Despite Kentucky's Zero Tolerance policy, Jules Camara, who stands a good
chance at being convicted of drunk driving, will
be staying in school and, according to coach Tubby Smith, will eventually
rejoin the team. If he's convicted, we assume this means he will be paying
his own way, since the zero tolerance policy says the scholarship will be
revoked.
It's interesting that both Kentucky and Indiana have zero tolerance policies,
yet both seem to feel confined by them. Our suggestion would be that if
you don't mean it, you might as well drop it, which
is what Kentucky is going to try to do. It's a lot more credible
to say you don't want it and can't enforce it than to seem to say you'll
announce it but won't enforce it when a big fish is caught in the zero tolerance
net. In IU's case, Knight of course is the prime target, but if we
remember it's supposed to apply to the whole department. In Kentucky's
case, who knows, but with two basketball players busted in two semesters,
patience is probably wearing thin with law and order in the Bluegrass State.
There are more important things in life than the law, and first on that list is
UK basketball.
In Indiana, meanwhile, the players are
again defending their coach (rhetorical question: how would Knight react to
a player who didn't?), but after a meeting with the President,
they say they aren't very positive. Interestingly, Tom
Geyer says Knight has been much more patient lately, which tends to suggest that
he can in fact exercise some self-control. Brief fantasy: can you imagine Knight - er, Coach Knight - on Survivor? How would that play out?
Against the backdrop of the Knight controversy is the State-Indiana
football game, which saw a tremendous comeback by the Pack (for the second
straight week) and howls
of outrage by Indiana partisans, led
by Coach Cam Cameron. We didn't see the game, but it seems obvious to
us that while the officials could theoretically rob the home team, they can in
no way put the ball in the end zone themselves. Even with bad calls the
Hoosiers were ahead. Defense
could have won this game.