Monday, May 24, 2010

Daniel Orton: San Francisco-UK Campus Closed

With Orton's recent comments and news he didn't complete school, his fanbase just got a little smaller.


When Daniel Orton declared for the NBA Draft, his Facebook page, Twitter account, and every other social media method was bombarded with negativity from the enthralled Kentucky fan. Fans were upset that Orton could be throwing away a chance to become awesome, but they were more upset that he could hurt the teams APR - that's not Annual Percentage Rate like you pay on a loan, it's Academic Progress Rate- a calculation that determines the balance between student and athlete in college sports and disciplines those teams that fail to stress the student part enough.

When Orton declared for the draft, he left campus and went to San Francisco to train. By doing so, he left in bad academic standing. That reduces UK's APR, thus potentially costing them scholarships. News came out shortly after Orton arrived in San Fran that he would complete his classes on the west coast, saving his academic standing and putting 80% of the negative thoughts to rest.

Today news came that D.O. did not complete this semester as originally thought. He was in fact the only player to not complete the entire semester and end on bad standing.

With Calipari capable of pulling in 5 star athletes like Rick Pitino pulls down women's underwear in restaurants, D.O.'s one semester could cost the Cats another scholarship. That's a costly price to pay for 3.3 Pts/G.

It's a sad situation and one I don't like to hear - given his previous statements of commitment to his team, but given Orton's recent comments about Kentucky fans and his teammates, it's not totally unexpected.

1 comment:

  1. So, I was totally behind Orton and was defending him tooth and nail until he did this. What is sad is that he is a very smart kid and he had no reason to just give up. John Wall is the sure fire #1 pick, knew he was going to be a celebrity, knew he was going to be a millionaire, was one of the most decorated players in the NCAA this season and was mature enough to finish the semester with a 3.5 GPA.

    Orton needs to get over himself and quit bashing his teammates (he made some pretty ridiculous statements about Boogie) and the fans. The kid seems to me like he is a major a**hole.

    And I am NOT saying this because he left early. He has every right to. I'm saying this because he is handling things so poorly.

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