John Calipari Wants Urgency Up at UK

Several times last season, a very talented Kentucky team would play just well enough to win. Exhibits: A two-point win (on a last second shot) over Miami (Ohio); a 10-point win over Sam Houston State; an overtime win against Stanford; a five-point win over Auburn. There are others, but the point remains: often times, last year's young Wildcats were prone to inefficient offense and a lack of urgency.

This year, coach John Calipari hopes to quell that problem before it begins, stressing to his freshman-heavy team that they need to play with more consistency and a stronger sense of urgency. Especially after Kentucky's last two games -- a loss at Georgia and an uninspiring win over a hapless Auburn squad -- Calipari made it known to his team that he wasn't happy with their recent effort.

"Just play better, (have a) more consistent effort," Calipari said. "Come out with a sense of urgency, (don't be) content with how they're playing. We had a lot of guys content with how they're playing and that just sets you up for more failure."

In addition to this growing lack of urgency, Calipari has rued the lack of depth on his bench. After the starting five and Doron Lamb (or, as was the case Tuesday, Terrence Jones) off the bench, there's little by way of talent. Eloy Vargas, plucked as a transfer from Florida as a back-up plan to now-student assistant Enes Kanter, has not provided much of anything in the post. Likewise, swing men Jon Hood and Stacey Poole Jr. have been equally inconsequential.

"We only have six guys right now," Hood said. "When you go into tournament play, you have to have depth. We don't have the 13 guys that some of the other teams have."

Depth or no depth, the Wildcats can't afford to have slow starts and periods of inefficiency. Especially in conference play, where they already have one loss. Still, they easily possess the most talent of anyone in the conference, and it would be a surprise for anyone else to take home the conference crown.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.


John Calipari Wants Urgency Up at UK
Evan Hilbert
ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com

NCAA president Mark Emmert on Enes Kanter decision

UK-LSU notes: 'Coach' Kanter has a lesson for Kentucky teammate Hood

As Florida Coach Billy Donovan once observed, all college basketball teams face adversity. It's how a team handles adversity that separates good seasons from bad.

Teammate Jon Hood saluted Enes Kanter as an example of how to handle adversity. Kanter sat in basketball limbo for months before learning recently that the NCAA had rejected the University of Kentucky's appeal on behalf of the player. Kanter would be permanently ineligible to play college basketball.

"I can't imagine anyone handling that situation any better," Hood said. "He handled it in the most mature way possible."

Hood nodded when asked if someone else might have quit rather than wait as UK filed appeals on a judgment that seemed unlikely to change.

"I could see where they could do that, I really could," Hood said of a player choosing not to make the fight. "At the same time, when you have a shadow of hope or light at the end of the tunnel that you may get to play, you're always going to work hard. You're always going to work toward that (goal) just in case that day comes."

Hood likened Kanter's situation to someone being denied something he loved.

Hood suggested that Kanter, who will stay involved as a student assistant coach, hasn't lost his sense of humor. The freshman from Turkey has playfully introduced himself to teammates saying, "I'm Coach 

Kanter."

The players do not follow this formality.

"No," Hood said. "You still have to call him Enes."

'Buzzard luck'

UK Coach John Calipari noted how a metaphorical black cloud seems to hover over Hood.

"He's trying, he's trying," Calipari said of Hood's efforts to be a hustling glue guy. "He's got a little buzzard luck. Everybody who shoots a ball on him makes it."

The UK coach seemed to make a reference to a lack of confidence when he said of Hood, "It's hard to unleash yourself when you're afraid of making a mistake."

Substance over style

When discussing Stacey Poole, Calipari said the freshman recently fumbled away a ball while trying to execute a round-house dunk rather than simply shooting a layup.

Calipari said he asked Poole why he didn't just lay in the ball. "'Because you don't understand my game,'" Calipari said Poole replied.

To which, Calipari said he answered, "I do. That's why I'm not playing you much."

LSU in Cat-mosphere

LSU has only two players who have ever played in Rupp Arena. Neither scored. Storm Warren played 18 scoreless minutes for the Tigers in Rupp Arena three years ago. He's hampered by tendinitis in his right Achillies' tendon and is not expected to play.

Malcolm White played two scoreless minutes at UK in 2008 for Ole Miss.

LSU Coach Trent Johnson dismissed the suggestion of his freshman-oriented team being intimidated by the "Cat-mosphere" of Rupp. "It's a neat atmosphere," he said. "But the thing that makes it neat is the guy running the show and the guys that are playing."

