Memphis Smacked By NCAA: Should John Calipari's Kentucky Be Worried?

This from the WWL on Memphis’ appeal.

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“The Infractions Appeals Committee found no basis to conclude that the penalty was excessive such that the Committee on Infractions had abused its discretion in imposing the penalty,” the NCAA said in a release posted on its Web site.

The decision was based on a letter from the testing agency to the athlete that “not only made the student-athlete aware that his eligibility was in serious jeopardy, but that he would be declared ineligible if he did not respond to the letter,” according to the committee’s report to the NCAA.

The letters ETS sent Rose asking for more information were dated March 17, 2008 — while he was playing in the NCAA tournament — and April 10, 2008, days after the championship game loss. The only address the ETS had for Rose came when he took the test in high school while living in Illinois.

The decision will result in an asterisk beside Memphis’ 38-2 season that had set the NCAA record for wins in a season and approximately $615,000 in lost tournament revenue. The infractions committee originally said it struck hard because the ineligible player was used the entire season. Rose played in all 40 games, starting 39.

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Is Wildcat Nation whistling past the graveyard? The circumstances are basically the same. John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, John Calipari. Derrick Rose, John Calipari. Hmmm.

Let’s be real, in no way is this a shocker to the folks that were paying attention. John Calipari and entrance test shenanigans go together like peanut butter and jelly. Throw in a school that's eager to win in the Memphis Tigers, and an NCAA investigation was a matter of when and not if. Ditto for losing the appeal.

As for vacating wins, that is merely a flesh wound to outlaw programs like Memphis, Oklahoma, UNLV, etc. If you want to hit them where it hurts, take away scholarships, TV appearances, and money in general. Memphis vacates some wins, big deal.

What is truly intriguing is the compliance future of Kentucky Basketball as John Calipari oversees the program. You’d be naive to think his issues end at the Tennessee state line. Just like you would have been naive to think Calipari’s indiscretions were left in Massachusetts with Marcus Camby and Lou Roe.

That said, I’m not holding my breath until something drastic happens to Kentucky other than vacating wins down the road. But here’s the thing, there is precedent of an NCAA investigative cloud following a coach from one program to another. Someone get Kelvin Sampson on the horn. Collect, if possible. And call him on his land line.

I’ll be interested to see if the same happens here, because the Kentucky and Indiana situations with respect to Calipari and Sampson are eerily similar.

A rather successful, yet slimy coach leaves a mess at a stepping stone school to go coach the crème de la crème of traditional basketball powerhouses. Both Sampson and Calipari were/are charged with bringing said powerhouse back from the dead. Both coaches have ridiculous recruiting classes in the first year at their new school.

Need I say more to take this to its logical conclusion?

A Second Time Would Be Unforgiveable.

The one difference is that Indiana had zero history of cheating in its basketball program. Kentucky’s ethical resume on this front is, well, checkered to say the least.

Remember the Eddie Sutton and assistant Dwayne Casey recruiting scandal centered on cash payments to Chris Mills?

The investigation and resulting probation gutted Kentucky’s talent base forcing players such as Mills, Sean Sutton, Rex Chapman, LeRon Ellis, Eric Manuel and Shawn Kemp to leave the program over a two-year period.

Additionally, the team was banned from television appearances and postseason play, and the program had its scholarships reduced.

Enter Rick Pitino and the four holdovers, or the Unforgettables, that helped resurrect the program with the star power of Jamal Mashburn. One Christian Laetner dagger and a fractured Aminu Timberlake sternum later, and these kids are forever burned into our March Madness memories.

Could it happen again? Sure, but who’s going to sport Richie Farmer’s glorious pornstache?

Either way, I have a hard time seeing John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe sticking around for more than a year even if Calipari is Pete Carril clean.

So with these players onto piles of money, what happens to the UK program if the Scantrons hit the fan? If rumors of Calipari recruiting/grade-fixing transgressions are validated by NCAA gumshoes showing up at Rupp Arena, who knows how fast the 2011 recruiting class starts looking for an exit strategy. A strategy rolling on $20,000 rims in all probability.

Will something happen to the Wildcats this year?

I doubt it. But the bluegrass version of the Fab Five better have been recruited squeaky clean. Their grades and entrance scores better not be fixed. And if I’m Coach Cal, I get rid of the pinky ring for appearance sake.

So my question to Kentucky fan is, are you okay with wins today, even if they mean embarrassment down the road?

How old is Pelphrey’s kid anyway?

Mills landed at Arizona where Josh Pastner got his start. How’s that for full circle?

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Kevin writes the leading college hoops blog   March To March

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