John Calipari’s honeymoon at Kentucky sure didn’t last long.
Just a week after wrapping up what some consider among the best recruiting classes in the history of college basketball, the Memphis Commercial Appeal breaks the news that the NCAA is investigating Memphis — Cal’s old program — for major violations during the 2007-8 season.
The NCAA sent Memphis officials a letter alleging “knowing fraudulence or misconduct” on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.
Though the player’s name is redacted from the report, it is believed to be Derrick Rose, who spent one season at Memphis before going on to play for the Chicago Bulls. The report does not mention Calipari by name.
“We take it very seriously. We don’t condone it,” athletic director R.C. Johnson told the Commercial Appeal. “We’re doing a thorough investigation.”
Memphis could be forced to vacate its Final Four appearance from that year, making Calipari the only coach to have forfeited two Final Fours. He forfeited his 1996 appearance with UMass.
The letter was sent to Memphis on Jan. 16, begging the questions: Did Calipari know about the fradulent SAT? Did he apprise Kentucky officials of it before he was hired March 31?
The report doesn’t implicate new Memphis coach Josh Pastner, but his program faces major penalties if the report is proven true.
Kentucky may not be immune, either.
Penalties can follow coaches, meaning Calipari could face penalties at his new school.
That wasn’t the only piece of bad news for Kentucky on Wednesday.
Former coach Billy Gillispie sued the school for $6 million, arguing he was let go without cause.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it, too, to put it quite simply,” Gillispie’s attorney, Demetrios Anaipakos, told ESPN.com. “There’s a public misconception that Coach Gillispie did not sign a contract with the University of Kentucky athletic association. He absolutely did. They drafted it. He signed it. They signed it and their board approved it. Whether you’re in Kentucky or Texas, a deal is a deal.”
In another piece of news related to Kentucky, their latest recruit, point guard, John Wall, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and entered a program for first offenders which could lead to having his record cleared.
Under the terms of the plea, Wall must complete 75 hours of community service, pay court costs and program fees and stay out of trouble for the next six months.
He was charged after police found him walking out of a vacant house in Raleigh. Wall and two other teenagers were cited.
(The AP contributed; Photos courtesy Memphis Commercial Appeal and US Presswire)
Big Ben / May 27, 2009
Most expected Calipari’s Kentucky days to have their share of scandal, but even I’m surprised they started so quickly. It was the worst kept secret in the world that WWW had a hand in getting quite a few of the Memphis ‘student’-athletes eligible.
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terps85 / May 27, 2009
Now i understand why Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky. He knew that the SAT scandal would come to light. He ran and tried to hide in the blue grass because he is a coward. Isn’t this the same scandal that ended Eddie Sutton at Kentucky. I knew that it was more then the dribble drive offense that was so attractive to all those one and done recruits. What kills me even more is how all these Memphis and Kentucky fans that get on this site praising the great player and rich tradition of their programs. All i’ve ever seen are shady practices and kids being exploited to maintain their so called “rich tradition” Always remember, what you do in the dark will always come to light..This is are real sad state of affairs and I hope everyone involved gets what they deserve
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YankeeCpt / May 28, 2009
Geoff Calkins:
Think Calipari didn’t know about his star player’s SAT plans?
Of course he knew.
His site’s term of service for posting:
Be truthful. Don’t lie or spread rumors about anyone or anything. Stick to discussing what is factually known.
Geoff Calkins is a classless human being. He might as well be chasing Billy Clyde down with a camera. Memphis Comercial Appeal should check their stories for such flaws.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
No, Sutton was actually involved in fedexing cash to a recruit. We haven’t heard that from Memphis (yet).
Is there any doubt that the 3 Kentucky recruits with eligibility problems will miraculously score 1400s on their SATs in the next few weeks? This is what you bought, Kentucky fan, enjoy it…
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USC.trojan / May 28, 2009
Did you read the 18 page NCAA document to AD- Johnson.
The Memphis program faces major penalties.