Matt Derenbecker, one of two freshman starters, said, "I've heard some stories about it. I heard their fans are hostile, and it's a very crazy environment to play in. My dad (who played at Vanderbilt) told me just go there and try not to focus on everything that's around you. When it comes down to it, it's just a court. Treat it like any other away game. It's going to just be a great experience for everybody on our team to play a game in an arena with such strong history."

Heart, smarts

LSU hopes to compensate for a lack of experience with heart and smarts.

"We knew from the beginning we were going to be younger than some teams and not as talented and athletic as some teams," Derenbecker said. "The coaches drilled it into us that we had to be mentally tough and we had to stay one step ahead of the other team in terms of anticipation. Even though we're young, we have a high basketball IQ on this team."

Added freshman Andre Stringer, the team's leading scorer with Ralston Turner injured, "I know we're a young team, but I think we have a big heart. Our coach instills that in us, and we have to come out and play hard every given night. We can't take any team for granted. The heart of our team is our heart."

Etc.

■ UK's 27 straight home victories is the third-longest active streak. Kansas and Duke have won 68 and 29 straight home games.

■ Carter Blackburn and Mark Gottfried will call the game for the SEC Network.

UK-LSU notes: 'Coach' Kanter has a lesson for Kentucky teammate Hood

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com

Enes Kanter - Videos

NCAA Rules Kanter Permanently Ineligible

Enes Kanter - Nba Studyo(Turkey)

2011 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Point Guards and an Enes Kanter update

Since the Wizards are pretty much set at Point Guard with John Wall entrenched there for hopefully the next decade or more; I've decided to do only short, abbreviated profiles for the current crop of Point Guards in the 2011 draft. The first batch includes Duke's Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker from Connecticut, and Kentucky's Brandon Knight. Keep reading at the end for an update on the Enes Kanter eligibility issue.

More after the jump.

***

Kyrie Irving
Team: Duke, Freshman
6' 2" , 185 lbs , 18 Years Old
Position: PG

Kyrie Irving won't wow you with his physical attributes, or with his athleticism, but he's an extremely smart player. Although he's not blazing fast like John Wall, nor is he an elite athlete like Derrick Rose; Irving plays at different speeds, keeping the defense off balance. A stutter step here, a juke there, a slight hesitation and then he takes a quick burst just when the defense is flat-footed. He can drive either left or right equally well. Combine all that with the fact that he's a very good shooter from outside, including range to the professional 3-point line - and defenses have to play him honest. Because he can shoot, it creates driving opportunities - and because he can drive, it creates open shots. As a result, Irving is an extremely efficient scorer - averaging over 22 points per 40 minutes (Pace adjusted) on only 12 sots.

Irving has excellent court vision, and is averaging a robust 6.5 assists per 40 (pace adjusted). He's an excellent passer, but prefers to make the safe pass rather than the spectacular. His ball handling skills are well advanced; able to stop or change direction in an instant.

He still needs work on his shot selection - and he tends to dribble too much.... but overall, Kyrie Irving is an excellent prospect. Even though he injured his toe in early December, and is expected to miss some extended time, NBA scouts have seen enough of him to know what kind of player he will become. He is the most NBA ready player in the draft. I expect him to be the first Point Guard taken, and depending on which team is selecting, he could go as high as #1. In any case, he's a top 10 pick (top 5 in most mock drafts). I have him at #5.

Kemba Walker
Team: Connecticut, Junior
6' 0" , 180 lbs , 20 Years Old

Kembe Walker is currently the number one scorer in the NCAA, at 25.8 points per game. Right now, he's an extremely efficient scorer, shooting almost 50% from the field and over 84% from the Free Throw line. He's got excellent quickness and ball-handling ability - but what puts him in the Draft Lottery discussion is his jump shot. He's got a very pretty shot - mechanically perfect - and shoots equally well off the dribble, or on a catch-and-shoot. He has range out to the college 3-point line (36%), but will need to extend that just a bit in the Pro's.

Last year, Walker showed more of his play-making skills, averaging over 5.7 assists per 40 minutes (pace adjusted). This year, with Connecticut losing 4 of their starters, he's had to take on more of a scoring role. Although he's only averaging 2.4 assists this year, he still shows flashes of excellent vision and passing skills. When he does pass, he shows more of a willingness to gamble than Kyrie Irving.... able to sometimes thread the needle for spectacular assists.

