The Lexington Herald's John Clay wrote a great article outlining the argument for any Wildcat fan that finds himself (or herself) in a debate. Here's an excerpt:
34 coaches have fallen victim to having their NCAA Tournament appearances "vacated."
Lute Olson is on that "vacated" list. Jim Valvano is on that list. So is Larry Brown, Gene Keady, Steve Lavin and, yes, Jim Calhoun.
And yet on the ramp-up to Houston you haven't heard anyone mention that Connecticut's NCAA appearance in the 1996 tournament was erased. In fact, we've barely heard much about the fact Calhoun will serve a three-game Big East suspension next year after the NCAA ruled he did not foster a culture of compliance within the UConn basketball program.
In Newark, we didn't hear a peep about the fact Kansas was placed on probation after Roy Williams left for North Carolina because, according to the NCAA, "three representatives of the university's athletic interests" provided cash and clothing to graduating players.
When San Diego State was a feel-good story for grabbing a No. 2 seed, no one talked about how Coach Steve Fisher had two Final Fours (1992 and 1993) vacated at Michigan.
Ah, but as for Calipari, the hits just keep on coming.
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ReplyDeleteIf the best argument you can make in saying "my coach isn't shady" is a Steve Fisher comparison, something is wrong. Besides, Cal easily trumps Fisher. Fisher's vacated Final Fours involved the same players and were associated with the same incident. Cal's vacated Final Fours involved different schools, different players, different decades...big difference. Not to mention that Michigan actually self-imposed those penalties. The NCAA didn't do it.
ReplyDeleteJim Calhoun is going to have his 1996 appearance erased or vacated as well for HIS actions.
ReplyDeleteCalhoun, one of those mighty Big East coaches, was found guilty of breaking the rules but NO ONE is talking about that.