And the AD should of known about this WWW trick.
Lets find out WHO took the this for this player…..more is coming on who was involved.
Memphis will get at least 3 scholarship taken away.
WHY did Memphis hide these MAJOR violations from its recruits?
It was issued in Jan 2009….. A long time ago.
Can you SAY…RELEASE of LOI.
Poor Lav W. ….One day after he signs to Memphis and this NEWS is nicely released.
Timing is just like Memphis.
Shaddy…..
FEDUP.
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Radcliffcat / May 28, 2009
In response to Memphis receiving a letter from the NCAA…
STATEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
First and foremost, there are no NCAA allegations against UK Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari. Coach Calipari was forthcoming with the University of Kentucky during the hiring process about any issues under investigation at the University of Memphis at that time.
It is normal procedure for the NCAA to ask a former coach to participate in a hearing. Therefore, Coach Calipari will participate as requested.
Coach John Calipari has received a letter from the NCAA stating that he is not at risk of being charged with any NCAA violations in this case.
This is a University of Memphis issue and the University of Kentucky will not comment any further.
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH JOHN CALIPARI
“Even though I’m not at risk, I will fully cooperate with the NCAA hearing. Beyond that, I concur with the statement from the University of Kentucky and will have no further comment.”
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USC.trojan / May 28, 2009
With FEDUP facing MAJOR penalities… But, don’t feel sorry for Memphis. AD knew about it.
Lucky Lance…Yes, Lance is lucky he waited.
From the long list of schools…there is ONE which seems to be always shows up.
So, Lance choices are ARIZONA and ARIZONA.
Arizona has a press conference tomorrow.
Lets see if Lance reached out.
Note:
Stop it.
Maryland …come on.
Not a serious consideration.
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Maximus / May 28, 2009
So Slick Calipari may or may not have been helping players pass the SAT and paying for their buddies to go to road games…Rick Pitino may or may not have been sleeping with his buddie’s wife…Timmy-Boy Floyd may or may not have been dishin out some bread while trying to get some Mayo in Beverly Hills…I can actually say I’m GLAD the University of Arizona program was in such a “mess” that none of these gentlemen were interested in brining their winning strategies to Tucson.
I feel like the guy who got turned down by 3 hot chicks for his senior prom, only to find out that they each gave their prom dates a hickey and an itchy crotch. The “nice girl” that went with him to the prom turned out to be a loving, faithful girlfriend. AD Jimmy Livengood…or Liven-lucky…has got to be loving this at some level.
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USC.trojan / May 28, 2009
Who drafted that….WWW.
WWW has been caught.
If WWW knew….then, Cali knew and Josh knew.
LMAO.
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terps85 / May 28, 2009
You are right Big Ben. At the time, Kentucky was on probation stemming from payments to recruits when Eric Manuel was found to have recieved improper assistance on the SAT. He was banned, and Kentucky dodged the death penalty bullet. They were slapped with 3 years probation, a 2 year ban on post season play, and banded from live TV in 89-90. So, Calipari’s Memphis’s final four banner will go next to his UMass final four banner in the trash!!!
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itestquest / May 28, 2009
This headline deserves to be featured in the SNL Weekend Update under “Really?” Same thing with Calhoun.
As far as USC.Trojan rooting for Lance to go to Arizona, has he been found “not guilty” yet. Honestly, I wouldn’t be suprised if Lance commits to the University of Phoenix Online.
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USC.trojan / May 28, 2009
Yo AZ,
Hit up mah blogspotz to see mah newest Rtickle on Lans Stevens’ Son. Da kid wil B gr8 @ Arisona.
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cdoherty / May 28, 2009
And finally something comes out. I’m surprised it took this long. A Memphis player who only played in 2007 – 2008 cheated on his SAT’s. Jeez, Derrick Rose? Boy, how did I figure that out? It makes total sense that Pastner became the new coach. He was a Calipari lackey. Gotta keep that tradition of cheating in house to get anyone to go to that dump of a city (ya I know, bbq and Elvis, it’s an awful place). I love it, major violations….let’s see if Williams tries to rip up his LOI. Dream on if you think you’re getting Lance.