Defensively, Walker shows some toughness and grit - standing in to take charges against big guys, getting in the grill of his opponent, and generally wrecking havoc with his quickness. He's got terrific lateral quickness and likes to play the passing lanes (2.4 steals). My biggest concern is his height. At 6-feet, he will be at a disadvantage defending some of the bigger, stronger Point Guards in the NBA; and shots that he's easily able to get off in College will be contested by the bigger players in the NBA.

Nonetheless, Kemba Walker's ability to score and dish will make him a hot commodity for any team looking for a Point Guard this Summer. I expect him to be picked in the top 10. I have him at #7

Brandon Knight
Team: Kentucky - Freshman
6' 3" , 170 lbs , 18 Years Old

John Calapari's latest one-and-done Point Guard prospect is Brandon Knight. Like the other elite Point Guards recruited before him at Kentucky (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall), Knight is a top prospect (#3 Scout, #2 Rivals). 

Unlike Derrick Rose or John Wall, Brandon Knight is an excellent shooter with range to the NBA 3-point line. He's shooting 47% overall, and a very respectable 39% from 3. Both those percentages are skewed a bit, since he had difficulties early in the year with some horrible shooting games. He was also turning the ball over a lot. I had him high on my draft board until he threw up a couple 20% shooting nights and a 6 TO and 8 TO game.... Looking like he was having trouble adjusting, he plummeted on my board.

However, over the last 8 games, he's shooting much more like I expected (50% and 44% from 3) and has cut way down on his turnovers from almost 5 per game in his first 8 games to a much more manageable 2 per game over his last 8. He seems to have settled in to his role. His assists are up as well - to almost 5 per game.

Right now, my concerns about Knight are around his shoot-first mentality. John Calipari's Dribble-Drive Motion Offense may have something to do with it; since both John Wall and Derrick Rose weren't able to fully display their passing skills at Kentucky either. But with Wall, and to a lesser extent Rose, you could still tell they were pass-first type guys... Knight strikes me as shoot first - and with his height, that may brand him with the dreaded "combo guard" label.

Even with my reservations, Knight is moving up my draft board just as fast as he dropped earlier in the year. Right now I have him in the mid-first round, but if he continues to shoot the way he is now, he will move into the lottery.

Rook's Mock Draft

   1. Terrence Jones
   2. Perry Jones
   3. Harrison Barnes
   4. Enes Kanter
   5. Kyrie Irving
   6. Jared Sullinger
   7. Kemba Walker
   8. Jonas Valanciunas
   9. Donatas Motiejunas
  10. John Henson

Notes about Enes Kanter:
The NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement finally ruled on the Enes Kanter issue. They upheld the earlier NCAA ruling that Enes Kanter is "permanently ineligible" to play College basketball. The reason is that he received payment over "actual and necessary expenses" directly from a Professional basketball team. This was Kanter's final appeal, and unless he decides to take the NCAA to court, he will not be playing for a U.S. College this year, or at any time in the future. 

Kanter will remain at Kentucky, his scholarship intact. John Calipari has designated Kanter an undergraduate student-assistant coach; meaning he can help out with the Kentucky basketball program. It also means that Kanter can continue to work out and practice with the team. He cannot however, travel with the team. Calipari has also stated that he will help Kanter with his preparations for next Summer's draft, if it is his intention to declare. I believe Kanter will declare for the 2011 draft - and because there will be very few Centers in the draft - he will be picked high. He may even have an advantage because he won't have scouts picking apart every aspect of his game all year long. The only information they have to go on will be his stellar performance in the Nike game - and individual workouts.

Now on to my rant:

The NCAA has put forth a ruling that is completely defensible. According to the letter of the law, Kanter accepted benefits from a Professional basketball team - making him a professional and inelligible for College play.  But just as it's defensible, it's still wrong and unfair.

Other players have taken benefits from agents, shoe companies, restaurants, recruiters, clothing companies, automobile dealerships and other third parties and were allowed to repay those benefits and still play college sports.

The NCAA ruled Renardo Sidney inelligible for accepting "preferential treatment" and improper benefits totaling $11,800. Not only that, but Sidney provided false and misleading statements to the NCAA investigators. HE LIED! They ruled this past March that Sidney could still play if he paid back the money he took from a Shoe company. The NCAA never was able to determine how the Sidney family was able to move from Mississippi to Los Angeles and reside in a $1.2 Million mansion; but I guess that's beside the point.

