College Sports

Just a few weeks ago, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) asked its members to stop recruiting younger and younger prospects. Coaches appeared to agree, including Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie, who has been the beneficiary of several of the youngsters announcing their plans.

The NABC said it strongly encouraged coaches from asking for commitments, or offering scholarships.

Well, that didn’t last long.

Florida has accepted a commitment from a player who will be entering 10th grade this fall, and Gillispie is backing off his earlier statement.

According to Gillispie, “I’m a company man. But I’m not going to get beat up as far as competing. You always want to try to do what the coaches’ organization asks. But you’re not going to sit by the wayside while other people are getting ahead of you.”

Baloney.

First of all, as I stated in a column on May 17, (newborn-commits-to-kentucky), these commitments aren’t worth the paper they are written on. Either side can back out with no reprisals. But the situation is getting out of hand. Eighth graders are being recruited… 13 years old! Come on!

And now Gillispie is crying about getting beat out by the SEC’s head “Billy” (Donovan) for a 9th grader. Yeah, whatever!

Unless the NCAA and president Myles Brand get a handle on this thing quickly, it will escalate even more. The organization can’t afford to sit in it’s ivory tower offices in Indiana and shake it’s head “no.”

The NABC tried, but it has no real power over it’s coaches. No one wants more NCAA legislation, but if the coaches are going to push it, the NCAA needs to push back… and soon.

Rising senior Billy Humphrey, Georgia’s second leading scorer this past season at 12.2 points per game, has been kicked off the Bulldog squad, according to head coach Dennis Felton.

Humphrey, a 20 year old, was arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with DUI, failure to maintain his lane, and the underage purchase of alcohol. He was taken to the Gwinnett County jail at 3:32 a.m.

It was his third arrest in less than a year.

“I am disappointed in Billy,” said Felton. “We’ve worked really hard with him in the past to see that he succeeds, but I feel that it’s now best for our program to move forward without him.”

Humphrey played in 30 of the Bulldogs 34 games this past season, starting 28. In addition to his 12.2 points per game, he averaged 3.5 rebounds. He shot 37% from behind the 3-point line and 83% from the free throw line, both bests on the Georgia team.

The part of this story that grabs me is Dennis Felton. Felton was hired to clean up a Georgia basketball program that was running wild under former coach Jim Harrick. Harrick had turned the Bulldog program into a joke, with accusations of academic fraud. In five seasons at UGa, Felton has a record of 75-79, a winning percentage of .487. On the surface, that looks bad, but look a little deeper and see that Felton has had an uphill struggle to rebuild the program. Players have been dismissed and transfered.

This past year was supposed to be the turning point for the Dogs. They had the players to make a run, four starters returning. The previous year they had finished 19-14 and advanced to the NIT.

So what happened? Before the season even started, forward Takais Brown, the team’s leading returning scorer, and guard Mike Mercer, one of the top athletes on the team, were both kicked off. Brown (now playing professionally in Finland) had failed several drug tests, and Mercer (who transfered to South Florida) was dismissed for being a disruption. He had previously been suspended for not adhering to academic policies.

To add insult to injury, reserve center Rashad Singleton quit in January because he wanted more playing time, and freshmen forwards Jeremy Jacob and Chris Barnes each suffered season-ending injuries.

So Georgia entered the rugged SEC schedule with one arm tied behind it’s back. But a run through the conference tournament saved Felton’s job… at least for now. Georgia, the sixth-seed in the East, won the tournament with a 66-57 victory over Arkansas.

In short, Felton was hired to bring discipline to a program that lacked it. He is doing that, but it isn’t easy. He’s made some recruiting mistakes that have haunted him. Attrition is a problem in the program (players have transferred out in addition to those kicked off). This isn’t a time when schools can sit by and let that happen, as the NCAA will impose penalties for lack of academic progress within the program.

But I hope Georgia doesn’t bail out on Felton (like many schools do!). Given a full chance, Felton will win at UGa… he’s a winner, and he’ll do it the right way.

For the first time ever, the top three picks in the NBA draft are all one-and-done’rs. For the second straight year, the top overall pick is a freshman.

