CHARLOTTE -- Kentucky coach John Calipari denied that his program is under NCAA investigation and that he and NBA MVP LeBron James had discussed a package deal for Calipari to coach him in the NBA.
Calipari was defiant in rebutting charges that there is an NCAA investigation into the men's basketball program.
"It's not true," Calipari said. "It's not true. When you're coaching at Kentucky, you're held to a different standard and like in politics there is a core group that absolutely loves you and everyone else is trying to unseat you in any way they can -- anything to trip you up, that's what it is.
"If you're not up to that, then don't coach at Kentucky," he said. "If you are faint of heart as they come at you, there's no way to defend everything, then you march on."
Calipari said that four players graduated [seniors Ramon Harris, Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson and junior Patrick Patterson] from this past season's team but he did admit the grade-point average has to rise. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the GPA of the team in the fall was a 2.025 in the fall, the worst since 2002. The spring semester GPA was 2.18. Four freshmen left Kentucky after one season for the NBA draft. One of them, John Wall, is expected to be the top pick in the draft and told ESPN.com last month that he did earn a 3.5 GPA in the spring semester.
"We have to improve our GPA, which we will since we just got there," Calipari said. "We won a lot of games. At Kentucky, they want everything. They want it all -- all As, all wins by 20 and wan the highest GPA. Don't coach at Kentucky if you can't accept that."
Calipari wouldn't address the specifics in the transcript of former freshman guard Eric Bledsoe. The New York Times reported last Friday that there was the potential academic fraud and payments made during Bledsoe's high school career in Alabama. If those allegations were investigated by the Alabama High School Association and if he were ruled ineligible, then the NCAA Eligibility Center could reopen his initial-eligibility case.
When asked about the story, Calipari said: "Stop, there's nothing there. I'm not going to talk about it."
When asked how Calipari can change the perception that he's always in the midst of a chaotic storm, he said: "As long as I'm at Kentucky, you've got to be able to take the shots or don't stay at Kentucky. To be the coach at Kentucky and get what I get, you can't be a 35-year-old coach whose never been fired. I've been fired."
Calipari added that he has reminded his family that not everyone loves their father.
"If you're family can't deal with the scrutiny then this isn't the right place to be coaching," Calipari said.
Last week, Calipari and his wife Ellen donated $1 million to Streets Ministries, payable over five years, to help underprivileged children in Memphis.
"When we left, we left a lot of friends in Memphis, Tennessee and a lot of people were angry that I left and that's fine and I understand that," Calipari said of taking the Kentucky job in April of 2009. "We left a lot of friends but we also left some causes that we felt very strongly about."
Calipari said the first payment on the donation was made in December.
Was it true at Memphis and UMASS??Uk has nothing to do with this, I agree! But when one coach has 3 players at 3 different programs been ivestigated and 2 of them allready results in wins been vacated there is something up!
theVILLE Wrote:Was it true at Memphis and UMASS??Uk has nothing to do with this, I agree! But when one coach has 3 players at 3 different programs been ivestigated and 2 of them allready results in wins been vacated there is something up!
Why should the coach be held accountable for someone cheating on their ACT's?
Why should the coach know that a player is accepting money from a Agent?
How Would He know?
If Someone cheats on their wife is it the wifes fault for not knowing?
theVILLE Wrote:Was it true at Memphis and UMASS??Uk has nothing to do with this, I agree! But when one coach has 3 players at 3 different programs been ivestigated and 2 of them allready results in wins been vacated there is something up!
It also matters who you are if wins get vacated.
Just because Coach Cal says there is no NCAA investigation doesn't mean that there is no NCAA investigation.
Wildcatk23 Wrote:Why should the coach be held accountable for someone cheating on their ACT's?
Why should the coach know that a player is accepting money from a Agent?
How Would He know?
If Someone cheats on their wife is it the wifes fault for not knowing?
:Thumbs:
Navajo4life Wrote:CHARLOTTE -- Kentucky coach John Calipari denied that his program is under NCAA investigation and that he and NBA MVP LeBron James had discussed a package deal for Calipari to coach him in the NBA.
Calipari was defiant in rebutting charges that there is an NCAA investigation into the men's basketball program.
"It's not true," Calipari said. "It's not true. When you're coaching at Kentucky, you're held to a different standard and like in politics there is a core group that absolutely loves you and everyone else is trying to unseat you in any way they can -- anything to trip you up, that's what it is.
"If you're not up to that, then don't coach at Kentucky," he said. "If you are faint of heart as they come at you, there's no way to defend everything, then you march on."
Calipari said that four players graduated [seniors Ramon Harris, Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson and junior Patrick Patterson] from this past season's team but he did admit the grade-point average has to rise. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the GPA of the team in the fall was a 2.025 in the fall, the worst since 2002. The spring semester GPA was 2.18. Four freshmen left Kentucky after one season for the NBA draft. One of them, John Wall, is expected to be the top pick in the draft and told ESPN.com last month that he did earn a 3.5 GPA in the spring semester.
"We have to improve our GPA, which we will since we just got there," Calipari said. "We won a lot of games. At Kentucky, they want everything. They want it all -- all As, all wins by 20 and wan the highest GPA. Don't coach at Kentucky if you can't accept that."
Calipari wouldn't address the specifics in the transcript of former freshman guard Eric Bledsoe. The New York Times reported last Friday that there was the potential academic fraud and payments made during Bledsoe's high school career in Alabama. If those allegations were investigated by the Alabama High School Association and if he were ruled ineligible, then the NCAA Eligibility Center could reopen his initial-eligibility case.
When asked about the story, Calipari said: "Stop, there's nothing there. I'm not going to talk about it."