Calipari is taking the tradition to Kentucky. Half of those five star dumb sh*ts won’t even qualify. Hell, Latavious might not even qualify. Laughing all the while….Scumbags always get caught. No wonder Calipari sprinted to Kentucky. John Calipari and his ZERO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS getting off scott free while Memphis goes down. If you wanted a legitimate, clean program, you would have went outside the family. Has anyone seen Dana Kirk? LMAO…Memphis, TN…my GOD!!!
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Wheatgerm / May 28, 2009
I hadn’t heard about the SAT scores. Jesus, that’s it for Kentucky. They’re going to be banned for sure. Which recruits were they?
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word2bigbird / May 28, 2009
This was my post when it came out that Calipari got Wall…
************
2009-05-22 10:27:29
Shaddiest recruiters in NCAA:
1. Jim Calhoun
2. USC – The entire University’s athletic department from Bball to Football.
3. John Calipari
….this guy needs to get investigated.
************
Hmmm….am I psychic?
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Wheatgerm / May 28, 2009
Point of information. Big Ben is wrong about one thing. It was assistant coach Dwayne Casey, not Eddie Sutton, who was accused of attempting to send $1000 in an Emery Worldwide Air Freight envelope to the father of Los Angeles high school star Chris Mills. The NCAA placed Casey on probation for five years.
But the NCAA dropped the probation three years later. Emery had settled a lawsuit brought by Casey, agreeing that their employee, who claimed to have found the envelope, had unfairly maligned him.
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
Yeah, Josh Pastner, who was an assistant at Arizona at the time knew. Calipari thought there was a chance he would hire Pastner at some point in the future, so he went ahead and called him up to tell him about Derrick Rose’s SAT. That makes perfect sense.
What are you talking about? This is strictly a Calipari issue. Pastner wasn’t even part of the program yet.
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pastaboy / May 28, 2009
USC …the worst penalty Memphis can be given is stripping of their 38 win season and final 4 appearance ……no scholarships are threatened . Once again your stupidity shines like a beacon of ill-informed information on this blog. Cdoherty …….Pastner was employed by the Univ. of Ariz. when the allegations occurred . Your anger and bitterness is characteristic of a hater …..you should probably try to get some help.
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
I don’t know where you get this 3 scholarship thing. The speculation at this point is that the worst penalties would be the vacating of wins from 07-08. No impact on the Memphis program going forward is expected. Now, its certainly possible that there will be some unexpected penalties. We don’t know what the NCAA is thinking at this point, but any penalties going forward are apparently unlikely.
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ronald.burgandy / May 28, 2009
Adam,
As a Memphis fan, I among many are wondering that IF Memphis is cleared from knowing anything about someone taking Rose’s SAT how this is any different from Darrell Arthur passing classes in high school that he knew he was failing.
If Memphis receives penalty for not knowing (season forfeiture, etc.) then the NCAA should also have Kansas forfeit its wins from that season. If they aren’t treated the same, can the NCAA be sued by a program like Memphis?
In any case, since the 2007-2008 championship was played by two teams with ineligible players, I will just pretend Davidson won the championship that year. Congrats Stephen Curry.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
There were no ineligible players at Kansas, there was a story a few months ago that the investigation proved Arthur didn’t do anything wrong. I think ‘if Memphis is cleared from knowing’ is a long-shot at best.
Also, Kentucky fans, I suppose it’s just a coincidence that Calipari has now forfeited both of his final fours. Memphis would be lucky to have been rid of him with only this infraction (if this is the worst). The problem is once the NCAA comes to town they investigate everything and almost always find some things outside of their primary investigation…
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Cousins, Bledsoe and Wall are all in danger of not qualifying. My guess is WWW will buy off a few proctors and they’ll miraculously qualify. Even with the cloud over Calipari the NCAA won’t say anything (because they’re too busy penalizing has-been schools to go after the cash cows).
