My Take On Cal And The Recent Allegations

#2
#2
Cal has reminded me of Al Capone in the respect he hasn't allowed anything to "stick" to him when he vacates his current position. However, UMass's Final Four appearance was vacated by the NCAA because of questionable situations regarding Camby and now it's possible that Memphis' Final Four and NCAA record wins in a season could meet the same fate. He may be the basketball version of the teflon don. Just saying.
 
#5
#5
Great read Hat.

Cal is the master of operating in the gray areas and maybe even some black areas all while protecting himself from any direct implication.

Someone used the analogy of an accountant at tax time to describe Cal. You want him to find all the loopholes in the tax code so you can keep more of your money. While some of these loopholes may be a stretch, as long as they are not illegal and you cannot go to jail, you want that guy to exploit them. Cal's the master at this with the NCAA.

Cal is a great recruiter, user of the system, and marketing machine for whoever is signing his check. Just as all of us are for our current employers. It's his job, nothing else. I harbor no ill will against Cal and thank him for his 9 years at Memphis. He resurrected the program and left it in better shape than when he got it. I wish him the ultimate success after Memphis' recruits have moved on from UK.

And no, I will not be changing my screen name. Cal is still a great coach and program builder. People can say "he cheats", "he's full of bull", etc. I assure you, any successful BB program is not lily white.
 
#8
#8
ukvols said:
So basically Cal is a complete snake who should be lauded for his ability to create a Chinese Wall around himself?
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No, he's someone who understands the system and manipulates it to his advantage. It's not his fault the NBA and the 'AA have created a totally illogical system. He's just doing what he's paid to do: Winning.
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#9
#9
hatvol96 said:
No, he's someone who understands the system and manipulates it to his advantage. It's not his fault the NBA and the 'AA have created a totally illogical system. He's just doing what he's paid to do: Winning.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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Is potentially becoming the first-ever coach to lead two schools in the raising and subsequent lowering of Final Four banners a mere product of manipulating the system? It sounds like he bends the rules, creates a firewall around himself, and flees when the cops arrive, so the school is left holding the bag.
 
#10
#10
ukvols said:
Is potentially becoming the first-ever coach to lead two schools in the raising and subsequent lowering of Final Four banners a mere product of manipulating the system? It sounds like he bends the rules, creates a firewall around himself, and flees when the cops arrive, so the school is left holding the bag.
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First of all, as long as RC does not admit to any fore knowledge of the test shenanigans, there will be no Final Four banner lowered or records vacated. He is a complete idiot, so I have no confidence in him. This is a NCAA Clearinghouse issue, not U of M malfeasance.

If the season is forfeited, I assure you the banner will not come down. The 1985 one still hangs in FEF.
 
#11
#11
ukvols said:
Is potentially becoming the first-ever coach to lead two schools in the raising and subsequent lowering of Final Four banners a mere product of manipulating the system?
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I can't imagine anything more meaningless than the 'AA vacating a Final Four appearance. The rubes and buffoons from Indy got a good look at how much that means to people when a reception and program in Detroit during the Final Four honoring the Fab Five drew a full house at $50 bucks a pop. Like Jalen Rose said when the Keystone Cops announced their decision on Michigan: "Yeah, right. It'll be just like we never happened. I'm sure people will forget us."
 
#12
#12
CALISKING said:
If the season is forfeited, I assure you the banner will not come down. The 1985 one still hangs in FEF.
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If the season is forfeited, then the Final Four is no longer "official." I suppose the school could choose to still have a banner of some sort hung up though.
 
#13
#13
hatvol96 said:
I can't imagine anything more meaningless than the 'AA vacating a Final Four appearance. The rubes and buffoons from Indy got a good look at how much that means to people when a reception and program in Detroit during the Final Four honoring the Fab Five drew a full house at $50 bucks a pop. Like Jalen Rose said when the Keystone Cops announced their decision on Michigan: "Yeah, right. It'll be just like we never happened. I'm sure people will forget us."
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I agree in regards to Michigan's Fab Five. But, if a school like UK, whose fans routinely count their accomplishments while thumping their chests, were to ever be stripped of a Final Four, if wouldn't be meaningless. It also wouldn't be meaningless for UK to, at some point in the future, have to say, forfeit a season. It would kill them to lose so much ground to UNC in the same way that Bobby Bowden's camp was hit with the ruling on his wins (pending appeal).
 
#14
#14
For some reason, I thought this was appropriate for this thread.

:p
 

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#16
#16
Sensible, probably the first time I've ever agreed with Hat.

Tark was kind of a cult hero for the whole "staring down the NCAA" schtick.
 
#17
#17
Nice read hat.

Will be interesting to see if Cal has any trouble at UK. UK has said they knew about this before they hired Cal.
 
#18
#18
It will be very interesting to see if Cal leads UK to a Final Four and has his best player declared ineligible after he has left for another job with plausible deniability.
 
#20
#20
How dull would basketball be if you didn't have the proper role of characters. I think anytime your on top of your game winning and monetarily, people are always going to be out to dethrone you. I personally still feel bad for Memphis that Cal left, because there's just not too much in a positive light going on down there of what I was told my last visit there.Cal was a legend.
 
#21
#21
Excellent article, hat. Your best ever, imho. Reeks of the truth.

I have always been a big fan of Tarkanian -- never liked the way the NCAA singled him out, and wished he would have gotten even more than 2.5 mill he did.

I do not share the same fondness for John Calipari.
 
#22
#22
kidbourbon said:
Excellent article, hat. Your best ever, imho. Reeks of the truth.

I have always been a big fan of Tarkanian -- never liked the way the NCAA singled him out, and wished he would have gotten even more than 2.5 mill he did.

I do not share the same fondness for John Calipari.
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+1 He is a Greasy Snake.

hatvol96 said:
No, he's someone who understands the system and manipulates it to his advantage. It's not his fault the NBA and the 'AA have created a totally illogical system. He's just doing what he's paid to do: Winning at all costs regardless of how unethical it may be.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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FYP - And You can cry the "It's not his fault the NCAA doesn't like cheaters" line all day. At the end of the day, fact still remains that Calipari is a cheat. Its only fitting he ended up at Kentucky.
 
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#23
#23
Cal has flourished when coaching in the "small guy" role. He's good at playing the "never mind little 'ol me" card. His previous stint on the big stage ended as a miserable failure. This is part deux for him.

It'll be interesting to see how far his shtick gets him in Lexington. He's a media darling with mediocre in game coaching skills.
 
#24
#24
"It's only fitting he ended up at Kentucky."

This line says it all and is precisely how I view the situation.
 
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#25
#25
UT IE 95 said:
It'll be interesting to see how far his shtick gets him in Lexington.
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Same here. The Memphis media never dared to write/say anything bad about Cal (occassionally Calkins would) and Cal could pitch his "Miserables" speech to the media and anyone willing to listen. That stuff won't fly in Lexington.
 
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