Chicago opened by taking Derrick Rose out of Memphis with the top pick. He was followed by Michael Beasley of Kansas State going to Miami, and USC star O.J. Mayo going to Minnesota (although the word is that he is potentially trade bait).

Ohio State’s Greg Oden was the top pick of the Portland Trailblazers last year.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Beasley said, “We actually talked about this earlier. We all grew up together and we all grew up playing against each other and we all made a pact together that we would all be here. Just to see it all fall into place and see it all happen is kind of crazy.”

In addition to the top three picks, five of the first seven were freshmen. And the Pac-10 had five of the top 11 picks.

I don’t have a problem with the kids who are one and done. I do have a problem with the rule. It seems so random. Of course, all three major sports have such random rules about the draft it is hard to keep up.

I have never quite understood why there is not just one rule governing football, basketball and baseball. Baseball’s rule has always been my favorite… you can be drafted out of high school, but if you choose to attend college, you cannot reenter the draft until following your junior season. It allows the schools to be able to build programs, rather than wonder each year what your roster needs will be.

The NBA’s draft rules seem to be the most harmful to a program in the long run. Do you recruit a player knowing he will be gone in one year? Do you hope that you can build that team chemistry quickly and then start all over the following season? Or do you bypass the players who will be “short timers” and go for project players, players you can mold to fit your system.

Tough questions. The NCAA needs to come up with some answers, instead of letting the pro leagues puppet the whole show.

Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Paul Hewitt was listening to the Knight Commission as committee members highlighted the NCAA’s rating system that penalizes teams that don’t meet certain academic standards.

The Knight Commission is an independent group that has been pursuing academic reform in athletics for more than 20 years.

In the most recent Academic Progress Report (APR), 218 teams from 123 schools received penalties of some sort. Scores have risen steadily since the APR was introduced four years ago

APR scores have been on the rise since the standard was introduced four years ago, but not all are happy with the method used to achieve the results. Coach Hewitt’s name heads the list.

“I do have a problem with putting numbers out there, saying ‘Meet these numbers or else,” Hewitt said. “You’re turning education into a race.”

Hewitt’s fear is that coaches, pressed to keep grades up to keep from losing scholarships, will steer their athletes into easier classes, away from the hard stuff that could actually help the player move toward graduation.

Hewitt came armed with ideas for improvement. He thinks that basketball should be a one semester sport, and a move toward a shorter season and schedule. He also is smart enough to know that the money involved will keep that from ever happening.

And therein lies the rub. The NCAA, once again, wants it all. We want our student-athletes to graduate, they say. Academic progress must be met, they bellow.

Shorten the season? Lose money? Uh, nope, not gonna do it.

The NCAA may want to take the high road, but it’s hard to do when the road is paved with dollar bills. As long as TV is driving the truck, the NCAA will be at their mercy. And the coaches and athletes will keep paying the price.

Indiana University is announcing changes within its athletic department, as a result of the alleged infractions incurred by former men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

My reaction? Big deal.

Sampson was already under sanctions from his previous coaching stop at Oklahoma when he was hired by Indiana. When I heard who IU had hired, I couldn’t believe it. When I heard that he was being accused of doing the exact same thing at IU that he had done at Oklahoma, well, no surprise there.

Any university that reaches out to hire a coach that has been found guilty of recruiting violations isn’t making a smart move. But in this case, it was even more incredulous because Sampson had just been sanctioned by the NCAA, and appeared to have no feelings of remorse whatsoever. So he burns Oklahoma, bails and heads to IU, gets them in trouble, gets a fat paycheck for $750,000 (just to go away!), and now Indiana is left to clean up the mess.

And he managed to do all this in under two years… Bravo!

And now, with the NCAA infractions committee getting ready to meet next week to go over alleged rules violations by Sampson at IU, Indiana wants to show that it has cleaned up the program, and that this won’t happen again?

Sampson should have never been hired in the first place! Indiana made it’s bed; guess what, now it’s time to lie in it.