In the case involving Josh Selby, the NCAA investigated Selby for his relationship with Robert Frazier (Carmello Anthony's agent). They suspended Selby 9 games because of "improper benefits" Frazier provided. SARCASM KEY DEPRESSED: Ouch, I bet that really hurt his team, suspended for all the non-conference games......SARCASM KEY OFF. The benefits included clothes, transportation, meals and lodging for Selby and his family. The university and the NCAA have determined that the value of those benefits was $4,607.58. Selby had to pay back that money. Selby is currently a Freshman playing for Kansas.

I could go on about the Cam Newton case.... Where his father put his son's Quarterbacking skills up for the highest bidder.... The NCAA declared that Cam didn't know what his Father was doing - Nudge, Nudge, wink wink, Say no more. Newton played in the BCS Championship bowl on Monday. 

Or how about the case of the star quarterback at Ohio State (Terrelle Pryor) who sold his championship rings, jerseys and awards for cash, and received "improper benefits" from tattoo parlors, restaurants and automobile dealerships. The NCAA suspended him for 5 whole games.... but he was still allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl. No, really. That was not a joke; he was allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl. That slap on the wrist 5 game suspension by the NCAA will be imposed next year - but it will be negated by the fact that Pryor will simply turn Pro before any sanction or suspension can take effect.

Apparently, if you receive benefits from restaurants, shoe companies, agents, tattoo parlors or automobile dealerships; or if you sell your bowl bootie for cash; or if you try to extort money from a University or sell your son's Quarterback services to the highest bidder - the NCAA considers those minor infractions. Those insignificant lapses where players had difficulties staying within the well defined (snicker) rules can be washed away simply by paying back the money and accepting a laughably short suspension. In other words go ahead and lie, cheat and steal.

Just don't accept educational reimbursements from a foreign Basketball club because the entire weight and might of the NCAA will come crashing down upon you like a (slow moving) avalanche.

2011 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Point Guards and an Enes Kanter update

by Rook6980

bulletsforever.com

Plenty of Bright Days Ahead

Whew!!!!! What a weekend for a University of Kentucky all sports fan. The deeper into the weekend we got the more the losses mounted on the field and court and the worse the weather got across the Commonwealth (especially in Eastern Kentucky) so there were no escape opportunities like high school basketball or even a visit to the local Wal Mart available in most areas, you just simply had to sit in front of the TV and endure. Best part of the weekend to me was UK President Lee Todd and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart's public statements in response to the NCAA's decision on Enes Kanter's eligibility.

I was refreshing to me to see two men of your stature show some "Backbone" toward the NCAA in your comments.

You are both out of my doghouse and I sense a renewal of faith from the UK fan base toward both of you coming in your next appearance at Rupp Arena.

Now, let's close out the Enes Kanter knockout by the NCAA and make it final with a bit of advice to him as well as the loyal readers of this column by using a couple quotes from one of our most famous coaches in American sports history that I refer to occasionally myself,  "Nothing in life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it." or " Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way they turned out.", both quotes were used on many occasions by John Wooden to his players at UCLA.

Welcome to America Big Enes, we have a few ugly warts in our society but please don't judge the rest of us by the way you were treated by one of our most hypocritical organizations. I hope you enjoy a long and successful career in the NBA and establish your off-season home in the Bluegrass or at least come back to visit once a year to make the "Y" at Rupp Arena.

As for Coach Calipari on to the next battle. As you know there will be more with the NCAA because in their eyes you are their new Jerry Tarkanian and they are still as vindictive an organization as we have in our modern day culture. Just remember to dot your "I's" and cross your "T's" because your at Kentucky now and the NCAA will find a way to punish you whether your guilty or not.

They did again in this case by prolonging a decision for four months that had an effect on your team every day. I'm convinced the decision would have been dragged out to the same finalization in the spring had Big Blue Nation and the UK administration not been so vocal and constant in the various media outlets available today.

As they say down at the old ball yard hang with'em Coach Cal were all behind you especially Lee Todd and Mitch Barnhart.

Plenty of Bright Days Ahead

By Ira D. Combs Syndicated Columnist
Tri State Sports Media Service Inc

kentuckysportsnetwork.com

Notes: After Kanter, Todd the seek international guideline from BCAA

If the NCAA will not "free" Enes Kanter, University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. hopes college athletics' governing body will free any other player, school or fan base from having to go through the same experience.

