The events of the past three weeks demonstrate why N.C. State fans should be disappointed they didn’t get John Calipari as their coach.
They also demonstrate why fans should be glad Calipari didn’t come to N.C. State in 2006, when the school hired Sidney Lowe to replace Herb Sendek.
After leaving Memphis to coach Kentucky, Calipari put the Wildcats back in the national headlines. Securing a commitment from extraordinary Raleigh Word of God Academy point guard John Wall earlier this month cemented a recruiting class that scout.com analyst Dave Telep said has a chance to be remembered as one of the best ever.
Immediately, Kentucky has been pegged as a favorite to get to its first Final Four since 1998. But this week damaging news has emerged about the program Calipari left behind.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the NCAA is requiring Memphis to appear before the infractions committee June 6 to answer charges of major violations. Reports say former guard Derrick Rose is accused of knowing fraudulence or misconduct on his SAT. If true, that could force Memphis to vacate its 38 wins and trip to the NCAA title game in 2007-08.
An associate of a player also is charged with not paying for some of his trips aboard the team charter plane to road games. Kentucky fans supposedly are reassuring themselves with the fact that Calipari is not named in the probe.
But this could be the second Final Four trip a Calipari-coached team has vacated. An agent scandal involving player Marcus Camby voided Massachusetts’ trip to the 1996 national semifinals.
Three years ago, Calipari turned down an offer from N.C. State and accepted a contract extension at Memphis. The Wolfpack instead hired Sidney Lowe, who had no college coaching experience and has yet to direct N.C. State to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons.
Unlike Calipari, who has been an instant recruiting sensation at Kentucky, Lowe got off to a slow start as he learned the recruiting landscape with the Wolfpack. But Lowe has signed his deepest and most complete class yet heading into 2009-10, and doesn’t have major NCAA violations as part of his legacy.
Under Lowe, N.C. State posted the highest Academic Progress Rate of any school in the ACC this spring. That’s in part because Lowe did an admirable job keeping Sendek’s former players in the program proceeding toward graduation.
At Kentucky, Calipari is at least three players over the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships for next season, meaning some of the players he inherited from Billy Gillispie are unlikely to return.
No doubt, Calipari will bring a lot of wins and national attention to the Wildcats. But the scandal that seems to follow him might not be worth it.
N.C. State might be better off without him despite Lowe’s shaky start in the won-loss column.
Comments
sour grapes
Sat, 06/06/2009 - 03:24 — KingGhidoraHow typical of the press associated with ACC teams. You make allegations you know aren't true if you read the facts of the situation and if you didn't that's even worse. Calipari is not involved in that investigation at all and it was Cal himself who fingered Marcus Camby to the NCAA for taking money from an agent. Yet you assert that he's somehow dirty. He's dirty because he didn't take the Wolfpack job, right? If he had taken it he would have been pure as the driven snow in your column. You know people are wise to the things you do. There's this thing called the internet where average Joe's can read the truth and see where you publish slanderous and false accusations knowing full well they aren't true. Remember Dan Rather? You're busted just like he was. You knowingly created a false impression and you did it because you want to destroy someone because they didn't take the job you wanted them to take.
You sir are an
Fri, 06/05/2009 - 23:41 — catintnYou sir are an IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder if u would still be spewing this GARBAGE had Coach Cal accepted the job. I can tell you this much, had he taken the job the MIGHTY-MIGHTY WOLFPACK would be ALOT better than they are right now. As it is now, they like you SUCK. Keep your articles bout N.C. State and stop spewing this GARBAGE about Cal that you have no earthly idea about. I hope your other writings are better than this TRASH u idiot
heres the probabtion
Thu, 06/04/2009 - 09:28 — gvillegatrno Roy Willimas at all. as if anyone is surprised about it!
"The committee also found that a basketball booster, with whom the university has since severed ties, provided improper benefits to two players, one of whom was a recruit when the relationship began."
none of it having to do with Coach Williams. he wasn't even there when Darnell Jackson (04-08) played at KU.
slow
Wed, 06/03/2009 - 12:53 — bluecatgalligator,if ol roy didnt cheat why is kansas on 3 yrs. probation?? it seems like a grave injustic that they would put them on probation if he didnt cheat, u need to admit that he cheated , giving money and clothes to players is against the rules, and what did i mispell, other than your name. u hang in there!! go duke, dookies dont mispell words that is the pack that does that.go duke
I think it's time for an IP
Tue, 06/02/2009 - 10:22 — JamesinWillowSpringsI think it's time for an IP ban.
Calipari
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 19:43 — orangecatTo an impartial observer, it would seem the matter is easily settled by a cursory look at the recruiting class of 2010. No contest! Go Cats!
