From the in-case-you-missed it department, Bob Knight wants to make it clear he doesn't like, respect or have any use for John Calipari:Â "Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA tournament games that had not been to class that semester. That's that one and done philosophy."
Kentucky was not amused, and the proud member of the Situational Ethics Conference responded thusly, via AD Mitch Barnhart: "The University of Kentucky, our student-athletes and their families take great offense to the blatantly erroneous comments made by Bob Knight that âKentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA Tournament games that had not been to class that semester..."Academic performance has always been a priority at UK and it's unfortunate that, although every starter from the 2010 season finished the spring semester in good academic standing, these myths exist. Our men's basketball team's APR score reflects our attention to academic progress and our student-athletes take great pride in representing the University of Kentucky on and off the floor."
Well, numbers are numbers, but Knight knows, as do most minimally aware people, that a lot of SEC schools grease the skids for athletes. Is Kentucky basketball, of all programs, above this? Past performance is no indication of future results, but we're guessing not.
Clearly, he's got a personal shiv for Calipari and he'll stick it in where he can, but he's not alone in that sentiment. Lots of people think Calipari is playing fast and loose with the rules, and circumstancial evidence (think Eric Bledsoe and Derrick Rose) may point to harder facts.
But fair enough, no one has proved it.
Imagine, though what would happen if Calipari were offered say $50 million to move to Tennessee: think Kentucky fans would defend him? Or attack on the same grounds?
We have a pretty good idea how that one would work out.
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