton of respect for JB.