As a college sports fan it makes me mad. Indiana, a school known for playing by the rules, hired a known rule breaker. Why? They wanted to win games. And Mike Davis wasn’t “sexy” enough for them.
There is a lesson to be learned here… but excuse me if I doubt that other university administrators are listening. Everyone takes the high road as long as they are winning. But lose a few? No matter how clean the program, see you later coach! And if the next guy bends or breaks the rules?

It’s all in the game.

University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun has been diagnosed with a second round of skin cancer.

The 66 year old Hall of Fame coach was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma when a needle biopsy of a lump in the upper right side of his neck came back positive for cancer. Squamous cell is a fairly slow growing cancer, according to Calhoun’s physician, Dr. Jeffrey Spiro. The lump and several lymph nodes were removed.

Calhoun had a squamous cell lesion removed from his cheek last summer, and doctors believe that this latest bout is related to the first. He will undergo radiation treatment beginning later in June.

In 2003, Calhoun was diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer.

So now I’ll climb up on my soapbox.

Skin cancer is nearly 100% preventable if you take precautions. But, while most will slather on the suntan lotion when at the pool or beach, that’s about it.

When was the last time you put on the sun block when you were at a football game? How about when you go to your kid’s baseball game?

Sure, it might seem silly, but speaking as someone who has had four bouts of skin cancer, it ain’t. Give me the lotion and keep me from the knife! I wasn’t a “baker,” either. Most of my sun exposure has come through going to games and sitting in the stands. And now I get to visit the dermatologist every six months for a “full body check.” It isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, either.

Oh, and in case you think that skin cancer comes around late in life, forget that. Mine first came along in my 30’s.

So learn a lesson from Coach Calhoun, and take it from me, your humble blogger… the only thing you want to take home from the game is a sore throat from screaming, not a lifetime of doctor visits.

O.J. Mayo, formerly of Southern Cal and currently prepping for the NBA draft, arrived in Orlando on Thursday and faced the media at a press conference held at the Grand Cypress Hyatt.

He is in Florida for the NBA’s physical and agility testing.

And, as expected, most of the questions centered on allegations by ESPN’s Outside the Lines, which claims that cash, gifts and various other extra benefits were passed on to him by Rodney Guillory, a runner for agents Calvin Andrews and Bill Duffy of Bill Duffy Associates (BDA).

Sticking to his story, Mayo continued to deny the allegations. He says he never accepted a penny, and paid for his own portion of the meal when he ate with Guillory.

“I understand the rules,” said Mayo.

When asked why Louis Johnson made the allegations, Mayo says he doesn’t know, but suspects ulterior motives.

“I understand that he’s writing a book,” Mayo went on. “I haven’t talked to Lou, Louis since January.”

Oops.

On Outside the Lines, Mayo is seen talking to both Johnson and Guillory at USC on March 7. Then the threesome gets into Guillory’s car and leave.

Mayo claims he was “overwhelmed” when he first heard of the allegations, on Mother’s Day. “As the oldest son, you don’t want to bring that on your mother on Mother’s Day. I was totally overwhelmed and didn’t understand what was going on.”

When asked if he will cooperate if contacted by the NCAA, Mayo said, “I can be as cooperative as possible.”

OK, I’m not sure what that means. “As cooperative as possible?” At what point would it be impossible to cooperate?

At any rate, Mayo is no longer represented by BDA. He says that he and his family felt like it was time to cut ties, with all the drama that is going on.

I don’t know where this torrid tale will end, but I have a sneaky suspicion that, while Mayo may be moving on to the NBA and what will probably be a lucrative career, USC will be dealing with the nasty aftermath for a few years to come.

Maybe Mayo should consider cutting a check to USC to pay for the upcoming investigation. Seems like the least the soon-to-be multi-millionaire could do.

When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for the newspapers to come. We had both a morning and and an evening paper, and each had great sports sections and top-notch sports writers. I loved to read the stories, and I felt like through each one I learned something, either about a sport or an athlete.

And the game recaps! If I hadn’t seen the game, by the time I finished the article I felt like I had. I could almost taste the hot dogs and smell the popcorn!

Is it any wonder I became a sportswriter?

But things are different now. And that brings me to an article written back on March 28 by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.