Todd said he will go to an NCAA Board of Directors meeting this weekend with that intention in mind.

"I am going to ask the NCAA to explain what international players can and cannot do," Todd said at halftime of UK's victory over Auburn Tuesday night. "... How do we not have to go through this crisis again? How do we not put another family through this?"

The NCAA ruled Kanter permanently ineligible because he received $33,033 in excess of permitted compensation in the third and final year he played for a professional team in his native Turkey. UK and the NCAA could not agree on how much excessive compensation Kanter received in the first two seasons with the Fenerbahce Ulker team, Todd said.

UK appealed the ruling of permanent ineligibility. Then after the NCAA allowed Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to continue playing even though his father admitted trying to sell his son's services to another school, UK sought similar leniency for Kanter.

Todd said he spoke with NCAA President Mark Emmert about the Newton decision before UK claimed to have "new information" and asked for the process to be restarted.

In his official statement on the final judgment on Kanter, Todd charged the NCAA with making an "arbitrary application of the rules." Emmert countered in an interview with CBS analyst and Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis that the NCAA rules and judgments were "unambiguous."

Todd, who was aware of Emmert's comments, smiled and said, "I will discuss that with them in more detail."

The UK president said he could accept losing a star recruit such as Kanter to rivals Louisville or Tennessee.

But "I hate to see a kid not able to play college basketball at all," he said.

In order for Kanter to play, his family was willing to pay back any money the NCAA required, Todd said. The NCAA denied that offer.

Knight makes cut

UK freshman Brandon Knight made the first cut for the Cousy Award, which goes to the nation's top point guard.

Cal on King special

ESPN's celebration of the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day includes a two-hour town hall discussion about the current image of the black athlete.

UK Coach John Calipari is among the panelists as is movie director Spike Lee.

The discussion will be aired Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Notes: After Kanter, Todd the seek international guideline from BCAA

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com

NCAA's call on Enes Kanter makes sense

It may all be over but the shouting with Enes Kanter and his quest to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. But the shouting isn't over.

I heard Dick Vitale shouting about it in the middle of a college football discussion on ESPN's “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on Tuesday. And my radio wasn't even on.

On Monday, UK coach John Calipari questioned why NCAA president Mark Emmert would come out and make a statement on Kanter. “You made your decision,” Calipari said. “Why keep commenting?”

Maybe because some pretty strong charges were being leveled at the NCAA from some pretty high places.

Outgoing UK President Lee Todd used legally charged language — “inconsistent and arbitrary” — to describe the decision. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said he not only was disappointed in the decision, but “disappointed in the process.” That's an implication that the NCAA didn't follow its own guidelines.

And then there was the loudest of all, Vitale, who actually suggested that had Kanter attended Washington, where he originally committed and where Emmert was president at the time, he would not have been ruled ineligible.

Vitale often is over the top. On this one, he's around the bend, entering the realm of conspiracy theory. But shouting from Vitale is expected. For UK to come out swinging on a player it acknowledged received impermissible money from a pro team is more puzzling.

Regardless, it's time for clarity: The only special treatment involved in this case was the treatment UK was seeking for Kanter.

If you're the NCAA and you want to preserve amateurism, you have to draw a line. Above the line is professional status, and below it is amateur. There's gray area on both sides, but once you leave that into pro territory, you're a pro, and there's no going back.

The NCAA has drawn the line here: If you play for a pro team and receive money above actual and necessary expenses (even educational expenses) for doing it, you're a pro and not eligible. Period.

If you get money from an agent, even a lot of it, like Renardo Sidney of Mississippi State or Josh Selby at Kansas, you're in that gray area, and can still get back to the amateur side.

To many (myself included), that doesn't make sense. A lot of us think Sidney and Selby should be on the pro side of the line. But that's not the way it's drawn. And regardless of where others stand, Kanter clearly is on the other side of it.


Calipari and UK, while rightfully disappointed, have no legitimate beef with this process. Calipari referenced how long it took. But UK took 10 days in December to notify the NCAA that it would be making a second appeal after losing a second ruling. Calipari also said the NCAA encouraged the appeals. Of course it did. To do otherwise would've hampered due process.

 

There are rumblings of a lawsuit. But there's no legitimate suit here. None other than the Kentucky Supreme Court said in Lasege v. NCAA, 2001, “The NCAA's eligibility determinations are entitled to a presumption of correctness — particularly when they stem from conceded violations of NCAA regulations.”