Win-Win
Wed, 06/03/2009 - 18:58 — StLCatSo, NC State is glad Calipari didn't come to NC State, and so are we UK fans. Non-issue and non-story.
money--orangecat
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 20:02 — bluecatdo u think ky. paid those players , to get that no. 1 recruting class, surely they wouldnt lower thenself, like ol roy did at kansas.not to mention the clothes he bought them.go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
big orange
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 19:37 — bluecatgo big andy go!!!! it is all about the orangemen!!! go duke
mr. flop
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 18:30 — bluecatTYLER.
Cheating
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 16:37 — IndycatfanJust passing through and thought i'd drop aline or two. Firstly Old Roy did let his players at KU recieve gifts once the season was over and then he let some of the senor player recieve "small gifts" from boosters and alum. Now the NCAA said that was a NO NO and old Roy thought it was a silly rule so nothing else was said. on the other hand Duke knew during the season that they had an ineligibleplayer back n the early 2000 season, the NCAA ruled that since the player is no longer at the Unversity they will not rule. Therefore no games were forfeited....Same as Memphis they did not know what Rose done.....so no games should be forfeited
INDYCATFAN
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 18:11 — bluecatIT IS WHAT ROSE DID NOT WHAT ROSE DONE , PLEASE , USE PROPER WRITING SKILLS OR THE BLUE BLOODS WILL BE ALL OVER U. GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!!
I think Keyboard Cat needs
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 15:26 — JamesinWillowSpringsI think Keyboard Cat needs to play bluecat off.
Do your homework
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 14:50 — WNCMikeand while you're at it, work on your writing skills.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2623000
wncmike--the english teacher
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 20:14 — bluecatplease, tell me how i need to improve my writing skills, go duke!!!!!!!!!!
WNCMIKE
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 17:51 — bluecatIT IS AMAZING HOW THE TRUTH HURTS, RIGHT, I NEVER CLAIMED TO HAVE ANY WRITING SKILLS, BECAUSE I AM A UNC GRAD. , OK GO DUKE!
Blue Cat
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 11:50 — heelsno1Based on the number and nature of absurd comments from blucat, it is fairly evident that the cat turned blue due to a lack of oxygen to its brain.
HEELSNO1 ACTUALLY NO 2
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 12:46 — bluecatI AM OK ON THE O2 THING. BUT I LIKE THAT COMMENT, THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENT.NOW TELL ME WHAT I HAVE SAID THAT IS NOT TRUE. ESPICALLY ABOUT OL ROY, IS THAT NOT TRUE, IS KANSAS ON 3 YR. PROBATION? I BET U WANT RESPOND.GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!
getting good recruits anyway
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 10:37 — hatman30Lowe seems to have become a pretty good recruiter. Look at the incoming class and Ryan Harrow in'10. Also, Hickson and Smith were darn good pick-ups to. And he did all this and brought State kudos from the NCAA for academic accomplishment, not fake SAT scores. Given the two choices, I'll stick with Sid.
And bluecat, if you'd get a girlfriend, you wouldn't have to spend all your time insulting people online to have fun.
SOUR GRAPES
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 11:23 — bluecatI HAVE GOT A GIRL FRIEND, BUT MY WIFE DONT KNOW IT, IF I INSULTED U IT MUST BE BECAUSE THE TRUTH HURTS, EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE SAID IS THE TRUTH, GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!
CHEATER
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 09:13 — bluecatCOACH CALIPARI HAS NEVER PUT A SCHOOL ON PROBATION , YOU MUST HAVE HIM CONFUSED WITH OL ROY AT UNC, HE IS THE IDENTIFIED CHEATER!! GO DUKE!!
copy cat
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 08:26 — bluecatplagiarism? what does that mean?? surely a dookie would not be caught cheating , would they, what is this world coming to , tell me it aint so, that has ruined my day, is that what bill clinton was caught doing, no,it had something to do with a girl sitting under his desk, i think. go heels!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dookie
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 08:08 — bluecatncs, what a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go duke..
ncs, says they are glad they
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 10:30 — bluecatncs, says they are glad they didnt get calapri, does any one out there believe that dumb statement??? you guys dont deserve a winning program , see u in the basement of the acc. go duke!!!!!!!!!!
Go, University of North Carolina-State!
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 11:44 — JPDOhioOut of the basement, one step at a time!
basement
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 14:35 — bluecatit will never happen with sid there, you guys should have gotten coachcalipari . go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!
champs
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 13:53 — bluecatky. will probably win it all next yr. , i am sure uncs fans would not want any part of that.just stay marred in the basement of the acc. go duke!!!!!!!!!!!
how old are you?
