Noteworthy developments in U of L Cardinal hoops this week are positive, I suppose.
Though two have loose ends fraying about the edges.
At the third, Louisville Live, a good time was apparently had by all.
Juco phenom Jay Scrubb announced that he’ll bring his basketball talents back home to ball for the Cardinals. That is, if he does decide to continue his higher education, if he doesn’t jump directly to the pros.
It’s a good get despite the residue of uncertainty and sets a tone for other Cardinal recruits that the Yum! is the place to play.
So I’m happy about that, but somewhat ambivalent about the other news.
Which is that Luke Hancock, Gorgui Dieng, Mike Marra — Was he even on that ’13 squad? — Stephan Van Treese and Tim Henderson settled their lawsuit against the NCAA. Their aim was to officially restore the Cardinals’ “vacated” title, the lost Ws, and their personal stats and stature.
Their aim wasn’t exactly true. But, good for them for trying, I suppose.
Though I understood their reasoning when filing the claim, I frankly never took to it. That ’13 team won the national title as a team.
Together.
This lawsuit threw their teammates under the bus. Essentially what they were saying in their suit was, “Hey, it was the other guys. We were all clean. Don’t punish us for what our teammates did.”
Don’t like the smell of that.
In the settlement, Luke got an asterisk removed from his MOP award. There was a Make Nice statement, with some fuzzy language about the stats of these guys.
And that was sorta it.
Imagine my surprise that after the settlement, the players’ lawyer, bloviating John “Mr. Bluster” Morgan, didn’t have another show and tell press conference. One to explain in detail how he brought the goliath NCAA to its knees, how he singlehandedly eliminated the indentured servitude of college athletes and restored truth, justice and recognition of U of L’s national crown.
Guess Morgan’s too busy chasing ambulances, and passing out business cards at fender benders.
All that snarkiness aside, it’s great to be talking hoops.
— Seedy K
Bottom line is that it is better to: (1) have fake classes at a supposed prestigiously ranked institution of higher learner; (2) have ready made contracts with shoe companies to be signed within hours of a recruits final game, not to necessarily mention Mr. Wall and others by name; (3) gain the servitude of top-ranked talent that are the obvious subjects of bidding wars by the shoe companies,again not to mention Zion by name; and (4) make serious offers in the Bayou to acquire talented BBallers than it is to rain a few dollar bills and have some young, nubile sisters dance and maybe knock boots with some Cardinal players—who no doubt have co-eds standing in line to provide services of various kinds to the players, absolutely free of charge. Sex on campus? Now that is repugnant.
I hate the thought that the amature model that the NCAA has supposedly legislated, represented and adjudicated during my lifetime appears soon to be thrown out with the bath water as a result of the political imposition and will of the California state legislature, soon to be followed in the great state of South Carolina—in which just happens to reside the defending national champion Clempson Tigers.
But, you reap what you sew. The NCAA does not deserve to maintain the high level of power and control that it has so arbitrarily doled out over the last 50 years or so. I suspect that the entire college sports model will soon be nothing but a minor league system for the pro-leagues or the colleges will turn more to the European club team model, for better or worse.
Just don’t expect my hard earned dollars to keep flowing in that direction if that is the ultimate solution.
One wonders, would the banner still be hanging had Andre McGee invited some students not affiliated with the basketball program to some of the parties?
Actually, I’m a bit surprised at your reaction to the settlement. While I don’t know the ins and outs of this matter from start to resolution, my guess is that the teammates you refer to as being “thrown under the bus” were all invited to participate to begin with. Next, if I were selected as MOP of anything and then told there would be asterisk beside my name because of something someone else did that had no relation what I did on the court, I would do exactly what Luke did. He did absolutely nothing to deserve any detraction to that honor. “Hey, it was the other guys. We were all clean. Don’t punish us for what our teammates did.” I think that’s true but a bit unfair to the guys that want their names cleared. As to Morgan & Morgan, they’re PAs. There are good ones and slimy ones and it’s hard to really know their motives. Are they promoters? Sure.