Simers was covering UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins faced Western Kentucky University in the Sweet 16. The Hilltoppers had the proverbial “unlikely run” in the tournament. WKU, the 12th seed, defeated #5 seed Drake, 101-99, on a last second three-pointer in overtime. They followed that up with a win over #13 seed San Diego, 72-63.

WKU gave UCLA a game, and although the Bruins led at the half by 21, WKU rallied to cut the lead to four before losing 88-78. The Hilltoppers finished the year with a record of 29-7.

Evidently, though, Simers didn’t believe that Western should have been in the gym. He derided the fans and the University over and over in a column that can be, at best, described as the rantings of the uninformed. At worst, it is just poor sportswriting.

The point of his article was that UCLA was being given a relatively free pass into the Final Four. OK, everybody has opinions on the brackets, and Simers gets a paycheck to express his.

But someone please explain to me what calling the Hilltoppers the “Hillboppers” has to do with game coverage?

He goes on to say that Western has a “pregnant Elmo” for a mascot. If Mr. Simers had done any research, he might have learned that “Big Red,” as the Western mascot is called, has been featured many times in ESPN commercials, and has been rated one of the nation’s favorite mascots by popular voting. May not mean much to Mr. Simers, but not bad for a “pregnant Elmo.”

He goes on to say, “… while I realize there’s probably not much to do in Western Kentucky, must they advertise it?” He derides the fans for wearing red and cheering for the “Big Red,” saying that WKU fans are Nebraska wannabes.

Uh, don’t most fans wear school colors and cheer for the “Big (insert color here)?” Oh, and here is a bit of irony. Dr. Martin Massengale, WKU 1952, served as president of The University of Nebraska from 1989-1994.

Simers takes a swipe at WKU alumni, saying that the two most famous celebrities to attend Western are Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luther on the TV show Smallville) and Nappy Roots (southern rappers). Simers claims he did research on this point, too.

It took me about two minutes to find that the list of famous alums from WKU is long and prestigious. How about Romeo Crennel (’69, ‘77), coach of the Cleveland Browns? PGA golfer Kenny Perry (82)? Duncan Hines, baking wizard? There’s even a sportswriter on the list (Thomas George, ‘82, sportswriter for the New York Times).

If Mr. Simers needs a Hollywood connection to validate, you can’t do much better than Academy Award winning director John Carpenter (’68), who directed “Halloween,” “The Fog,” and numerous other successful movies.

for more, visit http://www.wku.edu/textonly/notables.html

Oh, and the next time Mr. Simers sees a Corvette screaming down the California interstate, he should know that all Corvettes… ALL! are built in Bowling Green.

When I read Mr. Simers column, it really ticked me off. Yeah, he gets to express an opinion… but most of his readers probably assume it is an informed opinion. What makes me mad is the thought that there are many in Los Angeles whose sole opinion of Western Kentucky University and Bowling Green is derived from his column.

Before you think I am a WKU alum or fan, you are wrong on both points. I am the product of a proverbial BCS school. My team went deep in the NCAA hoops tourney. My football team stays in the top 10 year in and year out.

But I respect other universities and their programs. All fans love their schools, wear the colors, and, frankly, finance the athletic endeavors by purchasing tickets. We all have a common bond, a love of college athletics. And, in my travels around this country attending college sports events, I have loved getting to meet the fans and see the traditions, at schools both large and small.

Mr. Simers, size really doesn’t matter… but perhaps integrity does.

Obviously, that headline is written with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But don’t be surprised if you are reading it in your local paper in the not-so-distant future.

University of Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie has offered three scholarships this spring… one to an eighth grader, and the other two to ninth graders.

Here are the bones of the story:

Recently Gillispie attended an AAU tournament in Akron, Ohio. He offered scholarships to three players that he saw… eighth grader Michael Avery, and ninth graders Vinny Zollo and Jeremiah Davis, III.

Avery committed to UK, although he is four years away from entering college. On the other hand, he is three months from starting high school and has yet to decide which school to attend.

Zollo also committed to the Wildcats, although Davis is waiting to think it through with his family.

UK President Lee Todd, when initially told of the recruitment of eighth grader Avery, blurted out, “An eighth grader?” He was incredulous.