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
FYP:
No wonder Calipari sprinted to Kentucky. John Calipari and his (soon to be) ZERO FINAL FOURS getting off scott free while Memphis goes down.
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
The NCAA has already investigated and this is what they found. They don’t send an allegations letter until they have already investigated. Who knows what they were originally looking for, but this is the extent of what they discovered. Memphis is now responsible for doing its own investigation to refute any of the claims. So, no, there will not be anything else uncovered related to this. The only question now is whether or not it’s true and to what extent, if any, Memphis and/or Calipari knew about it.
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Lord2FLI / May 28, 2009
Did you read any of the allegations USC or are you rambling on (rather incoherantly at that) because you are making assumptions about the contents? Most of them were against the women’s golf team (and just when I thought they were getting to be nationally respected…wait…golf is a college sport?!), pages and pages of allegations there and I think it’s a fair assumption that the golf program at Memphis is toast.
There are two allegations against the men’s basketball team, in which the worst of scenarios ends with the 2007-2008 season being vacated. For Memphis fans that was a great season and will be a terribly bitter pill to swallow, BUT it does not effect the current program in any way, no loss of scholarships, no sanctions, nothing.
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cdoherty / May 28, 2009
OK Pastaboy. So, he left Arizona for Memphis thinking he was heading to a tightly run ship….bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Get real.
I’m not implying he was there when this happened. God knows what else happened that hasn’t come to light. Calipari is a low life. I’m happy you had winning seasons with him. But, at what cost? The only other time Memphis was top 20 relevant was when Dana Kirk was there, another known cheater. It’s not a school that’s built for winning consistently without cheating.
So, point is, am I to be so foolish as to think that Pastner was “BLINDSIDED” by this? I’m not a hater. This is a program that so blatantly cheated. Why would Derrick Rose go to Memphis from Chicago, Tyreke Evans from Philly….No offense, but Memphis ain’t exactly like going to L.A. Cal has been cutting deals for years with a smile.
Not a hater…haters are those of action, not words. I’m merely pointing out that by getting in bed w/ Calipari, thinking that everyone just mysteriously wanted to go to college in Memphis, Tennessee, give me a break….I mean this was as easy to decode as that woman who faked the kidnapping of her and her daughter.
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jhawk4 / May 28, 2009
KU did nothing wrong in the whole arthur thing. that was south oak cliff (his high schools) mess and arthur was cleared by the NCAA so any penalty against KU is impossible.
the only way memphis gets off this is if they can somehow prove they didnt know, but that seems unlikely.
cant say i am surprised that memphis is in trouble. unfortunately for you UK fans, Calipari now has 2 final fours taken from him, and coaches like him dont suddenly become good guys. UK wont be punished now, but calipari has brought all of his trouble to you. its only a matter of time
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Preliminary findings are often sent, which is what this is. Between WWW, the player’s mansion and the FedEx boys, it would be quite surprising if this is all they found.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Also, the AD should probably be canned simply for not self-reporting this if he’s known since January. Clearly this is a lack of knowledge of what’s going on in your department, which is the cardinal sin of an AD.
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johnjohn / May 28, 2009
THe NCAA is saying the Rose had someone take the SAT test for him. Also, from teh Chicago Sun, another player also had the same person take the SAT for him, too.
The charge is not that Memphis knew about the sitaution, but that the student (ROSE) cheated. Memphis may be stuck with sanction even if they did not know.
”It is alleged that [blacked out] prospective men’s basketball student-athlete failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics for his knowing fraudulence or misconduct and administration of intercollegiate examination. Specifically, on [blacked out] an unknown individual completed [blacked out] SAT, with [blacked out] knowledge, which was used to obtain his admission into the institution and to certify his NCAA eligibility. [Blacked out] subsequently competed for the men’s basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship
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Lord2FLI / May 28, 2009
“the only way memphis gets off this is if they can somehow prove they didnt know, but that seems unlikely.”
