Switching gears for a moment, I happened to have it on EspnU earlier during a recruiting show. They started their show with a collection of clips of college bball head coaches pretty much dragging through the mud any would-be proposed rule to reinstate freshman ineligibility. I haven’t looked for a link yet, but it was interesting to see their reactions.
Calipari was the most vehement in his objections, saying those in ivory towers couldn’t possibly know what was best for people down in the thick of things. Calipari would of course possibly suffer quite a bit with losing one-and-dones and freshman availability. That said, I mostly agree with Calipari on this one.
This has less to do with ‘betterment of the players / academic integrity’ and more to do with Jim Delany getting the other league commissioners on board with finding a way around the NBA’s ‘one year out’ rule. Shocking that a Cheat alum would say something about acting in the name of the ‘greater good’ while actually trying to find a way to protect his own interests. I digress.
^No coach came out and expressed that sentiment, but it’s the elephant in the room. It was funny to hear Thad Matta’s comments. He said that since the possible proposal was linked to the B1G conference other coaches around the country had already begun using it as ammo against the B1G for potential recruits. ‘The B1G wants you to be unable to play as a freshman.’ Ha. Gotta thank your buddy ol’ Delany on that one, Thad. It’s my understanding that such a rule can be enacted on a conference level. Might have goofed a bit, B1G, on giving your competitors ammo in the recruiting wars.