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 09:52 — gvillegatrbasement?
not to mention, "go duke!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
you, obviously, are no UK fan if you root for DUIke.
old enough
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 14:42 — bluecati am old enough to know ncs will never, never, never, win big in bb, acc basement dweller forever. go duke!!
cow college
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 11:27 — bluecatyou boys at uncs have that cow college mentality, which is why you guys will never be on the national scene in basket balll like duke, maybe basket weaving!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cow college
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 11:27 — bluecatyou boys at uncs have that cow college mentality, which is why you guys will never be on the national scene in basket balll like duke, maybe basket weaving!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's quite obvious
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 13:38 — johnboy76122You're dealing with some "special" challenges. --Proud Cow College alum
who is ...
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 13:28 — gvillegatruncs?????
and DUIke??? who says they are on the national scene anymore with the ball they have been playing since Coach Williams has come to the Triangle??
and the foot steps you are hearing? yea, thats UNC on your a$$ for all-time wins!
CHEATER
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 14:58 — bluecatWHEN OL ROY ARRIVED AT THE TRIANGLE, DIDNT HE JUST LEAVE KANSAS ON 3 YRS. PROBATION FOR PAYING PLAYERS? i believe that is against the rules isnt it ? correct me if i am wrong, go duke!!!!!!!!!
do what?
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 15:36 — gvillegatrthe only thing Roy left KU was a potential championship team. he left them on no such probation.
what you may be thinking about is the heartless coach giving GRADUATING SENIORS a gift b/c they graduated! you know, like their families and friends would do.
cheater
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 08:05 — bluecatthe only ? i ask , is giving players money an infraction??you cant excuse stupidity..
avis
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 09:27 — bluecatyou guys are just like AVIS you are no. 2 and will always be that way. go duke!!!!!!!!
yea ...
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 09:48 — gvillegatrthats why we were so desperate we hired John Calipari as our new head bball coach ... b/c we are and always will be #2! ENJOY some form of a sanction against your bball team in the next 3-5 yrs! what, that will be at least the 2nd time you guys have been on heavy sanctions in YOUR LIFE TIME!
OH,
your #2 in YOUR OWN STATE!
"The events of the past
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 10:34 — lazenge44"The events of the past three weeks demonstrate why N.C. State fans should be disappointed they didn’t get John Calipari as their coach."
Replace "N.C. State" with "News and Observer" and the first paragraph would be spot on! Imagine all the possibilities during the summer dead period that the N&O could have had mustering up everything under the sun to torch the Pack again. Oh what coulda been...
he is a crook
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 20:56 — gvillegatrbut no one at ncsu would be complaining if the pack were going to sweet 16's, elite 8's and maybe final 4's.
True
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 21:25 — JPDOhioUntil the NCAA came calling and we were treated to endless negative stories and finger pointing. Not to mention the press resurrecting the last days of the Valvano years. Call me crazy, but I don't think the short-term gratification would be worth it.
well
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 22:33 — gvillegatrESPN wouldn't dare point a finger at ncsu about past indiscretions. take that to the bank!
True again
Sat, 05/30/2009 - 11:08 — JPDOhioBut there are a boatload of other media outlets that would love to jump in to fill the void. You can take that to the bank as well.
That we even considered him
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 16:57 — JamesinWillowSpringsThat we even considered him in the first place disappointed me at the time. Missing on Barnes hurt, but we should've moved on from that point to the best up-and-comer. I think we stumbled into a good hire, for what it's worth--Sidney has proven he's not too bad of a recruiter, either.
No "might be"
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 15:51 — JPDOhioYes, John Calipari can coach and recruit. Although his college success has been with teams in Mickey Mouse conferences, he has had success in the NCAA tourney. But it is a lot easier to achieve those results when you don't let intergrity or the rules get in the way.
Whether Cal is named in the NCAA report or not is irrelevant. He is clearly adept at covering his tracks so that none of the mud splashes on him. The guy at the top knows or should have known what was going on. No doubt in my mind that Cal knew, but made sure there was deniability.
So, yeah, I am glad he turned State down. We avoided a circus coming to town without the BigTop.
BABY BLUE CHEATER
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 09:10 — bluecatCAN YOU SAY ROY WILLIAMS??? GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!!
No "might" be
Fri, 05/29/2009 - 18:42 — melvinfurdExcellent points JPD, so excellent that I have nothing to add.
empty head
Sun, 05/31/2009 - 14:31 — bluecatreal in depth statement, you keep those gems coming, very inshightful!!!!!!!
Speak of the Devil.
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 09:57 — JPDOhioPretty ironic coming from someone whose comments barely raise to the level of spam. Try to be more inshightful in the future.
spam eater
Mon, 06/01/2009 - 18:27 — bluecatcomeon man u got to come up with your own words--insightful,you keep this up and they willaccuse u of plagrasim like the duke fb player. go unc!!!!!!!!!!