The Goat Pen

Calipari to the Pelicans:?????

I've wondered the same, Crotch...

Everyone thinks Cal can coach Cousins. He couldn't.

Cousins wanted to come back to UK and Cal told him he couldn't. I'm sure he sold it to him that he was stupid to turn down pro money , which is true and fit the bigger picture of what Cal was trying to do at UK, however after Cousins left, Cal gave an interview where he indirectly talked about how much effort was involved in keeping Cousins in check. He didn't mention Cousins by name but instead he talked about the kind of players he would recruit now that he was established.

UK fans loved Cousins though - they still do. We haven't had a player I liked more since Cal got here.

I'm not saying he won't go to the Pelicans. I doubt he does with Brad on the team but I don't think Cal believes he has the ability to keep Cousins from being Cousins.

Huggs needs to call it a caree......

Jungle Rat wrote:Huggs needs to call it a caree......

I just read what happened. He's pretty nonchalant about about

eCat wrote:Everyone thinks Cal can coach Cousins. He couldn't.

Cousins wanted to come back to UK and Cal told him he couldn't. I'm sure he sold it to him that he was stupid to turn down pro money , which is true and fit the bigger picture of what Cal was trying to do at UK, however after Cousins left, Cal gave an interview where he indirectly talked about how much effort was involved in keeping Cousins in check. He didn't mention Cousins by name but instead he talked about the kind of players he would recruit now that he was established.

UK fans loved Cousins though - they still do. We haven't had a player I liked more since Cal got here.

I'm not saying he won't go to the Pelicans. I doubt he does with Brad on the team but I don't think Cal believes he has the ability to keep Cousins from being Cousins.

Cousins reminds me of Sheed in a lot of ways. I think he is misunderstood, and people provoke him. He should be more controlled and mature, but I think the guy has a lot of passion that people don't understand.

Tonights game was a shit show.

The OADs are not going to jeopardize their future paychecks by giving 110% and risking an injury. Monk has been in cruise control for most of the season. Briscoe is unwatchable.

crotch wrote:The OADs are not going to jeopardize their future paychecks by giving 110% and risking an injury. Monk has been in cruise control for most of the season. Briscoe is unwatchable.

Briscoe is not a OAD. Unless he goes on a run of double-doubles, I don't think Bam is either.

Unfortunately for Briscoe, his chance to prove himself is ending. Based on recruiting there isn't a spot for him as a scholarship player on the team next year.

I envision Briscoe transferring at the end of the season.

eCat wrote:Tonights game was a shit show.

You watched the IU game???

BigRedMan wrote:

eCat wrote:Tonights game was a shit show.

You watched the IU game???

You get to be excited about Greg Marshal

Jay Bilas Criticizes NCAA's Handling of UNC Case


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – ESPN basketball analyst and attorney Jay Bilas offered a scathing critique of the NCAA’s handling of its investigation into academic irregularities at the University of North Carolina during an interview with reporters on Friday.

UNC received its third notice of allegations in December after Committee on Infractions chair Greg Sankey utilized a procedural hearing to raise concerns about the previous notice of allegations and instructed the NCAA’s enforcement staff to rewrite its notice. Sankey, who also serves as SEC commissioner, denied UNC’s request to include two letters in the record for the panel to consider as evidence during the October hearing.

‘The committee then cited the absence of the very same evidence in the instructions it gave to the enforcement staff to revisit the second notice of allegations,” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in December. “That means the university was deprived the opportunity to submit evidence in the case record and the committee used the lack of evidence against us."

The NCAA also failed to share pertinent information related to the investigation with school officials in 2013. UNC and its counsel discovered the documents in a visit to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis in July 2015.

Bilas has been a vocal critic of the NCAA’s breach of protocol in UNC’s case in recent months. The former Duke standout broached that topic again, as well as highlighting Sankey’s conflict of interest, during his interview at the Smith Center. His full comments are below:

"I’m on record as saying, ‘Look, my following this is not an issue of passing judgment on what happened here as being right or wrong. What happened here was profoundly wrong.’

"But under the rules of the NCAA and their bylaws, there’s a reason why the notices of allegations don’t say academic fraud. It’s because the NCAA doesn’t recognize that as academic fraud. Years and years ago, the presidents told the NCAA, ‘stay out of our curriculum, stay out of our course offerings, don’t tell us what to do there.’ A rules-based organization is not allowed to violate its own rules to get the result it wants, and that’s exactly what’s happening. There have been three different notices of allegations, and I find it profoundly unfair, when you are required by the rules to answer the allegations, that people say, ‘how arrogant of them to make their case.’ They’re required to make their case. That’s the whole point of the system. It’s like when you stand up in court and say, ‘not guilty,’ they go, ‘how could you say that?’ Because you’re required to do it. They’re arguing their case.

"The decision-making authority there, the Committee on Infractions – I don’t think the system is very well-run. I don’t think a sitting commissioner (Sankey) should be in charge of the Committee on Infractions. That’s a conflict of interest that you cannot waive and – no matter how good your judgment is – you cannot get past. But that aside, listen to the arguments. If they’re compelling, if you agree, don’t agree, whatever, but there’s nothing wrong with them making their argument. They should defend themselves. And they’re right.