Most of us don't agree with that presumption all the time, nor with the NCAA. Disagreeing with the rules is understandable. Foreign players are held to a higher standard without question. But disagreeing with the process, in this case, is not. Of all the head-scratching NCAA decisions that have sparked ranting and raving lately, this shouldn't be one of them.

NCAA's call on Enes Kanter makes sense
Eric Crawford
rier-journal.com

Dick Vitale Curbstomps NCAA Prez Into Response

In an interview with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s Seth Davis this week, new NCAA President Mark Emmert couldn’t have been more forceful in supporting his organization’s decision to rule Kentucky basketball recruit Enes Kanter permanently ineligible to play basketball at UK.

Emmert to Davis:
 
“The vast majority of people in collegiate basketball knew that this was an issue with Enes Kanter. Kentucky knew it. Everybody who talked with him knew it. So I’m amazed that people are shocked by the fact that he is ineligible.”

If you have followed the NCAA over the years, you recognize the stunning, nearly unprecedented candor being displayed by a sitting NCAA President over a particular enforcement ruling. So with that in mind, it’s no surprise that Emmert’s candor was most likely far from a coincidence.

On November 23, 2009, Todd Dybas of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER reported that Kanter had verbally committed to the University of Washington. In a long post extolling the virtues of Kanter’s on-court game by Dybas, there was no mention of the possibility that Kanter may have been facing NCAA eligibility questions. And if there were, obviously Washington, UCLA and USC were not overly concerned, as all three schools were in the running for Kanter’s basketball services at the time. (Kentucky later entered the picture, obviously.)

Kanter eventually de-committed from Washington a year later, which led Huskies Coach Lorenzo Romar to say at the time:

“You develop relationship with kids, and in your mind you have a vision with how it’s going to work with them in this program and how you’re going to help this kid develop and how they’re going to help you. Then, when that changes, it’s disappointing.

“When you’re recruiting someone and they’ve never committed to you and they go elsewhere, then that’s a part of what we do. But if someone does say, ‘I’m picking you, I’m coming with you and we’re getting ready to do this together from here on out,’ and then if they were to change their mind, it’s very disappointing.”

So Romar was indisputably still on Kanter’s trail up until the Turkish recruit’s decision to de-commit from Washington.

Now back to Mark Emmert’s statement about Kanter to Seth Davis this week:

“The vast majority of people in collegiate basketball knew that this was an issue with Enes Kanter. Kentucky knew it. Everybody who talked with him knew it. So I’m amazed that people are shocked by the fact that he is ineligible.”

Who exactly was the President of the University of Washington when the Huskies received their verbal commitment from Kanter? (And subsequently Kanter’s “very disappointing” de-commit?)

Mark Emmert.

But even with that intersection of what some may view as mere coincidence, why was Emmert so heated in defending his NCAA’s decision to render Kanter’s ineligible?

Enter Dick Vitale.

Before SI.com published its piece detailing Emmert’s comments, Vitale Tweeted to Seth Davis last Friday:

Asked a very simple? Seth if Kanter went to Wash. I believe he would NOT be inligible 4 4 years -have super 2011!

That Tweet followed an on-camera rant by Vitale on ESPN-TV that posited the same theory.

Two days later, at the end of the Seth Davis SI piece that included Emmert’s comments about the NCAA’s ruling on Kanter, Davis confronted Emmert about Vitale’s “very serious allegation” that the NCAA deliberately ruled

Kanter ineligible because he had committed to Kentucky.

From Davis:

When I asked Emmert why Washington recruited Kanter, he told me that as university president he did not get involved with basketball recruiting and thus did not know his coach’s thinking.

Emmert quote to Davis on Vitale accusation:

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s ridiculous. By all accounts this is a very talented basketball player, but yet there were very few schools recruiting him. Why was that? Because everyone understood that there was a very large probability that he was not going to be deemed eligible. This has nothing to do with Kentucky or Coach Calipari. It has to do with a clear rule and a clear set of facts.”

In November, Emmert attempted to marginalize much of the media that was questioning his NCAA’s rulings:

The burden of proof is higher than what it is for somebody who’s writing in a blog,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said Friday while taping a TV show that will air Monday on the Big Ten Network.

