What a summer for basketball fans. In the professional ranks, the NBA had a headline grabbing off-season which was highlighted by a flurry of marquee off-season transactions. On the collegiate landscape, stories garnered attention as well, but some for the opposite reason. Bruce Pearl and the Tennessee Volunteers found themselves in some hot water and the University of Connecticut admitted to violating NCAA recruiting rules. Now we have some other off the court issues that are leading talks in the Blue Grass State. The NCAA just ruled that University of Kentucky freshman, Enes Kanter, is “permanently ineligible” from playing for the Wildcats.
After the year that Kentucky had a season ago where their crop of freshmen led the team deep into the tournament before coming up short against West Virginia, expectations remained somewhat high as they rolled in a new group of players this year as part of John Calipari’s revolving door of freshman.
The guys that lead this class are Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and Doron Lamb among others. Then of course there was Enes Kanter. For months now, Kentucky faithful had been waiting impatiently to find out if they would have the services of their Turkish big man. Kanter was in question because the NCAA was deciding whether or not he received benefits above his actual and necessary expenses while playing for a club basketball team in Turkey. The NCAA ruled that the 6’11” Kanter received over $33,000 above his necessary expenses for the 2008 – 2009 season.
“Enes took advantage of an opportunity to play at the highest level available to him, but the consequences of receiving payments above his actual expenses is not compatible with the collegiate model of sports that our members have developed,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs.
This means that Kentucky, who had National Championship aspirations, must look to Elvoy Vargas and/or Josh Harrellson to fill this newly created void left by Kanter. This news is accompanied by an altered perception of how good Kentucky may end up being this year. Kanter was supposed to set the tone as a dominant force down low, picking up where DeMarcus Cousins left off. Emphasis on was. Now how good they’ll be is anyone’s guess.
Last year, Kanter was at Stonebridge Prep in California before going to Kentucky. Even though he’s from Turkey and spent a year in Cali, he become somewhat of a celebrity at Kentucky without playing a regular season game. While his situation was under investigation “Free Enes” t-shirts became abundant which helped boost his local celebrity.
In response to the news, John Calipari had the following to say:
“I think our fans get to [thinking], ‘Why is the NCAA doing this to us?’ They’re not doing it to us, they’re trying to figure this out. I want the kid to play…but I want [the NCAA] to get it right.”
This situation is definitely a unique one which is why Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, says the school will appeal this decision.
Jay Bilas of ESPN stated, “The NCAA’s ruling is correct, but fundamentally flawed since it deprives Enes Kanter a chance at a college education.” On the surface, Bilas is correct. But in reality, give me a break. We all know that these guys aren’t student-athletes. They’re athletes who happen to be students, and this is where Calipari get’s criticized. His detractors constantly harp on the fact that no matter where he goes, that institution of higher learning automatically becomes the University of One and Done because he cultivates an atmosphere where guys come for their freshman campaign before packing their bags for Manhattan, the site of the NBA Draft.
Ever since Calipari took this approach, I found a new respect for him. What he’s doing in his recruiting practices is obvious, but he doesn’t care. He’s trying to win a National Championship at any cost and doesn’t seem too concerned with what others think or with who may potentially be negatively impacted. In a strange way, I admire that selfishness about him.
Others, however, do not. Namely, former Indian head coach, Bob Knight. About a year ago, Knight had the following to say about how Calipari goes about his business:
“We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching. You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.”
I’m sorry but if there’s anyone on Earth who has no business questioning the way another college coach handles certain situations, it’s Bob Knight. Calipari may bend rules occasionally and put his well being first, but I don’t recall him every putting his hands on any of his players. You can say that Calipari had bad intentions while Knight was well intentioned, but that is completely irrelevant based on the outcome. Sorry, I digress.
Given Calipari’s track record, I don’t expect the appeal to end up favorably for Kentucky which means we may not see Kanter this year which will force Calipari to back to the drawing board next year. If it were up to me, the Kanter should be allowed to play. I’m not sure why what he did prior to Kentucky should have any impact on him being allowed to play. The NCAA carries itself as a dictatorship simply because they can.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
