You will not find a bigger University of Kentucky basketball fan than me. My earliest remembrances of UK basketball was watching the 1978 team beat Duke for the National Championship, with my dad. A few months later, Dad took me to a local car dealership to get an autograph from All-American center Rick Robey. From that moment on, I was hooked. Basketball was my sport and Kentucky my team and I have loved following it for most of my life.
I know the history of Kentucky basketball inside and out. I can tell you the jersey number of the reserve power forward from the 1981 squad - Chuck Verderber, #34 - who incidentally had an appendectomy the middle of the season. I remember big shots, plays and moments from the greatest games during my life. I'm such a big UK fan, that in spite of my admiration for the Civil Rights Movement, the famed 1966 title game against Texas Western (who was the first team to start an all black lineup) is just another heartbreaking loss for me and not a great social moment to celebrate in the progress of African-Americans.
As with many other rabid UK basketball fans, often our passion for the program overtakes our judgement and reason. For instance, I remember people celebrating the resignation of head coach Joe B. Hall in 1985, because he hadn't "won enough" during his tenure. However, in 13 years, Coach Hall won a national championship; was a runner-up in 1975 to the legendary John Wooden, whose last game was that title game against the Cats; went to another Final Four in 1984 and lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Louisville in the 1983 Mid-East Regional that would have sent them to another one. He also had a record of 297-100, which is a .748 winning percentage.
Here's another example of UK fans' passion, that often translates to lunacy. In the early part of the decade, I ran into a friend at a mall, while visiting my parents in Ashland. We were talking about then UK coach, Tubby Smith, and how disappointing his season finishes were after winning the National Championship his first year in 1998. I'll never forget my friend's response when I said that Coach Smith may need to win the National Championship to keep his job: "Oh, I don't think he'll keep his job even if he wins the National Championship." Huh? Are you serious? (Actually, I asked him if he was "stupid") See what I mean? There is a fine line between passion and insanity and Kentucky basketball fans are often on the wrong side.
Today, at the age of 38, I still love Kentucky basketball. However, one thing I no longer do is attach my ego and sense of self-worth to whether college students win basketball games or not. Credit it to maturing, moving out of the state of Kentucky, realizing that most of the world doesn't give a crap about college basketball, I don't know, but I feel that I have a better handle on allowing my passion overtake my judgement.
This past week, the NCAA ruled that the University of Memphis must forfeit its 2008 Final Four appearance, due to an ineligible player who allegedly had someone take the SAT college entrance exam for him. The coach of Memphis that year was John Calipari, the new UK coach. These allegations are intensified by the fact that this is the second Calipari coached team that has had a Final Four appearance erased. His 1996 Massachusetts team was stripped of their Final Four because a player had signed an agent and received payment throughout the season, a major NCAA violation.
In both instances, John Calipari was not named in the NCAA's investigations. He was not directly blamed for the player's indiscretions, nor did he personally ever receive sanctions from the NCAA. However, the two schools he coached at before UK did suffer a blow, not only in the loss of rewards and accolades, but in reputation. It has been described that you never saw the fires of misconduct at a John Calipari program, but rather a haze that shifted wherever he went. Unfortunately, that "haze" has shifted to Lexington.
The scandals at Massachusetts and Memphis have followed Coach Cal to Lexington, and everyone from the Governor of Kentucky to the most loyal UK fan blogs are defending the coach. "He didn't sign the agents;" "He didn't setup someone to take the test;" "He can't know everything that goes on with his players," are the common defenses for the coach, who has not even won a game for UK, but whose past successes have titillated fans with dreams of more championships.
During the late 1980's, the University of Kentucky men's basketball program received major NCAA sanctions because of supposed money being given to players, and even a test taking scandal. Kentucky was stripped of games, lost scholarships and for two years was not allowed to play in the post-season. As the all-time winningnest program in college basketball, it was a huge story, and brought shame to the Bluegrass state. It seems that many UK fans forgot the embarrassment and disappointment of that scandal plagued era.
I can't help to think that we are on the threshold of another scandal at UK. However, when I suggest that, I don't hear the same concern from my fellow UK fans, but rather knee jerk defenses that it won't happen here again; that the UK administration has Calipari on a short-leash and there is more accountability of him here than at Memphis and UMass. Well, I certainly hope so, but UK fans don't have a good track record when it comes to common sense and sound judgement. Winning and competing for championships is all that matters, and in a state where a college sport is worshipped, Kentucky fans have adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it comes to the recruiting practices of its coaches.
John Calipari may have been the best option for Kentucky as far as coaches go. He has demonstrated that he can recruit top talent and actually coach them. Another positive is that he actually has a high graduation rate for his players. However, I am amazed by the lack of concern of UK fans for the scandals in Calipari's past. Whether he had knowledge of what his players were doing or not, is not the issue. The point is that he should have. He should have known that Marcus Camby (former UMass player in 1990's) had hired an agent, while in school, and then kicked him off the team for doing it. He should have known that the Memphis player (believed to be Derrick Rose, now of the NBA's Chicago Bulls), associated with the kind of people who would try to help him cheat on a test. In all likelihood, Calipari did know, but turned his back to it, hoping that nothing of consequence would happen. I cannot blame Calipari for the decisions of his players, but I can accuse him of not doing his due diligence to avoid scandal.
You know the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Well, given Calipari's track record, my fear is that the University of Kentucky will be the third school where the embattled coach will have scandal, and it will be the UK administration and fans that will be the fools. You can't blame UMass, because Calipari was a young coach with no issue when they hired him and you can't blame Memphis either, because it had been several years since Calipari had coached college basketball when he took over as coach of the Tigers. However, UK fans demanded a high profile coach and university officials, and even the Governor himself, conceded to gamble on whether or not Calipari would stay clean at his third big-time program. For the Big Blue Nation, it is a high risk, but unfortunately, the odds are against us.
So, my fellow UK fans, enjoy the euphoria that will come with short-term success, but be prepared for when Coach Cal is long gone that we will likely reap the rotten fruits of his labor. I hope I am wrong, but Calipari is two-for-two when it comes to scandal. Why wouldn't UK be any different?
Being a supporter of something does not mean you cannot criticize it. Just because I am a Republican, does not mean I cannot be critical of the decisions of former President Bush. In fact, your love and support for something should cause you to demand ethical excellence and accountability from those who represent your interests.
When it is all said and done, Kentucky basketball is just a game, that's all. It doesn't broker world peace, feed the hungry, or offer hope for the salvation of the world. It is a game played by young men and coached by one who gets rich off their performance. However, our unchecked passion and demand for championships will reflect what we value and what ethics we are willing to exchange for short-term success; and in the end, it may be the fans who end up looking foolish.