Please explain to me why they WOULD know?
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DrDick / May 28, 2009
Kentucky bought Memphis’s coach and stole their recruits. Apparently UK did not check out Calipari before hiring him. Now they are stuck with a coach who has been caught cheating at UMASS and Memphis.
Should have stuck with Billy G – boring coach but he would have stayed out of trouble. Now it is time for the NCAA to investigate Cal & Wes and get the real dirt on how the top players go to his school.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
You’re right, they don’t “get off” even if they ‘didn’t know’. However, it seems unlikely that, given the caliber of students that played basketball at Memphis under Cal, the administration didn’t knowingly look the other way.
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Lord2FLI / May 28, 2009
Then is it fair to say the SAT people knew also?
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johnjohn / May 28, 2009
NCAA Threatens Basketball Player
According to a story by Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun Times, Luther Topps was Derrick Rose’s club coach in Chicago.
Topps told the Sun Times that he’s known about the NCAA investigation for about three weeks and that the NCAA had threatened Rose’s former high school teammate Tim Flowers with a loss of eligibility if he didn’t agree to an interview.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Sure, the SAT people should have caught it and I’m sure they’re doing their own investigations to determine how to increase their security. Chances are WWW bribed a proctor (who’s generally just a teacher making 35k a year- easy bribe target). The proctor should be held accountable, though that’s prob not a story that’s going to get picked up by the media.
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
Memphis went to the championship game in 73 unter Bartow and the elite eight in 92 under finch. The only coach at Memphis in the last 35 years or so that didn’t have some level of success was Tic Price. Bartow’s winning % at Memphis was .722, Yates was .655, Kirk was .731, Finch was .629, and Calipari was .785.
As far as recruits not wanting to come to Memphis, are other college cities really all that great? Most are just college towns, so there would be less appeal than Memphis. If the city was the most important aspect in the decision, everyone would be going to places like St. John’s, Northwestern, and DePaul.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Rose’s AAU coach also seems to be implying that someone paid Rose to go to Memphis (not that everyone didn’t already assume that):
‘‘[Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps said. ‘‘Reggie moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved.’’
http://yourseason.suntimes.com/1595888,052709-derrick-rose-ncaa-investigation.article
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
Some of you seem to think there will be more uncovered. The NCAA investigation is over, and what they found is in the letter. There is nothing else. See this article from the Commercial Appeal.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/28/dont-expect-more-allegations-against-memphis-tiger/
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terps85 / May 28, 2009
In 2001, Wes’s godson and Milt’s son, Dajuan Wagner, was the consensus best high school basketball player in the world. If Dajuan had entered the NBA draft after his junior year at Camden High, he might have been the number one pick. But Wes persuaded him to let the NBA wait and spend a year or two playing for John Calipari at the University of Memphis. The deal came with plenty of strings attached: Wes made it clear to Calipari that Dajuan was more inclined to sign with a school that also gave a free ride to his best friend, Arthur Barclay, an all-state player who’d been passed over because of poor test scores. (Done.) Then Milt, despite lacking a college degree, was hired to be Memphis’s head of basketball operations. When news of the deal leaked out, the media crucified Calipari, painting it as nothing more than legalized graft. Wes answered accusations that something shady had gone down, saying, “Man, I’ve heard the second-guessing. It’s simple: Juanny needed to improve his defense and prove that he can play on the next level. Coach Cal can help him do that. What do I have to gain by him going to Memphis?”
Wes had been managing Dajuan’s career since the boy was 11, and so when it came time for Dajuan to head to Memphis, Wes went along. After only one season—in which Dajuan averaged twenty-one points a game—Calipari called Milt and Dajuan into his office. “I tore up Dajuan’s scholarship in front of him to make sure he understood he wasn’t coming back,” Calipari says. Dajuan was ready for the NBA. The Cavaliers selected him in the first round of the 2002 draft, and as Dajuan made his move from college to the pros, Wes was there to ease the transition. In his first year, Dajuan was among NBA rookie leaders in scoring, assists, and minutes played.
next >
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
You don’t think this quote is interesting:
‘‘[Smith and I] didn’t know anything about his test,’’ Topps said. ‘‘Reggie moved me and him out of the way long before that, as soon as the money got involved.’’
