Entries from May 2009 ↓

Former Kentucky walk-on Landon Slone is close to a commitment to Morehead State after visiting the campus on Friday.

An official announcement could come by early next week, he said on Saturday.

Slone, an all-state player for Paintsville High, became a fan favorite as a freshman walk-on for UK last season. His gritty, fearless play and perimeter shooting thrilled fans.

But the coaching change from Billy Gillispie to John Calipari led Slone to decide to transfer. Calipari said he would not have nearly as many walk-ons as Gillispie.

Morehead State opens up next season at Kentucky. Slone said the schools actually had agreed to open the next three seasons.

That led Slone to move to the brink of a commitment to Morehead State, not because he thirsts for revenge, he said. But because he likes the idea of re-living the thrill of playing basketball in Rupp Arena.

During an appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines program on Friday, columnist Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal harshly criticized how Kentucky Coach John Calipari does his basketball business.

“John runs programs where scoundrels run the place,” Calkins said.

Calkins and ESPN senior writer Pat Forde noted that Kentucky had fired two coaches — Eddie Sutton in basketball and Hal Mumme in football — despite those men not being named in major violations.

Calipari also appeared on the show. He said that people who know him do not have questions about how he runs his basketball programs.

Earlier this week, it became known that the NCAA had alleged major violations involving academic fraud and improper payment of travel expenses in Calipari’s Memphis program.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari told ESPN’s Outside the Lines that those who have worked with him know about his priorities.

“Everywhere I coached, the fans, the administrations, they know I’m about the school,” he said.

During the introduction to his appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines program on Friday, Kentucky Coach John Calipari suggested that success leads to charges of wrong-doing.

“The higher you climb, the more they’re taking shots at you,” he said. “It’s the price you pay for the space you occupy.”

It became public this week that the NCAA sent a notice of allegations of major rules violations to Memphis earlier this year. The allegations involve academic fraud and the improper payment of more than $2,000 in travel expenses for someone associated with a player.

ESPN trumpeting that it will air a “FRESH” interview with Kentucky Coach John Calipari at 3 p.m. on Friday.

“About recruiting practices and facing charges of bending and breaking th . . .”

Rules, presumably.

With UK trying to impose a news blackout, the timing of Calipari’s appearance seems odd. UK says the interview was conducted on Wednesday early afternoon in Destin, Fla.

This week’s NBA’s Pre-Draft Combine in Chicago is part of the process of Jodie Meeks’ deliberation about whether to stay in the NBA Draft or return to Kentucky for his senior season.

His father, Orestes Meeks, suggested the UK player would stay in the draft if he sensed he would be a first round pick.

“1st round is what he is looking for,” the elder Meeks said in a text message. “Top 25 solidifies 1st round.”

When asked what sense his son had of a first-round selection being likely, Orestes Meeks said, “According to mock drafts not likely according to the people with the NBA, we’ll see.”

Players have until June 15 to withdraw from this year’s NBA draft. The draft will be June 25.

Meeks his about half-way through his schedule of workouts for NBA teams, his father said.

Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying the school will respond to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions concerning allegations of major rules violations in John Calipari’s basketball program.

Memphis will not respond to the media.

Here’s the statement:

University of Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson issued the following statement on Thursday in reference to the NCAA Notice of Allegation received by the institution in January of 2009.

“We obviously took the NCAA inquiry very seriously and have conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations,” Johnson stated. “We are currently preparing our final presentation to the NCAA Committee and will deliver those findings in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 6.

Johnson indicated that the University will have no further statement on the matter until after the hearing process, including the receipt of the final decision from the NCAA.

On his Facebook page, former Kentucky point guard Saul Smith cautioned the basketball program about running afoul of NCAA rules.

“Bad bad day for my alma mater,” Smith wrote on Thursday. “The UK athletic program will never regain its true champion nature with Businessmen running it. Never, no matter how many so called blue chip players you bring in. You can’t sacrifice your integrity for success. You just can’t do it. I’m an alum and I deserve a clean-ran program, plain and simple. Period, and if anyone disagrees, you, my friend, shouldn’t support the program I played 4.”

Smith now works as an assistant coach for his father, former UK coach Tubby Smith, at Minnesota.

Later in a follow-up interview, Smith said he did not mean to suggest new UK Coach John Calipari used questionable methods.

“Coach Cal is my guy,” Smith said. “I’m close to him.”

Smith said he interviewed for a spot on Calipari’s Memphis staff in 2007.

Of the Memphis allegations, Smith said of Calipari, “I don’t think he knew about it, so he says.”

Smith also said his father refused to “pay” for players as Kentucky coach.

“He had the opportunity to get great players,” Saul Smith said. “But the integrity wouldn’t be there. . . .

“I’m not saying Cal has done that. I’m just saying (Kentucky) can’t afford it. We’ve been down that road.”

The Smiths, father and son, witnessed Rick Pitino’s resurrection of Kentucky basketball after the rules violations and subsequent NCAA penalties of the late 1980s. Those violations included the same academic fraud allegation that Memphis must deal with now.

Tubby Smith was an assistant coach for Pitino. Saul Smith was a ballboy. Saul recalled the UK team not being eligible for post-season play in 1989-90 as part of the penalty for previous rule breaking.

“That was salty, man,” Smith said.

When it was noted that Tubby Smith had not publicly comment about the allegations against the Memphis program and their implications for Kentucky, Saul Smith said, “I’m going to tell it like it is. He has to be politically correct.”

Later on Thursday, Smith took down the previous posting on his Facebook page and replaced it with this:

“Just disappointed that my alma mater is in the news again for negative things. Unreal, how many people follow my facebook status. 2 reporters call. wow. I feel like a rockstar.”

Apparently, there was a negative reaction to Smith’s word of caution.

Later in the day, he made another posting on his Facebook page. It read: “1st of all. Calipari is my guy. UK is my team. Where r u knuckleheads coming up with this crap. All I said was I’m sick of hearing negative about my alma mater(u know the team I bled, sweated, and cried for. U know the program I have 6 SEC titles and 1 national title) in the paper.”

In another posting, Smith elaborated. He wrote: “said i was disappointed to hear about my alma mater again in a negative light. Period. where r u clowns coming up with the rest. The only thing i said negative was referring to the Administration and we all have our own opinions. KOBE!”

From the words-matter file: The attorney representing Kentucky recruit John Wall wants it known that her client did not plea guilty to a misdemeanor breaking and entering charge. Nor was he sentenced.

Attorney Anna E. Smith said that an agreement for dismissal of the citation was worked out with the District Attorney’s office. That agreement was part of North Carolina’s First Offenders program. Typically, the person agrees to perform community service and pays fees and costs.

After meeting the community service component and paying fees, the person has the citation removed from his or her record.

Smith wanted it known that The Associated Press mistakenly reported on Wednesday that Wall pleaded guilty. There was no plea entered, she said.

UK Coach John Calipari just sent out a Twitter message that did not address the swirl of questions surrounding the NCAA investigation into allegations of major violations by his Memphis program.

“Gonna spend the day w/ my son whom I’ve seen for only a day and a h alf over the last 3 wks. Thru 4 chapters of The Shack. It’s a great read,” Calipari tweeted.

Calipari is not named in a notice of allegations the NCAA sent to Memphis. The allegations involve academic fraud and the improper payment of travel expenses for a confidant of a player.