OT: Kentucky's entire hoops team declares for NBA draft
This might be the most Harbaugh-like thing that I've seen someone not Jim Harbaugh do.
They're taking advantage of a loophole that allows you to declare and go to the pre-draft combine, if invited. Kids have up to 10 days after the combine to withdraw their name and come back to school.
You still cannot hire an agent. But you can do this up to three times.
It's legal. It's within the rules. It's something Harbaugh would do if he coached college hoops.
LINK: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/kentucky-entire-basketball-team-declaring-221100665.html
Tell us how you really feel.
Well you certainly can't spell FUCK without the UK.
'ello, poppet, what in the devil does the Queen have to do with this hogwash?
me, this will make little to no difference and is really just a ploy for attention after getting bounced. For all the talk about Kentucky basketball, they have not won a title in 5 years despite all of the classes they have landed and all of the talk about them.
2010 - lost in Elite 8
2011 - lost in Final 4
2012 - National Champions
2013 - missed Tourney
2014 - lost Championship Game
2015 - lost in Final 4
2016 - lost in 2nd Round
...UK basketball sucks. Or something.
five years looks a lot like ours, and our coach is on the "hot seat."
We were finalists or semi-finalists 4 of the past 6 years? Where was I?
And we won a NC? Guess I must have missed that parade.
Ummm...no.
UK played in three final fours, two championship games, and earned one tourney victory. That bingo card is much better than ours.
I'm too lazy to look it up, but maybe Duke's and / or KU's tourney performances are relatively comparable to UK's...but definitely not us.
Not too bad for a pro team.
Even if it is to draw attention who cares?
Harbaugh is all about attention and everyone here loves it including me.
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feel bad, and you should feel bad for wanting somebody esle to feel bad (and because your posts are usually some of the worst on here). Calipari is a blowhard. He was on ESPN after selections complaining about seeding and now this, which can only be described as a meaningless stunt. Kentucky has had like the top recruiting class in the nation in the last 4 years and they continue to get beat by teams with inferior talent. So screw em, and this idea is stupid.
I like it, honestly. Let them all get evaluated, so they have an honest idea of where they stand in the draft. Better than players guessing and maybe going undrafted. It was a good rule change, rather than making players decide blindly.
if they come back, they might have to start attending classes. oh, who am i kidding?
If they have declared now, how are they eligible if they come back? THey flat out miss exams leaving this early? Or is UK that easy?
I assumed this was from the Onion or just an exaggeration (like "only" the starting five going pro).
It's interesting, at any rate.
John Calipari may be the dirtiest coach in all of American sports, all sports, all levels. JMHO...
there is no "may be" about it. i will add "of all time".
The difference between what Harbaugh has done the past two offseasons compared to what Calipari did in this situation is that Calipari did not have to do actual "work" to give him this "advantage." And because of that, what is stopping all the kids from Kansas and Duke and North Carolina and, well, any other school from doing this now that it's out in the open? This isn't exactly a recruiting advantage when all that it requires is to make sure you sign the proper paperwork to get your name in the system - you do not have to be a "Kentucky" player.
Calipari can always be given the name of the one that found the loophole, but that's all this is. And because of that, I think that this loophole could very easily be exploited to the point to where a rule change/exception will be put in place in order to not blow up the system.
All the hoopla with what Harbaugh has done has to do with the fact that it actually does present somewhat of an advantage to Michigan for being able to set up camps/practices at these locations and therefore presents a threat to other schools. Not only that, but it takes a LOT of preparation and hard work to make those things happen, which has been a known argument by particular coaches as to why they should be outlawed (absense of free time/vacation).
I do think Calipari is one to take the Harbaugh approach of discovering loopholes and using them to his advantage, but this is one that I have a hard time calling a "recruiting advantage." If it is today, it won't be tomorrow. Props for figuring it out, though.
This is not a loophole, nor can Calipari claim to have found it. It's a new rule that has been discussed a lot before the season ended. It has been "out in the open" for awhile.
I kind of agree with you there, but if you read the article and the comments here the thoughts are directed towards Calipari taking advantage of a rule that had not been taken advantage of publicly until now, creating a "recruiting advantage," and therefore his name is now attached to it. Some might call that a "loophole" in some sense of the word.
Calipari perhaps can't lay claim to finding it, but he might be the first to encourage walk-ons to declare.
I'm not saying Calipari's a Dude, but I think it's a good move with little downside (only downside I can think of is a "dilutional" effect--scouts don't take evaluate a UK player that closely because there are so many declaring) .
This isn't some kind of "loophole" or anything like that. These are the new rules. Calipari is doing nothing special by encouraging his players to take full advantage of the opportunities in front of them. In fact, I'd suggest that in this one case, he has the students' best interests in mind by doing this.
The media is just portraying this as a loophole to get people to click through and drive their ad revenue. They know that people don't like Calipari, and are using that hatred, as well as misleading headlines, to generate furor so that they can make more money.
Do you think a headline that reads: "Calipari embraces new rules and supports players" would draw the same attention, outrage, and click-throughs?
Harbaugh-esque, indeed.
Putting all other Kentucky/Calipari stuff aside, it's a good move for the kids and good publicity for Kentucky.
If Harbaugh did it we'd all be saying how great and creative he was.
Despite how my comment above may come across, I completely agree with what you're saying. And of all the things that Calipari has done in the past that have the potential to be frowned upon, this is definitely not one of those. This only benefits the kids.
I guess my main "argument" was over the article written that explained this as a recruiting advantage. I don't see it as that unless you're just arguing the point of "hey, look at me, I'm always ahead of the game," for which I think is a good/logical argument just as it would be a good argument for Harbaugh.
Agree. Not much recruiting advantage--players can do this anywhere they go.
Good from a PR standpoint. I mean, it's caused us to talk about UK and Calipari now, hasn't it?
I could see this story getting used advantageously as part of a broader recruiting pitch. When you read interviews with kids that choose Kentucky, they always cite Calipari's record of putting guys in the Lottery, and it's obvious that this is a huge part of how they sell themselves to recruits. Calipari can point to this declaration business and say more forcefully, "I'm going to do everything I can to help your entry into pro basketball." I think it could have a real positive effect in cementing a perceptual advantage: Calipari will get you in the NBA.
It is pretty clever.
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Stephen Curry didn't play for a Kentucky or Kansas FYI.
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He was also a top ten pick. So it's not like our model "kid from Valpo" really compares here, unless we assume said player was a projected lotto pick. In that case, he's getting his invite regardless.
I actually think it may have the reverse effect if other schools like Valpo use this same strategy. Kentucky kids will naturally get attention because of the coach and the school (and recruiting rankings), but obviously that is not the case for kids from Valpo, Middle Tennessee St, etc. More kids may get "tested" and more kids may be discovered because of it from these smaller schools.
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