Bluegrassrivals

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketba...les-040111

As the college basketball universe gathers for the Final Four in this burgeoning city, controversial Kentucky coach John Calipari once again finds himself at the center of it.

In just his second season with the Wildcats, he has rejuvenated the tradition-rich program from the depths of missing the NCAA tournament in 2009 for the first time in 18 years and guided it to its first Final Four since its 1998 national championship behind another one of his celebrated freshman classes.

In doing so, Calipari has become just the second coach to take three different programs to the Final Four, although his appearances with Massachusetts and Memphis were stricken after violations of NCAA rules during his watch were later discovered. His fourth-seeded Wildcats (29-8) play third-seeded Connecticut (30-9) on Saturday in the national semifinals.

But forgotten in Calipari’s quick turnaround of Kentucky is a native of this bustling metroplex who was instrumental in the Wildcats’ resurrection: Bilal Batley.

Batley abruptly resigned as assistant director of basketball operations/manager after he violated NCAA rules by rebounding for a player during a workout in July 2009. Kentucky self-reported the secondary violation and sent Batley a letter of admonishment.

Batley’s job did not allow him to have on-court interaction with players. When he resigned, a team spokesman said he did so to return home because of an illness in his family.

But a nearly two-year FOXSports.com investigation revealed that Batley also broke NCAA rules by making repeated impermissible telephone calls while at both Memphis and Kentucky to recruits, such as DeMarcus Cousins, and their parents.

When approached by a FOXSports.com reporter after his news conference on Friday, Calipari refused to address any questions concerning whether he was aware of Batley's calls and whether or not Kentucky self-reported the violations.

NCAA rules state that all telephone calls made to or received from a recruit, his parents, legal guardians or coaches must be made and received by a team’s head coach or three countable assistant coaches.

According to Memphis and Kentucky, Batley was not a countable coach at either school. NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson declined comment to FOXSports.com on the alleged violations.

But Cousins, a Sacramento Kings rookie forward who played for Kentucky as a freshman last season and then left for the NBA draft, said Batley played a “big role” in him committing first to Memphis. He then followed Calipari to Kentucky shortly after the coach’s hiring in April 2009.

Cousins was the first major recruit that Calipari landed at Kentucky and helped re-establish the Wildcats’ recruiting reputation among the nation’s elite. He said he and his mother, Monique Cousins, talked to Batley on the telephone while he was at Memphis and Kentucky.

“We stayed in contact with him frequently,” DeMarcus Cousins told FOXSports.com.

Never ceases to amaze me on the "Timing" of reports from the media.

^Amen to that Dust!

HOUSTON — University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. downplayed the importance of a FoxSports.com report Friday night that said a former UK basketball staffer broke rules by making impermissible telephone calls to recruits.

Speaking at the Final Four on Saturday, Todd also questioned the timing of the report.

"If it had merit, and I don't think it does, they can do it next week," Todd said.

Todd said he had spoken to UK's chief compliance officer, Sandy Bell, about the report.

Bilal Batley abruptly resigned as UK's assistant director of basketball operations/manager after he violated NCAA rules by rebounding for a player during a workout in July 2009. UK self-reported the secondary violation and sent Batley a letter of admonishment.

Batley's job did not allow him to have on-court interaction with players. When he resigned after barely four months on the job, a team spokesman said an illness in his family was the reason.
Batley, who worked for UK Coach John Calipari at Memphis, broke NCAA rules by making repeated impermissible telephone calls to recruits while working for Memphis and then Kentucky, FoxSports.com said.

Todd said he was hesitant to talk about the report because it came on the eve of the national semifinals.

"For some reason, people want to drag up something negative," said Todd, who is retiring as UK president at the end of June. "It's a part of journalism I'm glad I don't have to put up with much longer."


Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/04/03/16943...z1IVgeLHNe

Stardust Wrote:Never ceases to amaze me on the "Timing" of reports from the media.

I can not believe Foxsports paid someone for two years to due an investigation on UK. Somebody at Foxsports must really hate UK. Not many schools with that much investigation, would be able to be free of all infractions. With 2 years they would be able to find some type of minor violation at every school ( NCAA has a ton of minor rules that can easily be missed accidentally).

This story was written by Jeff Goodmen. He is a UNC homer. He hates UK. He has on several occations got into verbal fistacuffs with Matt Jones of KSR.
The "timing" of this story was relaesed exactly when Goodmen wanted it released. The NCAA already knew about the Bartley infractions.
Goodmen just wanted to make UK look bad at a time when the program has looked it's best in years.

Gotta love the media.

^ As well all say these things with bated breath hoping that it's all nothing, but knowing that history repeats itself! Which is everyone's biggest fear........

Nothing may come of this...But cousins come out and told this? makes me wonder what all he had to do to get wall and bledsoe and orton! However, this is 2 years and something has come up both years...This situation there may be nothing come up, however you just cant convince me that bledsoe scored high enough on the ACT nor could he make the grades at UK....He is just simply put, dumb! lol

theVILLE Wrote:Nothing may come of this...But cousins come out and told this? makes me wonder what all he had to do to get wall and bledsoe and orton! However, this is 2 years and something has come up both years...This situation there may be nothing come up, however you just cant convince me that bledsoe scored high enough on the ACT nor could he make the grades at UK....He is just simply put, dumb! lol

Kinda like your post?

Ballers Wrote:Kinda like your post?

uhmmm nope, much like most of your post! Do you honestly think that bledsoe could make the grades or make the grade on the ACT to get in at UK???