When asked how Calipari can change the perception that he's always in the midst of a chaotic storm, he said: "As long as I'm at Kentucky, you've got to be able to take the shots or don't stay at Kentucky. To be the coach at Kentucky and get what I get, you can't be a 35-year-old coach whose never been fired. I've been fired."
Calipari added that he has reminded his family that not everyone loves their father.
"If you're family can't deal with the scrutiny then this isn't the right place to be coaching," Calipari said.
Last week, Calipari and his wife Ellen donated $1 million to Streets Ministries, payable over five years, to help underprivileged children in Memphis.
"When we left, we left a lot of friends in Memphis, Tennessee and a lot of people were angry that I left and that's fine and I understand that," Calipari said of taking the Kentucky job in April of 2009. "We left a lot of friends but we also left some causes that we felt very strongly about."
Calipari said the first payment on the donation was made in December.
Who writes his material, the Obama White House spin machine?????
Wildcatk23 Wrote:Why should the coach be held accountable for someone cheating on their ACT's?
Why should the coach know that a player is accepting money from a Agent?
How Would He know?
If Someone cheats on their wife is it the wifes fault for not knowing?
:1:
Brooks4Prez Wrote:Just because Coach Cal says there is no NCAA investigation doesn't mean that there is no NCAA investigation.
actually yes it does. when the ncaa puts a program under investigation, the school and program HAS to be notified. if they were notified then i think everyone in the entire world would know. it would be all over espn, fox sports, internet, you name it. so as of right now, if coach cal says there is no investigation, then there is NO investigation.
Wildcatk23 Wrote:Why should the coach be held accountable for someone cheating on their ACT's?
Why should the coach know that a player is accepting money from a Agent?
How Would He know?
If Someone cheats on their wife is it the wifes fault for not knowing?
Lol, wouldn't you think the woman should start looking for different men to marry, because so far she has had three divorces. When does it become her fault for only looking for these kind of men????
Brooks4Prez Wrote:Just because Coach Cal says there is no NCAA investigation doesn't mean that there is no NCAA investigation.
:Thumbs: You are dead on!
dangerousdaneerfan Wrote:Who writes his material, the Obama White House spin machine?????
LOL :Thumbs:
Either the White House or Rick Pitino's publicist
Wildcatk23 Wrote:Why should the coach be held accountable for someone cheating on their ACT's?
Why should the coach know that a player is accepting money from a Agent?
How Would He know?
If Someone cheats on their wife is it the wifes fault for not knowing?
As for the ACT thing NO it shouldnt be! If the player goes through the clearing house, that should be the end of it..No more digging for something...As for Memphis thing and the ACT, i really feel that CAL knew about it ( my personal opinion) and he gave someone illegal plane rides from city to city...That should result in wins been vacated, I think it is the coaches fault to know he is accepting money from an agent...I mean when they are poor as dirt and driving a mercedes, common sense tells you something is up!
crazyfan4 Wrote:actually yes it does. when the ncaa puts a program under investigation, the school and program HAS to be notified. if they were notified then i think everyone in the entire world would know. it would be all over espn, fox sports, internet, you name it. so as of right now, if coach cal says there is no investigation, then there is NO investigation.
What ever coach cal says is the TRUTH! he is god he wouldnt lie to you!:eyeroll:
As long as Cal is at UK they will be watched closely by the NCAA.
Jarons Wrote:As long as Cal is at UK they will be watched closely by the NCAA.
That's right. Cal knows this, UK knows this, BBN knows this. UK and Cal have more eyes on them than any team in the country. Everyone is making sure T's are crossed and I's are dotted. So, if there was wrong doing in the Bledsoe ordeal we would have already been busted.
Stardust Wrote:Lol, wouldn't you think the woman should start looking for different men to marry, because so far she has had three divorces. When does it become her fault for only looking for these kind of men????
2 divorces. Men can be deceiving. Even liars. But i guess it is the womans fault when the man commits murder as well...
Brooks4Prez Wrote:Just because Coach Cal says there is no NCAA investigation doesn't mean that there is no NCAA investigation.
I thought I saw a few days ago on ESPNews that there was an NCAA investigation.
Wildcatk23 Wrote:2 divorces. Men can be deceiving. Even liars. But i guess it is the womans fault when the man commits murder as well...
MURDER????:yikes: Wow, where did that come from???? :igiveup:
I guess Howie Lindsey is promoting that UK is still being investigated and that there are major things on the horizon for the UK basketball team.... Hey Howie, You need to worry about Rick Pitino's trial, UofL baseball being beaten by an SEC Team, UofL softball team being beaten by an SEC Team and UofL Tennis being beaten by an SEC Team.... WOW, I only thought that Louisville was Kentucky's Little brother, apparently not, there the entire SEC Little Brother.....
He is just mad because UofL and not UK has had major NCAA violations twice in the past 15 years.
theVILLE Wrote:What ever coach cal says is the TRUTH! he is god he wouldnt lie to you!:eyeroll:
At least our coach ain't the tiger woods of college basketball
Stardust Wrote:MURDER????:yikes: Wow, where did that come from???? :igiveup:
Maybe He will get the "Death Penalty"
Brooks4Prez Wrote:Just because Coach Cal says there is no NCAA investigation doesn't mean that there is no NCAA investigation.
:1: Exactly right
Well, it seems to me that if there was an NCAA Investigation going on over Eric Bledsoe's amateur status, the University of Kentucky would have been notified by now and with Jerry Tipton at Lexington Herald Leader and asking for open records everyday, then we would know for sure that UK was being investigated.....
do you guys think this will hurt bledsoe in the draft?
they might not be right now but its just a matter of time tho bc look at the history on the coach