Not anymore.

Seems Todd is back in line with the thinking in the land of the bluegrass. Gillispie has explained to him how kids are ranked as early as sixth grade, how eighth graders can be 6′4. How recruiting them early takes the pressure off the kids and families.

Todd goes on to state that, although the scholarship offers aren’t binding, he hopes that coaches will keep their promises. Sure, he thinks that now, but what if one of these recruits ends up not living up to billing, and better player, a difference maker, is available. Will Gillispie give his last scholarship to the kid he promised four years earlier, or to the one that will make his program better? Is there really any question?

Who can even say if Billie G. will still be at UK in four years. Do you think a different coach would be bound by these offers? Not a chance.

But lets say that each of these players is the real deal, and four years from now they choose other universities. Will they be despised in Wildcat nation for a decision that they made as 15 year olds? Do you remember the decisions that you made when you were 15? Would you like to have been held to those?

Where are the parents? Are they so incredibly wrapped up in their sons’ talent that they can’t put the brakes on? Gillispie and others claim that this takes the pressure off their sons. Not so fast, according to Steve King, the pressure just shifts from recruitment to living up to the hype and maintaining the scholarship offer.

And Steve King knows what he is talking about. His son, Taylor King, committed to UCLA in eighth grade, reopened his recruitment as a sophomore, signed with Duke and is now transferring to Villanova. He believes that the decision his son made as an eighth grader was more emotional than pragmatic.

And does anyone — ANYONE? — think for one minute that this will stop other universities from writing, calling, emailing, texting, you-tubing, facebooking, etc.? No way. In fact, the players have been invited to other universities’ elite basketball camps, and still plan to attend.

Don’t let the term “Elite Basketball Camp” fool you. The ordinary kid can’t get into this type of camp. These camps are nothing but a glorified way to get top rated players onto a university campus and do a sales job, without having to claim an official visit. These kids will be getting the hard sell, whether they have “verballed” or not.

NCAA President Myles Brand is not happy about the trend, and hopes that the recruitment of kids who can’t even drive yet will end.

“I find that very unfortunate, and indeed troubling” Brand said in an interview with the Lexington (Ky) Herald-Leader. “It’s nothing we want to be widespread.” He has hopes that the National Association of Basketball Coaches will look into the issue.

He may hope, but he had better be prepared for reality. First of all, the NABC can’t make it’s members do anything. Bill Self, head coach at NCAA National Champion Kansas, is on the Ethics Committee of the NABC, which will most likely look into the situation. Self is also Gillispie’s mentor. While he agrees that eighth grade is too young, he cautions against banning the commitments.

“I don’t think we should necessarily have a knee-jerk rule because USC and Kentucky have gotten a couple,” said Self.

Ivy League comissioner Jeff Orleans has weighed in by saying that the recruiting of middle schoolers works against the NCAA’s effort to strengthen academic standards. The feeling is that the emphasis on success will be removed from the classroom and focused on athletic accomplishments.

Look into the Crystal Ball

We have all heard the story about Michael Jordan and how he was cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore. Bill Russell, the winningest player in the history of team sports, didn’t crack the starting lineup of his high school until his senior year. And Stephen Curry of Davidson was passed over by big time schools as too small. But this past season he led Davidson to the Elite Eight.

Now for the other side of the coin. As an eighth grader, Demetrius Walker was featured in Sports Illustrated (Jan. 24, 2005 issue). At age 14, he was 6-3, 175 lbs. His mom brought his birth certificate to games to prove his age. SI said Walker was, “14 going on LeBron.” Three years later, he isn’t listed in the top of any prospect list for the class of 2009. He is considered a marginal top 100 player. “He peaked early,” said analyst Brick Oettinger of the Prep Stars recruiting service. “He hasn’t grown, maybe an inch, since then. He really hasn’t improved his game that much.”

In other words, recruiting is a roll of the dice, at best. Far from an exact science.

So where will that leave Avery, Zollo and Davis? Will Billy G. honor these scholarship offers, even if it means the Wildcats may become the “Mildcats?” Is he willing to risk his won-loss record to take the higher road?

Don’t hold your breath.