NCAA Championship 2012: Will Kentucky's John Calipari Get to Keep the Crown?
It was bound to happen I suppose, but I surely wasnโt looking forward to it. With Kentucky's 67-59 win over Kansas, John Calipari has won a national championship, so now the Coach Cal jock-sniffers will surely have his Hall of Fame ticket stamped.
But when it comes to John Calipari, you wonโt find me among the jock-sniffers. Oh no! When it comes to the head Wildcat, I take my stand with Bobby Knight.
As much as this seems like Iโm taking a whiz on the Wildcats' championship cornflakes, everyone should know that I donโt have any particular axe to grind against UKโฆexcept their choice of coach.
TOP NEWS
NFL Rookies with Most to Gain ๐
MLB owners, players open to missing games over labor dispute
Brutal Golf Putt Miss ๐ญ
I know that the Calipari apologists always run the excuse that in all of the NCAA violations found in Calโs programs in the past, he was never personally named in any of them. Thatโs fine if you want to stick to that weak argument, but it is about as weak as water.
I mean, thatโs like saying that because no one ever saw Al Capone making hootch that he wasnโt a bootlegger!
After every successful stop on the Calipari thrill ride, the NCAA has come calling soon afterโand his by-then former programs get dinged by the โwatchdogsโ from Indianapolis.
How can anyone say with a straight face that a coach who has had two Final Four appearances vacated at two different universities is Mr. Clean, just because he wasnโt personally named in the violations?!?
Iโm not one of those guys that thinks Calipari shouldnโt get all the one-and-done players he gets, because heโs just trying to get the best talent available. Thatโs the way the system is set up right now, so heโs not breaking any rules in his recruiting style.
My problem is that I stand convinced that John Calipari isnโt just a rule-breaker, but a cheater. You canโt really hide behind the cloak of not being personally named when the one link between the vacation of Final Four trips at UMass and Memphis is John Calipari.
So UK fans, enjoy your title. Because if Coach Calโs history holds you may just be giving it back!