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terps85 / May 28, 2009
Here is the complete story of WWW “World Wide Wes”
men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_5735 – Cached
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USC.trojan / May 28, 2009
There is MUCH more to this story.
So, Memphis is getitng some MAJOR penalities.
Everyone knew Memphis was dirty.
Thanks Tigers….
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
That could be interpreted alot of different ways. Taken out of context, it’s impossible to know what it means. I would guess he’s referring to future money from the NBA, as in, once it became apparent that Rose had a future in the NBA, Topps was no longer involved. You’re taking a statement and filling in the blanks. There is nothing in the NCAA’s investigation that mentions money except for the $2,000 of non-reimbursed travel expenses (which may just be an accounting error).
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Yeah, I’m sure it’s all just accounting errors. That’s why his final four got taken away at UMass too, accounting errors.
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Outsider / May 28, 2009
USC.trojan…
You sir are an idiot. Seriously you obviously havent read the whole story here. The money involved deals with the Memphis womens golf program and the former head coach providing gift cards, etc. The $2260 is an amount left over from an associate of the said memphis player from unpaid travel. There is a credit card on file at the university of memphis from this associate that has already been brought forth. More than likely this will be cleared up. No money exchange of money between player or associate has been accused in this report. Also, this report was finalized and no other allegations have been or will be made from this report. If you understand NCAA regulations, the NCAA files a finalized report handed to he university and the university defends itself from these allegations.
Get your story straight there chief. Read the report and then move on. The “major” violations are coming from the womens golf side of the deal. When Kansas dealt with Darrell Arthur’s issues, they were classified as minor. If the basketball allegations were seperate from this report they would be classified as minor as well. Also, this will not affect the program going forward. Derrick Rose was recruited from 06-07 and played from 07-08. Pastner wasnt even on the staff until 08-09 and was kept seperate of these issues as stated from a number of sources inside the situation, the memphis commercial appeal, and the university of memphis. You are a rambling fool for making the allegations you are with unfounded sources or any credibility. Get your facts straight before you go on making a continued fool of yourself sir.
At the worst, the men’s basketball program will forfiet the 07-08 season. However, with your wonderful USC trojans, there are documented cases of money exchanging hands in the basketball program and major indiscretions on the football side with Matt Lienart, Reggie Bush and Dewayne Jarret. These fall on the side of “lack of institutional control.” The issues you are dealing with at the USC program make what memphis is dealing with seem like childs play. Yes, memphis played with fire and got burned. USC hasnt even felt the flames yet, but they are getting very very very close.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
As I recall, the allegations (later proven to be false) against Arthur occurred long before he had committed to Kansas. That would be the main difference assuming it’s not proven that WWW was involved in SATgate as Reggie and DRose had already committed to Memphis when someone took the test for him.
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Outsider / May 28, 2009
To address the William Wesley accusations,
Calipari and Wesley are close and it is no surprise to anyone the outside dealings they have with players. I think that Wesley and Calipari signify all that is wrong with college athletics. I believe players should be paid in some fashion. I also believe coaches should be allowed to work out players and practice with the teams for so many hours a week in the summer and I think it would mitigate alot of these problems with handlers and quasi-agents.