"Their arguments, in my judgment, are correct, based upon the rules and the bylaws of the NCAA. They’re absolutely correct, but people don’t want to hear that. They want a pound of flesh. And it goes beyond what the rules are and goes to sort of a moralistic argument. And so, ‘who cares what the rules are? Hit them with a bag of hammers because I don’t like this.’ That’s not the way the system works. I think the NCAA should follow their own rules, because they make everybody else follow theirs. So they should follow their own, and right now they’re not doing that. That’s pretty clear."

I like Bilas well enough but I really have no idea what he really thinks about this. He is employed by ESPN. Its clear ESPN believes that anything bad for Carolina is bad for business.


That said, watching an ESPN commercial last night for the ACC, they featured Williams, Pitino, Coach K and Boeheim. Touting it as a matchup of titan coaches.

Williams is coach at a school where the greatest academic scandal in the history of college sports has taken place and has a championship won by ineligible players.
Pitino just presided over a program where they brought in strippers and paid for sex as a recruiting tool
Boeheim is coming off a suspension and had games removed (which they still celebrated) for multiple violations

and Coach K is well - Coach K. Not any one thing on the surface but a lot of slime just below the covers.

eCat wrote:

crotch wrote:The OADs are not going to jeopardize their future paychecks by giving 110% and risking an injury. Monk has been in cruise control for most of the season. Briscoe is unwatchable.

Briscoe is not a OAD. Unless he goes on a run of double-doubles, I don't think Bam is either.

Didn't mean to imply that Briscoe is a OAD... just stating that he was unwatchable. Sophs can't be an OAD. Agree that he may transfer...hope so.

crotch wrote:

eCat wrote:

crotch wrote:The OADs are not going to jeopardize their future paychecks by giving 110% and risking an injury. Monk has been in cruise control for most of the season. Briscoe is unwatchable.

Briscoe is not a OAD. Unless he goes on a run of double-doubles, I don't think Bam is either.

Didn't mean to imply that Briscoe is a OAD... just stating that he was unwatchable. Sophs can't be an OAD. Agree that he may transfer...hope so.

I don't see us beating Florida

"Williams is coach at a school where the greatest academic scandal in the history of college sports has taken place and has a championship won by ineligible players."

So I guess you're saying all those years UK was paying players don't count against the UK brand. All those wins during all those season were legit. I'm sure UK fans aren't willing to put an asterisk beside every win from the the 1970's and 80's...

"Pitino just presided over a program where they brought in strippers and paid for sex as a recruiting tool"

Pitino brought UK back from the ashes and was the coach during one of their greatest run of seasons ever. I'm sure he was squeaky clean when he was at UK though...

eCat wrote:
I don't see us beating Florida

Good lord. Egbunu is gone; Barry has a bad ankle..just hustle back and guard against the three. Bam dominates inside the first 5 minutes, then balls kicked out for a 3-fest. Hold on to the big halftime lead; win by 12+.

hedge wrote:"Williams is coach at a school where the greatest academic scandal in the history of college sports has taken place and has a championship won by ineligible players."

So I guess you're saying all those years UK was paying players don't count against the UK brand. All those wins during all those season were legit. I'm sure UK fans aren't willing to put an asterisk beside every win from the the 1970's and 80's...

"Pitino just presided over a program where they brought in strippers and paid for sex as a recruiting tool"

Pitino brought UK back from the ashes and was the coach during one of their greatest run of seasons ever. I'm sure he was squeaky clean when he was at UK though...

here is the difference though. Paying a player doesn't change his status as a student athlete. You can give the guy a hooker, blow and let him steal a car - as long as he goes to class ( a real class) make the grades and plays, - he doesn't change the student/athlete process. Yes, its illegal and its wrong - but he's still a student. Its not like they just brought guys in to show up for ball games.

all the $100 handshakes in the world don't alter your academic integrity which is the bedrock of the NCAA.

Bilas' argument is similar to a lawyer defending a pedophile in court with overwhelming evidence , standing up saying that every person deserves their day in court and then trying to win the case on a technicality .

yes, we got busted for helping a kid pass the ACT - and for that we got hammered.

You guys helped multiple kids stay eligible to the extent that you wan a national title.Your program ethics in regards to the mantra and mission of college - the reason for its existence - is a complete farce

Bilas should be ashamed for arguing on technicalities and bylaws and forgetting that academic integrity is paramount to all college athletics. You don't get to excuse it with a throwaway line of "I'm not saying what they did was right"

bluetick wrote:

eCat wrote:
I don't see us beating Florida

Good lord. Egbunu is gone; Barry has a bad ankle..just hustle back and guard against the three. Bam dominates inside the first 5 minutes, then balls kicked out for a 3-fest. Hold on to the big halftime lead; win by 12+.

The game will go like this - The game will be close in the first 6 minutes, then UK will get a 7 point lead followed by Bam getting into foul trouble, Humphries coming in and Florida closes to within 3 at the half.

If Monk/Willis doesn't go apeshit shooting 3's , then Florida keeps it close and our backcourt turns it over too much in the final minutes, we lose by 5

If Bam doesn't have a double double last night we lose to a team that has won 7 all year with 2 of their players fouling out and their second leading scorer going 1-11 until the game was decided in the final minutes.

"here is the difference though. Paying a player doesn't change his status as a student athlete."

It's rich hearing a UK fan talk about "student" athletes...