“You can write in a blog that, ‘Gee, I think everyone knows that if there’s smoke, there’s fire.’ Well, that’s a great thing to say,” Emmert continued. “But we have a burden of proof to demonstrate what are the real facts before we take to an infractions committee … a recommendation that says, ‘We think this has happened.’”

Vitale’s accusation is, to date, the most serious made against the NCAA in how it doles out justice. To make matters worse, Vitale’s allegation was made on ESPN-TV and Twitter, in front on hundreds of thousands, if not millions of college hoops fans.

Now you know why Emmert chose this moment to step out and defend himself.

He had no choice.

Dick Vitale Curbstomps NCAA Prez Into Response

by Brooks

sportsbybrooks.com

Kanter's well-being foremost on Calipari's mind

Coach making best of bad situation

Enes Kanter's well-being — not how the program perseveres — will guide Kentucky basketball in the aftermath of an NCAA decision making the freshman permanently ineligible, Coach John Calipari said Monday.

"Ten years from now, Kentucky moves on," Calipari said. "Twenty years from now, they don't look back. ... I'm only worried about an 18-year-old and what it's going to do to him. My point now is to make sure we make an unbelievable situation out of a bad situation."

Toward that end, UK made Kanter a student assistant coach like ex-Cat Wayne Turner. Kanter can help out UK in practice and work out for pro scouts as he prepares for this year's NBA Draft, Calipari said.

More than once, the UK coach noted that Kanter is the youngest player — now non-player — on UK's roster. Kanter did not come to UK intending to be a so-called one-and-done player bound for the 2011 NBA Draft. Suggesting Kanter would be a babe in the pro woods, Calipari said, "He wants to throw himself into that world?"

When asked how Kanter was reacting to the permanent ineligibility, Calipari paused and said, "He's OK."

Then the UK coach added, "I'm trying to convince him, 'You'll be fine.' "

Justice delayed?

More than once, Calipari noted how long it took the NCAA to rule Kanter ineligible. But didn't UK drag out the case by twice appealing what could have been a final decision?

"We were told to appeal," Calipari said. "Why would we do anything (to drag it out)? (Just) say it!"

Well, not exactly, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said a few minutes later.

"The NCAA never told us to appeal," Peevy said before adding, "They (also) never said it was, like, a moot point."

UK seized on that glimmer of hope, Peevy said. Any opening would have sufficed.

"You don't want to feel you've not done everything," said Peevy, who added that the first appeal was a joint decision by all parties: presumably UK, the basketball program and the Kanter family.

A favorable result in such cases is typically made by an appeals panel, Peevy said.

The second appeal, which was said to be based on an NCAA decision allowing Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to continue playing despite his father admitting trying to sell his son's services, was a decision made by Kanter's family, Peevy said.

Neither Calipari nor Peevy said the option to seek a court injunction blocking the NCAA ruling was dead. However, neither embraced the option.

"(Kanter) hasn't brought that up at all," Peevy said. "I've not talked to him about it. He probably doesn't know what that means."

Job description

As a student assistant coach, Kanter's first assignment has been simply to understand what that job entails.

When asked what Kanter thought of seeking a restraining order to block the NCAA ruling of permanent ineligibility, Peevy said, "I've had a hard enough time getting him to understand 'student assistant coach.' He knows Wayne Turner wears a suit. He wants to know if he has to wear a suit."

Turner, who played on three UK Final Four teams in the 1990s, returned to school last fall to complete work on an undergraduate degree. That qualifies Turner to be a student assistant coach.

Peevy said that using Turner as an example was the easiest way to get Kanter to understand his new role.

"'You get to be Wayne Turner,' " Peevy said he told Kanter, a native of Turkey who has lived in this country for less than two years. To which Kanter replied, "I don't want to be Wayne Turner."

Peevy described Kanter's role as more coach than practice participant. According to the NCAA, the intent of the rule forming the student assistant coach role was that it serve to train a coach. It is not supposed to be a means for a quality player to help the eligible players improve by challenging them on the court.

Etc.

Coming off a 77-70 victory Saturday over then No. 10 Kentucky, Georgia made The Associated Press' top 25 for first time since the final poll of the 2002-03 season. Georgia is ranked No. 24. ... Calipari is 25-0 in Rupp Arena as UK coach. ... UK's 26-game home winning streak is the fourth longest active streak. ... Rob Stone and Jay Williams will call the game for ESPNU.

Kanter's well-being foremost on Calipari's mind
Jerry Tipton
kentucky.com