Calipari has done this at UMass, Memphis and he is already doing this at Kentucky. The Clifton’s wanted to avoid Kentucky for a reason because they thought they would lose hold of their golden boy John Wall. Do I deny the fact that money changes hands between boosters and players and handlers at any school anymore, absolutely not. However, these are not in the allegations made against the Memphis BASKETBALL program. Also, if you want to bring up Milt Wagner and his sudden coaching status and Director of Ops status at Memphis, we could also say the same thing about the Trojans and Daniel Hackett, Kansas and what happened with Danny Manning back in the day and most recently with Mario Chalmers. In terms of grade changing issues, we can also bring up as I did in my last post with Darrell Arthur, if that would have come to fruition, Kansas would have had to vacate their 08 national championship. So to say memphis is a renegade program and that they are the worst like some of you are saying… Let’s get this straight: UK had Eddie Sutton and his assistants, Louisville had issues with Denny Crum, OU and Indiana had Kelvin Sampson, UCLA and Georgia dealt with Jim Harrick… I can go on. Memphis had a major violation back in the mid 80’s with Dana Kirk and the “shoebox” of money, this was one man and not the school as a whole. Same goes for all of the other programs. The only one that I can see that has a complete lack of institutional control would be USC. The NCAA has been building a case against this school dealing with both football and basketball. Seems like this is an even bigger story.
Do I think this will follow Calipari to UK? Probably not because as many are saying he seems to be one step ahead of everyone. However, a pattern is developing. This will taint his legacy as a coach and I do not think the NCAA is through with John Calipari. Once the shoe drops, and I believe it will eventually drop on USC, Calipari and all that are associated with him are next. Also, the SEC is not CUSA. Coaches will not let him be the defacto commisioner of the league as many of the coaches called him in CUSA. Calipari is not the “Prince” of that league. Also, he won’t be able to grease the wheels on many of his players getting into UK like he did at Memphis due to more stringent recruit standards being in a BCS league. It won’t help either with what is occuring now with Derrick Rose. A spotlight has now been put squarely on Mr Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, Dodson, etc. All of these players have eligibility issues and questionable GPAs to begin with. I am not bashing Memphis as an institution with this next statement as I have done my research on this school. They have one of the top teir Psychology programs, Artificial Intelligence programs and a very good business school. However, Getting into Memphis and Kentucky are not the same.
So I guess my point is, Calipari’s troubles are only beginning. I believe this is the tip of the iceberg for him and the few at UK that were against this hiring are starting to sounds smarter and smarter by the minute. Yes, Calipari has been assured by the NCAA that he has not been named; yet, he has been summoned to the hearing and will be questioned. This will make the administration at UK watch with more dilligence what he is doing with their program.
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Outsider / May 28, 2009
Yes the Arthur issues were brought up before the National Championship game; however they were re-opened after new evidence was found and the case was then re-opened
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MemphisTigerLance / May 28, 2009
What’s your deal? I mention the possibility of one part of this being a result of accounting errors (which is mentioned as a possibility in several articles about this subject, which you would know if you had actually read them). I did not say that there was nothing wrong done here. I’m just not blowing it out of proportion and saying that there is more to this story than there really is like you are doing. Everything I’ve said is based on actual information from the letter or articles about it, not speculation, which is what most of what you’ve said is based on.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
The school Arthur went to has investigated this a lot, but the important issue to the NCAA is that the (eventually proven false) issue was long before the player committed to Kansas.
That’s the major difference here, that it’s not likely Kansas was involved in the grade switching though it seems pretty likely that WWW, at the very least, was involved. They’d then need to define whether WWW fits the definition of a Memphis booster or not. If so, which seems likely considering, Memphis will be guilty of some very major violations here.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
I really doubt Memphis and Kentucky’s admission standards are all that different. Accd to the US News, neither Kentucky nor Memphis are top 100 schools and Memphis’ acceptance rate is actually lower than Kentucky’s (meaning Kentucky accepts a higher % of applicants).
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Outsider / May 28, 2009
Worldwide has not been implicated in any of this. He name has neither been redacted or been present in any of the NCAA findings. Yes, William Wesley is a pariah that needs to be dealt with; however, he is not part of this investigation. You people are reading to much into this report. The money issue stems from Reggie Rose not paying the school back for all the transportation to and from games that he attended. His credit card was on file and more than likely this will be cleared up. In regard to the SAT issue, this is a Derrick Rose issue and what John Calipari did or did not know issue. Get the facts straight.
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Big Ben / May 28, 2009
Derrick Rose couldn’t sneeze without getting a tissue from WWW in 2006 and 2007. To think that a couple of underprivileged high school kids could have grades changed and SATs forged without the help of an adult (with $) is a bit naive. And if Wes knew about it, Calipari knew about it.
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Outsider / May 28, 2009
I agree big ben, but the issue at hand is those were not part of the document that the NCAA sent to Memphis. As much as I hate, that because I wish this would follow him to UK because Wesley had and plays a role with Cousins and Wall, but it won’t, yet. I think it is only a matter of time before it does. I think this will be the worst of it for Memphis, for now, until UK is investigated and previous indiscretions and Memphis is brought out again.
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blueberry / May 29, 2009
d
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blueberry / May 29, 2009
The D Arthur deal is the exact same thing as the D. Rose deal. How can you hold the university responsible to either – neither knows what is going on. And it is laughable that the KU fans come out and say that Arthur was cleared. Cheating is going on every day at every big university. So the NCAA didn’t have proof in the Arthur case – doesn’t mean it didn’t happen – just no evidence. As they say – where there is smoke. Fact is every program that competes at a high level if looked at closely enough regularly violates these kinds of rules. What I’m curious about is how the Ncaa decides who they want to look at. Hell pull a name out of a hat and they can find these kinds of violations. Again for the kU fans – they say the D. Arthur thing was a high school thing – what the hell is the SAT then.
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jhawk4 / May 29, 2009
the difference between arthur and rose is this…
Arthur’s math teacher in his Freshman year of high school allegedly was asked by the principal to change his math grade to keep him eligible. then the guy comes out 6 years later and breaks the story and talks about how morally wrong it was. if it bothered him so much where was he the previous 5 years? also, when Arthur’s grades may have been changed he was not a Kansas commit, and when rose cheated on the SAT he was probably doing so in order to get accepted into memphis, because the SAT is a college entrance exam.
if WWW and Cal are as close as people say they are, then of course Cal knew about it. i find it unlikely that bill self and a freshman algebra teacher at south oak cliff high school are buddies scheming to get arthur into kansas.
rose cheating on a college entrance exam and Arthurs freshman math teacher switching numbers in a gradebook are not the same thing, and memphis will be punished for what rose did.
so blueberry, i understand your point, and i do think there was wrongdoing with arthur. but innocent until proven guilty right? they couldnt prove anything on arthur and already have on D. Rose.
and i also agree with you, blueberry in that i think that the ncaa needs to stop making examples of programs with exaggerated punishments, because just about everybody is doing something the ncaa could deem a violation. its getting a little ridiculous.
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YankeeCpt / May 29, 2009
I can not believe the IQ of some of the people who post here. Now there is a handful of players on d-rose highschool team who have had their grade changed. do you think memphis or calipari had a hand in changing those?
after reading the posts, i tend to agree with blueberry by far more than the others.
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jayhawkfan11 / May 29, 2009
That slimy pr*ck Johnny Cal! The only coach to ever have two teams revoke their Final Fours. At least those teams got to the NCAA Tourney. Something Kentucky couldnt do last year.
haha
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johnjohn / May 29, 2009
READ THIS — MEMPHIS DID NOT CHEAT — Rose and 3 HS players SAT/Grade Fraud
The Chicago Newspapers are over this story. They are not saying if Rose did the Grade Change. They are flat out saying that he was involved.
And now the newspapers have said that they know who actually who took the SATs. I find that a little hard to believe.
BUT… this is a summary of what has been reported in the Tribune and Sun papers.
This is bigger than Memphis and Rose.
Rose and 3 of his high school team mates worked together to cheat on SATs and to change their grades via a computer system so that the NCAA would get the wrong information so that 3 of the kids could play college basketball.
There are 2 colleges and the NCAA that are involved. It appears that neither the NCAA that clears the kids to play nor either school nor staff new about this.
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